Elite Expert Insider

Join Melanie Johnson and Jenn Foster with guest Mickey Kennedy, the founder of eReleases. Discover the secrets to crafting captivating press releases, making your news stand out in a crowded digital landscape, and leveraging the power of storytelling to connect with your audience. Mickey shares his journey from a background in creative writing to becoming a PR expert and offers valuable insights into the world of media, earned credibility, and the SEO benefits of press releases. If you're a business owner, author, or anyone looking to elevate their brand and reach a wider audience, this episode is a must-listen. Learn More About Jenn & Melanie: https://eliteonlinepublishing.com/about-us/ Learn More About Mickey Kennedy: https://www.ereleases.com/

Join hosts Melanie Johnson and Jenn Foster as they dive into inspiring conversations on leadership, personal growth, and the art of achieving your maximum potential. In this episode, they're joined by Andy Hite, a leadership expert who shares invaluable insights on overcoming uncertainty, embracing failure, and leading by example. Discover how to create actionable plans, build resilience, and take your journey from fear to success. Tune in for a dose of motivation and practical advice to elevate your leadership skills and unleash your full potential. Learn More: https://www.scalingminds.com/

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Matthew Massey, the founder of Champagne Madame Zéro, to learn his journey from his early days in the oil industry to becoming a champagne connoisseur and successful entrepreneur. Learn more about Matthew Massey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-massey-b7618911/ Learn more about Champagne Madame Zéro: https://www.madamezero.com/

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, dive deep into the world of thought leadership, branding, and personal growth. Explore the power of thought leadership, the journey from CEO to thought leader, and the many ways a book can serve as the cornerstone of your personal and professional growth. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to establish authority. How to repurpose content. How to build a legacy. Quotes: "So I want to say when you create a book, you know, for your company, you're branding yourself number one, making yourself a thought leader, giving yourself extra authority, credibility, making that circle bigger. But what you're also doing is creating miles and miles of content that you can use for social media." (5:00) "How do you stand apart and what do you want to be talking about and services you want to be delivering afterwards? What's that next step in your journey?" (10:34) "I really think that a book is a really good way to brand yourself and really that bring

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Mark Stern, the owner of the Custom Box Agency, to uncover the strategies, creativity, and ROI behind customized boxes. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to create memorable customer experiences. How to integrate custom boxes into your business. How to maximize ROI with your custom box. Quotes: "Typically, Swag is where I see boxes get really expensive but my take on branded versus unbranded at the end of the day, what I care about is a connection point." (04:43) "We like to control the process because it just allows us to provide a more seamless experience for you. So I know we can get better pricing." (13:21) "Make sure you have that baseline for ROI, those numbers should be across the process. But typically what we see is we've had clients that have doubled sales on the front end, and doubled their conversion rates on the back end." (21:18) About Mark Stern: Mark Stern understands the value of time in the world of entr

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, Interview Suzanne Peters, the founder of Women to Women Network, about highlighting the importance of overcoming imposter syndrome and supporting fellow women entrepreneurs. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to overcome imposter syndrome. How to collaborate with your community. How to invest in yourself. Quotes: "We give other people so much grace, yet it's one of the last things that we tend to give ourselves." (05:12) "So when you look into the network and get out there, don't just think about what's in it for me. Think about how can I support this business?" (09:50) "My advice is always to find someone who is doing what you want to do. Someone who is where you want to be. But when you find that person, be willing to invest. Make the sacrifice and do whatever it takes so that you can learn from them, learn everything you can from them and apply it to your business and your business is going to explode." (13:59) About Suzanne Pete

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, Interview Jones Loflin a seasoned speaker and author with nearly three decades of experience. Jones shares invaluable insights on how to juggle the demands of life effectively, prioritize your time, and become a successful speaker. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to prioritize your time effectively. How to enhance productivity. How to transition into professional speaking. Quotes: "It's not about balance. It's really about knowing where your time and energy need to be focused on in the moment?" (05:31) "I think you have to give yourself some grace. Remember, as a ringmaster, you're going to take control of discretionary time you have. It doesn't mean you control everything. You're going to have fires, animals get out in the circus or you know, something breaks and they have to stop and fix that." (07:35) "You know, there's nothing like creating a little sense of urgency and accountability but it takes time. And yes, social media a

