Fear Less Business Podcast

Parting is such sweet sorrow. The new year is an ideal time for fresh starts and redefining goals, and it's bringing some ch-ch-ch-changes to our businesses and podcast. This is both our first episode of 2019 and the end of the line for the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast as you know it— as one of its hosts is leaving it as well as Hashtag Legal. (Don't panic! The podcast will live on, just in a new, rebranded form. New episodes are on the way.) Listen in to this week's episode to find out who is leaving, and to learn more about what our conscious uncoupling means for Businessese, Hashtag Legal and the podcast. There may be tears involved, but we're so excited about what lies ahead for 2019 and so grateful to have had our listeners along for the journey this far! Make sure you're in the Businessese HQ to stay updated on new episodes and other developments. What does 2019 have in store for you?

We like alliteration. Can you tell? Now that we've wrapped up our Unlock the Mystery series, which pulled back the curtain on how bloggers and influencers make their money, we're kicking off a new set of themed episodes! Candid Conversations continues to be a behind the scenes look at online businesses, but this series will dive into the questions we most frequently see asked (or those we are asked ourselves) when it comes to influencer marketing. Inspired by a session Jamie recently attended at the Social Fresh social marketing conference, this week we're covering keeping your content creative. Producing content that's fresh and engaging on a regular basis is challenging. Factor in that you want what you're producing to be sustainable and authentic— to be interesting to you personally, reflecting your mission and values without becoming repetitive— while also meeting your audience's particular needs, and it's easy to see how influencers and brands alike can struggle to find new angles and avoid burnout.

What prompts a customer to buy? It's the magic question of marketing. While we humans are not logical, we are very predictable. -Melina Palmer Behavioral economics, simply put, is the psychology behind why people buy: understanding how the brain works and how that impacts purchasing decisions. It's understanding that the brain is bombarded with information, all day, every day. It's knowing that the brain has preferences, irrational as they may be, and by truly understanding your customers and giving them a gentle nudge in the direction of those preferences can make a huge difference for your business. This week on the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, we're super excited to talk to Melina Palmer about leveraging behaviorial economics to improve conversions! Melina is the host of the Brainy Business Podcast, where she uses behavioral economics to unlock the mystery behind those small changes that make an impact— resulting in messaging, branding, advertisements, pricing and products that are more "br

Think display ads are a waste of time and website real estate? Think again. For many bloggers, running ads was a first, failed attempt at monetization. Frustrated with a lack of control over what ads were served to their readers, an impossibly slow load time, and/or an unexpectedly low payout, they eventually chalked the experience up as a lesson learned, removing the ads and never looking back. But like everything else on the digital landscape, advertising has changed and evolved. Running display ads can most definitely generate real revenue, providing a lucrative and relatively passive income stream. The key is optimizing your site for your advertising— and your advertising for your audience. There is always a loss in user experience to add advertising to your site. That doesn't mean don't do it. It just means that the return on that advertising needs to be worth it. Amber Bracegirdle This week on the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, Amber Bracegirdle unlocks the mystery behind best practices f

They say that the riches are in the niches. But what does that mean, exactly? How does finding your focus translate into more income, and how do you decide on that focus in the first place? This week we're welcoming Sarah Trenalone to the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast! Sarah is a food lover, traveler, and recipe developer at Champagne Tastes. Sarah first translated her B.F.A. in Fine Art Photography and M.A.T. in Art Education into a decade as a wedding photographer, but has moved on to a much tastier job– food writing and photography. Champagne Tastes was started on a whim with a broad recipe base and no eye towards monetizing, but Sarah has found success through narrowing her niche to better serve her ideal reader (who she defines as an urban hippie, reconnecting with nature through food and sustainable recipes from the earth and sea while cooking in a smaller kitchen). Listen in as Sarah walks us through: the process of narrowing her niche where she is financially with her blog business

Who doesn't love a subscription box? Whether you received a subscription as a gift or if you subscribed as a gift to yourself, it's exciting to have that box arrive in your mailbox and to reveal the surprises inside. This particular business model has been booming: the market has grown by 890% since 2014, and 2017 saw a 10% increase over the year before. We're so happy to have Kelly Pugliano on the podcast this week to talk about launching a successful subscription box business. Kelly is an entrepreneur, speaker, award winning writer and photographer, and the founder of Eat Picks. Inspired by her love of farmers' markets and her desire to help support small businesses and local artisans, Kelly founded Roost Crate, a subscription service curating unique, thoughtful, creative artisan gifts. I decided that at that stage in my life I needed to pursue my own dream rather than supporting someone else's. -Kelly Pugliano Tune in to learn about: Kelly's pivots from mom blog to food blog to launching her own busin

Only two-thirds of businesses stay in business two years, and only half of small businesses will make it to the five year mark. This can happen even when a business appears to be doing well, if the owner isn't taking a hard, realistic look at their finances and planning accordingly. When margins are slim, it can only take one unexpected expense—or an unfortunate series of small expenses—to derail a business's bank account. There may not be a foolproof formula for success, but knowing how to manage your money well is definitely an ingredient. You have to get comfortable with those numbers if you want to survive and thrive in running your small business. -Sylvia Inks Maybe you think you're not great with numbers, or you're not sure where to begin when it comes to financial planning for your small business, but the last thing you want to do is avoid dealing with your bottom line. The good news is, you don't have to be an accounting expert to have the financial skills necessary to maintain a profitable busines

