Making Good: Small Business Marketing Podcast

Question for you. Did you know that I own a retail store? I’ve mentioned it a few times on the show, but in case this is news to you, let me tell you about it. My shop is called Station7 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. My mom started it in 2015 and I took it over in 2019, and it is so wonderful. We feature goods from mostly local artists and makers, we priorotize businesses that are o...

This episode comes out at the end of November, and I know from members in my community that the energy is high and also! A little chaotic. The end of the year is a super important time for many small businesses – certainly MOST small businesses in my community. So we want our marketing to really deliver for us. But creatively… you might be feeling just tapped out.  SO  If you need some support pla...

This book was a true goldmine. It is packed full of information and examples, way, way too many for us to deep dive into all of it. It’s worth it to pick up a copy of most of the books we discuss in Book Club, but Fascinate in particular is so dense with info, (in a fun way!), that we couldn’t possibly cover it all in an hour-long conversation. I love this book because of the permission it gives t...

A question for you, listener.  How often do you think about networking?  The term “Networking” can feel extremely general, and the practice of going into a room full of strangers to try and make connections can seem intimidating. We know it’s good for our businesses to meet new people and build partnerships, but figuring out the right way into a networking situation can feel daunting. My guest tod...

HOOOOOOLY MOLY do I have a treat for you. Like, the biggest treat ever. This week, I decided to share with you ALL FIVE of the private podcast episodes coming out this week in Making Good Happen. Making Good Happen is my membership program, and every day Monday - Friday, there’s a private podcast that comes out for members to listen to. So, here's all 5 episodes. Want to join so you get ALL t...

Today, we’re gonna talk about something truly scary for small business owners: MARKETING.  In this episode, I'm sharing my best advice for moving past this.  MAKING GOOD SHOWNOTES: https://makinggoodpodcast.com/199 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/laurentilden GET 100 MARKETING PROMPTS (free!): https://makinggoodpodcast.com/100prompts

Small businesses are so powerful and make such amazing impacts on the communities around them — especially when they get the support they need. To illustrate this, I was joined by Ibrahima Souare from NYPACE, an incredible organization that mentors entrepreneurs, as well as Tamekia Flowers-Ball of Epiphany Blue, business owner/mentee who participated in NYPACE's program.  In this episode, we...

Today’s episode is about a topic that is near and dear to my heart; How to create and maintain a socially conscious business. My passion for this probably comes as no surprise, given the titles of my podcast and of my membership program, Making Good and Making Good Happen. Many if not most of this show’s listeners are, or want to be, socially conscious entrepreneurs, and it has been such a joy to...

I’ve got to say, Charelle and I really enjoyed chatting about this one. As a book about storytelling, it should come as no surprise that in addition to laying out really helpful ideas and frameworks, Stories That Stick was super well-written and fun to read.  This book is chock full of examples, questions, and prompts to get your wheels spinning. If you are someone who feels you don’t have anythin...

HOLY MOLY. TWO HUNDRED EPISODES! I started this podcast in May of 2020, needing something to be excited about in the pandemic. I don’t think I would have EVER been able to dream up all of the things that this podcast has brought me. In the last 3 years, we’ve done 200 episodes. We’ve reached nearly 150,000 downloads. The podcast has led to my favorite place on the internet, my membership program M...

Today is an important episode, because it’s about one of the most important topics we could ever cover here. Getting stuff done. After all, we can have all the big bright ideas in the world, but if we’re not executing on them, it doesn’t really matter. Our ideas can’t change our lives and change the world if we don’t take action to make them a reality. But. How do we ACTUALLY get stuff done? In to...

If you’re like most listeners of this podcast, you first started your business not because you’re an experienced business person… but because you have something you love to do, or you care about, and you decided to make it your full-time gig. And then, you find yourself in the situation we all find ourselves in as small business owners, which is that we have to sell our thing. Our product, our ser...

