Staying Solo

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  ______________ The seven-figure income. The passive income dream. You have to...

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  ___________ If you've ever looked closely at the tactics used in the online bu...

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. _____________ If you've been in the online biz world for a hot minute, you've p...

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  ___________ Remember when the word expert next to someone's name actually mean...

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. _____ Have you noticed that "ethical" has become the buzzword-du-jour in the 20...

Hands up if you've ever been told you need to "hustle harder". Keep your hands up if reading makes you want to have a nap, because the idea of hustling is downright exhausting.  The relentless message around needing to hustle is contrary to why we ever started a business. What we really need and want is more *freedom* with our time.  That's why I invited my guest Becca Rich, a holistic time manage...

"I make 7 figures and you can too! All you need is my proven system!" Bet you've seen this sort of claim so many times you've lost count and it's totally eye roll worthy.  The online business world is full of people making BIG income claims. And as the years pass, these claims seem to continuously escalate. First it was 5 figures, then it was 6, and now we're at 7 or 8 figures.  But you know what?...

Have you ever had a question and thought "hmmm, I wish there was another biz owner I could ask about this"? Over the past year I've had a great time interacting and answering.  questions over on Instagram. And that's exactly why I decided to bring those questions to the podcast and share them all with you.  In this episode, I'm answering listener questions from how to deal with procrastination to...

Have you ever been given the advice that you need to work on your visibility as a business owner?  While on the surface this is true, one of the things that holds many people back is feeling that visibility = an extroverted, loud, in-your-face approach. Totally not my style, and probably not yours either.  And that's okay! Because we do, in fact, have alternatives.  In this episode, guest Mai-kee...

One of the most common questions I get asked is about how much people should be paying their employees or contractors. While the actual amount will always vary depending on the role, having a strategy for determining what rates to offer is critical. An important part of running an ethical online business is about NOT trying to get the largest amount of work for the least amount of money.  It's tim...

When you're trying to figure out who to trust online, you can't just look for something sleazy or sketchy as a sign that you should skip doing business with someone. It's much more complex and nuanced than looking at the FB ad with a guy on a yacht and thinking, next. It's much more complicated, and sometimes a scammer looks and acts like your BFF or your fave academic researcher. And their market...

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed in your biz that you're ready to light a match and burn the whole thing to the ground? 🔥 Been there, done that. The reality of being of a biz owner is that even when things seem to be going great, the tide can turn quickly. Even something awesome like bringing a client onboard can start to make you feel like you're falling apart at the seams if you don't actually...

Language is always evolving, and with that, so should our marketing and copywriting. Why? Because the words we choose matter. If we want to convey the message that our business is inclusive, diverse and equitable, then the language we use needs to reflect that. That's exactly why in this episode, Nailah King joins me to talk about inclusive copywriting including what it is, and how to get started...

How many times have you heard the advice that you need to focus on scaling your service business? While on the surface telling someone to work on growing their business doesn't seem like bad advice, the reality is that it's not always time for growth. Being profitable doesn't automatically mean you have to double or triple in size.   In this episode, we're going to dig into how to really build a s...

If you've worked in the online biz world for more than a hot minute, you've probably noticed something — Nothing is quite like it seems. You buy a template, a course, mastermind or hire a coach, and once you've handed over your hard earned money you quickly realize you are definitely NOT getting what you thought you paid for. Turns out you've fallen prey to the old "bait and switch". And trust us...

What's the worst business advice you've ever received?   For me, when I think back on the bad business advice, there's one thing that stands out — a whole lot of it came from people who didn't understand very much about running a service business. People who haven't done it themselves. People who don't get how creative businesses work.  Unfortunately, this bad advice can lead us to all sorts of pl...

As a services business owner, have you ever felt overwhelmed trying to figure out what exactly to offer your clients? Part of that struggle often stems from the world of online business and the revolving door of what's trending. Some years flat-rate pricing is all the rage, other years it seems like everyone's preaching the benefits of the VIP day model. How do you wade through the trends and figu...

Hands up if you love a great story!  As an avid reader and a professional writer, I've always been fascinated by stories. And while storytelling hasn't been a topic that I've tackled in a while, it hasn't escaped my notice that t he online business world continues to be besieged by an approach to storytelling that's a weird combination of super basic and ultra toxic. What's the alternative? How do...

The business as usual of online business is broken. But what are the alternatives? Breaking-Free of the Status Quo of Online Business will help you take a trust-driven approach to your marketing, sales and service as a coach, consultant, creative or creator. (That's right this isn't just for service businesses, but don't worry, you're still my fave!) In this free training we'll explore:  - The cur...

You've got a strategy for marketing and sales — but do you have a strategy for what happens after someone actually becomes your client? Let's face it: Clients are the lifeblood of your business. So ensuring their experience is outstanding is one of the best ways to create loyal, repeat customers who'll help bring more clients to your door.  In this episode we're looking at how to create a client e...

When you hear the word "selling" what's your gut reaction? Unsure? Scared? Like you suck? Or that you could be doing much better? The reality is that for many of us, the entire concept selling has a lot of baggage attached to it. But we can't get away from the fact that if we want a sustainable business, selling is part of the deal. How do we move past the nasty and negative style of sales in done...

Picture it: Somewhere in the world, March 2021. You've gotten yet ANOTHER sleazy email from some bro marketer trying to sell you their newest product or service, and the email is hitting you hard in all your weak spots.  And in all the thoughts running through your head, at some point you think, "well at least I don't do anything like that with my marketing". However, if you work online, you've ve...

Have you ever bought a product or service for your business that you didn't actually really want or need? You started out browsing because something caught your attention and the next thing you know you're looking around wondering exactly what happened. I know because I've been there, and many times it was because I got played. I was motivated by fear and didn't even know what was happening.  In t...

Hands up if you've ever heard this common refrain in the online business world: "You gotta spend money to make money!!" This "invest at all costs" message is designed to override logical thinking by urging you to take action and purchase, no matter what.  These fear-based tactics are exactly why I decided to conduct a survey regarding the good, the bad, and the ugly of business investments.  In th...

Have you ever worked with a coach and felt like something was off?  While coaching for business can be a great thing, with the wrong person it can be downright detrimental. And like any close relationship, there's the possibility that abuse can occur.  What are the red flags you need to look for when choosing to work with a coach? And what should be considered if you're in one of these toxic relat...