EntrepreNot Yet

Oh, gorgeous listener… you are in for a special treat today, and that’s because I have the pleasure of speaking with the incomparable Simone McNish on the show.  Whether you have been consuming her awesome Instagram content for years, the past few months, or will become a brand-new fan today, trust me when I tell you that this is an episode that you’re going to want to bookmark and listen to time and time again. 

Simone is a badass business coach and the CEO of Simone McNish Coaching, which provides premium coaching to a diverse group of successful clients.  And just four and a half months ago, Simone was still side hustling… but now, she’s a full-fledged entrepreneur and she’s already had such an amazing and wild ride in her business. 

And we unpacked a LOT in our conversation.  From the side hustle, to the bittersweet-ness that came with her recent big business boom, to running a more inclusive business to protecting your time and your boundaries… Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to miss the lessons, stories, and insights she brings to you today. 

More specifically, we leave no stone unturned as we talk about:

• How Simone turned a layoff in April – at the start of her second trimester of pregnancy – into an entrepreneur success story 
• The lessons in client management that changed the course of her business
• How her expertise in diversity in entrepreneurship helped catapult her to five figures in a single month …and why she still has mixed feelings about it
• How she is shifting her business model to work for her instead of chasing shiny objects
• Her warning about moving the success goalpost, what it will do for your mindset – and what to focus on instead
• Why having a few pathway offerings not only makes you a more inclusive entrepreneur, but a better (and wealthier) one
• How her transparency in business and what she’s testing comes from a place of service – and inspires others
• What’s she’s piloting next in her business and why it excites her
• Why TRUST – in yourself, in your clients, in your business will be your North Star in your entrepreneurial journey

More about Simone

Simone McNish is a badass business coach and the CEO of Simone McNish Coaching, which provides premium coaching to a diverse group of successful clients. She is an outspoken advocate for elevating the voice and messages for women of color. 

Simone started her business as a virtual assistant and social media manager, but quickly pivoted into building a profitable coaching business. She has helped her clients reach huge income goals, master their mindset, and create unforgettable online brands. Simone also created a wildly popular workshop, Diversity, Inclusion and Privilege in Entrepreneurship – which has served over 130 entrepreneurs in their quest to build inclusive businesses.

When she is not working on her business, she can be found running after her 4 year old daughter, cooking her husband a mean breakfast sandwich or soaking up a few hours of reality TV.

Catch Simone on Instagram

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Learn more about her on her website

Get your hands on one of her trainings to run a more inclusive business

Find out how I booked two coaching clients with no website, so social media following, and no email list – get the free training

On the show today, I’m delighted to welcome Pauline Wiles – the “Marie Kondo of website design” – who works with entrepreneurs and authors to get crisp, clean web presences, even if they’re scared of marketing.  I loved this episode because I see clients of mine get really bogged down with things like their websites and social media, and not focusing enough on what really matters when getting yourself out there.  As a web expert for entrepreneurs, Pauline breaks down what you need – and what you can leave behind – when you’re putting your web face out there.

Specifically, Pauline and I talk about:

• Her own journey to realizing her entrepreneurial opportunity was low-hanging fruit all along
• The common struggles that Pauline’s clients have when they come to her (hint: without this, you have no business)
• What’s actually happening when you’re afraid of others judging you and your business
• The truth about what you actually need when doing your website (no, you don’t need to start a blog)
• An unforgettable lesson about SEO – with a hilarious example involving Welsh sheep fertility
• Why you should never confuse your clients’ preference with your own – common mistake

More about Pauline

Pauline Wiles is a website designer who helps solo entrepreneurs create an online home that they love. She coaches her clients towards websites which are low on clutter and high on impact... and she loves to dispel the myths around how difficult a web project should be. British by birth, Pauline is now a contented resident of California, although she admits to an occasional yearning for afternoon tea and historic houses.

Grab Pauline’s free website starter kit

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Pauline’s own website

Everyone, crack open a beverage and trust me when I tell you that you’re in for a delicious, edge-of-your-seat, ultra-special episode today. The EntrepreNot Yet show is delighted to welcome a legend, an OG to online business, an absolute authority on building your service-based business, and, not to mention, the author of the important and timely book, The Middle Finger Project – all about trashing your Imposter Syndrome and seizing your rightful throne in business and in life.

