A lot of people talk about building a brand, but unless you want to waste a ton of time and money, you need to also make sure you're protecting your brand

Episode Summary:

• Trademarks are complicated aspect of the law which has a lot of gray area, and many business owners tend to overlook it because of the misunderstanding of what trademarks are.
• Joey is passionate about helping online business owners get peace of mind by proactively spreading the message about how trademarks work.
• Passionate online business owners spend a lot of time and thought into creating a brand which is deeply rooted from their vision. Joey and I talk about why investing in protecting your brand at the start of your business is vital in its success.
• Joey explains that one of the biggest misconceptions about trademarks is that it's something you have to decide "to do or not to do". Once you start to use your brand, you are either claiming trademark rights that are limited or infringing somebody else's rights without really knowing it.
• I personally share how I faced a legal issue on trademarks, and how Joey has helped me with it.
• Don't know where to start? Joey shares the steps you need to take in order to protect your brand.
• Discover how social media scammers may attack you and your brand! Joey talks about the compelling details in this episode.

"These decisions are starting to become less of a purely legal conversation and more of a legal + business strategy conversation." - Joey Vitale

"We're getting so many more applications being filed for. So, in a very weird, but literal way we are running out of trademarks." - Joey Vitale

About The Guest:

Joey Vitale is an attorney and customer experience strategist for online solopreneurs. With his law firm, Indie Law, Joey keeps your business protected so you won't get your entire brand taken away from you. In addition to his law firm, Joey can also keep your business safe and thriving through his online courses and private Facebook group. Joey has spoken in front of thousands of entrepreneurs all over the country to share his expertise and insights on how to build a business that puts you first.

Where to Find Joey Online

• Website
• The Trademark Toolkit Course
• Facebook
• Facebook Group
• Instagram

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
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Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

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You may have noticed that we have a new name! I absolutely love this new direction. In the next episode I'll share why the change was needed, but today I want to focus on the meaning of the new name.

As entrepreneurs, we make countless decisions every day, both in business and life. We decide on...

• promotions
• pricing
• content
• colors
• ad spend
• hiring
• firing
• when to work
• when to take time off
• what to invest in
• how to handle a myriad of firs
• which ideas to pursue
• which ideas to save for later
• and on and on!

And when making these decisions, we can view the options through different lenses.

Sometimes we make decisions through the lens of fear.

We're consumed by worst case scenarios, or choose the option that seems the safest. While this was incredibly helpful to our ancestors who first and foremost needed to survive, it often does more harm than good when considering your potential and your dreams.

So instead, look at things through the lens of success.

Ask yourself this question...

What decision would I make in light of success?

"What question would I make in light of success?" - Kathryn Binkley

I love this question because it first forces us to define success and this question works universally because every single person can define success differently. You may recall in an earlier episode that in order to get what you want, you must first KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

And that goes for any and every situation in life.

So, what would a successful day look like for you?

What would success look like in your business this year, this quarter, this month, this week, today, in the next hour, in your next launch?

What would success look like in your marriage, your finances, your health, your parenting, your vacation, your errands?

There's nothing too big or too small for this question. What does success look like for you?

Once success is defined, you can then ask - what decision would I make in light of success

NOT... in light of fear, or settling for less, or what someone else wants, or the easy way out.

What would you do in light of your inevitable success? Because it is inevitable when you are intentional, make decisions base on, live your life and run your business by filtering everything through your definition of success.

"What would you do in light of your inevitable success? Because it is inevitable when you are intentional, make decisions base on, live your life and run your business by filtering everything through your definition of success." - Kathryn Binkley

This is the question to ask as you build a business and life that light you up. And it's my mission to be an example of this and to empower you to do the same.

So, here's to living life in light of success!

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

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• Follow the Podcast
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In this episode, learn how to identify the victim mindset and the payoffs that may be keeping you stuck.