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, Interview Lisa Wise about her captivating story of growing up in challenging circumstances, her early experiences as a relentless entrepreneur, and her transition into the realm of property management with a unique and compassionate approach. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to foster an inclusive workplace. How to align your business with core values. How to become an influential leader. Quotes: "When you're not thinking about creative consumption and creative procurement, that's a very practical and tangible way of saying, can I do good and save money at the same time and time you can, there are so many ways of looking at things that can impact your business favorably and impact the world favorably." (07:42) "You can get places faster by being curious yourself about who's done things well and reteach yourself how to lead in a way that makes sense and feels fulfilling to you and to the people you're leading and a well led organiza

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, Interview Mary Ann Pruitt about the keys to crafting compelling video content, navigating the complexities of AI in marketing, and ensuring a memorable and valuable experience for your target audience. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to customize your advertising. How to diversify your advertising. How to leverage AI in marketing. Quotes: "Traditional marketing is not dead. We have to use each tactic and its strength, but we do have to start using them together. We have to look at the strengths in traditional, and the strengths in digital." (04:17) "Each generation consumes media differently, and also expects something different out of their media." (11:07) "We've been forward focused on AI for years, but I like to say human driven AI, because your AI is only as good as the information you're giving it." (17:16) About Mary Ann Pruitt: Mary Ann started her career in media by working as a senior sales executive for some of the nati

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, Interview Jonathan Jay about finding motivated sellers, leveraging other people's money for acquisitions, and setting up businesses to be sold profitably.  What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to buy a sustainable business. How to leverage other people's money. How to plan strategically for business sales. Quotes: "You are buying a business, not a job. Go for larger businesses that can support a management team, so you don't end up just operating the business day to day." (03:30) "The earlier you start the planning process, the better. And it's all about systemizing your business to make it easier for someone to buy it." (11:06) "You need to know how to buy a business, so you can control the deal and make it very much your deal." (17:42) About Jonathan Jay: Jonathan Jay has been an entrepreneur since dropping out of university at age 19. Now 50 years old, he has built businesses in publishing, digital marketing, adult education and co

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Marla Albertie, the founder of Truth Speaks Group, about achieving work-life integration, breaking free from the traditional concept of balance, and finding harmony in our everyday lives. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to Shift Your Mindset from Balance to Integration How to Make Small, Consistent Efforts How to Empower Teens with Essential Life Skills Quotes: "Change your mindset. When you balance something, you are having to learn to think differently about your life." (05:15) "Start small and be consistent. Dedicate just a few minutes each day to your goals, and you'll be amazed at the progress you can achieve over time." (07:39) You have to believe in your idea first. Before you get on the bandwagon. You have to first believe that you need that coaching." (15:47) About Marla Albertie: Marla J. Albertie, has lived on board a United States carrier therefore, she feels she is unstoppable. As a native of Jacksonville,

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Lauren Golden about identifying your unique skillset, finding the low-hanging fruit of freelance opportunities, and building a thriving freelance business from the ground up. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to leverage AI. How to identify your strengths. How to freelance and be a Mom. Quotes: "Robots aren't humans. They don't have the emotional intelligence that a human can bring to the table, however, you can actually train AI to understand your client's voice." (11:56) "Confidence isn't what you need. You need courage. You are gonna feel afraid. I feel afraid all the time. I've just now got eight years of getting my reps in, and doing it anyway." (12:47) "Take that first courageous step. I promise you everybody who's already gone before you probably was scared too." (13:41) About Lauren Golden: Lauren Golden loves helping mamas free themselves from the 9-5 grind. She launched The Free Mama Movement to show working mom

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview James Cluskey a former professional tennis player about his inspiring journey from the court to eLearning, a groundbreaking platform focused on personal growth and soft skills. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to develop soft skills. How to continue learning. How to motivate others. Quotes: "So my vision was that a user will come to a class, they invest in their personal professional development. They're doing good for themselves, but then they're doing good for someone else somewhere else. And really that's what we're building out. So this community around performance, around soft skill development." (03:16) "People want to be invested in, they want to make a difference. They wanna have a positive impact in the world. So I really believe they want to learn and crave to be better" (06:49) "It's difficult to do things alone. I think I know that better than anyone in terms of, me being a professional tennis player, it's an

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Deanna Shimota about mastering B2B and B2C marketing with a focus on demand generation and content automation. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to create a digital footprint. How to manage your media channels. How to implement demand generation. Quotes: "The way I look at it, lead generation and demand generation are actually very different marketing strategies. With lead generation, your marketing programs are only focusing on capturing the companies that are in market to buy right now. Demand generation has a focus in driving value, including consumers who are not looking to buy right now." (04:42) "If you've got this unique point of view in the story and it's very targeted to your ideal customer profile, You start to resonate more with them and you give them a reason to want to follow along." (11:21) "Sometimes we just have to pick a few things and do them really well and have the patience to let them work." (21:34) A

