Fearless Business Podcast

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the blogging community was much smaller and tightly knit. Blog posts tended to be more freewheeling and personal in nature, and bloggers and readers alike interacted within the comments section of each one. When you wanted to discover new blogs to read and follow, you either clicked on a commenter’s name to learn more about them or you perused a blogger’s prominently displayed blogroll.

Things changed quickly as more and more bloggers entered the scene and social media— particularly the explosion that was Facebook!— allowed them to expand their platforms. Some quickly and intuitively learned to evolve and grow, embracing content marketing and turning their blogs into side hustles or full-time businesses. For others that started blogging simply as an unpaid vehicle for sharing thoughts with a like-minded, relatively small community, that evolution was and continues to be a challenge.

Confidence comes from knowing you're not alone.

-Brandi Riley

Facebook groups are an amazing way to foster that sense of community, allowing you to interact with your readers or customers and just as importantly, allowing them to connect with each other. One of our absolute favorite groups for bloggers and influencers is Brandi Riley’s Courage to Earn community. Brandi is a blogger, blog coach, book author, and contributing writer to several sites, as well as the founder of the Mastermind group Courage to Earn More and the Courage to Earn More retreat. She began the Courage to Earn Facebook group as The Blog Money Challenge to encourage transparency and empower bloggers to build relationships and earn money from their websites. Today, it is an impressive network of digital entrepreneurs at all levels, learning from, motivating and supporting each other, over 4900 members strong.

We loved having Brandi join us this week on the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast! Tune in to this episode as we talk about:

* how Brandi grew the Courage to Earn group into an engaged and empowering community

* tips to encourage new members to join your group

* the need for moderation and leadership within a group

* the importance of discourse and how to allow conflict

* keeping up with changes in the Facebook algorithm

* staying relevant as an expert in your community

* the power of NO: setting boundaries and prioritizing your time to get things done

* one thing to do every day to build your business

* advice for new bloggers

(We may or may not have mentioned that we also have a private Facebook group of our own, Businessese HQ. Join us over there and let us know of any other topics or experts you’d like us to feature!)

Resources

Brandi’s websites: Courage to Earn and Mama Knows It All

The Courage to Earn Facebook group

The Crossroads and Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion on Amazon

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the blogging community was much smaller and tightly knit. Blog posts tended to be more freewheeling and personal in nature, and bloggers and readers alike interacted within the comments section of each one. When you wanted to discover new blogs to read and follow, you either clicked on a commenter’s name to learn more about them or you perused a blogger’s prominently displayed blogroll.

Things changed quickly as more and more bloggers entered the scene and social media— particularly the explosion that was Facebook!— allowed them to expand their platforms. Some quickly and intuitively learned to evolve and grow, embracing content marketing and turning their blogs into side hustles or full-time businesses. For others that started blogging simply as an unpaid vehicle for sharing thoughts with a like-minded, relatively small community, that evolution was and continues to be a challenge.

Confidence comes from knowing you're not alone.

-Brandi Riley

Facebook groups are an amazing way to foster that sense of community, allowing you to interact with your readers or customers and just as importantly, allowing them to connect with each other. One of our absolute favorite groups for bloggers and influencers is Brandi Riley’s Courage to Earn community. Brandi is a blogger, blog coach, book author, and contributing writer to several sites, as well as the founder of the Mastermind group Courage to Earn More and the Courage to Earn More retreat. She began the Courage to Earn Facebook group as The Blog Money Challenge to encourage transparency and empower bloggers to build relationships and earn money from their websites. Today, it is an impressive network of digital entrepreneurs at all levels, learning from, motivating and supporting each other, over 4900 members strong.

We loved having Brandi join us this week on the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast! Tune in to this episode as we talk about:

* how Brandi grew the Courage to Earn group into an engaged and empowering community

* tips to encourage new members to join your group

* the need for moderation and leadership within a group

* the importance of discourse and how to allow conflict

* keeping up with changes in the Facebook algorithm

* staying relevant as an expert in your community

* the power of NO: setting boundaries and prioritizing your time to get things done

* one thing to do every day to build your business

* advice for new bloggers

(We may or may not have mentioned that we also have a private Facebook group of our own, Businessese HQ. Join us over there and let us know of any other topics or experts you’d like us to feature!)

Resources

Brandi’s websites: Courage to Earn and Mama Knows It All

The Courage to Earn Facebook group

The Crossroads and Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion on Amazon

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 determining if someone is an employee or contractor

* examples of independent contractors that you will encounter as an online business owner

* why you always need an independent contractor agreement regardless of what the contractor is doing

* and some of the most important terms in this kind of contract.

Lingering questions? Join us over in our private Facebook group. We call it Businessese HQ.

More on working with contractors:

DIY template for your independent contractor agreement

Delegate Like a Boss: Tips for Easier Outsourcing

Independent Contractor or Employee? A Guide for Online Business Owners

Five Must-Have Terms for Your Independent Contractor Agreement

Want to catch up?

