The Dreamer's Manual

Does talking about Q4 of this year fill you with excitement or dread? Today on the podcast I'm talking about how to start thinking about and planning for the last quarter of the year - even if you didn't start the year with massive goals or you did but want to throw your goals out of the window of a speeding train. If we can slow down to take an assessment of where we're at and ask ourselves some...

One thing that's true for me as an OBM and as a person is that I love to hear about peoples' processes. Their behind-the-scenes moments. How they decided to do this vs. that. And their future dreams (and how that played out in reality). Today on this bonus episode of the podcast I'm pulling back the curtain and talking about how we plan and execute our internal projects, what we have in store for...

While I'm a big believer that things always work out the way they're supposed to I also believe in taking proactive action while working towards my dreams. Today on the podcast I'm taking all of my experience hiring employees and contractors online and offline and sharing 6 tips for improving your chances of getting hired for the job you want. Have you applied for jobs you really wanted only to no...

Whether you've been in business a day or years one of the constants is that you'll need to have some tough conversations from time to time. This could be with a client, your team members, a team you're in charge of leading, or a fellow business owner. These include: Raising your prices Letting go of a client A team member not holding up their end of the contract and more! In this episode, I break...

This is an episode close to my heart as an Online Business Manager (OBM). I have the privilege of getting to talk to online business owners every day and let's get real - at the worst, they can be overwhelmed and burnt out - and that's heartbreaking! At the least, most of us need support to streamline the things we do on a regular basis and it's those systems that buy us time back in our life and...

Do you do a mid-year check-in for your life and business? I did one recently for 2022 and thought it could be helpful to talk about the real-life behind-the-scenes - what has gone as planned and what has totally gone off the rails. Today I share about my course launch, current clients, my OBM School mentorship, the crash and burn of my digital shop, a systems shake-up, what's coming for the rest o...

Are you a solopreneur or service provider who is considering building a digital agency? Do you want to know where to start or how to know where to focus your energy to scale your agency? Today Amy shares answers to all of these questions and more! She gets to the heart of how to create the foundation for building a successful agency - without burnout! Amy Lockrin is an Operations Strategist &...

Have you been spinning your wheels trying to find clients on Facebook? Do you not know where to start with online marketing and visibility? Or do you need a little boost to your bottom line? Then this interview is for you! Ericka shares how you can create and optimize your profile on Upwork to successfully apply and be in demand for jobs and contract work. Ericka Ige is a Business Coach & Cons...

Are you burnt out thinking about marketing for your business - or worse yet, don't know where to start? As busy business owners, we are all looking for easy, sustainable, and most importantly successful systems to use in our business - and marketing is no exception. Today Genevieve of Neon Soul Marketing shares: How to grow your visibility without spending all of your time learning about the ever-...

You guys, I can’t even begin to say how phenomenal this conversation with Lisa Simone Richards was. I’ve been building an online business for more than four years and have been studying various PR and Marketing strategies for the length of that time, and I still learned some fantastic tips that I plan to use in my own business. Be sure to pull out your favorite note taking tools before you listen...

Kim and I are BACK! It’s been a while since we talked books and we felt it was time. Especially as we move into a new season with more books being released. We’re talking about what we’re reading, what we’ve read, and most importantly 🤣what we’re excited to read! If you’re like us with a TBR as long as the script for Gone with the Wind… then listen in! Maybe you’ll get some ideas on what you real...

What’s your favorite way to create content? And I do mean favorite way.  I ask this question because I know some people love to write. Others love to talk things out. Still others have fun hopping on camera and creating videos. No matter how you like to create content, what is it that keeps you creating?  For me, I need to have the time and space to lean into my creativity, but also to e...

Latrice Prater is a Neurodivergent CEO of The Digital Solutions Team, a virtual agency providing tech and operations solutions to female business owners. Latrice is a wife and mother of 3, who currently resides in the Austin Texas area.  She is fiercely passionate about people, personal and professional development, and harnessing her authenticity to attract her tribe. Latrice loves to provid...

Look, I don’t know what people in other parts of the country or world do when summer rolls around, but here in Alaska, we go hard! With the sun coming up before 5a and not setting until after 11p, we finally have a ton of daylight and amazing weather to get out and do things.  AND WE DO! When you own your own business, that means setting it up so that you can take the time away to enjoy the a...

Kari Roberts started her professional career as a Licensed Physical Therapist. In an effort to lean into more creative pursuits, and to bring in some additional money, she started a side business as a makeup artist.  As she grew her side business, she talked about it. She’d done a great job of putting systems in place to help her succeed and stay on top of her business while still working as...

I tried something new AKA messy action! Last week I recorded my first IG Live and can I tell you I was terrified? As soon as I got done recording I thought....'why was I so scared of that?'. If this sounds familiar I'd love to know what one thing you're scared of that you're going to try this week?! DM on Instagram @juliecalcoteobm Also if you're looking for the details on my signature program you...

Knowing WHEN you are most creative is necessary when it comes to being productive, fulfilled, and timely with your projects. Especially when you have multiple demands on your time, *cough* little kids? *cough*.  Listen as my friend Steph O’Keefe and I chat about keeping your creativity cup filled and how she does it while running a successful design business and raising two beautiful boys.&nb...

While the title of today's weekending mini-episode also sounds like a very catchy soap opera it's also your permission slip to have your very own hot girl summer. Or as I like to call it - watermelon-palooza. If you want to hear about what it's like to keep bees, summer plans, and what not to do in this (or any season) of your life....press play. If you want to follow along with the current happen...

Neurodivergency has been a hot topic across all platforms in the last few years, but aside from being trendy, it’s also real. So much of the stigma surrounding neurodivergency is being trounced each and every day and it’s people like Danielle Ralston who are leading the charge.  Danielle is ADHD and dyslexic and had been written off as being mentally retarded when she was in school. She wasn’...

Hi friends! Trying out something new with some paired-down mini-episodes, just me curled up with my laptop on the weekend sharing like we were hanging IRL over a cup of tea! Today I'm giddy to tell you about my latest obsessions including books (of course), what I'm drinking on the daily, and something big I'm training for in August. I'd love to know - what are your current favorite things? DM me...

Are you an introvert trying to figure out how to overcome your overwhelming dread of connecting with others to gain visibility for your business?  It’s terrifying right?  Every day someone is telling you to put a camera in your face in order to reach your ideal client. Or to hop on all the Zoom calls to find that deeper connection. Or even the dreaded advice to just network on social med...

Do you know you need support? Do you want to grow your business this year but aren't quite sure where to start? Have you run out of hours in the day and spend all your time working on someone else's business and not your own? If you identified with these questions then it's probably time (or past time) to make a hire in your business. But how do you decide who to bring on first? Today I share 3 qu...

Do you wonder if it's time to hire support for your online business? What are the signs that you're ready (or not)? Today's episode is a quick one but packed full of value! I'm sharing the 3 signs that you might be ready to make that first or next hire. AND because I don't believe in a one size fits all option we also share some alternatives to consider before hiring. Before you leave don't forget...

Support. I suspect we could all use some extra support in our lives. Whether it’s in our home, our business, with our kids, or with ourselves needed support is universal.  But while some of us will ask for and receive that support some people get stuck on this step. In today’s episode, we are breaking down the reasons why you might not be comfortable asking for or receiving the help that you...

Whether you want to kick your business off or give it a boost of inspiration this episode has something for you!  Today Kim and I break down our favorite and most impactful business books from the stories that inspired us at the beginning of our journey to the books that are helping us take our skills and our mindset to the next level - there’re all here! We think the ingredients of a good bu...