Entrepreneurs In Motion

Today's guest started her entrepreneurial journey early - at the age of 15! Chelann founded her current business - a juice bar in Yakima, Washington - at 18, and now, nearly two years later, she's sharing her biggest challenges and breakthroughs. In this episode, Chelann talks about how she intentionally created a strong brand identity and company culture. She also gives some practical tips for NOT letting your business completely take over your life, and talks about finding other entrepreneurs to relate to. Highlights: - The challenge of dealing with what's unexplored and unexpected in your first year of business (2:45) - How Chelann's business survived and thrived where other local juice bars failed (6:15) - Specific things Chelann did to establish her brand both inside her company and among customers (9:30) - Chelann's secrets for working hard, yet avoiding burnout (16:45) - Losing the ability to relate to other people your age - and how Chelann has dealt with that (20:30) Show notes: http://www.entreprene

Confession: productivity is still a challenge for me, even 5 years into my business. I often struggle to get motivated, find it hard to concentrate, and feel unsatisfied with what I've managed to get done. Although I certainly don't have it all figured out, here are 5 productivity techniques that have had a significant impact on my work. If you're having a hard time, try one of them and see if it works for you! Highlights: - One thing that enhances my focus and stops me from being scattered (1:57) - How I get weeks ahead on content production (2:46) - Productivity jet fuel - THIS is the main reason I was able to create 12 products (and start this very podcast) (4:34) - The ""sprint-and-rest"" technique to push yourself yet avoid burnout (8:21) - What helps me feel good about the day's work (10:33) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/5hacks/

Today I'm talking with Ina from MyMantraActive.com - a thriving active wear brand that she started despite having zero experience in the industry. Ina shares all about how she found a supplier and what she did to build her following so that people were ready to buy when she launched. She also gives some tips for developing a strong brand and involving customers in the journey. Highlights: - Where Ina found her manufacturer (5:40) - How Ina built her audience before she even had a product (10:20) - The ongoing challenge of branding and setting yourself apart from the competition (14:55) - What does Ina's work and life look like now? (23:30) - Ina's plans for her companies in the upcoming years (26:45) Links and show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/mantra/

It's tax season! If you're intimidated by the legal aspects of taxes, trademarks, and incorporation as a solopreneur, I'll try to shed some light on them and provide some guidelines in this episode. Highlights: When and where should you incorporate? (2:22) My experience with trademarks (6:30) Don't pay more tax than you should (10:45) Tax advantages based on your business structure (14:42) Why it's worth it to pay for help (16:40)

Today I'm talking with Alex from ModernHealthMonk.com, a health and wellness site that helps people lose weight and get rid of chronic pain. Alex is one of my oldest mastermind partners, and we've been through a LOT of the messy ""figuring it out"" stage together. In this interview, Alex describes how he built his online business through a long process of experimentation, and talks candidly about what worked and what failed in a big way. One strategy that succeeded for him was launching books on Amazon, and Alex lays out the launch strategy that turned his book into a best-selling passive income producer. Highlights: - The ins and outs of content marketing (8:48) - The infoproduct dilemma: how to turn it into a truly sustainable business? (12:45) - Alex's biggest growth lever - the 20% rule (16:05) - Surprising things that just never worked out for Alex's business (20:00) - The Amazon launch strategy that generates royalties month after month (28:05) Links and show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/

I put off asking my customers for feedback and testimonials for far too long! Don't make the same mistake I did. Here's why it's crucial to gather feedback/testimonials, and 5 very practical ways you can do so. Highlights: - Here's what you're missing out on (1:30) - An opportunity for YOU to get feedback from ME (2:43) - The e-mail you can send TODAY (4:15) - Two ways to gather feedback on an ongoing basis (6:48) - Featuring customers in case studies (8:43) - The birthday/anniversary message (9:59) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/feedback

