Beyond The Status Quo Podcast | Entrepreneurship | Career | Finances | Motivation | Personal Development | Relationships

We’ve all had coffee meetings where we sit down with someone just to “pick your brain”. Today, we’re talking about why those meetings are actually super important, and how you can maximize your ROI from a simple get-together. We’ll dive into some strategies to help you make sure your meetings have a purpose, and both parties get value. While these meetings are important, you want to make sure that no one leaves feeling like it was a waste of time or that it was all give and no take. These meetings should be mutually beneficial. It is totally possible to make these kinds of meetings mutually beneficial and valuable for your business. “Prepare ahead of time and go into this meeting with a list of questions and ideas that you want to discuss and talk about. You should be going into that meeting knowing exactly what to say and how to say it confidently.” 1. Know your purpose Why are you asking this person to meet? You need to know exactly what you want to walk away with, and it’s important to begin with the end

You are your own boss, so why are you still working the same hours as a corporate gig? Today, we’re going to talk about why the 40-hour work week is obsolete and inefficient. As entrepreneurs, we just don’t need it any more. You can get as much work done (if not more) in less time! Why are we holding ourselves to a standard that is obsolete and doing it in our businesses where we’re our own bosses? The standard work week is built on early industrial organizations where it was more efficient for companies to operate within a set number of hours, and owners wanted to get the most physical possible from each employees. This is not the age we live in any longer. Automation and technological advancements have made this mindset outdated and obsolete. These six simple steps will liberate you from an old-fashioned working stigma and put your wants and needs first. “Let’s make sure that we have a life and we design our lives in a way that our business fits in and not the other way around.” In this episode Avani talk

If you’re anything like me, you’re a perfectionist. This is great in a lot of ways and can really help your business grow, but sometimes you need to throw caution to the wind and stop being a perfectionist and people pleaser. In this episode, we’re going to talk about five ways you can stop being a perfectionist and why it matters. Carve out some time to listen to this episode even if you have work to do because you need to hear it! “We can ditch the idea of being a perfectionist and get better. We should strive to be imperfect.” In this episode Avani talks about: Why you should learn to put yourself first in a non-selfish way. How she learned to deal with letting people down. How focusing on yourself sometimes can benefit others. Five Ways to Stop Being a Perfectionist 1. Don’t feel bad about letting people down. You can’t hold yourself responsible for other people’s actions or feelings. If you say no to a client, you don’t need to feel bad that they have to find someone else. You are going to let some p

In this episode, we’re talking about one of my favorite things on the planet: Instagram. More specifically, Instagram Stories. I was checking my numbers and I realized that in the last 12 months alone I have had $35,000 of work come in just through Instagram stories. That is a crazy amount of money! I truly believe that stories are the most valuable part of the whole Instagram platform. Today, I wanted to talk about exactly how that’s working for me, what I do in order to create relationships with people through Instagram Stories, and how you can play the long game on Instagram. Instagram doesn’t have to work the same for each and every person. It depends on who you are and what you like and what you’re hoping to accomplish with your business and the platform itself. This is just what has worked for me. “Clients or prospects feel like they know you and they like you because they keep watching you and they want to work with you somehow. So when you show them ‘hey, this is what I do on Instagram Stories’ and s

Today’s guest is Ashlee Hightower. Ashlee is an attorney for creatives and the owner of Contracts for Creatives as well as Cobalt Chronicles. In this episode, she talks about what we’re missing in our contracts as freelancers, as well as what we need to do to protect ourselves, protect our businesses, and make sure we’re getting the most out of our contracts. Ashlee began her career as an attorney working at a large, national law firm. After a few years, she moved into the corporate world (freeing up a lot of her time) and began reading local blogs to find out about things going on in her city, Washington D.C. Intrigued by the idea of a blog, Ashlee started her own travel and wellness blog. This foray into the creative world allowed Ashlee to connect with more creatives in the D.C. area. She soon realized that many of them were having trouble with contracts, or were afraid of them, because they seemed to complicate the creative process. As people began to come to her with questions about contracts, word got o