Today, I am proud to welcome the one and only Ash Ambirge to the show. 

For a lot of reasons it’s amazing that Ash is on the show, but especially because she is someone who has seen the trends, evolutions, and failures of the online service-based industry, and she is spilling the beans on how you can pull up your own chair to the business table and demand your spot. No second-guessing, no putting your energy in places that won’t move the needle in your business, and lots of betting on yourself. 

Of course, we talk about all the normal things my guests and I usually discuss – bucket hats, applying balm to unsavory areas, and fake mustaches.  Because of course we do. 

Specifically, and on top of that, Ash, her Downton Abbey bucket hat, and I talk about:

• The public service that is her book, The Middle Finger Project®, released earlier this year
• How the little throwaway “micro-digs” we tell ourselves are hurting us – and our businesses – way more than we think
• Why waiting for permission is holding us back from wild success – are you guilty of this?
• The role and responsibility you *actually* have in your business, and it’s definitely not what you think
• The one mistake too many people make in talking about their business (and how it’s hurting your bank account)
• How to draw people into your funnel the RIGHT way – not the noisy, confusing way
• Why the demand for honesty in our industry (and America) is giving Ash hope
• The only thing you need to worry about when starting out in business

And if you know Ash even a little bit, it goes without saying that, yes, this episode does have salty language and adult themes – which is of course one of the reasons it’s so fun. 

Ash's bio

Ash Ambirge is the author of THE MIDDLE FINGER PROJECT (Penguin Random House 2020) and the CEO of the irreverent female-focused sales training co. by the same name that helps women make damn good money online through a variety of signature programs, workshops, courses, talks and books. Her work has been praised by authors such as Seth Godin and Sarah Knight (author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck”), and was recently selected to be featured on The Today Show, The Jenny McCarthy Show, CBS Radio, Start-Up Nation, Linked In, Gaping Void, Parade Magazine, Mixergy, and hundreds of podcasts.

Ash splits her time between her historic apartment in Old City, Philly and her little cottage in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica with her darling partner, C, whom she drags to Europe every summer to more closely investigate the matter of whiskey, wine, and people with Scottish accents. Her feet are definitely bigger than yours, and she hates fish.

If I’m honest, I really think that this is one of the most important episodes I’ve done so far.  I have the pleasure of speaking with Desola Davis. Desola is a Business Growth Strategist and digital customer journey expert who is here with knowledge and messages that will completely transform the way you are looking at your business journey.  And that’s such a good thing and no, I’m not exaggerating. 

This is an episode that I really would love for you to share with fellow solopreneurs or online small business owners.  Do them a favor and send this their way.

In this episode, we chat about:

The new way we need to look at our 9-5 as side hustlers – here’s a hint… there are donors involved

• The importance of taking your customers on a journey instead of a one-off sale
• Why we should not tolerate programs that take thousands of dollars from us only to never see the creator again, and how that wouldn’t fly in any other industry
• When you do invest in programs, why you need to make sure it’s one at a time
• How you can still serve an audience with a lower-ticket product
• Why you need to commit to a transformation before your client does
• How the industry lost its sense of duty of care to our clients – and how to disrupt that
• The big-time online entrepreneur who shows us that having business success doesn’t mean you can’t take wonderful care of your community
• Why improving your conversion rate is the goal – not bringing in more people
• Why your most profitable product doesn’t have to be your most expensive

I suggest you grab a beverage and listen to this episode without interruption. Here it is, my conversation with Desola.

More about Desola

Desola is a Business Growth Strategist and digital customer journey expert who helps online course creators and coaches scale their signature product sales and increase their customer lifetime value. She has a knack for taking big projects and breaking them down into small, actionable steps--a superpower that she used to design several cost-saving programs totaling over $1M. Her joy is to help online creators and thought leaders find their raving fan base, spend more time working with their people, and leverage their secret sauce to grow their business!

Catch her on Instagram

Get her Digital Product Blueprint

Hey there!

Quick one today about the hidden but necessary test you should take before whipping out your credit card or diving head-first into a new marketing strategy.

Which side are you falling on right now?

