Friends With Businesses

In this episode, AnnMarie sits down with her friend Sarah Weiss (@onbrandbysarah on the internet streets), a content marketing expert who niched the f down this year and watched income increase more than 139% as a result.

They're going deep on doing business as busy moms, unconventional ways to scale without giving up with hands-on work with clients, plus easy content creation tips that make it so much easier to get visible in pockets of time.

Sarah is a chronic illness and chronic-anxiety girlie who navigated a difficult IVF journey all while maintaining her no-bs, no-excuses approach to getting sht done in her business. So they'll dig into the good, the not as good and the duality of all that too.

Dished in this episode:

• How niching down increased Sarah’s July income 139% over last year, and the specific niching moves her clients have made recently
• Why Sarah posts twice a day on TikTok and never misses a day 
• The unconventional way Sarah is scaling without reducing client access to her 
• Why AnnMarie hasn't niched down to Sarah's specificity standards and why she may never do so in her current business
• How Sarah holds the duality of having a chronic illness, a baby and a wildly busy season in business without using any of it as a reason to pull back
• The one hire Sarah is terrified to make right now, even though she knows she needs to make it

Bottom line: Being the best at what you do doesn't do anyone much good if nobody knows who you are. And getting known doesn't have to be as big of an ordeal as a lot of business owners make it. You just have to take the action.

Join the conversation: What is one thing you could give yourself a touch more grace around, in business or in life? Not an excuse, just a little grace. Let Sarah or AnnMarie know in the DMs.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Still working out the one thing you want to be known for? AnnMarie’s Life-Proof Business Leader audio series is a good place to start.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• Online Business 'Tok (Sarah's 6-Week Mastermind)
• Sarah's Instagram
• Sarah's TikTok

About Today’s Friend: Sarah Weiss of On Brand by Sarah helps business owners get found, followed and frigging paid using short form video, with TikTok as her sweet spot. She is also a content creator, a former speech therapist, and an IVF mom.

Sarah’s Website

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

Three Offers Working Right Now

AnnMarie is stuck in traffic. So obviously, she's pulling back the curtain on the three types of offers the market is responding to right now, and how each one lets you charge well for work that clients actually want to say yes to.

In this episode, she breaks down all three for service-based online business owners who want more leverage and more revenue, with real examples and price points from her own offer suite, as well as her clients' and peers'.

She is keeping a pulse on the market so you don't have to, and so you can make sure what you're offering is set up to sell today.

Dished in this episode:

• How to package a "full solve" style offer for the person who wants it all handled, and why that commands a premium price
• The key to spotting add-ons your clients already want after they've invested with you or other adjacent business owners, and how to price it for a yes 
• Why the lowest-priced offer in your offer suite can make you the most lifetime revenue if you position and deliver it right
• The alternative offer type AnnMarie recommended to a current client who was about to launch a traditional group program 
• What AnnMarie is personally investing in right now and why

Bottom line: The market shifts and your offer suite evolve over time to align with it. Three offer types are moving really well right now, and it's worth examining your offer suite for opportunities refine for better alignment with what people are buying.

Join the conversation: Which of these do you already have in your offer suite OR which one are you considering weaving in? Let AnnMarie know in the DMs.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Haven't caught the Life-Proof Business Leader audio series yet? Part 2 goes deep on life-proofing your offer suite, which is exactly where these three fit in.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• The Advisory
• Aubrianna Kay — Leverage
• Bizz Bitch
• The Fleet by Courtney Traflet
• Cardinal Studio (Podcast Editor)

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

How does a joke on Threads turn into multiple summits, a live event, a blockbuster membership launch, and a movement taking the online business world by storm over the course of a year?

When Jess Freeman (known online as Jess Creatives) is involved, things move fast.

Jess  is an SEO strategist and website designer who's 15 years into her business. She's also the founder of the Ordinary Business Network, a community for people building businesses with real life harmony as their top priority over million dollar years (or whatever "sexy" milestones the rest of the internet seems to be after). 

In this episode, AnnMarie sits down with Jess, her friend of a decade, for an honest conversation about how the network actually started, the difference between talking leaning on knowledgeable friends versus paying for their expertise, and why Jess can move on from "failures" faster than most.