In our “Unlock the Mystery” series, we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle to help you get to the root of your relationship with money and reach your own earning potential. When you want to make more money from your business, most people start by doing MORE. Taking on more clients. Writing more posts. Finishing more projects. It's a solid path to generating extra income, but it's also using up more of your time, energy and talent. Spreading yourself too thin and constantly having to hustle can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, causing you to make more mistakes and lose the passion that led you to launch your own business in the first place. In short, you might be your own boss, but now you're trapped in a J-O-B of your own making. Once I finally had that a-ha moment, I was able to REALLY scale REALLY big. -Amanda Tress Like many fitness trainers, Amanda Tress started her career in the industry trading hours for dollars in the gym. To avoid

In our “Unlock the Mystery” series, we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle to help you get to the root of your relationship with money and reach your own earning potential. When I use my voice I give other people permission to use theirs... when I ask for the money I'm worth I make it easier for other women to ask for the money that they are worth. -Alexia Vernon As this week's guest points out during our interview, everything has a communication component. It's a huge advantage to be able to clearly articulate when it comes to any goal— particularly when it comes to finances and negotiation. Ask for what you want. Get what you're worth. We're so excited to have Alexia Vernon join us to talk about using your voice, and how it ties into your relationship with money. Alexia is the author of Step into Your Moxie: Amplify Your Voice, Visibility, and Influence in the World and creator of The Spotlight Speaker Accelerator and Spotlight Speakers Collectiv

In our “Unlock the Mystery” series, we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle to help you get to the root of your relationship with money and reach your own earning potential. Little Hoboken is a hyperlocal resource for parents, focusing on what local moms want to know: what to do, where to go and who to trust, in and around Hoboken, New Jersey. It was started by Hoboken moms Melissa Wise and Cassie Mascari as a lifestyle blog, but grew quickly into a community driven marketing, advertising, graphic design, photography, event planning and social action media company. So: how did they get from there to here? It's really about slow and steady for us, and keeping it meaningful. -Cassie Mascari In this installment of the Unlock the Mystery series, we dig into what makes a hyperlocal site successful! Listen in as Jamie fangirls a bit and the ladies of Little Hoboken discuss: their motivation behind starting (and evolving) a hyperlocal site how they

In our new “Unlock the Mystery” series, we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle to help you get to the root of your relationship with money and reach your own earning potential. You've probably heard the saying, "you've got to spend money to make money." But you've probably also heard "don't throw good money after bad." The bottom line is, if you want to grow and scale your business you need to invest in your business, but not every investment is a smart one. This is especially in the early stages, when every dollar counts and there's little margin for error. So where are the best places to spend money in your influencer business? What's most likely to give you the best return on your investment? Since this is a relatively new and quickly evolving industry, with new tools and platforms emerging all the time, there are no hard and fast rules: you're not going to find a comprehensive, up-to-date guidebook on the best investments for influencer mar

What if brands decide tomorrow that they don't want to work with bloggers anymore, they don't see the value? -Liz Falcigno In our new “Unlock the Mystery” series, we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle to help you get to the root of your relationship with money and reach your own earning potential. Liz Falcigno is the founder of The Clean Eating Couple (which focuses on creating healthy, delicious recipes that are easy to make), a food photographer, fitness instructor and dog mom to her rescue pup Ziti. She also helps brands in the food space with recipe development and images for their websites. When Liz started her website in 2013, though, it was a hobby: a way to chronicle her journey with health and wellness, with her "friends and mom" as her main audience. She quit her corporate marketing job in January of 2018, doubled down on growing her blog as a business, and now works for herself full time. In this installment of our Unlock the Mystery

In our new “Unlock the Mystery” series, we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle to help you get to the root of your relationship with money and reach your own earning potential. Amanda Williams is the former-journalist-turned-blogger behind A Dangerous Business, a travel blog that aims to inspire people to fit more travel and adventure into the lifestyle they already have. Since starting her blog in 2010, Amanda has traveled to more than 50 countries on six continents from her home base in Ohio, and has been featured by major publications and websites like AFAR, The Huffington Post, and USA Today Travel. Like many old school bloggers, Amanda didn't start out with a plan to make money, and she had no prior business experience. She now makes a full-time income travel blogging, and we're so pleased to have her on the podcast to discuss her monetization tips and evolution through the past eight years. Diversifying your income streams is so important a

We need to talk about money. We know, it's awkward. Money can be very taboo to talk about; people tend to tiptoe around the topic, shrugging off questions about profits and expenses, tensing up when it's time to state their rates. But as an industry, it's vital to share our experiences— both the mistakes and the triumphs— so that that we collectively learn, grow and move forward. With the "Unlock the Mystery" series we're opening up the conversation about exactly how people make their money and where they struggle. We hope to help you, our listeners, to get to the root of your relationship with money so you can really get out of your own way and finally reach your earning potential. To kick things off, we're getting personal: talking frankly about the money lessons we’ve learned as they apply to our businesses, our lives and what we have seen clients encounter. Listen in as we discuss: our own history with money issues what to invest in when you "can't afford" to invest in your business ways to avoid

