Small Business Casual: Content Marketing, Productivity, Customer Experience for Entrepreneurs & Creators

Text Emily! The Content with Character has a FRESH face and has been rebranded, officially, to Small Business Casual!  This is the FIRST episode in our new digs where the goal is to help us create small businesses that feel like ahhhhhh, home.  On this episode, I share a little bit of why I changed the name and am steering away from "content" a bit more in general, plus three lessons lea...

Text Emily! Listen, enjoy, and walk away feeling empowered and ready to become their FAVORITE podcast guest.  Join myself, Barb Davids, and Ande Lyons in this LIVE re-aired workshop as we dish out insider secrets and goodies to help you UP your guesting game! The conversation includes:  How to ruin a good pitch FAST by making a crucial mistake How to set yourself apart even in a noisy industry  Ti...

Text Emily! Just like not all DIY home projects turn out like your Pinterest board... not all collaborations end in sunshine in rainbows. And some downright fail. Flop. Fizzle. Fallout.  Failure is inevitable when you're experimenting, trying something new, and collaborating with others. While it might not be so tasty in the moment, failure is full of invaluable wisdom if you're willing...

Text Emily! Want to partner up with collaborators and spark collaborations that give you the goosebumps!?  It takes two to make a thing go right (it takes two to make it outta’ sight), and that’s exactly what I believe the best of the best collaborations create - an outta' sight experience that leaves everyone feeling good. In this episode, I shed light on 20 different ways collaboration coul...

Text Emily! How do I grow my podcast? How do I grow my business?  They seem like good questions, but in reality, they’re a bit open-ended… hard to define. What does “grow” even mean?  I’m doing something totally different in this bonus episode! This month is all about COLLABORATION on the Content with Character podcast and in the name of collaboration, I wanted to share this powerful takeaway from...

Text Emily! I've seen far too many podcast guests and speakers who are just winging it...  Underplaying the gift and opportunity of being a guest, their lack of preparation translates into less impact and being just a tad uh, underwhelming.  In this episode, I'm going to give you some KEYS to being an outstanding podcast guest or speaker, what you need before getting started, and what yo...

Text Emily! Looking to be a guest on more podcasts?  Want to improve your guesting/hosting skills and be a better collaborator?  This month, we're breaking down the numbers to help you become even BETTER and know how to spend your time, money, and energy for maximum possibility.  Business is a balance of profit and soul and podcasting is a blend of art (heart) and science. Knowing the truth o...

Text Emily! I can overthink, outthink, rethink, and retroactively think my way into anything BUT momentum.  Can you relate? If so, this episode is for you!  This episode is for you if you identify as an overthinker (or just a little too much thinker) at times. We're going to get into the importance of overcoming overthinking so we can gain clarity, confidence, and momentum by quieting the inn...

Text Emily! You can't (and don't need to) keep up with everyone you meet at the same level or frequency. Not all feedback is equal feedback and your marketing doesn't translate to every last person you interact with.  Simply put: Your business isn't relevant to everyone.  But that doesn't mean some people are more valuable than others or deserve to be discounted. Everyone...

Text Emily! No matter your pace right now, no matter what you can and can't accomplish or check off your to-do list, you're not broken, behind, or failing. You’re right where you need to be.  This episode gives you 6 tiny, impactful reminders to help you focus on taking the steps, in the season you're in, and do what you can.  Short and sweet, here are 6 things that've been on...

Text Emily! In a world full of loud opinions, tearing people down, judging, and polarization...  It doesn't always exactly feel "safe" to contribute your thoughts and ideas. I've held myself back many times on a comment, or speaking up with an idea because I didn't feel safe sharing my viewpoint or belief.  You can choose to do things differently.  You can choose to be a b...

Text Emily! What’s really behind our creative blocks?  Are you actually "blocked" or is there a truth trying to make its way out and give you a message?  Sometimes what looks like procrastination, resistance, boredom, and blocks is really your inner self raising its hand to deliver a message. Nothing is wrong with you, and you don't need to put your "fixer" hat on. But the...