Episode Summary:

• Molly's interest in the mindset field started when she was very young and she shares her journey into creating a career in helping others with their own mindset work. 
• Creating a business online is actually possible and some may not realize that. Molly shares what lights her up about her business and how she not only has the pleasure of helping others but she also enjoys learning new things from her own clients or people she gets to surround herself with.  
• Molly and I talk about how you don't have to stay stuck when you feel like you are struggling with something.  
• Have you been trying to manifest something and feel frustrated? Molly talks more about having a victim mindset.
• What's your payoff to staying stuck? Molly shares what she means by this and how there could be a payoff you don't realize to your struggles.
• Molly explains the difference between the work that she provides and when she suggests a therapist to her clients. It's ok to have both working with you simultaneously. 

"If things aren't manifesting in your physical reality that you want it to, you're in a way playing the victim unless you identify why you don't want it." - Molly Sapp

About The Guest:

Molly Sapp is founder of mollysapp.com, mindset strategies for high performance females.  She works with female entrepreneurs on everything mindset, whether it's their bodies, their relationships, and of course, the favorite for entrepreneurs, money.  Molly has been studying personal development for over 20 years, starting with several different religions, finding new age philosophy and spending 10 to 15 hours a day crafting techniques and strategies to transform herself that not only have transformed her life but her clients as well...  She's helped multiple people make an extra million or two in her first 15 months of business. She went back to Christianity after studying new age philosophy and  incorporates many of her strategies to help women heal their connection to God, the universe, or whatever one wants to call it, in order to manifest their deepest desires.

Where to Find Molly Online

• Website
• Facebook

Resources

• You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay 

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Instagram
• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Facebook

Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

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A client once said to me, “I know what I’m doing. My clients get results, BIG results but why am I not getting results?

Have you ever felt that way?

Or maybe you see someone else with less experience than you who is killing it and you’re wondering what you’re doing wrong!

In either of those situations, the difference may be in knowing versus doing. Both are important. Yes, it’s important to know what to do but knowing what to do is not the same as doing it! You have to do the work!

Imagine with me for just a moment that you have a client who knows it all. Or perhaps every time you recommend something, she tells you she's tried it and didn’t work. Or she knows that she should do something but was too busy to find the time to do the work and makes another excuse the next time you speak with her about why she didn’t get it done.

This kind of client can turn into a nightmare client. It wouldn’t take long before you sat down and had a serious conversation about her progress. Maybe you would give her some tough love but if it continued, you may end up firing that client.

Now, I'm curious, why do you continue to accept excuses from yourself?

Why do you not take your own advice?

Why are you your own worst client? 

If you're ready to change things, there are two steps!

1. What Would you Tell a Client?

• Sometimes we are so close to our own situation, we struggle to look at things objectively. I know I’ve given clients advice only to turn around and have my coach give me the same advice! We have to take ourselves out of our situations and imagine that we were a client asking for advice in order to more clearly view the situation and decide what to do.

2. Take Your Own Advice!

• Take the advice! Once you know what to do, DO IT! If you have to, schedule time in your calendar to get it done. Block off time as if you were your own client booking time with you and take action! You can stop being your own worst client. You deserve better!

"You deserve to be your most important client!" - Kathryn Binkley

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Instagram
• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Facebook

Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

• Search for the podcast in your podcast app (Building Unshakable)
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If you enjoy personality tests, this episode is for you! Sarah and I dig into how our personality types affect our business relationships, and our goals!

Episode Summary:

• Sarah speaks about why it's important to know both our clients and our own personality types. She says that we have to work with people we are compatible to have a great working experience.
• Before you can find your dream client, you must understand and know yourself well. Sarah shares her tips and tools on how to best understand your personality type.
• There are 16 different personality types, but do you know what all of those types mean? Sarah educates us on what they all mean and what it means to be an introvert versus an extrovert.
• Sarah reveals why it's important to know how your personality type plays in when working with your dream clients.

"You have to know yourself well before you can do anything else." - Sarah Arnold

About The Guest:

Sarah Marie Arnold is a numbers storyteller and personality profiler who removes the mystery from numbers and changes how her clients communicate to build a complete story that hits their dream clients at the most personal level. Her background in politics built her communication skills, and when combined with her certification in data analysis from Cornell University and her obsession with personality profiling, it creates a bit of magic. Sarah is an Army wife and mom to 3 boys fueled by tea, more pens than a reasonable person could ever use, and true crime podcasts.