What does it mean to really listen to our clients? Have you ever gone back to a client asking for more clarification or a seeking a better understanding of the project even though you’ve already had a meeting? Here are fives strategies that I think will change the way you listen to your clients. They are effective, easy steps you can take to impress your clients right from the get go, and make your freelancing life a lot easier. “Listen to them [your customers] in order to deliver better, higher quality work that actually moves the needle for them. And then, in turn, you.” 1. Ask a lot of questions Questions don’t make you look dumb, they make you look like you care, and that you want to deliver the best possible product you can. So, ask away, because you will need that information. 2. Take notes Don’t assume your clients are writing things down. Take notes in every meeting and even send out action items afterward if needed. Taking notes is critical in making sure you’ve captured all possible, relevant info

Today’s guest is Shaylene Cameron. Shaylene is a sales consultant for service-based entrepreneurs, helping them transform their limiting beliefs around success, and teaching them how to sell high-ticket services without feeling “salesy”. Shaylene started in the health and wellness industry as a personal trainer, quickly moving into a management role. Over time, she hired 12 trainers and drove one million in sales. At that point, she envisioned climbing the corporate ladder in that space and moved across the country to pursue that path. However, she quickly lost interest in the corporate world, so she jumped ship and started her own business. Not something she ever intended on doing - at least not so early in her life. Today, she helps female entrepreneurs develop the mindset and habits necessary to have a high performing business without having to sacrifice who they are or what it is that they want. She’s passionate about helping others understand their limiting beliefs about themselves and money, and works t

Money is money, right? What if I told you that I turned down a $35,000 project. That’s right, it’s a lot of money, but sometimes other things are more important. In today’s episode, I talk about why I turned down such a big project and the lessons you can learn from it. In short, life happens and we have to understand where our business ends and where we begin in order to stay sane when things, like a wedding, come up. Our businesses are a lot of who we are as entrepreneurs and it is a huge part of my identity. While this alone is neither bad nor good, I think it’s a good thing right now because it’s really motivating to me to work hard. I have fun working hard and moving toward my goals at this point in my life, but I also have to find ways to balance that with my personal life. We’ll dive into the details of this project, my thought process for saying no, why it’s good to walk away from certain projects, and how you can get in tune with your inner voice to understand what you really want. “Saying no allowe

Today’s guest is Case Kenny. Case is the founder of prsuit, a daily email newsletter dedicated to helping you become who you’re meant to be. He’s also turned it into a popular podcast. Case lives in Chicago where he runs his email list of 213,000 readers. While his focus is on self-development, he’s also mastered the art of monetizing everything that goes along with it. At his core, Case is a writer and creator, whether it’s through his podcast, newsletter, or products. He’s built his career on creating compelling writing. He started out writing a blog, and building an audience through social media. Eventually, he switched his focus to something he could control more than social media: an email list. Through building his email list, he’s also learned how to communicate better to customers and build true connections with readers. In this episode, Case give us some tips on how to use your email list properly, how to make money, and why it’s an important tool in your marketing toolbox. “Create a product that ce

We’ve all been there. Life gets crazy, work gets busy and before you know it, you feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff you have to do. Today we’re going to be talking about just that: Overwhelm. The tough truth about being overwhelmed is that it’s our own fault. It’s a decision that we can train our minds to get out of with the right mentality. Sometimes being overwhelmed can make us feel powerless, but we do have the power to fight back against those feelings and it starts with taking control and responsibility for what we let into our lives. At the end of the day, it comes down to creating a code to live by that allows us to combat overwhelm. In this episode, we’ll cover some tips on how to get out of feeling overwhelmed and how you can prevent that feeling in the future. “When we are blaming overwhelm on other forces, when we feel like we just have clients coming at us and that everyone wants a piece of us and that we can’t seem to keep up with the things around us, this is admitting to the universe