I would love to hear what comes up for you in this episode -- have you been applying barf marketing, or cringe marketing to your own business? Shoot me a DM on Instagram @sashakorobovbiz and let me know. 

I am simply giddy today so I’m going to jump right in because it’s one of those surreal days when I get to sit down and chat with one of the coolest entrepreneurs around. Today, I get to chat with the one and only Luisa Zhou.

Luisa, the founder of the successful Employee to Entrepreneur program, has stopped by to pull back the curtain in her own business and tell us how she reached multiple seven figures, the roadblocks we all face – and how she continues to smash them – and how the weird thing she and I have in common (being former NASA contractors) helped shape her business perspective.

We also chat about:

• Why you should always consider the “behind the scenes” to people’s success
• The businesses she started – and stopped – on her journey to making multiple seven figures
• The “boiling water” and "hockey stick" analogies of business growth that you can’t ignore if you’re going to be successful
• The one “nasty” thing that will derail your business – are you suffering from this?
• How she turned 15 product tests into a course library
• Why she always plans for failure – and separates her self-worth from the result
• How she stops herself from the negative spiral of moving the entrepreneurial goalpost 

More about Luisa

Luisa Zhou is the creator of the Employee to Entrepreneur system, which teaches people how to leave their day job and start their own six-figure plus business working for themselves. She’s helped thousands of students to launch their own businesses that generate anywhere from 30K to 100K in less than a year. Her advice has been featured in numerous online and print publications including Forbes, Inc, Entrepreneur, Success magazine, and more.

Hang out with Luisa on her awesome Instagram feed

Get trained up on all her business secrets with her YouTube channel

Ger her proven “Escape Velocity” Plan for building a profitable online coaching business that frees you from the 9-5.

I’m curious – in your business journey, have you ever put up fake barriers?  Have you told yourself that you’re not educated enough, or that you can’t pivot, or questioned your “right” to do what you’re doing? 

I know I have.  And that’s why I’m so glad to speak with Missy Bane, a Board Certified Health Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner.  Missy has had an incredible journey from being a buyer at a major music label, to photography, and to finally finding her dream business in her health practice. 

We chat about…

• How her career shifted from the arts to health coaching
• How Imposter Syndrome almost derailed her whole entrepreneurial journey
• Why more education and certifications won’t fix entrepreneurial self-confidence
• How her business pivot held her back from finding her true calling
• What we need to pay attention to for entrepreneurial health – physically and mentally

So if you’ve maybe needed a little pep talk, or haven’t given yourself the permission to pursue your dreams yet, this episode is for you.  Enjoy, here’s my interview with Missy.

More about Missy!

Missy Bane is a Board Certified Health Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner. She helps people 'age healthy' by creating a custom plan to fit their individual lifestyle, habits, genetics, and goals. Individual blueprints are designed together to include nutrition, movement, supplements, sleep, hormone balance, libido, energy, detoxification, and gut health. Each of these areas supports healing opportunities as well as long term health. She strongly believes that Taking Control of Your Health Means Taking Control of Your Life!

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Free 3 Day Rest - Reset Habits. Reset Metabolism - https://free.flexibleeatinglifestyle.com/reset

Hello and welcome to episode 30 OF THE SHOW!  What?! Yes!  We are 30 episodes in!  To celebrate, I have such a treat for you… and that’s this week’s episode.  I am so excited for you to hear this 30th episode with industry expert, Patty Dominguez, who is here to talk about the critically important but frequently overlooked topic of positioning. In addition to tons of laughter, we talk about…

• Why Patty broke out of her cushy corporate career of 18 years
• How entrepreneurship taught her way more than her MBA
• Why entrepreneurship may not be easy, but it’s simple
• How she broke through her pricing Imposter Syndrome
• What the difference is between positioning and branding – and why you need to know the difference
• We have big laughs over what Patty calls “random acts of marketing”
• The hard business truth that “If it’s a nice-to-have, it’s not gonna work”
• The VERY expensive way she learned to trust herself and that she knew “enough”
• Why not tying emotions to your outcomes will speed up your success

Like I said, there were definitely loads of laughs in this episode but also a ton of value and advice that you can take action on, and I really think you’re gonna enjoy it.  

More about Patty!

