The Self-Employed Life

As self-employed people, we set out to run our own businesses, take charge of our lives, create some freedom, and do big things.   We set out to make ourselves successful and happy, yet when we achieve this success, sometimes we find ourselves wondering, "is this it?" We find ourselves wanting even more. I speak with Traci Schubert Barrett today to find out how to find contentment in our lives eve...

This is the 4th of a 7-part series that I'm calling 7 Blind Spots in Your Self-Employed Business. By definition, blind spots are what you can't see. In this episode, we're going to look at what might be holding you back from marketing efficiently and effectively.   Contact Jeffrey – Self-Employed Newsletter Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share! Take the Self-Doubt Surve...

One of the most positive trends I've seen over the decades is the idea of working from the inside out.   In my work, that means focusing on the importance of personal development. But in my opinion, the concept of working from the inside out has evolved from a mere philosophy to a practical strategy for achieving the lives we desire. That's what we're talking about today with my guest Tammy Gooler...

In a world that can get far too complicated, there's nothing quite like simple wisdom handed down. With all that's new in business, there are also core principles that were true in the past, are still true today, and will likely be true tomorrow. That's what we're exploring today with my guest, Bryan Eisenberg: tried and true core business principles. In our conversation, we discuss how to be a "R...

I've often said that sometimes we self-employed folks feel like rock stars, and other times…not quite so much! Let's learn to harness the power of owning who we are, to create not only more authenticity, but more consistency in our emotions. Today's conversation with guest Liz Brunner begins with the story of Liz's unexpected career transformation from TV journalist to executive communications coa...

This is the first of a 7-part series that I'm calling 7 Blind Spots in Your Self-Employed Business. By definition, blind spots are what you can't see. Sort of like you don't know what you don't know. These are the most common blind spots that I have seen across my coaching clients and student over 15+ years of coaching. Becoming aware of and solving these 7 blind spots are guaranteed to make a hug...

Over the years as a coach, I've heard many people say, 'I'm happy, but I feel like I could be happier." So today we're going to explore the situations (which I think many of us experience!) when things are not 'awful,' but you feel like you want 'more than usual.' To that end, I'm speaking with Luke Iorio, a mindfulness coach and entrepreneur.  First and foremost, we talk about achieving congruenc...

There are many ways goal setting is different when you're self-employed. In preparing for an upcoming goals workshop for the Self-Employed Business Institute and being attuned to a feeling in the air, I realized yet another way goal setting is different for us. As many things are, it's a strength that can also work against us.   Contact Jeffrey – Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and...

If you've listened to this show, you know how strongly I feel that being self-employed is a largely about one's self . So, for the business and life success we seek, we must always be developing ourselves. And sometimes, we need to stretch our thinking – perhaps outside of our comfort zone – to what I refer to as 'hitting the wall on the opposite side,' so that we can moderate somewhere in between...

Today we're going to be talking about the visibility you need to grow your business…and if you're uncomfortable with visibility, this episode is especially for you! Today I speak with Susan M. Barber about the subject of visibility, which in my opinion, is one of the biggest challenges that we business owners and subject matter experts face! In our illuminating and practical conversation, Susan an...

This being the first episode of the new year, I'm excited to announce the topic of my next book and how YOU can be involved. Maybe even be included in the book. This will be my most exploratory book and I look forward to including the experiences of many people. Maybe you?   Contact Jeffrey – Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share! Take the Self-Doubt Survey   Valuable re...

There's a shift going on in the world and I'll bet you've noticed it – and that shift is, shop local! That's why today's episode features my conversation with Wendy Batten, a self-described 'chief cheerleader for independent shop owners.' Although the focus of today's episode is primarily on those of us self-employed folks who manage brick-and-mortar retail locations, I believe much of what Wendy...

Honestly, telling people about the importance of meaningful connections in business today almost seems trite. Unfortunately, many of us, myself included, aren't as good as we need to be or want to be at actually making and maintaining meaningful connections. But what if we had a system for doing it? And what if we could understand the 5 most important aspects of gaining and maintaining connections...

Of course, we're all curious about what makes people successful, but what if you could learn the four elements that make up the 'Success Factor?' How valuable would that be for you? Today, we're going to explore those four elements in this enlightening interview with Dr. Ruth Gotian. In our conversation, we talk about what Ruth has identified in her research as being the common elements that make...

Turning your creative ideas into income is certainly not easy: it takes bravery, commitment, and a good business head – which can often seem contradictory to creativity. Today we're going to talk about what it takes to turn your creative ideas into a viable business, so you can live the life of your dreams. In my inspiring conversation with artist and entrepreneur Miriam Schulman, we talk about 't...

You are likely creating friction in your business which is causing you to work harder than you need to and you're not even aware of it. How do I know this? Because you're not alone. In this episode I share the reason you are working harder than you need to and what to do about it. I'm confident you'll persist and accomplish everything you set out to accomplish. But at what cost? How much harder di...

Community and a sense of belonging are two essential elements in the self-employed life. In this episode, my guest Joshua Greene and I look at why and how community, especially in business, has changed in recent times. We first talk about the concept of a "wavy" career path – a descriptor which suits a lot of us self-employed folks – and why someone on a wavy career path might need community even...

Are you comfortable in your skin? I mean really comfortable? Comfortable with who you are, and what you offer the world? We know that being comfortable with who we are impacts our success – and that's why in today's episode, I talk with the almost-completely-covered-in-tattoos Drew Plotkin, successful entrepreneur and author of Under My Skin: Baring It All, One Tattoo at A Time. In this entertaini...

Have you ever had a delayed response to something that took you by surprise? Like a time of great joy followed by unexpected sadness? It happens in business, too, and this delayed response in business after a big change in the world can prove to be devastating. Listen in to understand more and to find out what you need to do to ward off the dangers of the period post-pandemic (or any other big cha...

Excellent, even exceptional, customer service isn't enough today…because it's what your customers expect. So how do you go beyond impressing your customers with exceptional customer service, so that your customers become obsessed with you and your business? Today's guest, Jon Picoult, helps answer that question as we discuss concepts from his new book, From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for...