Like every other social media channel, Pinterest has changed a lot over the years— and changing algorithms means needing to update those marketing strategies. For many, however, Pinterest strategy sometimes takes a backseat, and can mean a lot of untapped potential for your business or brand. Pinterest is very much like Google. It can drive traffic year over year... there's a whole different type of ecosystem that influencers can really tap into, not only to connect with their audience, but to connect with brands. -Kate Ahl Just how much untapped potential? We're practically rubbing our hands together, we're so excited to dive into that information with this week's guest, Kate Ahl. She's also sharing all her top tips for evolving your Pinterest strategy to maximize traffic and convert pinners into customers. Kate is the owner of Simple Pin Media, where she focuses on Pinterest management for those looking to take that task off their plate completely so they can refocus those energies back into their busines

We're opening up conversations about diversity and race more than ever online, and yet it can seem like these topics are as difficult to navigate as they've ever been. We know that we want to advocate for change, but what does it mean to truly be an ally? When is it best to speak up and use our respective platforms and when should we sit down and listen? We're so pleased to have Certified Transformational Coach Hope McGrath on the podcast to discuss this important topic. A multi-passionate entrepreneur, Hope combines her love of social consciousness, psychology, spirituality, wellness, fashion, and culture into her work. Her lifestyle platform Radiant Mix celebrates diversity from the mixed, multiracial experience through the lens of culture, style, parenting, and storytelling. Propelled by the current political climate, Hope created Radiant Mix as her way to talk about bringing racial dynamics together. She's also a board member of her family’s non-profit organization, H2 Empower, that enhances education an

Time FLIES! It's so hard to believe that we've managed to record and publish 50 WHOLE EPISODES of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast. In that time we've become very familiar with our verbal tics, learned so much about the process of podcasting and interviewing, been lucky enough to talk to an array of amazing and inspirational guests, and received a ton of new book recommendations to add to our to-read pile. It's also been a fast moving year in the influencer space, with changes in privacy regulations, disclosure policies, SEO best practices and attitudes around follower counts vs authentic engagement. In this episode, we're celebrating 50 and feeling fine! Listen in as we discuss our ten favorite episodes and take a look back at the lessons we learned from each: 1% Infinity: Next Level Food Blogging with Bjork Ostrom Word of the Year: Reflecting on 2017, Ready for 2018 Hiring and Growing Your Team with Shelli Warren The Financial Side of Your Online Business with Cathy Derus Invest

We hear so often that people find negotiation to be scary— often fueled by a fear of rejection or looking foolish, an unshakable imposter syndrome, or a tendency to shy away from confrontation of any kind. These are fairly common fears in entrepreneurs, particularly women, and they can absolutely hold you back from achieving your potential. It doesn't have to be this way! Keep in mind that negotiation means collaboration, not confrontation; the objective is to arrive at a compromise that benefits and protects both parties. In this episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, we're hoping to change the way you think about negotiating, and help you to start developing the skills you need to negotiate partnerships that are more productive, lucrative, and protective. Tune in to hear us discuss: your to-do list BEFORE negotiation begins our six stage framework for successful negotiation areas to consider for influencer campaigns when to get on the phone and when to walk away negotiable it

We love a success story. Headlines continue to sound the death knell for bloggers and blogging, but the truth is that this medium is far from dead. What it's doing is evolving— growing up and learning responsibility, really— and there is no shortage of paths bloggers can take to also evolve, honing their craft and maximizing their potential. ...continual improvement, every day, over a long period of time. -Bjork Ostrom Bjork Ostrom and his wife Lindsay are the perfect example of that: they launched the food and recipe blog Pinch of Yum back in 2010, and they've been taking their food blogging business to the next level ever since. Bjork is the founder of Food Blogger Pro, a membership website that teaches food bloggers how to start, grow, and monetize their blogs. Day to day, you’ll also see him around WP Tasty (the go-to place for WordPress plugins for food bloggers), Nutrifox (a tool for creating your own custom nutrition labels), and Pinch of Yum, as well as hosting the Food Blogger Pro podcast. We're s

Type-A Parent was established over a decade ago— an annual conference and community for bloggers who took the business of blogging seriously, and wanted to learn the skills that would take their websites and spheres of influence to the next level. In 2017, the company was acquired by Rachel Honoway and Eric Nagel of Rust Built and "Type-A" has become synonymous with power blogger and social media influencer. This year's conference will take place September 27-29 in Chicago and features a speaker roster of over 50 professional practitioners (Jamie is one of them!). We're so excited to welcome Rachel Honoway to this week's episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast. Rachel is an experienced executive specializing in Internet Startups and Growth Mode Companies. Her career has been spent working hands-on with entrepreneurs to build and grow SaaS products and related services. Rachel has an extensive affiliate marketing background, working with large scale publishers like Ebates and Groupon as CEO of