Fear Less Business Podcast

A whole lot of small business success starts with personal development. In recent episodes of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, we've talked about fixing your entrepreneurial mindset, joining a mastermind group, and improving productivity to pave the way towards exponential growth within your business. The next logical (and exciting!) step was to discuss hiring and growing your team so you can handle all that growth, and pay attention on the big picture next steps that can catapult your business to the next level. Once you've pinpointed the people who are the perfect fit for your team, however, there are some essential, cut and dry, don't-skip, can't-be-said-enough actions you need to take to protect you and your business. If you're currently working with independent contractors, thinking about hiring, or even working as an independent contractor yourself, you'll want to fire this podcast episode up and learn: the difference between an employee and contractor what the IRS considers when de

You've started your own business, and it's doing well. Better than well, actually! You have more work to do than you have hours in the day. It's a good problem to have. Only, you don't spend as much time you like pitching new opportunities to grow your business. Or maybe you've actually had to turn down some exciting, lucrative offers because you simply already have too much on your plate. Maybe you're worried about burning out, because you're spending all your time dealing with the minutiae of your business and not the strategy of your business. Sounds like it's time to grow your team and hire the help you need, so that you can turn your attention to the tasks that will bring in more revenue and take your business to the next level! It's a thrilling turning point in your entrepreneurial career, but it can also be pretty scary to take that leap and relinquish the control you've had over all the aspects of your business up until this point. The tasks that are really bringing in those high profits, that's w

Getting started with a website can be intimidating. We're not even talking about building your business and the marketing, financial, and legal considerations that go along with it— we're talking about the actual creating and maintaining of your site. Suddenly, you're faced with a whole new set of terms and skills to learn: the most reliable plugins to install, the best ways to optimize for site speed and user experience, and how to use search engine optimization (SEO) so that potential readers can find your site in the first place. Even if you've been in the game a long time, the backend of your site and dealing with SEO can be a challenge. As we've said so many times before, the digital landscape continues to evolve and change at a rapid rate, which means an influencer that started blogging in 2005 has over a decade's worth of material that might be out of date or under-optimized for today's algorithms. You may want to update, but are afraid of doing something to break your site (most long-term bloggers ha

"What is my mission? What is my brand story?" They say that a dream without a plan is just a wish. That a goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. We're going to say that a business without a dream, a goal, a plan, and a deadline is a mess. A well developed brand strategy ties all of these essential elements together for your business. It refines your why (your overall vision and dream) and your what and when (specific goals on a specific timeline) before nailing down the how with a long-term plan that moves you toward achieving your goals. It can feel like an tremendous undertaking, but once your brand strategy is clearly defined it provides a framework to follow. Your day to day decisions and path to success will become easier and more clearly defined as well. For this week's episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, we were super excited to sit down and chat with Stacey Ferguson about building a digital brand strategy and so much more. Stacey has hit legend status for those who have b

We often talk about just how much the online landscape has and continues to grow and change. Algorithms and rules are evolving at a rapid clip, as is the mindset of those who work in this space as they approach their work as a business rather than a hobby— with the marketing strategy, legalities, and opportunities for growth that entails. In order to keep those businesses growing, it's essential that our knowledge base and network grow as well. Conferences are an ideal environment for that! It's hard to overstate how beneficial these gatherings of peers can be to you and your business, as long as you make the most of your experience. Ideally, you'll learn about the latest and greatest in our industry from the greatest in our industry, gain new insights and fresh perspectives, fire up some inspiration and motivation, and make some new connections along the way. In this episode, we pool our collective insight gained from speaking at and attending an insanely high number of conferences over the last decade. Ch

When you’re investing your best time into your best activities, that is true productivity. Amber De La Garza Feeling overwhelmed, out of time, too busy working in your business but not on your business? Being an entrepreneur means having a never-ending to-do list. And that's a good thing: it means that there is still work to be done tomorrow. But staring down an ongoing task list can affect your ability to effectively prioritize and focus, leading to feelings of overwhelm (and possibly an overwhelming desire to curl up in bed). In our efforts to check items off, we become perpetually busy while not truly getting things done. We get it. We've been there. True productivity involves an underlying essential skill set that some entrepreneurs come by naturally... and some don't. Luckily these skills can be learned and reinforced with practice, which is why we've invited Amber De La Garza, the Productivity Specialist, to share her expertise with us. Amber De La Garza is a productivity coach, trainer, speaker, w

As they establish their online business and begin to monetize their website and social channels, many bloggers and influencers opt to join influencer networks— agencies that connect influencers to brands, handling the lion's share of the details so content creators can focus on creating content. Predictably, one of the questions we see most at this stage is: how do I get chosen for campaigns? Obviously the answer will vary depending on the network, the campaign requirements, your niche and the type of content you produce, but there are some common denominators. To help us ferret those out and address other questions we've seen pertaining to finding success with influencer networks, we've turned to Tiffany Romero. For those who have been in this space for some time, the name Tiffany Romero is nearly synonymous with the concept of influencer networking. Tiffany was instrumental in helping bloggers connect with each other and grow their readership during those early stages of blogging— she founded Bloggy Boot