Where to Find Sarah Online:

• MBTI: A Guide for You and Your Business
• Instagram
• Website

Resources

• Marketing Personalities
• 16 personalities

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Instagram
• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Facebook

Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

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If you've been in business for any amount of time, you've probably experienced people who inquire about your services and never pay you. They take up your time, ask a lot of questions, but never move forward! It's frustrating, right? You're putting out all of this content and spending all of this time marketing your business, but there will always be people who do not become paying clients. It is frustrating, but there are things you can do to keep these people from moving forward and taking up more of your time. 

I've got three simple ways to help you eliminate the tire kickers in your business. 

Post Your Prices on Your Website

This can be controversial and many people debate whether they should share their pricing. My recommendation is to not share your prices for everything you offer but only some of your most popular services.When people visit your website and your prices are well above what they will pay, they will not move forward. That's a good thing! There is nothing worse than having a conversation with a potential client only for them to realize that you are out of their price range. Hedge that off from the beginning by sharing your prices.

"You only want to take calls with those who are ideal clients!" - Kathryn Binkley

Create an Application Form

Before I ever get on the phone with anyone, I require them to put in a little work to start. You want to make sure you're only getting on the phone with the right people.By putting a form into place, you capture information about your potential clients' business goals, pain-points, commitment, etc. This will help you weed people out based on how serious they are about working with you.

Change The Language You're Using

I recommend that my clients do target audience research. Speak to real dream clients, document the words they are using, and use that language in your marketing!

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Instagram
• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Facebook

Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

• Search for the podcast in your podcast app (Building Unshakable)
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Episode Summary:

• Dallin reveals that he had a desire for the film industry but after being told there was no money in the field, he switched gears and graduated with a degree in Information Technology (IT). His dream of film and sharing stories never left him.  He talks about leaving his stable corporate career to follow his dreams!
• Sharing your story makes you vulnerable, but it also helps your audience know, like, and trust you. The key is to reveal bits and pieces of your story slowly.
• Your story matters! Dallin and I talk about how we may feel that our stories can sound similar to others but what makes it unique is the new perspective that has been given to you!

"A story is always the way to get you to the next level of impact." - Dallin Nead

• Dallin shares what it means to own your story! Owning your stories means to live true to what you really want! Chase your dreams and once you've accomplished them, own another dream!
• Dallin debunks some myths we may believe about sharing our story with the public. One of the biggest is fear of what others may think!

"No matter who you are, there is always struggle in our lives!" - Dallin Nead

About The Guest:

Dallin Nead is a storyteller and Video Marketing Expert focused on partnering with entrepreneurs and companies to accomplish one goal - create influencers and thought leaders through video and content that get results.

Over the past 10 years, I've worked in corporate, travel, film and broadcast video production serving major brands like Carnival Corp, Princess Cruises, U.S. Marines Corp., and Teachable.

Through all of this, he fell in love with the power of story, and how it literally has the power to change the world and grow businesses.

Where to Find Dallin Online:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Story Sellers Academy

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Instagram
• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Facebook

Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

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I remember the moment I turned in my keys to my office at my 9-5. I was excited to have this freedom and life I'd been working so hard for! It wasn't until months later that I realized I traded in my 9-5 for a 24/7 and somewhere along the way, I actually thought it was a good thing but it wasn't and I'm here to talk about how to build a business that lights you up without hustling 24/7. 

Here's the thing, what I envisioned for my future, I wanted so badly that I was sacrificing my life in the present and I realize that it wasn't necessary! I thought it was just a part of being an entrepreneur but the hustle is NOT required. I still believe you have to work for your dreams but I also believe that the hustle is not required.   

What Does The Word Hustle Mean? 

You've heard this word a lot and you may have heard it as a badge of honor and I really want to dive into the real meaning of hustle and why I am so adamantly against it.

