Better Than Big

The burnout we often talk about in business is burnout with a capital B...you know, the kind that leaves you lying flat on your back in pure exhaustion or that turns into a health crisis that requires you to take a break from business. But business owners can also experience burnout in subtler ways - and that’s worth paying attention to because it points to areas of your business that you can refine or improve by making different choices. In this episode, I talk about the “little b” burnout I experienced in my first business and the three areas that caused it. I also talk about the choices I made in those areas to do things differently in my coaching practice so I could make sure that burnout stays a thing of the past. 

Learn more about the Do Less, Live More private podcast feed: www.ashleygartland.com/dolesslivemore

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Connect with Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Selling more to your past clients is a simple and sustainable way to grow your business - and yet, many business owners forget that fact or don’t feel like they know how to do it without feeling sales-y. My guest on the podcast today, Michaela Latavanha of Beachside Studio, joins me to talk about how she nurtures her client relationships after the first sale to create more opportunities for her business, and more support for her clients. In this episode, we talk about why selling more to past clients was the right fit for Michaela and about what she offers them as their next steps to work with her. We also talk about how she nurtures her relationships with her clients after their initial engagement in simple and authentic ways. 

Learn how to design your signature service or next-level offer: https://www.ashleygartland.com/simplifiedservicesintensive

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

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Learn more about Michaela: www.beachside.studio

Follow Michaela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beachsidestudio/

As service providers, it’s easy to focus more on your sales and marketing than on your actual client services because the industry as a whole is geared toward that ‘sell, sell, sell’ mentality. But while sales and marketing matter, it’s just as important to make sure that your clients have an outstanding experience after the sale. In this episode, Maggie Patterson from Small Business Boss and Scoop Studios joins me to talk about the changes she’s made in her businesses to make sure her clients have a great experience working with her. We talk about how she’s learned to better manage client communication, about how she paces projects and about the importance of understanding your true capacity. She also gives us her take on what your clients really need from you (hint: it’s not a fancy welcome gift).

Learn more about the Simplified Services Intensive:https://www.ashleygartland.com/simplifiedservicesintensive

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Learn more about Maggie: www.smallbusinessboss.co 

Follow Maggie on Instagram:  www.instagram.com/smallbusinessboss/

At the start of your business, your onboarding process might have looked like sending out a contract and invoice to your clients. That’s a great place to start and also, there are many other things you can do to build a client onboarding process that supports your clients and serves you well. My guest on the podcast today is Tamera Darden and she joins me to talk about how her client onboarding experience has evolved over time at her product photography business, Darden Creative. She talks about how she gets important information at the start of her projects, about the welcome PDF she uses to communicate expectations and boundaries with her clients and about how her software needs shifted as her business grew. We also talk about how refining her onboarding process has bettered her business and helped her establish herself as an expert in her industry. 

Learn more about the Simplified Services Intensive: https://www.ashleygartland.com/simplifiedservicesintensive

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Learn more about Tamera: http://www.dardencreative.com, http://www.thephotoceo.com

Follow Tamera on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tamera.darden

When it comes to our sales process, it can feel like we only have two options: automate it or go the high-touch route. But there is a middle ground, and my guest on the podcast today joins me to talk about how her sales process has evolved to become both simple and high-touch. In this episode, lawyer and founder of the AWB Firm, Autumn Witt Boyd, and I talk about how she vets prospective clients and about how she’s brought her team into the sales process without losing personalization. She also shares why she’s able to convert such a high number of prospective clients on a short 15-minute sales call. 

Learn more about the Simplified Services Intensive

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Learn more about Autumn: awbfirm.com

Connect with Autumn on Instagram: www.instagram.com/autumnwittboyd/

As a service provider, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about the client experience you deliver after someone has bought something from you. But have you thought about the experience you’re providing your prospective clients before the sale? Or about how you want them to feel before they sign on with you? In this episode, I talk about why I decided to start viewing my marketing and lead generation as part of my client experience and about what that perspective shift changed in my business. I share how it brought me more ease with my marketing, better conversations and conversions and a business that feels more aligned overall. 

Learn more about Ashley’s Simplified Services Intensive

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Connect with Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

The thing that prevents us from saying no to opportunities in our business is most often a fear of what people will think - and that can come at a great cost. My guest, designer Allison Burns, knows this well and joins me to talk about how she overcame her people-pleasing and perfectionistic tendencies so she could say no more often. In this episode, we talk about the assumptions Allison had around saying no, about the tradeoffs of saying yes to too many things and about how learning to say no helped Allison run a more aligned business and enjoy more time off with her family.

Learn more about Do Less, Live More: www.ashleygartland.com/dolesslivemore

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Learn more about Allison: www.alliemariedesign.com

Follow Allison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliemariedesign/

Learn more about Design Spirit course: www.designspiritcourse.com

When it comes to the boundaries we have in our businesses, we often talk about the boundaries we have with clients to protect our time and energy. Those boundaries are important for sure - and my guest Alisha Robertson and I discuss them in today’s episode - but we also talk about the boundaries you need to have with yourself to make time for what’s most important. In this episode, Alisha talks about when she became aware that she lacked boundaries and about the changes she made in her business - and to her mindset - to become the kind of business owner who could set and honor boundaries with clients and with herself. 

Learn more about Do Less, Live More: www.ashleygartland.com/dolesslivemore

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Learn more about Alisha: www.alisharobertson.com

Follow Alisha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealishanicole

We often position overdelivering as a good thing in our businesses. But when overdelivering leads to overextending and overworking and overwhelm, it’s a habit you may want to check - especially if you want to create time and space for what’s most important to you. Real estate broker Page Huyette knows this well, and joins me to talk about her habit of giving 200% to her business and clients, and about how it landed her in a state of burnout. In this episode, we talk about when Page realized overdelivering was a problem and about how she stopped doing it so she could create more time and space for herself. 

Learn more about Do Less, Live More: www.ashleygartland.com/dolesslivemore

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/

Learn more about Page: http://www.montanagoodlife.com/

Follow Page on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pagehuyette/

The problem with most time management tools is that they focus on maximizing your time, packing more into your days and squeezing more out of your schedule. They’re about doing more, and if you’re constantly in pursuit of more, it’s hard to feel that true spaciousness and time freedom you desire. There is a way to create it, however, and in this episode, I’m going to tell you the real way I’ve created time and space for what’s most important to me, which is all about changing the way you think about and operate in your business so you can do less and live more. 

Find out about Do Less, Live More: www.ashleygartland.com/dolesslivemore

Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/

Connect with Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/