Mind Your Mindset: Interview with Don Jackson

Masterminds and Accountability

Achieving True Productivity with Amber De La Garza

Hiring and Growing Your Team with Shelli Warren

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 determining if someone is an employee or contractor

* examples of independent contractors that you will encounter as an online business owner

* why you always need an independent contractor agreement regardless of what the contractor is doing

* and some of the most important terms in this kind of contract.

Lingering questions? Join us over in our private Facebook group. We call it Businessese HQ.

More on working with contractors:

DIY template for your independent contractor agreement

Delegate Like a Boss: Tips for Easier Outsourcing

Independent Contractor or Employee? A Guide for Online Business Owners

Five Must-Have Terms for Your Independent Contractor Agreement

Want to catch up?

Mind Your Mindset: Interview with Don Jackson

Masterminds and Accountability

Achieving True Productivity with Amber De La Garza

Hiring and Growing Your Team with Shelli Warren

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 where you need to be. Not dealing in the day to day, hundred dollar tasks.

-Shelli Warren

Allow us to introduce you to Shelli Warren. Shelli recently left the corporate world after more than 25 years of people development experience with Procter & Gamble Inc., leading virtual teams on a global scale and developing a reputation for knowing how to stack a team well. Shelli provides high-performing employees, ambitious entrepreneurs, and corporations elite services for those who are ready to thrive by designing their dream career and their dream team.

In this action-packed episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, Shelli shares her extensive expertise in the process of successfully hiring and growing your team. Listen in and you'll hear:

* tips to help you decide when it's time to expand your team, and what to do next

* the role to hire for first (and the hire many entrepreneurs kick themselves for not making sooner)

* where to start your search and how to identify the best candidates

* the types of interview questions to ask to determine the best fit for you

* how to let go of control

* how to attract top notch talent to want to work with you, and the key words to use when crafting your job listings

* one essential question to ask candidates for virtual positions

* and what to do during onboarding, to make sure things move smoothly.

We hope this episode gives you the information and inspiration you need to grow your team and your business!

Thoughts, questions, stumbling blocks? Tell us (and Shelli!) all about them in Businessese HQ.

Resources:

DIY Independent Contractor Contract

Contact Shelli via email: [email protected]

Shelli's new podcast, Stack Your Team

Connect with Shelli on LinkedIn

Author Elizabeth Gilbert

More on growing your team:

Delegate Like a Boss: Tips for Easier Outsourcing

Independent Contractor or Employee? A Guide for Online Business Owners

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 where you need to be. Not dealing in the day to day, hundred dollar tasks.

-Shelli Warren

Allow us to introduce you to Shelli Warren. Shelli recently left the corporate world after more than 25 years of people development experience with Procter & Gamble Inc., leading virtual teams on a global scale and developing a reputation for knowing how to stack a team well. Shelli provides high-performing employees, ambitious entrepreneurs, and corporations elite services for those who are ready to thrive by designing their dream career and their dream team.

In this action-packed episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, Shelli shares her extensive expertise in the process of successfully hiring and growing your team. Listen in and you'll hear:

* tips to help you decide when it's time to expand your team, and what to do next

* the role to hire for first (and the hire many entrepreneurs kick themselves for not making sooner)

* where to start your search and how to identify the best candidates

* the types of interview questions to ask to determine the best fit for you

* how to let go of control

* how to attract top notch talent to want to work with you, and the key words to use when crafting your job listings

* one essential question to ask candidates for virtual positions

* and what to do during onboarding, to make sure things move smoothly.

We hope this episode gives you the information and inspiration you need to grow your team and your business!

Thoughts, questions, stumbling blocks? Tell us (and Shelli!) all about them in Businessese HQ.

Resources:

DIY Independent Contractor Contract

Contact Shelli via email: [email protected]

Shelli's new podcast, Stack Your Team

Connect with Shelli on LinkedIn

Author Elizabeth Gilbert

More on growing your team:

Delegate Like a Boss: Tips for Easier Outsourcing

Independent Contractor or Employee? A Guide for Online Business Owners

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 have experienced this at least once, and don't relish the idea of doing it again).

I don't ever want someone to not follow through with something they're passionate about because they're scared of tech.

-Katy Widrick

Katy Widrick is one of our go-to people when things break. A self made, self taught influencer, Katy has a background in broadcast journalism and policy studies and was working in television news when she started a behind the scenes blog for the station. She's now a personal trainer and group fitness instructor as well as the owner of Make Media Over, a consulting and managed services company for bloggers.

In this episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, Katy helps break down some of the tech side of maintaining a website. She also offers up tips for SEO made simple, so that influencers can stop worrying about those details and focus on what they'd rather be doing: creating amazing content.

It's all about telling a story. It's all about communicating something with your audience, whatever audience that is, and trying to find a way to make it your business but still your passion.

