Beyond Pro Podcast: Leadership Insights For Women In Business

Are you working ON not just IN your business? Most entrepreneurs, particularly those that are service-based, spend most of their working hours doing one of two things: 1) servicing their clients and 2) doing low-level admin tasks like email processing, social media perusing and chatting, and jumping from idea to idea or task to task. While providing stellar service is a critical component of your business, and handling the daily admin tasks of your business still need to get done, they shouldn’t come at the expense of finding time to work on the development and growth of YOUR business. And that’s why you need today’s tool to make the most important stuff happen. On today’s episode, I give you the tool I use to grow my business and I use with all my clients. And then I walk you through the six key areas you must be focusing on as the CEO of your business (and how to find time to do it). Listen to today’s episode to find out more. Resources mentioned: CEO Fast Track Guide – free tool  My PRO Plan Early Bird lis

Ever wonder what it really takes to sustain success? You probably know what you need to do to create positive change in your business. Maybe you’ve even tried to put some of these changes into place. But at some point, you fall off the wagon and can’t sustain the action you previously committed to. Why is that? And what would it take to actually do what you say you’re going to do, over the long haul? I believe you’ll drastically increase your chances of success with a set of these. Curious? Listen to today’s episode to find out more. Boost your chances of success with a set of these. CLICK TO TWEET     What does it take to sustain success? Find out in today’s Beyond PRO Podcast episode. CLICK TO TWEET     Want to make your big idea happen? Start with a set of these. CLICK TO TWEET   Resources mentioned: >>PRO Project Plan: a 90-day roadmap to make your big idea happen 

It’s easy to come up with great ideas and exciting projects. I bet you have a million of them right? But how are you at turning those great ideas into reality – a finished product your business can continue to benefit from? For many entrepreneurs (especially us solos), this is where things can get a little dicey. The ideas are great, but executing on them until completion? That feels way too hard. We get overwhelmed in the details. We aren’t sure where to start. We go strong for a couple of weeks only to flounder when we hit the messy middle. But there’s one easy way to ensure you make your big idea happen. It’s called reverse-engineering and I break it down for you in the second episode of our 4-part Plan for Success Series. (Missed part one? Click here at to listen in). And to ensure your success, I’ve created a comprehensive PRO Project Plan that you can download for free, and use each time you have a project you want to reap the rewards of rather than languish in the oneday-someday bin. So, go grab your c

Welcome to the first episode in the Plan for Success series! As the summer winds down, many of us are starting the process of planning for the final quarter of 2015 and even prepping for 2016. It’s my favourite time of year in many ways — I always get a surge of business energy in August and September, and my planning goes into hyper-drive. And so, I’ve created a new series for the podcast to run in August called Plan for Success. Each week, we’ll look at a core component of what it takes to have a solid plan for your business. I want to set you up for success this Fall with clarity, focus and solid direction. Today, I’m speaking to you if you’ve resisted planning — maybe you’re scared because you don’t know where to start, or you think it’ll kibosh your creativity, or you think planning is only for the big guys. In this episode, I’m going to bust the three biggest fears and objections I hear when it comes to planning, and give you five additional benefits to making time in your calendar to plan. If growth, f

Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at why the Beyond PRO Podcast almost didn’t happen Truth: I had been planning to start a podcast for almost two years. And yet, time kept on tickin’ and I wasn’t making it happen. The reality was that I was getting in my own way, and trying too hard to make it perfect. And while the 5 crazy excuses I made applies to launching my podcast, the lessons I learned are applicable to business in general. My hunch is that you’ve been there too. Have a listen and let me know on Twitter @steph_pollock what you took away for today’s episode. Resources mentioned: >>>5 Crazy Excuses (and the lessons you can apply) PRINTABLE

Welcome to episode #5 of the Growth Series! In the previous three episodes we talked about how to deadhead your business, and how to position it for smart growth, how to leverage the 3 key ways to grow and how to cultivate a growth mindset. Missed them? Catch up here BPP #006  or BPP #007  or BPP #008 or BPP #009. Today we’re talking about how to think big and far, but act small and soon. Because strategic growth comes from being able to cast a powerful vision, but anchor it in the day-to-day actions that will make it a reality. Bottom line? You need to do both. Or, you need to hire someone to help you with the skill set you don’t have. Enjoy the episode!    Resources mentioned: >>> The Tools I Use pdf download

Welcome to episode #4 of the Growth Series! In the previous three episodes we talked about how to deadhead your business, and how to position it for smart growth, and how to leverage the 3 key ways to grow. Missed them? Catch up here BPP #006  or BPP #007  or BPP #008. Today we're talking about one of the most important pieces of your entire business growth -- something I believe accounts for up to 90% of your business success -- cultivating a growth mindset. What do you believe about your ability to be successful? Do you believe you have the capacity to grow and develop, or that you've got to work with what you've got? Do you get sidelined by obstacles or do you embrace them and make adjustments? In the show, I do a comparison and contrast between a fixed vs. growth mindset and how it relates to your business. So go have a listen, and download the free printable below to begin shifting from fixed into a growth mindset. Resources mentioned: >>> Cultivate a growth mindset -- free printable 