Today’s guest is Alexandria Hart. Alex runs GoodJooJoo, a digital marketing agency that focuses on digital acquisition channels, email marketing, and marketing automation. She and her small team work with a range of e-commerce clients, but one thing remains consistent: they work with people who inspire them. Alex used to be a one-woman show, but over time, her business grew and she brought on employees to help out. While she could do everything herself, at some point it was going to cause burnout. Being able to identify when you should hire comes down to being highly self-aware. It took feeling exhausted all the time and having a hard time meeting deliverables before Alex realized it was time for her to grow her team. But it’s easier to get out of the hole before you dig yourself too deep into it. When she began hiring, Alex recognized that just having someone on board to do menial, repetitive tasks was not what she needed. Instead, she needed to find someone to fill in the gaps on tasks she felt she wasn’t g

Working with a team is one of the best things that you can do to help accomplish your goals. It refocuses your time on the important high-value tasks that only you do, and that make your business work. Here are some tips for managing your team more effectively. 1. Clearly communicate expectations When you’re hiring someone, it’s a good practice to write out an in-depth job description so that you know what kind of skills are needed. It also helps clarify things such as pay and time commitment. Make sure the person you end up hiring is aware of your expectations. 2. Define KPIs KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are critical. Every person you hire will need to handle a different role and there should be different benchmarks by which they are evaluated. It’s important to let your team members know what success looks like for their position, so make sure that KPIs are clearly communicated. 3. Set up weekly one-on-ones It’s important to meet with your team at least once a week. Ask them how they’re doing, show

Consistency is key to getting things done. If you truly want to change the way you operate your life and business, you need to be consistent in the actions that will get you there. After a while, these small, seemingly insignificant, changes can make a big impact. The compound effect of being consistent is hard to overstate. Today, we’ll talk about how you can master consistency, and the results you can see from the compound effect. Ways to Stay Consistent Understand the “why” behind your consistency. If you don’t know why you are being consistent, it will be impossible to change your habits and build long-term goals. Do your “consistent tasks” early in the day (within reason). Whether it’s exercising or emailing clients, do it first thing when you wake up or soon after. Start before you’re ready. You’ll probably never “feel” like doing your tasks, but if you start the physical act of doing it, your feelings will follow. Stay accountable to someone. If you tell someone your plans and have a partner in your t

None of us work for free. Every dollar we make is important to living the entrepreneurial lifestyle we want, so it’s important to know if we’re maximizing the amount of income we could be making. Today, we’re going to look at how you might be leaving money on the table, as well as some strategies for how you can re-capture some of that wealth. Drop low-value tasks Many of us spend too much time on low-value tasks. Small tasks need to be batched, automated, or hired out so you can spend more time creating valuable services or products. Streamline Streamlining your systems will allow you to use your time more efficiently on higher-value tasks, and pend time thinking about improving processes and solving for larger business cases versus one-off solutions. Hire help Hire some kind of help. Even if you’re just starting out, hiring help will free up some of your important time and allow you to make more money. The best place for this person to start is with those low-value tasks. Payment reminder emails Payment rem

Before we dive in to today’s episode, I wanted to let you know my new, free webinar on how to get a steady stream of high-quality clients is now available. If you’ve ever struggled to balance working on your business and bringing in new clients, this webinar is for you. I’ve talked about zone of genius and niching down many times before. Getting into your zone of genius means that you are focusing on what you’re great at — what you do better than no one else. As I’ve been niching down my own business, I was able to create processes for what I do, and it’s given my business a clear blueprint for new projects. When you do this, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. Today, we’re diving deeper into those long-term effects, and what happens when you’ve been in your zone of genius for a while. What happens when you feel like you’ve already made it as a freelancer and you’re continuing to refine your business and value proposition? “Niching down and staying in your zone of genius, figuring out what you’re g