There's a myth within the influencer community that sponsored content doesn't do as well as other content. Here's the thing though: that myth is really not true, as long as the sponsored content is done the right way. If you find that difficult to believe, it might be time for a fresh perspective and a change in approach. We feel strongly about sponsored content. Some items to consider if yours underperforms: The Biggest Myth About Sponsored Content Performance To tackle this topic, we turned to someone who consistently creates some of our favorite authentic sponsored content: Patrick Quinn from Life of Dad. Patrick was once a teacher and a freelance writer (covering, among other things, the weird and wonderful world of dart tournaments) before his brother-in-law started Life of Dad as a personal blog, and asked Patrick to join him as a contributor. Together they have transformed the site from a traditional blog into a platform and community for dads across the globe, as well as acting as an agency. I

The life of a solo entrepreneur can be isolating, at times. Without the benefit of an office environment and co-workers to speak to about the day-to-day workings of your business, who understand the nuances of your common goal—building and selling your specific product or service—it's easy to become bogged down by overwhelm, paralysis, and feelings of inadequacy (we discuss these issues at length in our last episode, Mind Your Mindset). Another byproduct of being too much in your own head is being unable to see the forest for the trees, so to speak. When you're so close to all the mechanisms of your business, you may not see your way past a problem (heck, you may not even be able to see that there is a problem) or how to spark new growth. But those answers may be obvious from someone viewing your business from the outside, or who has faced a similar challenge in the past. We're not suggesting that you go looking for an office position, or even that you seek out coworking office space—although that's certain

Being a business owner can mean doing scary things that fall outside of our comfort zones. A lot. There's the insecurity that comes before launch, wondering if anyone cares about what you provide— whether that's a product, service or blog post: Why would anyone read this? I'm not an expert. There are other people that do this better than I do. Is anyone really going to buy this? People could make it themselves if they wanted. I really don't think what I do is good enough for "real" companies. Then there's the realization that you're the one in charge. You set the goals, the deadlines, the hours, the quality control and the accountability. There's no passing the buck; your decisions are your own, and you're the one dealing with the successes or issues that result from them. Add to that the fact that in order to succeed, you always need to be doing new things— seeking new clients, learning and implementing new marketing techniques or technical processes, developing improved products, figuring out how to all

It's our last episode of the year! The perfect time to take a look back at 2017: what we've accomplished with our business, what didn't work out and why, and what lessons we can take away and apply to our goals for the fresh, new year ahead. It probably will not surprise you to hear that here at Businessese, we take goal setting very seriously. Further reading for fellow goal setting enthusiasts: Goal Setting and Productivity for Profitability (podcast episode) 10 Lessons Learned During Our First Year of Business Behind the Scenes: Online Business Owners Share Their Goals Tips for Setting Goals for Your Blog One way to simplify and solidify the goal setting (and goal meeting!) process is to designate a word for the year. It can be business related or personal, or encompass both. Just one word to guide what we prioritize: when to say yes, when to say no; when to leap and when to retreat. In this episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, we reflect on the past year and elaborate on the

When we began this podcast, we wanted to make sure we addressed the issues we typically see— and questions we're frequently asked— when it comes to influencer marketing and the legalities that surround it. Soon after launch, we did a series covering a broad range of legal topics that affect influencers: 6 common legal mistakes made in the influencer marketing world Essential elements of influencer marketing contracts Intellectual property: trademarks and copyright Disclosure and the FTC For this pre-holiday episode, we wanted to get a little more specific. We invited the members of our private Facebook group for influencers and online entrepreneurs, Businessese HQ, to ask us anything— any lingering questions they might have about the legalities of their online business that we hadn't addressed thus far. As a result, we're really excited to bring you this week's episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast! It's chock full of the timely questions and influencer marketing legal concerns that you w

You've decided to launch your own business. You're nervous but excited. You land your first client! And then another, and another. It's fantastic, of course. But you start to feel like your time is not your own. You're burning out. You're busy, but not productive. You're not growing in the way that you'd like, and you don't know how to find the hours to do what you need to do for your business— not just your clients'. This is exactly where we all get derailed: this is where we confuse URGENT with IMPORTANT. -Maggie Patterson It's a self-inflicted trap that service-based business owners fall into time and again, and the way they navigate through it can make all the difference. That's why this week, we've asked Brittany Becher and Maggie Patterson to talk with us about goal setting and productivity to help entrepreneurs retain their sanity— while turning a profit. Brit and Maggie are the creators of Small Business Boss, which is designed to help service-based business owners navigate the finer points of gr

