No BS Mastery Podcast

In honor of February, the month of love and Valentine’s Day, we’re talking about generating love and goodwill with your clients. In the first episode of this series, I introduced the love bank, or as I call it, the trust bank — that is the bank of goodwill that you build with anyone that you’re in a relationship with, clients included. Last week, I talked about different ways you can make deposits...

Who doesn't want their client to love them and all the work that they do? This month we are talking about client love. Last week I explained the concept of the love bank and how it applies to how we build relationships with our clients so that they absolutely love and trust us. Because love and trust go hand in hand. In this episode, I talk about what it looks like to make deposits and give you so...

 February is the month of red hearts and candy and chocolates and showering the people you love with affection. On that note, I wanted to talk this month about something called the “love bank”.  The love bank is a concept that actually came from a book on romantic relationships, but it can be applied to any of the relationships in your life, including with your clients. Today I’m laying out what t...

I’m excited to introduce you to an incredible addition to the No BS Mastery community and a shining example of what’s possible for any small branding agency. When she started with the program, Kelly had barely started with her agency. She’s made amazing leaps and bounds since then, and we’re going to dig into her journey today. Kelly O’Connell is the Founder of the Kind & Funny Brand Shop, whe...

Being seen and hired as an expert is the holy grail. It's how you get paid top dollar. It's how you work with clients in a way where the project is easy, where they trust you, where they go along with your work. A client hires you to rebrand their business, to build them a website, and they let you take the lead. They listen to what you say. They say yes to the work you show them. That’s the dream...

I see so much content out there telling people to charge more. "You're worth more! Charge what you're worth! Raise your prices!" But what if your clients are unlikely to have the budget for a higher price? How can you charge more if you’re already having a hard time closing clients at your current prices? What are you really supposed to do? I get these questions all the time, and the answer isn’t...

At any moment, we can change direction. But we don't often think about it because we’re busy or consumed by what we’re doing.  January is a great time to consider what we're doing and where we're headed, and where we may need to make a change. Today, I want to take a minute to reflect on what we’ve done, how far we’ve come, and where we want to go next. I’m going to share things I do every year to...

I’m thrilled to share a conversation I had recently with returning guest, Philip Morgan. Philip Morgan's work on specialization, cultivating expertise, and monetizing IP helps independent consultants thrive. His Expertise Incubator program helps indie consultants cultivate expertise, a point of view, and IP. His book, The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants has helped thousands transform thei...

A couple of weeks ago, I shared behind the scenes stories of how we built the No BS Agencies Mastery program, and last week I shared some of our big wins along with wins from students. In this episode, I’m looking ahead and sharing what’s in store for 2024. Tune into this episode to hear: Why we’re focusing on continuous improvement for No BS Agencies Master Our plans for the May 2024 No BS retrea...

In honor of the holidays and the end of the year, I thought I would do something a little different this month and talk about the year in review. Last week, I took you behind the scenes and looked back on what it took to build the No BS Mastery program. Today, I'm feeling pretty festive, and I thought I would share some of the biggest wins that we've had inside Mastery in 2023. Tune into this epis...

The No BS Mastery Program is about to celebrate its three year anniversary. So, this month, I want to share some behind-the-scenes details about the origins of the program, what it took to build and grow it, and celebrate some of our wins with you.  In this episode, I share the backstory of No BS Mastery, how and why I started it, and why I decided to go all in on it.  In addition, I’ll also share...

In this episode, we explore if the No BS Model can be implemented in larger organizations with larger projects with multiple decision makers (Spoiler Alert: YES) and how it can be successfully executed and tweaked for best results. I had the pleasure of working with Carl Wilson and his partners at Luum Studio inside No BS Mastery and he’s going to share his experience applying the No BS principles...

It’s that time of the year when many of us are starting to look at what we’ve accomplished during the year. And you may be realizing you’re not going to hit the financial goals that you set for yourself. About the same time last year, I recorded an episode where I talked about the three things I want you to  do to put your situation in perspective, and to set yourself up for success for next year....

