The Ordinary Business®️ Podcast

On this episode, Caitlan is letting you in on her favorite rebel business tactic: coloring outside the lines in business. If you’ve ever worried that your unconventional ideas make you “too much” for your industry, or if you’re tired of playing it safe just so you fit in with the cool kids (aka, the “should” police), this one’s for you. Caitlan shares about what happened when she brought Human Des...

Ever felt allergic to those gimmicky "freebie" PDFs floating around the internet? (Yeah, me too.) In this episode, Sara Royf ( https://www.sararoyf.com/ ) shares how she used free LinkedIn profile audits to grow her email list and get more clients, starting before she'd even quit her full-time job. Sara recorded 5 to 10 minute audits after work and posted the offer in local Facebook...

Ever sat there staring at your long to-do list, wondering why every “simple” marketing idea somehow multiplies like dirty laundry? I feel you. In this episode, I get real with Tayler—ordinary business owner, Enji co-founder (https://www.enji.co/), and black coffee enthusiast—about why having piles of good marketing ideas means nothing if you never actually do them. This chat dives into what it’s a...

Ever blinked and come back to 212 unread emails? Same. This group chat episode is about taking real time off, whether you call it a sabbatical, a vacation, or just ignoring Slack from your couch. If you've wondered how other solopreneurs actually build work life balance into their business without tanking their income, pull up a chair. This chat with Michelle (https://www.michellepontvert.com/...

Ever noticed your business decisions getting foggier the longer you go without seeing another adult? Samantha MacKinnon ( https://samanthamackinnon.com/ ) did. After her first son was born, she was hitting her deadlines and taking care of clients, but she felt flat, less confident, and unlike herself. So she did what a former construction project manager would do: she treated her social life as lo...

Ever feel like everyone else is nailing viral reels while you're just trying to get your inbox under control? Erin Perkins ( https://www.mabelyq.com/ ), accessibility educator, founder of Mabely Q, and creator of the accessibility assistant Tactile, has been in business for 8 years without doing a single dance video or trending audio clip. She takes over the mic this week to talk about marketi...

Ever wanted to break up with your email funnels, or wondered what would happen if you swore off AI and only worked a few days a week? Adam Schaeuble ( https://www.podcastingbusiness.school/ ), host of Podcasting Business School, takes over the mic to explain how he does both. He has no ChatGPT, no Claude, and he works about 2.5 days a week. Adam once owned a gym with 500+ clients and 30+ employees...

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the founding launch of The Ordinary Business Network: the real numbers, my mixed feelings, the two-month launch plan I scrapped five days in, and the last day, when 29 people joined. I ran the whole thing by myself, with no copywriter, no VA, and no ad spend, while getting strep throat, celebrating my daughter's birthday, and still doing des...

Feeling like your story isn't "epic" enough to share in your business? Reme Mancera ( https://www.rememancera.com/ ) felt the same way. She quit a job in a windowless office at 40, and she's a private person who wanted nothing to do with the "be vulnerable" advice everyone kept giving her. Now she's a personal brand story strategist working with clients in 24 countr...

Feel like you're playing whack-a-mole with your business, tweaking offers, rewriting content, and posting more without seeing results? If you don't know why something isn't working, you're guessing. >> Join The Ordinary Network! In this re-aired episode, I talk about the least glamorous fix in business: market research. In 2024, during a rough season, I paused new client work...

Ever feel like email marketing is a never-ending parade of newsletters you don't actually want to read? Melissa Esmeralda, an email and funnel strategist, deliverability expert, and founder of MEO Marketing Group, felt the same. So she made her own newsletter as an audio newsletter. → Learn more about The Ordinary Business Network: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.theordinarybusiness.com In this episode, Mel...

Re-airing a previous episode where I'm spilling the real tea on what it actually looks like to run a profitable, sustainable business, without your “number one moneymaker” being a magical inbox. → Learn more about The Ordinary Business Network: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theordinarybusiness.com⁠⁠/network I've been in business for 15 years and tried every freebie, webinar, and custom quiz the intern...

Ever feel like the only “serious” business owners are those pulling 90-hour weeks and living off sheer willpower and too much coffee? That’s why this episode is about what happens when you don’t go “all in”—at least, not the way hustle culture tells you to. Jacki Hayes (https://www.jackihayes.co/) is pulling back the curtain on what it looks like to run a thriving business and keep a part-time job...