Everyone needs a break every once in a while. If you’re employed by an agency or traditional business, it’s pretty easy to request PTO and take your time. The life of a freelancer is a little bit different. We have clients that demand our attention and it’s not always easy to put down our phones or computers and get away. We often feel like if we step away from our business that it will fall apart in our absence. Taking a vacation or at least stepping away from work for a period of time is an essential part of ensuring that you remain your sharpest for your business. It doesn’t just come from working nonstop all the time. Understanding how your work fits into the grand scheme of your life is an essential part of working for yourself and is what allows you to balance your time and energy effectively. It may require some journaling, but it’s important to figure that out if you are working for yourself. Even though taking a vacation can be daunting for a freelancer, if you plan, communicate, and strategize appro

Today’s guest is content creator all-star Nicholas Cole. Nicolas (aka Cole) is cofounder of Digital Press — a business that helps companies position their founders and CEOs as thought leaders through written content. Cole’s background is a bit unusual. As a teenager, he was a top-ranked “World of Warcraft” player. As he got older, he moved into body building before finally landing in his career as a writer. Through his growth as a writer, he launched Digital Press. Today, Digital Press has an entire staff of copywriters and editors working to present CEOs and Founders as thought leaders in their given niches. In this episode, Cole gives us some tips on content creation, finding your voice, and building loyalty for your content. “I treat content the same way that I would approach investing: it’s not the day trade method, it’s the Warren Buffett method. Invest in something that’s going to be sustainable over the long term.” In this episode Nicolas talks about: How to make content that engages with your audie

Today we’re talking about my March income report. I know it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but I wanted to give you a little insight into how I made what I did in March. A little background Before July 2018, my business was steadily bringing in about $10k-$15k every month. This was great because it was sustainable, consistent income that allowed my business to operate. In July, my business finally hit $20k in revenue and we continued that until the end of 2018. In January, I decided that (a little too ambitiously) I wanted to double my revenue. I needed to scale There is no way that the systems or team I had in place would be able to handle $40k/mo in revenue. This lead me to hire some more people for my team so that I could focus on business development. January and February were all about preparing for growth, which meant I was re-investing the money I was making back into my business. In March, we decided to open the floodgates: here are the results. The numbers In March, we pulled in $31,218

Today, I’m excited to share with you a great conversation with my good friend Carley Zuercher, or as I like to call her, “The Pinterest Queen”. Carly runs CZ Invitations where she specializes in designing custom wedding invitations for couples. On top of that, she is an expert at curating and driving traffic to her website via Pinterest, resulting in over one million views each month. She also runs a small consulting business, aimed at Pinterest, called Two Can, and has written an ebook on how to effectively use Pinterest as a marketing tool. In our conversation Carly breaks down all of this for us, and shares a few things she’s working on. It’s chock full of good tips for how to have a Pinterest account that produces for you and brings you more clients and more dollars, not just traffic. “People search Pinterest when they want to learn something. So if you’re a blog and you’re teaching somebody something or sharing whatever it might be, people are searching for that on Pinterest.” In this episode Carley ta

We all know those days. The ones where you’re running around, with barely enough time for lunch, let alone any time for yourself. Today, we’re going to talk about how to find peace during those crazy days. Start the day with something to center yourself If you know you’re going to have a busy day, try and start it off with something that helps you feel at peace. It could be meditating, taking time for yourself, or drinking a cup of coffee. If you can start the day right, then you have a great shot at tackling the rest of your busy day. Take deep breaths Breathing is so important, but we often don’t give it the credit it deserves. When you’re in the middle of a stressful situation, try taking a deep breath in and out. Pretend you are literally blowing away your stress and anxiety and you’ll feel a million times better at the end. Keep a notepad nearby It could be a physical or a digital notepad, just something to record your thoughts. Use whatever it is as a way to dump all your thoughts and ideas out onto pap