Today's guest is Chichi Eruchalu, who has an amazing story of burnout and recovery. When things became too much to handle, she made the bold decision to shut down her online coaching/consulting business. Six weeks later, she came back to it with a clear vision and strategy for designing her life and work - and has now built a healthy and successful business. Chichi also shares tips for gaining visibility in today's crowded marketplace, talks about her experience going viral, and much more. Highlights: - How Chichi evolved from being a VA to her current business (2:23) - Tips for gaining visibility in today's crowded internet (6:00) - What happened when one of Chichi's Facebook videos went viral (9:15) - Why Chichi shut down her business upon reaching burnout - and how she came back stronger (13:40) - Setting boundaries for designing your ideal business and life (20:00) - How Chichi accomplishes so much even with young children at home (24:55) Links and show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/chichi

What should you do if your significant other is somewhat less than supportive of your entrepreneurial efforts? Don't just dismiss their concerns! In this episode, I discuss some reasons your partner might be hesitant or resistant to the entrepreneurial journey - and how you can overcome them together. Highlights: - Why you shouldn't overshare with your partner (2:15) - How to overcome resistance coming from ignorance (3:44) - Handling valid concerns about your financial health (5:57) - What to do if you have workaholic tendencies (7:11) - Frustration when things are taking a really long time (9:01) - My own relationship/business evolution (11:25) Show notes: http://www.enterpreneursinmotion.com/support

Gabby Wallace has built a YouTube channel with more than 250,000 subscribers - and it generates tons of leads and customers for her online courses. Today, she talks about her humble beginnings, how she grew her channel, and how you can optimize yours. Highlights: Gabby's first (horrible) video - and why she posted it anyway (3:05) How Gabby grew her channel to 250,000+ subscribers over several years (5:15) Gabby's template for quick and easy video recording (7:30) Why competition doesn't matter on YouTube (9:45) What her video production process looks like now (13:40) Quick-win tips for optimizing an existing YouTube channel (16:15) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/gabby

When I started my business, I was too insecure to reach out and get myself in front of influencers and their audiences. Don’t make the same mistake I did! Nowadays I’m on the other end, receiving proposals and pitches from newer folks – and in today’s episode, I discuss five specific tips for approaching influencers successfully. Confession: I really struggled with recording this episode because I didn’t want it to sound incredibly stuck-up :-/ My only interest is to provide a glimpse into the influencers’ position, in order to help people improve their pitches for mutually beneficial collaborations! Highlights: - Don’t even think about doing this, because you will get ignored (2:30) - Everyone – including an influencer – LOVES receiving this type of message (4:50) - Your proposal/pitch MUST fulfill these three criteria (6:15) - Striking the right tone and length for your e-mail (9:15) - What to do if you’re rejected or ignored (14:30) - A bonus tip! (18:18) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/in

Most entrepreneurs strike out on our own because we're fiercely independent - but eventually we reach the point where we need to take on contractors and employees. How can we create great companies where people can thrive? How to transition from a ""solopreneur"" to an employer? Today's guest, Halelly Azulay, is an expert in crafting company culture and developing leadership. She's sharing some great tips about people skills and strategies in building teams. Highlights: - Symptoms of poor leadership and an unhealthy company culture (7:00) - What are some good habits that solo founders can adopt from the very first hire? (10:54) - How to walk the fine line between giving employees freedom vs. controlling or micromanaging (18:10) - Tips for solopreneurs afraid to pull the trigger on a first hire (25:55) - How Hallely helped transform a department with serious interpersonal issues (30:25) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/talent

Ups and downs are a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey - but what about when something REALLY BAD happens? You know - one of those major disasters that makes you panic as you feel like your whole business could fall apart. In today's episode, I talk about a few of my flip-out moments and suggest several more constructive ways to handle them. Highlights: - 3 questions to ask yourself during a disaster (2:28) - Why PayPal froze my account - and how I got it back (3:00) - When hundreds of my opt-ins went into a black hole (6:15) - My website migration nightmare (9:40) - When my whole membership/sales system went down (14:40) - One habit that can save you during unexpected disasters (17:00) Links and show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/flipout  

Do you think that the only way to make money online is to teach others how to make money online? Wrong! Most entrepreneurs who are making a living in other niches simply aren't constantly broadcasting or publicizing it. Today's guest, Brock McGoff, runs themodestman.com - a style blog for shorter men. In this interview, he talks all about driving traffic, working with sponsors, and more. Highlights: - How Brock could tell that his style blog was gaining traction, after other niche sites failed (4:15) - The ins and outs of working with sponsors (7:30) - How to strike a balance between informative and promotional content (12:45) - Brock's biggest growth drivers (16:00) - What Brock's day-to-day work looks like now (23:00) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/modest