Text Emily! Were you sick of social media, uh, long before yesterday!?  I'm not alone in the sentiment that modern social media is problematic in a lot of ways. But... don't worry, this episode isn't completely bashing social media!  I'm showing the value in it as I encourage you to keep going, even when you don't feel like it or don't feel like it's working for...

Text Emily! If your business had a body, how would its heartbeat be?  Would the pulse be alive and thriving? Or slowly dragging forward?  In this episode, we’re doing a mid-year check-up on our marketing, content, and messaging! You’ll walk away with the tools you need to do a full scan with clarity, revived energy, and next steps.  Put on your surgical-grade gloves, get out the stethoscopes, and...

Text Emily! Do you feel stuck shouting into the void?  Trapped in comparison?  Drowned out by the noisy online space?  What if you don't need another opinion, strategy, opt-in, course, or coach?  What if you don't need to be more, be less, or dance to the beat of a different drum?  What if your marketing could be WAY MORE FUN and feel more comfortable for YOU!? I believe it can, and my g...

Text Emily! We all get by with a little help, but...  Determining what kind of help you need, where to look for it, and how to give yourself permission to ASK for it, that's another matter entirely!  In this episode, I'll share some common signs that you may need extra hands, eyeballs, or tools in your business and what to do before you bring in the assistance you need.  6 Common cries f...

Text Emily! You don’t need more time or more motivation. You don't need more inspiration, another planner, course, shiny object, or time management method… what you likely need is more attention.  And LESS distractions and clutter.  Today we’re going to bring a fresh spin as we get into attention management, reducing distractions, and freeing yourself of mental clutter! My goal is that this e...

Text Emily! One of the keys to building trust, expertise, and credibility, and helping people understand what you’re sharing is communicating with CLARITY.  When it comes to our businesses, forget content, cash, and all the other stuff they say is king… Clarity is King.  In this episode, we'll take a look at how clarity comes through in our messaging and communication as we establish a clear,...

Text Emily! There have been plenty of times I haven't trusted my gut, both in life and in business.  Sometimes ignoring it has me chasing a shiny object...  Sometimes it leads me to think I need to change everything NOW...  I've collaborated with the wrong people, tried things I didn't want to do, and I've even posted something I didn't feel 100% about, but I did it anyway...

Text Emily! More followers, page views, website traffic, podcast guesting spots, it all sounds great in theory… but it’s not always better. In most cases, it's just MORE.  In this episode, we get into 6 ways to make your message MORE impactful as we shift from a numbers-driven mentality to an intentional, strategic mindset focused on right-fit vs. just more.  Inside the episode, we go beyond...

Text Emily! Do you ever feel like you’re over-scheduling every minute of every day?  Or maybe you just usually wing it and hope for the best?  Perhaps you fall somewhere in between? Whether you’ve shown TIME whose boss or let it run the show and bowl you over, this episode is for YOU.  This is a live, from-the-field report after running several time management experiments. I crash tested six diffe...

Text Emily! Can you / should you befriend clients? Should you take on friends as clients? What are the pros and cons? Just how blurry should those lines between professional and personal relationships be? Often debated in business circles, with some swearing by mixing friendship and business and others avoiding it like the plague... to mix or not to mix? That’s the question we’re tackling today! ...

Text Emily! Ever had a moment in business or life where the dam finally broke?  The pressure of "should" gave way, it all became too much, the straw broke the camel's back... and you woke up knowing something needed to change? Something’s gotta give. And when that happens, we need to REGROUP!  An honest sit down to review, reflect, evaluate, and discern the path forward.  In this ep...

Text Emily! When AI language models first emerged on the scene, I was a "hard pass". Largely due to my debilitating fear of art becoming a lost art, I warned everyone who'd listen about AI and resisted using it as a tool in my own business.  Two years later, so much more has changed in the world of AI and content creation than I ever could've predicted. Some I love, and some I...

Text Emily! Celebrating episode 100(ish) because #AprilFoolsDayJokeisonMe How do you know if something is just a shiny object and a distraction or an idea worth pursuing?  Joining me to answer this question are three immensely special guests: one of my best friends, Lindsay Dreyer , my brilliant collab buddy Barb Davids , and... the man, myth, and legend, my husband, Jason Aborn.   Representing th...