Dished in this episode:

• How one Threads post about being left out turned into a real business venture
• What happened when Jess launched her first course to crickets and why she still wonders "what if..." about it
• When it makes sense to seek peer feedback from friends versus hiring them or paying someone else for expertise in a more official capacity
• How Jess thinks about "failure" and why she can move on from it faster than almost anyone she knows
• The nine years of daily voice notes that keep Jess and her closest business friends connected
• The moment Jess realized she is, in her own words, a connector, and how that serves her members inside The Ordinary Network

Bottom line: Wanting an "ordinary business", one that fully fits your real life and prioritizes peace over endless achievements doesn't make you any less extraordinary. In fact, Jess and AnnMarie would both say that radical honesty and commitment to doing things your way is part of what makes you so extraordinary.

Join the conversation: What are you truly extraordinary at? Drop into Jess's DMs or AnnMarie's and let  them know.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Rewriting a "safety blanket story" that your business has to look a certain way to count? Or perhaps evaluating a new business idea before you move on it?AnnMarie's Life-Proof Business Leader audio series is the perfect listen!

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free 4-Part Audio Series)
• The Ordinary Business Network
• Jess Creatives

About Today's Friend: Jess Freeman, known online as Jess Creatives, is a website strategist and designer 15 years into her business, and the founder of the Ordinary Business Network, a community for extraordinary people building businesses that don't have to look a certain way to count.

Jess's Instagram | Website

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

AnnMarie is pulling back the curtain on the offer refinements she and her clients are implementing to make more money, get better client results, and have less weighing on them through the actual delivery of it all. 

In this episode, she breaks down 6 offer suite tweaks for service-based online business owners who want more leverage and more revenue.

She gets into what's actually working in the market right now based on real world data, not just theory.

Dished in this episode:

• Why a menu of add-on options extends client timelines instead of shortening them, and the two-tier core offer fix
• How to create the right-fit retainer that solves a real, ongoing problem for clients so it creates recurring revenue you can depend on
• Why AnnMarie sells strategy sessions instead of audits as her Welcome Mat offer, and what one client's pricing jump proved
• The frequency of calls AnnMarie thinks most coaches and consultants should include in their offers 
• Why evergreen enrollment simplifies your sales process, and why you might want to reconsider cohorts 
• How AnnMarie builds retention conversations directly into her client experience so renewals never feel like a surprise ask

Bottom line: Your offer suite is the first place to look when you want more revenue the life-proof way. Small tweaks to packaging, retainers, call cadence, and more can compound fast.

Join the conversation: Which of these tweaks are you going to test out in your own offer suite? Let AnnMarie know in the DMs.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Haven't caught the Life-Proof Business Leader audio series yet? AnnMarie references it throughout this episode, and part 2 goes way deeper than tweaks to help you start totally life-proofing your offer suite.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• Scalable Offer Accelerator (SOA)
• Sell & Scale With Workshops (SSWW)
• The Sold Out Workshop Toolkit

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

Kelly Ruta is a private mindset advisor to high-achieving women leaders. She's the one people hire when strategy has solved everything it can, but they're still not where they want to be. 

She spent 20 years as a clinical psychotherapist. And on her current business journey she has had to redefine her identity multiple times over while battling multiple chronic illnesses. 

In this episode, AnnMarie sits down with her former coach, past client and friend of more than half a decade, for an honest conversation about what it actually took for Kelly to stay in the business game when it seemed like all the cards were stacked against her (hint: it started with admitting she was sick, vs fighting it).

Plus, they chat about the realities of discerning who gets your advice and when -- and why asking permission around this works on clients, friends, and adult sons alike.

They also get into the money stories they've both had to unlearn, what it really means to be a cycle-breaker and the emotional skillset Kelly believes defines the businesses that stand the test of time.

Dished in this episode:

• Kelly's perfect beach vacation day, delivered like a relaxing visualization so vivid you can smell the sunscreen and seasalt
• The three things that rocked Kelly's identity all at once in 2020, and the one that was hardest to accept
• What changed when Kelly stopped fighting being sick and let herself surrender to it instead
• The permission-based approach Kelly uses before giving feedback, whether it's to a client, a friend, or her own kids
• The money story Kelly had to unlearn to stay strong in the game as a business leader battling chronic illness
• Why Kelly thinks emotional agility matters more for businesses going forward than strategy ever will

Bottom line: You can survive almost any changing circumstances, your health, your income, your capacity, as long as you're willing to honor grief and lean into the core, rock-solid parts of who you are.