Here’s something I believe with all of my heart You have a superpower. Specifically, a marketing superpower.  And I know that probably, we’ve never even met, but I can tell you this with 100 percent certainty. And it gets better! This superpower doesn’t cost you anything. It doesn’t require you to pick up any new skills. It’s something you have access to ALL of the time and you can activate at any...

It seems like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but this is truly the most Charelle of books. So much so that the whole second half of our conversation was essentially a clinic on how to incorporate the methods laid out in The 12 Week Year into your own life and business. One of the reasons I was excited to dig into this book with Charelle is because since she read it many years ago, she has bak...

I could not be more excited to share my conversation with today’s guest, Miriam Shulman. Miriam is a true force of nature, and I had such a blast talking with her all about how to build a career in the arts, or as a creative. Miriam is an artist and founder of The Inspiration Place, where she helps other artists learn how to profit from their passion or become better artists via online tutorials,...

Today, we’re talking about launching. What it is, why we should do it, and how to do it well. And if there’s anyone listening to this who feels like this episode might not be for them because they feel like launching doesn't apply to their business model…. Well, I would challenge you on that! Give this episode a listen and see if I can change your mind. Want to learn even more about launching...

Have you ever just met another business owner and felt an immediate kinship with them?  That’s the case with the first time I met today’s guest. My guest today is Amanda McKinney. Amanda is a business and accountability coach specializing in “accidental entrepreneurs.” She is also the host of the Unapologetic Entrepreneur podcast and author of Why Not You? An Accidental Entrepreneur’s Guide to Suc...

Repeat after me, “Google Analytics.” How does that phrase make you feel? If ‘intimidated,’ comes to mind, you are definitely not alone. Today’s guest is here to tell you that actually, not only is google analytics, or data analytics in general, not scary, but it can be an essential tool in your small business toolkit. Would you believe me if I said having a handle on your data can even be a stress...

If you’re someone who is considering the future of your small business, this book is worth a read. In it, author Paul Jarvis makes the, (I would say very strong), case for why keeping your business small is the best plan, rather than aiming for growth just for growth’s sake. It should come as no surprise that Charelle and I are very on board with this perspective. There was a lot of head-nodding a...

I just have to say I really loved my conversation with today’s guest.  On Making Good, we have talked quite a bit about transparency, authenticity, and sharing your story. But storytelling can feel like a huge task, and getting it right can seem intimidating. My guest today, Ché Elizaga Castro, demystifies what it means to share your story as a business owner, and does an amazing job breaking it d...

I’ve noticed something about this podcast, and specifically about you, dear listener. And that’s this: You tend to be something like me. The things that I’ve struggled with, so so so often they are things that you struggle with too. Things like self-doubt. Perfectionism. Consistency. And, as we’re talking about today – procrastination. The more I reflect on the topic of procrastination and its rol...

It might come as a surprise that we haven’t spent much time talking about website optimization on this show yet. Trust me, when I realized that was the case, I was just as shocked. After all your website, as today’s guest called it, is “your business's home on the internet.” So of COURSE, in addition to it reflecting your brand and personality, we want it optimized for your business’s goals. ...

Tools, tools, tools! I love a good tool. In fact, there are MANY that help my business run smoothly. In this episode, I'm sharing my 12 favorites: we'll talk design tools, email tools, productivity tools, and much more. Don't miss this week's SMALL BIZ SPOTLIGHT with NATALIE RANKIN OF VISUAL SPLAT! Connect with Natalie:  Instagram: @ visualsplat Website: www.visualsplat.com JOI...

I’m so excited to be back with this month’s edition of Making Good Book Club, and today we are talking about Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. As the name implies, this book, written by the founders of the project management tool Basecamp, is a book that challenges the assumptions and the traditional approaches to business…. In such a good way. I think you’ll learn a ton from thi...

I am THRILLED to share this episode because today’s topic is a Making Good first! Many listeners of the show may know that online education, along with this podcast and other resources, is a large part of how I educate small business owners about marketing. That’s why I was so excited for Melissa Guller to come on the show to explain how YOU (yes, you – even if you don’t think it’s right for YOUR...