Too Legitimate to Quit: Growth Strategies with a Pop Culture Spin

You know your market, your value proposition, and even your competitors' playbook - but how well do you know yourself? This week, TLTQ takes a walk on the woo-side of success with the marvelous and magnetic Randi Lee. Human Design is like if Astrology, Quantum Physics, and the Enneagram had a baby and that baby amazingly knew everything about you. Even hardened skeptics will agree that it provides...

What comes first - a polished, magnetic message or the perfect platform? What really matters when it comes to visibility - is it truly all about your eyeliner or backdrop? How can a camera-shy business owner make a lasting impact? This week, Annie P. is joined by the brilliant Margy Feldhuhn, CEO of Interview Connections and true crime enthusiast. This episode is jam-packed with gems about storyte...

How much of you is too much? We hear about authenticity, transparency, and uniqueness all the dang time. But, what does it really feel like to show up as 100% you? Is resilience a prerequisite or is it earned? And, how do we get past the fear of being judged? This week's guest, Dre Valenzuela (aka The Cussing Coach) is no stranger to showing up bravely and boldly. From her language to her no-nonse...

Are you growing your business with your wellbeing in mind? Are you showing up with your profit in mind? According to this week's guest, the "secret sauce" of fulfillment is mastering both simultaneously. Easier said than done? Not when you bring intentionality and real data to your day-to-day operations. Sandra Francisco has helped hundreds of small businesses launch, stand out, and scale. In this...

What keeps your fans returning, year after year? What stays in their hearts and grows with them? And - what is just noise? For most small businesses knowing what to ditch, what to delay, and what to double down on is a constant battle. What should we do when we simply cannot do it all? In this week's episode, Annie P. is joined by Crista Grasso, serial entrepreneur with a heart of gold. Crista is...

How are you showing up in your business? How about online? Is your brand a true representation of your brilliance? Are you amplifying the best parts of your message with confidence and charm? If not, why not? This week, Annie is joined by international branding expert and speaking coach, Suz Chadwick. Both 2nd-generation professional speakers, they share their secrets for standing out in noisy, cr...

"Real wants to do business with real." We've all been told a million times that authenticity and transparency are essential, right? But - why does it actually matter? This week, big-time marketer and multi-business-owner Ryan Alford breaks it all down and reminds us that building community and customer relationships is more important now than ever before. How can we plan ahead for when the world r...

How are you investing your time and energy as a small business owner? Are you spending the majority of your workday in your zone of genius? Or - like so many of us - are you determined to do damn-near-all of it yourself only to get mired in administrative muck? This week, Annie P. Ruggles and Executive Coach Terry B. McDougall look at the solopreneur/freelancer and owner/employee dynamic. How do y...

"Hustle is out, alignment is in." That's art-teacher-turned-entrepreneur Lauren Saunders' motto. How are you showing up in your business every day? How will the next, more evolved, more successful version of yourself respond differently? What stale behaviors are knocking you out of flow? This week, Annie P. Ruggles and Lauren Saunders take a deep-dive into identity - exploring how our self-percept...

Who do your prospects and clients need you to be? What approach, tone, or style will most attract them? And what if you remove the visual aspects from your brand - relying solely on your voice to make your mark? This week, Annie is joined by the marvelous Dave Monk, out of Perth, Western Australia. Dave is a podcasting expert, marketing strategist, and avid reader who shares how following The Hero...

Does the sight of red ink give you flashbacks to Grade School English? Many of us carry that typo-trauma with us into adulthood and our entrepreneurial endeavors. How can we publish our brilliance without our voice being tainted? This week, Annie P. sits down with her favorite editor, Alexandra Uth (known for her Purple Pencils). Together, they'll explore best practices for bringing books and othe...

How can we keep ourselves - our egos, our ideas, our best and dearest character traits - safe in the increasingly connected, digital, demanding  Small Business world? What role does intuition play in the ambitious pursuit of your Purpose? This week, TLTQ takes a walk on the woo-side with Ciara Rubin - lightworker, spiritual teacher, and Disney superfan. We discuss all things energy and tenacity, a...

What the heck is a brand anyway? How do you know yours is sending the right message out into the world? Too many small businesses struggle with finding the perfect fit - where cleverness, color, cohesion, and clarity combine. This week, Annie P. returns to Schitt's Creek accompanied by lettering artist, entrepreneur, and brand designer Chelsie Tamms. Together, they deep dive into branding, re-bran...

Small business owners can be so wildly sensitive about their writing. I certainly have been. We desperately want everything to come out exactly right every time - but don't trust our own skill. AND/OR the idea of letting someone else speak for you? Forget it! No way! How can we stop being so precious and start converting clients? This week, seasoned copywriter Kelsey Hoff sits down with Annie P. t...

Launching a business takes gumption and a dream. Sustaining that business? Well, that requires patience, tenacity, support, and a rock-solid plan. How can we take our profitability seriously without killing what's shiny? On this raucous episode, Annie P. is joined by the utterly hilarious Mel McSherry, a coach, author, prioritization expert, and fellow Ravenclaw. * Parentpreneur advisory: this epi...

Business is about risk - yet so many entrepreneurs cling to what is comfortable. The entrepreneurial mindset requires a lot of unlearning - of rules, standards, and restrictions. How can we push past hesitation and into innovation? This week, the utterly sensational Rhonda Glynn joins Annie to talk about her own path into entrepreneurship, to explore how femininity can fuel authenticity, and to dr...

Your competitors are loud - how can you hope to be heard above their noise? The tried and true strategy of Public Relations may be your secret weapon as more media attention shifts to small ventures than ever before. This week, agency-vet-turned-founder of A La Carte Media Consulting, Christa Chavez Martay and Annie P. explore the ins and outs of paid media and advertising and draw inspiration fro...

Video marketing outperforms other methods time and time again - and yet, many small business owners remain camera shy. Why and at what cost? This week, Annie P. sits down with digital marketer extraordinaire Nick Bonitatibus to talk about two opposing forces: the willpower to be more visible – and the fear that keeps us from hitting "record." * Parentpreneur advisory: this episode contains colorfu...

Most small business owners I know would rather have a root canal than dig into their financial information. Why is money - even our own money - so intimidating? This week, Kate Grayson, Money Coach and Founder of Beyond Money, joins Annie P. to take the sting out of facing your finances, and to explore how depictions of the middle class may skew our definitions of success. * Parentpreneur advisory...

There are approximately 9 billion pieces of content about starting a small business - but sustaining that business? Not so much. What does it take to find your footing in your market, and how can you stay put once you reach the top? Strategic storyteller and Dave Matthews Band devotee, Bryce Conlan chats with Annie P. about the importance of tenacity, flexibility, and finding the right backup. War...

As small business owners, our products and services are precious to us. We are eager to tell the whole world about them - but doing so means we must take risks. Does hearing "no" ever get easier? Baker, fruit and veggie peddler, and multipotentialite Positively Penny sits down with Annie P. (who also has a Musical Theatre degree) and shares how being a professional actor changed her relationship w...

We hear so much about authenticity, transparency, and the need to stand out. But what does any of that actually mean - and how do you know if you're showing the right sides of yourself? Therapist-turned-coach Diann Wingert sits down with Annie P. to share her own path out of evangelism and into irreverent cartoons and her instructions for letting your freak flag fly effectively. * Parentpreneur ad...

We launch in ONE week on 12/7/2020. Here's a little treat to hold you over. (Theme by the fabulous Riley Horbacio. Cover art by the brilliant Francois Vigneault.)