Hustle: (Definition found from google.com)

verb1. force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specified direction. 2. INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN obtain by forceful action or persuasion.

noun

1. busy movement and activity.

The keyword in both is FORCE. What I know from my journey and from my clients' is that when you force something to get a result, you end up overwhelmed, no longer enjoying the work you do, and ultimately fear taking a break. You connect working to the result and feel you have to work to get the result. It also leads to working in your business, not on your business. I can summarize all that by saying it leads to BURN OUT!

"When you're forcing a result, it leads to burnout." - Kathryn Binkley #scaletoseven

When you define hustle as a noun, it means busy movement or activity. I want to talk about the BUSY part. I'm curious, when did "hustle" become a badge of honor? I don't know about you but I often hear this conversation:

Person 1: "Hey, how are you?" 

Person 2: "Busy!" 

Person 1: "Oh that's good! Busy is good right?" 

Let me stop you here, busy is not good! Not unless it's good busy. There are different kinds of busy and "hustle" isn't good busy. Busy isn't good if you're not doing the things that light you up. For you that might include a good portion of work. I'm not here to tell you that there is a magic number of hours you should or shouldn't work in your business. It's about how much you want to work in your business.

"Being busy and working hard is not my definition of success and in fact, It's not necessary for success." - Kathryn Binkley #scaletoseven

Your business should support the life you love. You're probably asking, HOW? Is this really possible and if so how? I have a course where I will dive in to talk about this very topic! Sign up with the link below.

Hustle NOT Required In the meantime, here are a few ways to get started! 

1. Know what is getting results and cut the rest.

• First things first, know what's working in today's online marketing and you can make a data-driven decision based on what's working and what's not.

2. Create efficiency for any repetitive task.

• For all the repetitive tasks in your business, you need systems or automation. This means not rethinking a process but having them written down and knowing exactly how you will handle things.

3. Build a team and delegate.

• Imagine if you had even a few more hours each week! You can do that as soon as you get someone on board and up to speed on some roles in your business. Often there is a major objection to that. You may think you don't have the budget for a team member but I want to challenge you to rethink that mindset.  You absolutely can outsource at any level. There are options to outsource whether internationally, online, or even hiring a team member. It'd surprise you how affordable and profitable it can be.

Resources:

• Hustle NOT Required (Sign Up Now!)
• Asana - a project management tool

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Instagram
• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
• Follow The Unshakable Company on Facebook

Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

• Search for the podcast in your podcast app (Building Unshakable)
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If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’re probably a visionary with tons of ideas! I know I have no shortage of ideas and I get really excited about them! That’s a great thing unless you’re great at starting but not so much at finishing. Do you start so many things it takes far too long to finish them? I’ve been guilty of both! Just a few weeks ago, I found that I was overwhelming my team with the number of active projects! I had so many things that I wanted to accomplish; I kept starting new things. It all made sense in my brain but I wasn’t slowing down long enough to help my team have what they needed in order for us to finish all these things.

I had to take a step back and look at what we could do. We needed to finish what we started without limiting our creative vision. That was key! As the visionary in my business, I don’t want to stop dreaming and planning what’s next. I want to continue that while also allowing my team to keep moving. 

I decided on a few things that we needed to do and here are the steps we are taking in my business to help us finish what we start!

Create a Container for New Ideas

I’m really good at coming up with a lot of ideas and I’m a quick start but that doesn’t serve my team and me. What I’ve had to do is create a place where I can store all of my ideas without losing them! I plan on a quarterly basis and re-evaluate each month. I have a place where I can brainstorm ideas and drop in all of these ideas that I want to do and save them for the next month or quarter.

Start What We are Committed to Finishing Now

You have to decide what to start right now. Because I plan on a quarterly basis, I have goals in mind for each month. I determine which ideas align with my goals for the quarter, and we give them deadlines! We only start a project if we can commit to finishing it!