This episode is sponsored by Hashtag Legal. Taxes and accounting can be daunting for anyone. It's especially intimidating when you're flying solo with your own business, and when that business is in a relatively new space like influencer marketing. There are certain times of the year when the online world is all abuzz with financial questions, particularly when it comes to taxes. But just as it's imperative for influencers and entrepreneurs to address legal issues before they become problems, it's essential to be proactive when it comes to the financial side of your online business— all year long. For many, and that most certainly includes us, that means consulting with someone with expertise in this field. Our go-to for all things finance related is Cathy Derus of Brightwater Accounting, a CPA and financial planner with strong ties to the influencer world. Cathy started out online with Fiscally Chic, a personal finance blog, before launching Brightwater Financial and Brightwater Accounting to assist onlin

This episode is sponsored by Make Your Case, our all-in-one tool to help you create case studies for your influencer business. It's the moment you've been waiting for! This episode is the final installment in our series, 4 Marketing Tools Every Influencer Needs. We've gone over the power of pitching, detailed mastering the media kit, broken down closing strong with campaign reporting, and now, at long last, we're going to make the case for case studies. What is a case study? We think case studies are one of the most underutilized tools bloggers have, and we want to change that. We know that influencers work hard on their sponsored posts and campaigns. Case studies are a way to highlight the work that goes on behind the scenes: how those campaigns were initially conceived, what the sponsor's goals were, how the work was executed, and how the results of that work specifically performed to meet the sponsor's goals. They act as portfolio and proof in one visually pleasing, snackable package. In short, case st

We interrupt your regular podcasting topic schedule... We know, you were waiting with bated breath and barely-concealed glee for the last segment in our series on 4 Marketing Tools Every Influencer Needs, and we're so very sad to disappoint you. However, since our podcasts drop on Thursday mornings and this particular Thursday is Thanksgiving, we decided to interrupt our planned podcasting schedule and release a quick, fun episode first. (Good things come to those who wait, we promise! Get excited about case studies!) Now that we're 10 episodes in, we're starting to get the hang of this podcasting thing! So for our special holiday Episode 11, our producer interviews us about how the podcast is going so far: our general insights on getting a podcast up and running, what's been intimidating or hard to nail down, and where we hope to take the Business Influencer Marketing Podcast in the future. We hope you find it equal parts interesting and informative (and perhaps an inspiration to take the plunge yourself

This post is sponsored by Closing Strong, our mini-course that gives you everything you need to create individualized reports that will wow your clients. You did it! You landed that blog campaign and negotiated your price. You took the time to understand the clients' goals, translated that information to create targeted killer content, kicked up buzz with your social media shares. You're feeling pretty good about a job well done (and you should). But if you really want to make an impression and leave the door wide open for future collaborations, your work here isn't done yet. Go ahead and get excited, because this is your time to shine. We've done a lot of campaigns with networks and influencers, and we can say with confidence that reporting is a critical part of every one of them. Every campaign has a goal, and reporting demonstrates how and to what extent those goals were met. More on campaign reporting: How to Create Campaign Reports that Wow Your Clients 4 Tools Every Blogger Needs to Market Their B

We are affiliates for Media Kit Smash, Melissa's course that walks you through making a professional, informative media kit that gives potential partners exactly what they’re looking for. Go ahead and check it out. We'll wait. Last week, we chatted with Jenny Melrose about the power of pitching to collaborate with your dream brands as the first installment in a four-part series, 4 Marketing Tools Every Influencer Needs. This week, we're tackling another important marketing tool in any influencer's arsenal: media kits. Want to know more about those four marketing tools? 4 Tools Every Blogger Needs to Market Their Business A media kit is a visual complement to your pitch— it serves as a brief introduction so that potential partners can learn about you and your blog. In short, it's your opportunity to highlight just how awesome you are! But much like how many bloggers struggle with writing their own bios, deciding exactly what to include in your media kit and how to best present that information can be a

This episode is sponsored by Pitch Perfect Pro, a program that we're so excited about, we became affiliates. Pitch Perfect Pro is the only course you'll ever need to learn how to confidently work with brands. If you're hoping to make money online, it's essential that you treat your blog and social channels as a business. Among other things, that means formulating a plan, staying consistent, tending to legal matters, and familiarizing yourself with the tools and strategies that will help your business grow. For the month of November, we are focusing on must-have marketing tools for influencers. This episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast is the first installment in a four-part series, 4 Marketing Tools Every Influencer Needs. Long-time readers of the Businessese blog will recall that we posted an article on this subject before: 4 Tools Every Blogger Needs to Market Their Business Those four tools that every influencer needs in their virtual toolbox are: pitches media kits campa

This episode is sponsored by Hashtag Legal. Contact Hashtag Legal to set up a consult to assist with your questions about the FTC. Suppose you meet someone who tells you about a great new product. She tells you it performs wonderfully and offers fantastic new features that nobody else has. Would that recommendation factor into your decision to buy the product? Probably. Now suppose the person works for the company that sells the product – or has been paid by the company to tout the product. Would you want to know that when you’re evaluating the endorser’s glowing recommendation? You bet. That common-sense premise is at the heart of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Endorsement Guides. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and their guidelines for disclosure have been a hot topic for some time in the world of influencer marketing. Earlier this year, the FTC made clear that they were taking proper disclosure seriously, sending out a round of letters warnin