The Corporate Dropout

It takes more than Shopify and Brown Box to be successful as an e-commerce store. You have to build an experience. Rachael sits down with Kelly Sakalas, a recent corporate dropout with an award-winning career spanning journalism, agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Sakalas is now a consultant for new and emerging brands. You'll learn the components needed for new brands to be successful as a DTC c...

Tell your brand's story in a way that inspires your audience to take action. Rachael sits down with Lisa Gerber, author of FROM SO WHAT? TO SO FUNDED!: How nonprofits use stories to create impact and change the world, and hostess of the Breaking Trail podcast. You'll learn how important it is to have an outlet to process ideas and inspiration, how to write your brand story in a way that makes peop...

In this episode, Rachael sits down with Angela Perez Baraquio, winner of Miss America 2001. Angela became the first teacher, first Asian American, and the first and only Filipino American ever to win the Miss America pageant. But before her big win, she was Rachael's middle school basketball coach. Tune in to hear what propelled her to enter the pageant, and what lessons and goal setting technique...

Are you ready for your brand to be one that's worth talking about? On today's episode of The Corporate Dropout, April sits down with Valeria Palmertree, owner of The Palm Tree Type—a communications consulting agency for hospitality and tourism. You'll learn Valeria's process for uncovering the singular, compelling narrative that makes a brand stand out amongst a sea of competition and so much more...

Are you an agency owner looking to double or triple your revenue in the next year? Tune in to find out how today's guest, Elle DeFreitas , created and grew Wonderkind Co. (with her co-founder, Cally Burgett) into a 4 million dollar company in just ONE YEAR! You'll learn how to convert the right clients for your business, how your biz shifts when hiring a team, how Elle and Cally created a company...

Are you ready to OWN your expertise, become a visionary and create your DREAM life? Rachael sits down with Dr. Krystal Conner, Certified Life and Weight Coach, to chat about the CEO Mindset and why it's important. Tune in to learn how to create a level of flow so your life feels more in balance, how to stop making decisions from a place of guilt and how to stop playing small so you can feel purpos...

Pop the champagne! We're celebrating a huge milestone this week on the podcast—7 figures baby! In this episode, we reflect back on the steps we took to achieve this goal, including growing a full-time team (which we discussed back in episode 85). Tune in to learn more about our mindset shifts, how we committed to growth in new ways, and how we're celebrating. Hint: It's big! To learn more, visit t...

Your favorite duo is BACK! On this fresh new episode of The Corporate Dropout, Rachael + April catch you up on what's been happening since their podcast hiatus. Episode includes large growth opportunities and transitioning from hiring contractors to a full-time team. Tune in now to learn more about the steps they took to hire a full time team, and signs that it might be time to hire in your own bu...

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is trying to scale before having reliable, automated systems in place. Having automated systems will allow you and your team to focus on the real revenue-generating activities that keep your business going. Today we're joined by Rachel Haley, co-founder and CEO of Clarus Designs, a consulting and outsourcing firm that helps startups optimize rapid scalin...

In the digital world of remote working and video conferencing, it's important for business owners maintain a healthy workplace dynamic in order to retain employees and continue growing! After all, growth happens from the inside out, right? On this week's episode, we are joined by Kelly McLaughlan, co-founder and CEO of KME.digital, who speaks to us about how she has cultivated a productive yet fun...

Are you looking to start running Google Ads? Or maybe you're looking to level up the ones you're already running! On today's episode, our Google Ads expert, Chris Flook, is unrolling 5 simple Google Ads tips that can help you get started today or optimize your current campaigns. To learn more, visit the show notes. Connect with Rachael & April on Instagram!

Do you want to drive traffic, build awareness and increase your business sales? Then you should be using Google Ads to convert new customers! Google Ads are KEY to growing your business by generating leads that convert into real-life repeat customers. On this week's episode, we're joined by Chris Flook, Google Ads expert and Director of Digital Marketing at KME Digital. Chris gives us a run down o...

In a world where we work to live and live to work, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and put your emotions on the back burner. But that's no way to live! On today's episode, we're joined by Dr. Sophia Godkin, a health psychologist, happyologist and therapeutic coach, who talks to us about how to tune into our emotions, gratitude and inner self to help us make better decisions, be better lea...