This month, I’m sharing the pitfalls of chasing after retainer clients as a one to two person branding agency. Today, I’m sharing a story that illustrates just how much relying on retainers can negatively impact your business, even when it looks like you’re successful on paper. Tune into this episode to hear: How sudden drop offs in retainer clients can tank your income How retainer clients can di...

Whenever I rail against retainer clients, I get comments from people swearing that the model works for them. And that’s great if it does! But in my experience, for one to two person branding agencies, the retainer model creates huge headaches. All month, I’m talking about why the retainer model doesn’t work, and why project-based work offers more flexibility, more freedom, and more profit for your...

As a small business owner, retainer clients might seem like the holy grail. They pay you every month and all you have to do is show up and do the work. You don’t have to worry about getting new clients because you have a steady income from your retainer clients. Right?  Wrong. Relying on retainer clients actually puts your business at financial risk. This month, I’m talking about why this model is...

In this podcast, I'm always talking about different strategies and tactics that I've used inside my No BS Agency, and how I teach this to other people inside our program, No BS Agency Mastery. This month, I’ve been laying it all out there, sharing the details of the program. In this final episode of the series, I'm digging into who isn't a perfect fit for the program. The truth is, you won’t get t...

You’ve heard me mention the No BS Agency Mastery Program on the podcast, and maybe you’ve wondered, “What the heck is she talking about?” This month, I’m pulling back the veil and sharing high-level details about the program for those of you who are curious. I’ll also talk about who would be a perfect fit for us and who wouldn’t be. Today, I’m sharing who would be a perfect fit for the program. Wh...

I often mention our program, No BS Agency Mastery on the show. And you may be wondering what I am talking about! Maybe you do know a little bit but you’re not sure what would make someone a great fit or not. Maybe you’re curious if it’s for you, but you don’t want to get on a phone call to find out. So this month, I’m pulling back the veil and sharing some high-level details about the program.  To...

To have a successful small business, you need to be seen. You have to make sure that you can be seen by your prospects if you want them to know you then like, trust, and ultimately hire you. My guest, Leilani Wells, is the perfect person to talk about, not only how to be seen, but in what context we’d like to be seen. Leilani Wells is a Visibility Expert and Brand Manager specializing in social m...

Getting clients to approve creative work on the spot isn’t just a time saver. It’s how it should be if you’re doing your job well.  If you are putting in the strategic and creative thinking behind your work, there’s no reason why you should go back and forth with a client. This month, I’m talking about the different ways that we make sure clients are getting the highest level of service, the best...

No doubt, being able to limit all client projects to two rounds of revisions would already be a huge relief.  But what if you could get rid of the revisions process entirely? That’s what I’m talking about this month: how to eliminate revisions so that you can shrink your timelines and deliver amazing work using an Intensives model. There are three things you’ll need in order to make this work, and...

One of the core tenets of the No BS Model is delivering projects in an intensive model. If you’ve worked the traditional way, you’re used to doing an entire brand and website over the course of three months, six months, sometimes over a year and the No BS Model gets that timeline down to just a couple of days. How do you possibly do this and still be effective, deliver high value, and have clients...

How many times have we heard that we need to find and follow our passion? What if that wasn’t true? Today, I’m talking with Terri Trespicio about why you shouldn’t chase after having a passion, the question you need to ask yourself instead, and making intentional choices so you can live your life and career on your own terms. Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, and the author of U...

Turning education into action can be a struggle for entrepreneurs. Not so for today’s guest. When I first met Mike Steadman, I knew he was a doer. Which is why I wanted to have him on the show today to talk about how he’s implemented the No BS Model and how it’s impacted his business. “IRON” Mike Steadman is the Founder of IRONBOUND Media, a brand strategy firm serving veteran-owned small business...