Give us a listen and you'll learn:

* more about how Katy went "from hobby to jobby"

* the things that every influencer should be familiar with when it comes to the backend of their site

* the importance of backing up your site and knowing how to use your backup

* the tools that Katy feels are underutilized by bloggers

* what influencers don't need to stress about SEO— and the one thing they need to do to win the SEO game

* how to get started with an SEO self-audit and Google Search Console

What has you stumped about tech or SEO? Share away in our private Facebook group, Businessese HQ. Let's help each other!

Resources:

Katy's website: Make Media Over

Her interactive checklist for SEO and website self-audits

Katy's ebooks, Make Your Old Content New Again and Take Your Blog to the Next Level

You Are a Badass at Making Money and the novels of Nora Roberts

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 have experienced this at least once, and don't relish the idea of doing it again).

I don't ever want someone to not follow through with something they're passionate about because they're scared of tech.

-Katy Widrick

Katy Widrick is one of our go-to people when things break. A self made, self taught influencer, Katy has a background in broadcast journalism and policy studies and was working in television news when she started a behind the scenes blog for the station. She's now a personal trainer and group fitness instructor as well as the owner of Make Media Over, a consulting and managed services company for bloggers.

In this episode of the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast, Katy helps break down some of the tech side of maintaining a website. She also offers up tips for SEO made simple, so that influencers can stop worrying about those details and focus on what they'd rather be doing: creating amazing content.

It's all about telling a story. It's all about communicating something with your audience, whatever audience that is, and trying to find a way to make it your business but still your passion.

Give us a listen and you'll learn:

* more about how Katy went "from hobby to jobby"

* the things that every influencer should be familiar with when it comes to the backend of their site

* the importance of backing up your site and knowing how to use your backup

* the tools that Katy feels are underutilized by bloggers

* what influencers don't need to stress about SEO— and the one thing they need to do to win the SEO game

* how to get started with an SEO self-audit and Google Search Console

What has you stumped about tech or SEO? Share away in our private Facebook group, Businessese HQ. Let's help each other!

Resources:

Katy's website: Make Media Over

Her interactive checklist for SEO and website self-audits

Katy's ebooks, Make Your Old Content New Again and Take Your Blog to the Next Level

You Are a Badass at Making Money and the novels of Nora Roberts

"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 been immersed in this space for some time: she started blogging in 2006 about being a working mom and attorney on Mama Law, before co-founding the Be Blogalicious conference and networking community celebrating diversity in social media. She's now an influencer coach, media personality, digital brand strategist, content creator, public speaker, and Chief Curator of the Be Blogalicious community and conferences.

Listen in to hear us discuss:

* how Blogalicious has evolved along with influencer marketing— and what's in store this year for its 10th anniversary

* Stacey's "recipe" for running a successful event

* what has changed the most in influencer marketing over the last decade

* the importance of brand strategy for influencers, as well as knowing your audience

* tips for crafting better pitches

* how to give a full picture of the value you've provided a brand

* something you probably should have done six months ago to boost productivity and revenue

* the components of your personal brand that Stacey finds essential for a sustainable revenue stream

They're hiring you, at the end of the day, so that they can show a return on their investment. That you're a great marketing resource for the brand. And so I want influencers to be extremely professional.

-Stacey Ferguson

There's a ton of topics to chew on when it comes to building your brand strategy—join us over in Businessese HQ on Facebook to share your questions, progress, and flashes of brilliance!

Resources:

Stacey's website: JusticeFergie.com

Be Blogalicious

Rockstar Influencer Program

The Hobbit and Little Women

"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 been immersed in this space for some time: she started blogging in 2006 about being a working mom and attorney on Mama Law, before co-founding the Be Blogalicious conference and networking community celebrating diversity in social media. She's now an influencer coach, media personality, digital brand strategist, content creator, public speaker, and Chief Curator of the Be Blogalicious community and conferences.

Listen in to hear us discuss:

* how Blogalicious has evolved along with influencer marketing— and what's in store this year for its 10th anniversary

* Stacey's "recipe" for running a successful event

* what has changed the most in influencer marketing over the last decade

* the importance of brand strategy for influencers, as well as knowing your audience

* tips for crafting better pitches

* how to give a full picture of the value you've provided a brand

* something you probably should have done six months ago to boost productivity and revenue

* the components of your personal brand that Stacey finds essential for a sustainable revenue stream

They're hiring you, at the end of the day, so that they can show a return on their investment. That you're a great marketing resource for the brand. And so I want influencers to be extremely professional.

-Stacey Ferguson

There's a ton of topics to chew on when it comes to building your brand strategy—join us over in Businessese HQ on Facebook to share your questions, progress, and flashes of brilliance!

Resources:

Stacey's website: JusticeFergie.com

Be Blogalicious

Rockstar Influencer Program

The Hobbit and Little Women