Patty Dominguez is the founder of Positioning to Profit.  She helps small business owners establish their Category of One status. She believes true expert positioning is comprised of two parts: external (following a proven framework) and internal (aligning at the core), because your business results will always meet your identity.

https://www.instagram.com/pattydominguez_/  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattydominguez/  https://www.facebook.com/officialpattydominguez/ 

https://twitter.com/PattyDominguez_

Take Patty’s positioning quiz to see how you’re doing

If you’ve been a listener for a while, you know I am all about free, organic traffic to grow your audience.  That’s why I’m so excited to have today’s guest, Amelia Roberts, a visibility expert and founder of Solutions by Amelia. 

What started as a desire to pay off her student loan debt from nursing school has turned into a successful venture into getting visibility for her gorgeous clients.  I’ve heard a lot of entrepreneurs say lately, “let it be easy!” – and Amelia is here today to show you how your business growth, in fact, can be easy.

We talk about:

• Why pitching isn’t actually about you
• How to master the art of the follow-up once you’ve pitched without being “pushy”
• Why a pitch isn’t an “end all, be all” to getting exposure
• When you should and shouldn’t use an agency
• Why your pitch is a non-starter without a specific type of research
• Why measurement is the key to having pitch success
• The relationship hacks to keep your business audience growing
• Why pitching without a broader strategy is counter-productive

Bio

Amelia Roberts is a digital native who officially became a practitioner of online marketing twelve years ago with a role as a virtual assistant. Student loans from nursing school inspired her to put her love of observing human nature, showing empathy and previous marketing experience to work in new ways and as a result, she was able to pay off her student loans in under 2 years as a social media manager. Now alongside other roles, you can find Amelia helping under-recognized professionals stand out and "get first dates" in business so that they can become thought leaders in the healthcare industry and beyond. When she is not optimizing human potential Amelia enjoys planning real and imagined food tours. 

Connect with Amelia

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Find out How to Get in Front of Anyone with Amelia! 

You are in for such an awesome treat today and this is hands-down one of my fave interviews of all-time, and we’re about 30 in, so that’s saying a lot.  

I will warn you that there is salty language in this episode so if you have tiny humans around, throw on your headphones, but trust me when I tell you that you need this interview in your life.  And why? Because my guest, Anaïs Bock, is here to tell you all about the monsters holding you back in your business – and in life.  They are, specifically, the Bullshit Monsters™. And I personally have never laughed so hard while confronting my demons – and I bet you will, too.  But do not make the mistake of confusing Anaïs’ humor with lack of seriousness.  She is laser-focused on squashing entrepreneurial self-sabotage, and drawing out the very best you have to offer so that you can leave the negative self-chatter behind, and focus on crushing it in your business. 

And today, Anaïs and I talk about: 

• The outer revolution in 2011 which caused her inner revolution to start her business
• How her first business led to a rude awakening about lies she was telling herself
• How her work was taken and applied in several Fortune 500 companies – under someone else’s name
• How she had to be her own best case study to Leapfrog past her Bullshit Monsters™
• How the Coronavirus epidemic lit a fire under her to turn her dream into reality
• How you will always have your own monsters, no matter which goals you meet along the way – and how to handle it
• Why you need to use your anger as fuel

Now buckle up for this one because Anaïs is a whole mood that you definitely want to be a part of. She is hear to shatter your Imposter Syndrome, and who doesn’t want that?  

More about Anaïs

Find her on Instagram

Get your hands on the Bullshit Monsters book and card deck – and blast your Impostor Syndrome!

Bio

Anaïs Bock is a leadership trainer, communication strategist and the CEO of Let’s Work Magic. She works with Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs, speaking on international stages in fluent German, English and Spanish. Anaïs is best known for the four-part Purpose Diagram and the Bullsh*t Monster method. But don’t be fooled by the playfulness, as her programmes help people and teams work with their inner critics and transform self-sabotage into productivity. Her focus during her Master’s (MSc Organisational Behaviour Birkbeck, University of London) was location-independence and the future of work. She has been researching purpose and everything that inhibits it since 2011 and has helped a series of big corporate players with their definition and operationalisation of purpose, at an individual, team and organisational level. Anaïs Bock has lived in 7 countries and is now based in Berlin, Germany.