Something Businessy

This week, Nichole and Michelle Puccinelli dive into the intricacies of brand management, operations, and hiring for the digital age.  Michelle, the fractional VP of Team Johnson, shares her journey from a high school history teacher to running operations for multiple brands including Instaclub Hub, Marketing Impact Academy, and more.  Learn her strategies for hiring the best talent through platfo...

Courtney chats with Ampersand Studios stylist and producer, Bailee Huizenga. Join us as Bailee shares insights into her role at the studio, highlights the importance of authenticity in branding, and discusses pre-production processes for photo shoots.  Learn how confidence and expressing individuality play crucial roles in both styling and branding. Bailee also touches on how to feel comfortable i...

In this episode, Nichole and Frannie dive into a comprehensive debrief of their recent launch of Brand Camp and the Easy Fun Brand Club. They discuss the intensity and excitement of their workload, their successful strategies, and candidly share statistics, including revenue generated and ad spend. They explain Brand Camp and their experiences transitioning their community-hosting platform to Migh...

Nichole shares actionable tips on utilizing Instagram to boost sales for small businesses. She emphasizes the importance of taking imperfect action, having a clear strategy, maintaining consistent branding, optimizing the Instagram bio and call to action, utilizing all Instagram features, analyzing performance, and engaging genuinely with followers. With 80% to 100% of her business's success...

Join Courtney, Director of Operations as she discusses the importance of operations in small businesses. Dive deep into her new service 'Operations Overhaul' which helps solopreneurs and CEOs streamline processes, set clear goals, and improve workflows. Learn how standard operating procedures, technology stacks, and effective delegation can revolutionize your business. Discover strategie...

Nichole and Frannie are answering questions submitted on Instagram. They're sharing their favorite books and podcasts, insights on balancing business with motherhood, reminisce about their high-end retail store, and offering tips for networking and starting a marketing agency.  Tune in for a fun and enlightening conversation that covers diverse topics from personal style to creating impactful...

Joining Frannie this week is her friend and client, Lisa Roeser, CEO of 50 Flowers. The two discuss their serendipitous meeting and how their friendship has blossomed (pun intended). Liza shares her journey of founding 50 Flowers, an e-commerce platform delivering flowers directly from farms to customers. She speaks about the early challenges, the importance of respecting professional florists, an...

This week, Nichole shares compelling insights from 'Brag Better' by Meredith Fineman . She highlights the struggle many, especially women, face with promoting their accomplishments. Nichole shares the importance of reclaiming the term 'bragging' in a positive light. as well as shares how the book encourages readers to be loud, proud, and strategic about their achievements to se...

Are you scrolling newsfeeds and social feeds all day? Coming up with idea after idea just to sit on them and never take action? Yeah, us too!  In this episode, Nichole discusses the common struggle of taking action on business and personal goals. She emphasizes the importance of clear goals, breaking tasks into manageable steps, setting deadlines, eliminating distractions, and seeking support.  Br...

The dynamic duo is BACK!  This week, Frannie and Nichole chat about Ampersand Studios' unique approach to brand photography. From initial surveys and pre-production planning to the final editing stages, they discuss how they tailor photoshoots to meet each client's brand. The episode also touches on their experience as wedding photographers, how that background influenced their current m...

In this episode, Nichole is joined by leadership coach Lisa Desilet where the two discuss the strong connection between leadership and parenting, the broad influence of leaders, and transitioning from an employee to a leadership mindset. Lisa shares her transformation from a third-grade teacher to a leadership and business coach emphasizing nutrition and wellness.  The conversation covers key aspe...

This week, Frannie is diving head-first into strategies for simplifying content creation for small business owners. She calls out common struggles like maintaining consistency on social media amidst busy schedules and highlights the benefits of using content formulas.  Frannie dishes out all the actionable tips, such as analyzing top-performing content, leveraging daily activities for behind-the-s...

Let's face it, getting back into the groove of things is not as simple as just hitting the record button again. When you're on the wild ride of entrepreneurship and adapting to changes, you may need to put a few things on pause/  We put together a 10-step guide to restarting anything you’ve hit pause on: 1. **Reflect on Why You Stopped**: Figure out what made you stop in the first place...