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Nikki Rausch about some of the biggest challenges in business including sales, leads, and conversions. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to master the selling staircase. How to increase your conversion rate. How to define a budget for your client. Quotes: "Speech, for instance. This is a really simple one everybody can do, is when you're in a conversation with somebody as you listen, are they a fast talker or do they really take their time? Being willing to adjust your rate of speech just a little bit, allows them to be more comfortable in the conversation." (03:51) "A proposal is where you start to sell because you now understand what their need is, and now what you're gonna do is you're gonna really step into your place of authority and you are gonna recommend a solution to meet the need or solve the problem." (10:44) "Now, they might not know the answer, but when you can ask a really direct question like that, oftentime

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Jim Harshaw Jr. about inspiring others to unlock their full potential. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to embrace failure. How to transform your life for success. How to benefit from an executive coach. Quotes: "When you look at the highest performers in the world who I've had a chance to interview on my podcast, whether it's in business or navy seals or athletics or you name it, failure is a necessary ingredient of success." (05:32) "This version of hitting the pause button, stepping back, working with the coach, journaling, taking a retreat annually with their spouse or with their company. It was this version of hitting the pause button. And so I've coined a term for this concept, and I call it the productive pause, and this is the secret." (11:07 "That's why we need this person outside of us. That's why we need this coach who's saying, wait a second, I think you're biting off a little more than you can chew here." (16

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Lary Barton about career transitioning and finding your business success. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to align yourself for success. How to apply the connector philosophy. How to learn self confidence. Quotes: "If you will just shut up long enough, everybody's got a story, but you've gotta shut up long enough for them to tell you. Those words ring in my head all the time." (11:13) "If you don't invest in yourself, then how do you invest in others? How do you build others up? How do you be the best? Whatever you do, how do you live your best life if you don't actually know who you are?" (13:33) "Success in life is watching other people become successful and knowing you had a part in it. Not telling the world that you had a part in it, but just actually knowing it in here." (16:43) About Lary Barton: Lary Barton is committed to excellence, he listens and guides his buyers to a purchase that suits their needs and assi

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Lynda Paul about the world of finance, investments, and financial planning. Including strategies for achieving work-life balance. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to plan for your retirement. How A.I is affecting the financial industry. How to structure entities. Quotes: "There are lot of moving parts and the only thing that's constant is change. The tax law changes. We change as individuals. Our plans change. And so, and life throws in a few curve balls as we go. So yeah, financial planning is is a moving target." (05:03) "With a financial advisor, you have a partner and I review these things once a year with my clients. Now if nothing has changed, I just say, you know what, nothing has changed. But it's always a good idea to keep eyes on your estate plan because things do change. Tax law changes." (15:36) "The bank is an intermediary, right? So there's the third party, they facilitate the transaction, but with cryptocur

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Jeanette Nyden an experienced lawyer and negotiator. In this episode, they discuss contract negotiation, providing valuable insights and practical tips to help listeners secure the best deals and navigate complex pricing mechanisms. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to negotiate contracts. How to identify risk. How to do a tradeoff. Quotes: "The problem is that, you know, sales service providers, they want time and materials cuz they're not a hundred percent sure what's going on, what they're gonna meet when they get in there and start working on it. The business objectives are not crystal clear, so they could lose money on a fixed fee." (03:47) "When you can deeply listen and you can make the message that you are trying to convey attractive to the listener, you're more likely to reach an agreement." (07:42) "We need to build the contract right in the first place. And if you are the receiving end of someone else's contract

Jenn Foster and Melanie Johnson co-owners of Elite Online Publishing, interview Tony Wang about how to overcome business obstacles and upgrade your core identity around money for a lifetime of fulfillment and abundance. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How to overcome your limiting beliefs. How to achieve your business goals. How to market to the right niche. Quotes: "I'd say the most important thing before anything else is just understand who you are marketing and selling to. And the biggest mistake I see people is they're so, so wrapped up in their own services and their own products that they forget that it's really there to solve someone's problem." (03:35) "So you would change the mechanism and that's how you stand out is by making it more believable, by introducing a new mechanism, something people haven't heard before." (06:59) "I would say from an ad perspective on how to get someone to click on the ad it's really just about grabbing their attention and making it relevant so you can apply this sa