Tracking your time and money can help you make better use of two of your most important resources! In today's episode I explain the super-simple, streamlined way I keep track of these two things on a day-to-day basis in my business - as well as how it helps me make better decisions and gives me more peace of mind. Highlights: - If you can answer ""yes"" to any of these questions, then you should be tracking (1:00) - The best tracking system is... (3:45) - Why I abandoned my time tracking software - and what works better (6:20) - How I do all my financials in just 30 minutes per month (14:55) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/track

How has Stephen Parato managed to build his business in the very competitive niche of positivity, spirituality, and lifestyle design? He tells all about it in today's interview, including his biggest challenges and light bulb moments. Stephen has written multiple books on Amazon; he's also working on improving his online course and has recently launched a unique coaching program. I found this conversation fascinating and I hope you do, too. Highlights: - Standing out in a very crowded niche (3:40) - How Stephen launched his Amazon books (6:00) - Why Stephen's re-thinking his course (9:00) - His biggest mindset challenge, and a light-bulb moment (12:55) - Stephen's newest project: ""Mystery School"" (17:35) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/good

In today's episode, I'm taking you through my year month by month - pulling out some of the key lessons learned, which you can apply to your own online business.  Tell me about your year! Leave a comment at http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/2016review

I love case studies, and if you do, too, then you’re in for a treat with this episode! Paul Fontanelli is a husband and father with a full-time job, who’s building his photography training business on the side. He offered to make his business an ongoing case study, so we can check in with him at regular intervals and find out what he’s tried, what has worked, and what hasn’t worked. In this conversation he describes how he’s invested his time in the first months of business – as well as how he FINDS the time to work on his business – and at the end of the episode I give him concrete suggestions for taking his site to the next level. Highlights: - How Paul makes time to work on his site while working full time and having a family (3:00) - How he’s built traffic from scratch (7:00) - Getting people from Instagram & YouTube to your actual website (11:00) - The curse and blessing of being obsessed with stats! (15:00) - My specific tips for Paul to get more traffic and opt-ins (21:00) Show notes: http://www.en

There are tons of courses that teach you about building an online business - or about a specific skill like copywriting, product launches, podcasting, webinars, or conversion. Nowadays we've also got plenty of entrepreneur communities online, where you can connect with other business owners. Are these worth investing in? I share my experience and opinions in today's episode. Highlights: - Three reasons I've never bought an online business course (2:15) - ...but here's why you might want to, and what to ask yourself (5:20) - Three huge benefits of entrepreneur communities (10:15) - Why I love the community I'm currently part of (18:00) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/worthit

What really caught my eye about Joseph Terndrup's story was the fact that he didn't hit it out of the park on the first try - instead, he started SIX different businesses before ultimately finding a model that worked for him. His "startup experiments" were in diverse areas, from advertising to online courses to house and car flipping. Why didn't those things work for him, and how did he ultimately create a solid business? Find out in today's episode. Highlights: How Joseph spent 2 years on an idea that ultimately flopped (1:30) Using "startup experiments" to find what works (3:00) Why is "founder fit" so important, and how does it feel? (7:00) How he grew after getting the first clients in the door (10:00) Making that big decision to let go of the day job (11:30) What Joseph's working on now - and the next step (16:00) Joseph answers, "How can you tell if your business experiment is working or not?" (18:30) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/experiments

There are three kinds of tasks in business: ones you love and are a natural at, ones you hesitate and make excuses not to do, and ones you absolutely hate. Should you stick with only the things you're already good at, or should you force yourself to do the unpleasant stuff? Here are my thoughts on how we entrepreneurs can get outside our comfort zones - and 3 times I've done this in my own business, with surprising results. "Say yes to the universe" vs. "Heck yeah or no" (2:45) How to capitalize on your strengths (5:20) What about things that are outside your comfort zone? (6:25) The 3 things I've had to "stretch" in order to do (7:30) The one-month challenge (11:30) The no-thank-you portion (12:40) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/try