"Everything has to have a deadline!" -Kathryn Binkley

Invest in Your own Leadership Abilities

I’ve had experience managing team members in the past, but now, I have a smaller team and there is still room for improvement. I found that I was handing off a lot of tasks without explaining the bigger picture or giving a clear scope of responsibility. Now when I hand off the responsibility, there is that measurable goal that’s attached to it. I will occasionally bottleneck the tasks in my business, but I can try to remove myself as much as possible. I don’t have to do everything. Now, I focus on the things that only I can do.

Create the Project Plan

When we commit to the project, then we can create the plan! From beginning to end, we lay out what will happen and when. We think through all the tasks to make sure I agree with the approach and we know who will do what by when.

Batch Work

We are batching/automating all the recurring tasks that happen in my business. This is a game changer! This will allow me space to focus on the important things.

Scrum Methodology

We use sprints to tackle projects from beginning to end in a very focused manner. This is the Scrum Methodology. Essentially, rather than working on 10 different priorities all at one time, we are tackle one at a time or a couple at a time to make sure we are getting things done!

Done is Better than Perfect

While I know that I may have big dreams, we make sure that in these sprints we are determining what this phase looks like and leaving space for improvements.

Resources:

• Asana - a project management tool

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
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• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
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Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

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If things look and sound different around here, that's because they are! The difference may not be huge, but it is significant. I am only removing 4 little letters from the name of my podcast and Facebook group but those 4 letters represent a lot as far as what I stand for. 

Here's how all this all got started. I did an interview on another podcast and prepared to share my expertise around marketing and mindset. The interviewer surprised me, however, with the questions they asked. I responded well to the questions, but I still left feeling as though the interviewer missed the bigger picture of the expertise I offer. In some ways, however, I was responsible for the questions being asked at all. 

You see, the focus of the interview centered on gender, and that I am a female entrepreneur working with other female entrepreneurs. It never occurred to me that by focusing on Lit "Ladies" it would appear as though I was averse to working with any other genders or gender identities. 

I contributed to the problem without fully realizing it. Now I am aware, I will no longer be branding my business as the Lit Ladypreneurs, instead, we will just be the entrepreneurs. 

Before I go into my reasoning, I first want to say that this is a very personal decision for me and should have no impact on your business. If you only want to work with women, go for it! But, if after hearing my reasons you feel in your gut you want to make a shift as well, you have my support. I'm not saying it's right or wrong to niche down by gender. What I am saying is that it no longer feels right for me! 

Now, here are the reasons I've made this decision! 

1. I'm an Entrepreneur

• I feel out of alignment with the word, "Ladyprenuer" and other similar phrases. I have never related to the word, "Mompreneur" and while I don't feel offended by any of these, I realized that I do not need these words and phrases to qualify me or my business. I don't want a different arena to play in outside of men, I'm an entrepreneur, being female doesn't play a part!

1. I Don't Need a Safe Place

• I'm not intimidated by men. In fact, I've managed and coached men throughout my career and I don't feel that I need a separate space. I appreciate the differences that men bring and while I value quality, I at no point want to make it appear men don't have a role to play or that they scare women entrepreneurs. Now, a lot of things that have happened to women across the world and throughout history but my business isn't the place to address them!

1. My Coaching isn't About How to Balance Mom Life and Entrepreneurship 

• I'm a damn good mom but my children are not my why and my coaching isn't primarily about how to balance everything or the guilt we face while being working parents. In fact, in my marketing, I don't focus a lot on the fact that I have kids. It's not because I am trying to hide it but that's not the center of my brand, and that's because I love my children and my business and I view them separately!

1. It Doesn't Matter How I Coach My Clients Based on Your Gender 

• This breaks my heart, but someone asked me if I would turn away transgender individuals. I hate that this even had to come up! Gender identity has no bearing on my client's abilities nor my willingness or desire to help them build a wildly profitable business that lights them up!

"If you want to build a successful business, you can't do it in a bubble." - Kathryn Binkley

Next Steps:

• Join The Unshakable Mastermind

Let's Connect:

• Follow the Podcast
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• Follow Kathryn Binkley on Instagram
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Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts:

Are you following the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I have so many topics lined up, and I would hate for you to miss a single one. 

• Search for the podcast in your podcast app (Building Unshakable)
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