Entrepreneurs have many different responsibilities on their plates. But have you ever stopped to think about what's on your actual plate? Are you inadvertently making poor food choices and creating unhealthy food addictions because of your lifestyle? On today's episode, Dr. Nicole Avena, a research neuroscientist, author and expert on nutrition, talks about food addictions, how bad habits develop...

Influencers are everywhere. Why? Because they work! Successfully leveraging influencers and identifying the one who's right for your brand can make or break a marketing strategy. On today's episode, we're joined by Christy Keane, a Navy veteran and NICU nurse turned full-time stay-at-home mom and motherhood influencer. We dive into what influencer marketing actually is, how it works and WHY it wor...

"Hiring." We bet that word gives you mixed emotions. Whether you are looking to hire your first team member or add to your existing team, we are here to help guide you on the whens and whys of hiring. On today's episode, Rachael and April discuss their personal experience of when and why they decided to build their team, the qualities they look for in a candidate and more. To learn more, visit the...

This is NOT your typical TCD episode. This week the tables are turned when special guest Danielle Johnson (a soon-to-be ODU graduate and founder & CEO of House of Marketing) interviews Rachael. We dive into the founding of Mix+Shine and everything Rachael wants you to know about starting and running your own business. To learn more, visit the show notes. Connect with Rachael & April on Instagram!

ENOUGH with the limiting beliefs you tell yourself. Today's guest, certified life coach Dr. Krystal Conner, explains how she helps women rise above indecision and self-doubt by transforming negative beliefs into attainable goals and accomplishments. In this episode, Dr. Conner and Rachael talk about how to channel healthy self-awareness, create a 10/10 lifestyle, stop chasing perfection and invest...

What if there was a way to make marketing strategy easy that didn't leave you questioning your efforts? In this episode, Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of Spin Sucks and creator of the PESO model, breaks down how to marry the four types of media together to place your business ahead of the competition. You'll learn about the different types of owned media you can create for your content marketing,...

Raise your hand if hearing the term "SEO" makes you want to run in the other direction? We've all been there, which is why we're excited to introduce today's special guest, Liz Watson. On today's episode, she's sharing 5 quick SEO updates you can make on your Squarespace website today to help you gain more quality website traffic. You'll learn how to use keywords throughout your site, types of beh...

While vanity metrics like follower count make us feel good and look "cool" in the eyes of others, follower number doesn't necessarily convert to paying customers. Tune in now to the finale part of our 3-Part Quick Marketing Tips Series! Kristina Knapp, a.k.a. the Instagram queen, is back to share 3 ways to engage on Instagram to grow your following. She breaks down the steps you need to take to gr...

Welcome to part 2 of our 3-part Quick Marketing Tips Series! Today's guest, Kristina Knapp, is an Instagram queen who will be sharing 5 types of photos and videos you can shoot from home. You don't need a "pretty" space or a professional photographer to create attention-grabbing, scroll-stopping content. To learn more, visit the show notes. Connect with Rachael & April on Instagram!

Buckle up, friends! This is Part 1 of our 3-Part Quick Marketing Tips Series, and we're starting off with a BANG. Today's guest, Kristina Knapp, is an Instagram queen who will be teaching us all about hashtags and how to use them to attract your ideal customer. You'll learn why hashtags were created in the first place, how to use keywords that your ideal clients are using, and so much more! To lea...

The holiday season is right around the corner, so we're bringing up Google My Business again. Yes, it's THAT powerful for your brick and mortar store! Today's guest, Megan Coburn, is a Local SEO Strategist from Washington state who's just as passionate about Google My Business as April is. While SEO can feel somewhat cryptic and complicated, April and Megan break down how to utilize Google My Busi...

We're not going to lie, Facebook and Instagram ads can be a beast. But thanks to today's guest, you're not tackling them alone! Frannie Coggeshall is the founder of Elevate Her Marketing, a Facebook & Instagram advertising agency that helps online course creators elevate their businesses and lives. Today she's sharing her best tips for running successful Facebook Ads for launching your online cour...