This week, Courtney is taking over! She's talking about her new favorite book, The Book of Beautiful Questions , The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), and how asking the right questions can change how you lead and manage your team! If you've ever felt like you were the human Google of your team, hit a creative block or felt like you were just absolutely failing at leading and manag...

This week, we're sitting down with Meagan Allers, head of community and partnerships from Marco Polo. Meagan talks about the power of connecting through the app and her favorite stories of how people worldwide use it to strengthen relationships. In a time when we're increasingly feeling alone, Marco Polo is doing its part to eradicate loneliness by creating a space for people to share th...

We hear you, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. Hiring is scary... but does it have to be?  In this episode, Nichole addresses the concerns we hear from clients all the time:  "No one will care about my business like I do!" "I can't afford to hire help!"  "I just don't trust anyone enough to take over things!" In the early years of Ampersand Studios, Nichole an...

In this episode, Frannie sits back down with TikTok viral DJ, Eric Rhodes. We interviewed him last year right before he hit 1M followers. Eric tells us what it's like to have that many followers and the doors that have opened up since his content has gone viral. Follow Eric Rhodes Instagram TikTok Brand Persona Quiz Follow us on Instagram: @somethingbusinessy @ampersand_studios Or check us ou...

Last week, Frannie and Nichole had a candid chat about what to do when you think you're being copied and how to handle it gracefully and professionally. In this episode, they continue that conversation but give tips on what to do if YOU'RE the copycat!  Brand Persona Quiz Follow us on Instagram: @somethingbusinessy @ampersand_studios Or check us out at www.ampersand-studios.com

Have you ever felt like you're being totally ripped off? It happens a lot in the world of business. What's the difference between being inspired by someone and just plain copying? What even are original ideas anyway? In this episode, Frannie and Nichole have a candid chat about what to do when you think you're being copied and how to handle it gracefully and professionally. Brand Pe...

Decisions, decisions, decisions... they're all around us! If you're anything like me, after a long day of making decisions you might explode when your kids ask whats for dinner. If you're being faced with any decisions at the moment, big or small... this episode can serve as your guide. Brand Persona Quiz Follow us on Instagram: @somethingbusinessy @ampersand_studios Or check us out...

We're joined by special guest Camille Levi of BA Makeup Company to discuss the common misconceptions around makeup, the connection between looking good and feeling good, and the latest trends. Mentioned in this episode: www.learnmakeup.co www.bamakeupcompany.com Fresh Faces by Frances Social: @bamakeupcompany Brand Persona Quiz Follow us on Instagram: @somethingbusinessy @ampersand_studios Or...

It’s okay if you’re extra… so is avocado. People love avocado. BE AVOCADO! In this episode, Frannie and Nichole reflect on brand experiences they’ve had where the company pulled a “surprise and delight” moment that stuck with them as well as times when they were able to go above and beyond in business to best serve clients and provide an experience that creates loyalists. Join us for a dose of ins...

We're diving deep into the world of brand guides and why they're the unsung heroes of business success. Whether you're a startup, an established business, or just curious about why your favorite brands look so darn good, this is one episode you won't want to miss. Ampersand Brand Guide Template The Unbreakable Brand Brand Persona Quiz Follow us on Instagram: @somethingbusinessy...

If you have aspirations of being better at talking on stages or just talking in general... which we highly recommend as a living breathing business owner, you're going to want to get out your notebook and get ready for tons of good stuff that will make your storytelling and speaking better across the board. Mentioned in this episode: bestspeech.co/ampersand Glo Atanmo at Craft and Commerce 20...

This week, Nichole sits down with the remarkable Jessica Frew of The Bold Logic. Prepare to be inspired as Jessica candidly shares her journey of transforming a controversial marital situation into a thriving brand. From turmoil to triumph, Jessica now empowers women to conquer their trauma and betrayal, emerging as their most bold and authentic selves. Follow Jessica @heyjessicafrew Husband in La...