Ever wondered if you could actually grow your business without giving into the “never sleep, always grind” nonsense? I’m diving in with email strategist Allea Grummert (https://duett.co/), who’s keeping it very real about what it takes to launch a new offer, court those elusive leads, and keep your voice intact when you accidentally record 80 personalized videos. We're talking about giveaways...

I know what it’s like to look at your calendar and wonder if you actually need that coffee chat—or if you’d rather just, you know, nap, read a book, or, in a wild twist, get your actual work done. This episode is for ordinary business owners juggling work and life (and maybe a little people-pleasing fatigue), wrestling with whether “coffee chats” are networking magic or just another time trap. &gt...

Ever felt like you’re drowning in sticky notes, missing appointments, or accidentally double-booking three summits and your sister-in-law’s birthday—all in the same month? This episode is for the ordinary but thriving business owner who wants fewer headaches, more naps, and a business system that doesn’t feel like a second full-time job. >> Thanks to our sponsor, Bright Bunch Designs ! Today...

Ever felt like you’re supposed to be everywhere online…but you’d rather be literally anywhere else? This episode is basically your permission slip. I sit down with Shannon (https://www.sundaymusedesign.com/), an ordinary but thriving business owner who’s done the unthinkable: she stepped off the Instagram hamster wheel and didn’t disappear into the void. If you’re exhausted by the endless “post mo...

This episode is for every ordinary business owner who’s done with juggling too many tools, wants a business that feels manageable, and refuses to trade their nap time for “hustle.” If you’re all about keeping things real (and maybe just a smidge pretty), you’re in the right place. Today, I’m chatting with Emylee Williams (https://www.soldoutservices.com/) about her actual tech stack—including why...

In this episode, I sit down with Stephanie Darby (https://stephaniedarbyrd.com/) who proves you don’t have to sabotage your sleep or sanity just to “make it” in business. If you’re juggling nap schedules and client calls while side-eyeing hustle culture, you’re absolutely in the right place. Stephanie and I dig into what running a business on 16 hours a week actually looks like (spoiler: there’s n...

Ever feel like finding real business friends online is basically adult trick-or-treating—sometimes you get a full-size Snickers, sometimes it’s a toothbrush? In this episode, Angelina (https://wildwavepodcasting.com/) and I get honest about what it really takes to create actual connections when you’re a regular busy human, not a “networking queen” who collects business cards like Pokemon. From res...

In this episode, I sat down with Tammie Bennett (https://itstammiebennett.com/), a totally ordinary but thriving business owner, to talk honestly about shutting down the nightly mental to-do list parade and celebrating small, real wins. >> Thanks to our sponsor, Roop Creative Agency ! Tammie gives the rundown on her low-pressure “did it list” practice—the most anti-hustle thing you’ll try th...

In this episode, I sit down with Karen Webber ( www.goodnessmarketing.co.uk) to spill the tea on ditching the hustle, making real connections, and building a business that actually feels good—yes, even if you secretly love silly Reels and occasionally stalk LinkedIn. If you’re tired of feeling like you’re supposed to do everything by the algorithm and just want a business that fits around your lif...

I’m sharing the messy (and embarrassing) truth about my failed first attempt at hosting an event in 2017, the internet post that spiraled, and how building a tight-knit community of ordinary business owners made all the difference. If you think success means doing things big and loud, let’s talk about selling tickets without a huge following, growing slowly, and showing up as your real self—even i...

What if thriving as a business owner didn’t mean hustling from sunrise to collapse or pretending you love every minute? In this episode, I sit down with Kim Perez (https://www.rootandbranchnutrition.com/) to talk about the messier reality of juggling work, family, and that ever-elusive self-care thing (spoiler: endless to-do lists and snack runs are involved). >> Get your free month with our...

In this episode, I sit down with a fellow ordinary-but-thriving business owner, Rachael Muller (https://heyrachael.com/) to talk about juggling real life—traveling the world, eating your way through Taipei, and actually enjoying your mornings—while still getting stuff done. This is for you if you’re tired of “dream big” sermons and just want an honest chat about finding your own pace. >> Sho...