Welcome to episode #3 of the Growth Series! In the previous two episodes we talked about how to deadhead your business, and how to position it for smart growth. Missed them? Catch up here BPP #006  or BPP #007. On today's episode, I'm going to demystify what it takes to grow a business. At a macro level, there really are only four ways to grow - and we're going to focus on just three of those. Let's go beyond bright shiny tactics and hone in on the three strategic ways you can start to grow your company now.  Go have a listen, and then work through the printable that accompanies this episode. Use it to identify the growth strategy that would best support your business at this time. Resources mentioned: Leverage the 3 key ways to grow -- free printable BPP #006: Growth Strategy No. 1, Deadhead your business  BPP #007: Growth Strategy No. 2, Position your business for smart growth Built to Sell - John Warrillow  Subscribe to the next three Growth Series episodes!     Thanks for listening! I want to thank you f

Welcome to episode #2 of the Growth Series! Last episode we talked about why it's critical to deadhead your business as a precursor to growth. Missed it? Catch up by BPP #006 . On today's episode, we'll focus on positioning your business for smart growth. Because growth for the sake of growth is neither smart nor fruitful. In fact, it's a fast path to burnout, mistakes and disappointment. Instead, let's create a smart growth path that aligns with your priorities, capacity and readiness for risk. Go have a listen, and then work through the printable that accompanies this episode. If you spend 15 minutes now, you'll save yourself a lot of stress and frustration in the future. Resources mentioned: BPP #006: Growth Strategy No. 1, Deadhead your business  Position your business for smart growth -- free printable Subscribe to the next three Growth Series episodes!     Thanks for listening! I want to thank you for listening and to those that have taken the time to review the show. If you like the Beyond PRO Podcast

Welcome to the Growth Series! Today we're kicking off our new 5-part Growth Series on the Beyond PRO Podcast with a business spring clean. You know that wonderful feeling you get when you give your home a good clean and a big purge? That's what we're doing for your business in today's episode.  Because the secret to growth is not about adding in more, but rather letting go of anything that's not working so you can free up energy, time, money and resources for what IS working. Listen to today's episode where I'll give you actionable tips to make all areas of your business work better and be positioned for growth. Resources mentioned: The Pumpkin Plan  Deadhead your business printable Subscribe to the next four Growth Series episodes!   Thanks for listening! I want to thank you for listening and to those that have taken the time to review the show. If you like the Beyond PRO Podcast, please consider leaving an honest review in iTunes. Your review goes a long way to help this podcast get found by more people. T

Let's close those pesky open loops. Every business has a number of open loops, also know as ‘undones’ that distract and get in the way of hte work that matters most. These are the tasks – big and small – that are incomplete and taking up energy that could be better channeled elsewhere. Instead of walking around with a bunch of tasks that never get done, it’s time to form a habit of completion. And really, it’s not that hard and you’re going to feel amazing when you’re done. Listen to today’s episode where I’ll give you six steps to go from chaos and confusion, to calm and confidence. Resources mentioned: Form a habit of completion printable  Gretchen Rubin’s Power Hour Pomodoro Technique  CEO Fast Track  Thanks for listening! I want to thank you for listening and to those that have taken the time to review the show. If you like the Beyond PRO Podcast, please consider leaving an honest review in iTunes. Your review goes a long way to help this podcast get found by more people. Thank you! You can review & r

Have you life-proofed your business? That's what we're talking about on today's episode of the Beyond PRO Podcast. This topic is personal, because I recently had a significant back injury that has impacted my ability to run my business. As I navigate this, I've been thinking about what we as small business owners need to do to make sure our businesses are ready for any life event - expected or unexpected - that comes our way. In this episode, I give you five things you should have in place if you want to truly life-proof your business. If you don't yet have them, that's ok - but start to build toward them during your CEO time. In the resources listed below, you can download a free checklist that you can use to work through each one so when life throws you a curve ball, you'll be ready. What are you doing/going to do to life-proof your business? I'd love to hear. Tweet me at Twitter, let me know on Instagram or pop over to my Facebook page and join the conversation. Resources Mentioned: Life Proof Printable Ho

In today's episode I'm sharing the advice that changed my life. I'm going to take you back in time to my corporate days when my friend and mentor, Narmin Ismail-Teja looked me straight in the eyes and gave me advice that I still remember (and try to use) almost 10 years later. Hint: if you're a Type-A overachiever like me, this episode is for you. I'm not going to give it all away here, so go have a listen to this short 14-minute episode, and then share your insights with me on my Stephanie Pollock Media Facebook page. I'd love to hear how you'll use this advice in your own life and business. *Sidenote: I recently saw Narmin at an event and told her I'd be recording this podcast. She had no memory of the impact her one sentence had on me - so take that as an important reminder that your words can have lasting impact, even if you don't know it!  And make sure you download the accompanying printable to apply today's leadership insight to your business. Find it below. Thanks for joining me today! If you enjoy th

In today's episode we'll be talking about why working harder is not the answer. Too many entrepreneurs buy into the idea that sheer effort is the key to more success. They worry that if they don't keep up a frenetic pace or hustle more, they aren't really committed to their businesses. The problem is that this belief puts them on the fast track to burnout and overwhelm. There's a better way. Listen in on today's episode where I'll walk you through how to replace hard work for smart work. [Tweet "Success isn't about putting in more effort. Success comes from focus instead. "] Listen & Subscribe via iTunes  Thanks for joining me for today's episode - stay tuned for next week's show, "The advice that changed my life." RESOURCES MENTIONED:  Free: CEO Fast Track -- a leadership guide to help you make time for what matters most. Thanks for listening! I'd be so grateful if you'd consider leaving me a review in iTunes -- it helps this podcast get found and reach more people. Thank you! You can do that by clicking

In this premiere episode of the Beyond PRO Podcast, I talk about the need for conversations around entrepreneurial leadership and why it's vital to step up the like CEO of your business. We also reflect on the completion of Q1 and set you up for success in Q2.