Join the conversation: What was your OMG me too moment in this episode? Drop into Kelly's DMs or AnnMarie's and let one of us know.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Rewriting a safety blanket story of your own? AnnMarie's Life-Proof Business Leader audio series gets into the money story she had to unlearn too.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• Kelly Ruta

About Today's Friend: Kelly Ruta is a private advisor to high-achieving women leaders and a former clinical psychotherapist of 20 years. She works with clients who are committed to making big moves and know that strategy alone can't get them there.

Kelly's Instagram | Website

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

A year ago, AnnMarie was 37 weeks pregnant, 9+ years into business, and 18 months into an income dip that seemed like it would never turn around.

Today, AnnMarie just posted about her $70,000 sales month on Threads, with her highest ticket offer sold out through November and revenue locked in through the end of 2027. (Spoiler: the running total is now $83k for the month at the time this episode is being published.)

In this episode, AnnMarie shares the one habit that got her from one side to the other: celebration. She gets into the daily rituals that keep her going through the hard seasons, the specific system she uses to rewrite the stories that are not serving her anymore, and why she has started letting people see her own wins, not just her clients'.

Dished in this episode:

• The full story behind AnnMarie's $70K sales month, and where she was financially this time last year
• Her "good thing happens, I celebrate" system, which helps since celebrating doesn't always come naturally to her
• The daily ritual she uses to rewrite the "safety blanket stories" that aren't serving her anymore
• The celebration ritual she and Jeremy (husband) have when a new client signs
• Why she threw herself a dinner with "Friends With Businesses" to celebrate her rebrand
• Why she decided to start sharing her own wins publicly, not just her clients'

Bottom line: The habit of celebrating the small stuff is what builds the staying power to get through the hard seasons. It is all adding up, whether you are paying attention to it or not.

Join the conversation: What are you celebrating right now, big or small? Drop into the DMs and let AnnMarie know.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Want more staying power through hard seasons? AnnMarie's Life-Proof Business Leader audio series goes deep on even more dips over the years and how she got through them.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• Episode with Allie, AnnMarie's brand strategist (Episode 2)
• Episode with Jazmin Cornejo of Bizz Bitch (Episode 4)

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

You know those friends who've been ride-or-die for such a long season, that you can meet up and just jump in with zero context or formalities?

That's AnnMarie and Jaymie. 

Hence this episode is sparse on small talk and typical podcast formalities (like intros). and heavy on you jumping right into the juice with them.

Jaymie Tarshis is the founder of Jaymie Tarshis Consulting, and has been known online as @theadexpert on social media for years. But eight months she co-founded a brand new business in a wildly different industry, with her partner who she'd been dating for less than a year. 

In this episode, AnnMarie sits down with Jaymie, her friend of nearly a decade, for an honest conversation about what actually right now with social media ads (hint: it's lower maintenance than you might think) and what happens in her new business venture when there's too much junk for the trunk. 

They also get into some piping hot tea about building a business with a romantic partner less than a year into the relationship.

Dished in this episode:

• Chit chat about what it looks like for Jaymie to indulge her travel bug while running two businesses
• The minimum ad budget Jaymie recommends for her clients, and why it's nowhere near what most business owners think they need
• The "ugly ads" trend, and why the most polished creative isn't converting right now
• How Jaymie is learning to make quick pivots and master a whole new level of customer service in her new business venture
• Building a business with a partner eight months into dating, and the conversation they had about what happens to it if things don't work out
• Why Jaymie stopped chasing outside validation once she hit her 30s

Bottom line: Good systems, strong customer experience, and knowing your competitive advantage aren't industry specific. These skills can be leveraged from season to season and business venture to business venture.

Join the conversation: If you could start any business tomorrow, no strings attached, no worrying about the how or if it would make money, what would it be? Drop into the DMs and let Jaymie or AnnMarie know.

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Considering a big business pivot or new venture? AnnMarie's Life-Proof Business Leader audio series is a must-listen.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• Junk Zero
• Jaymie Tarshis Consulting

About Today's Friend: Jaymie Tarshis is the founder of Jaymie Tarshis Consulting (known online as @theadexpert) and co-founder of Junk Zero, a women-owned junk removal company standing out in an industry that mostly doesn't think about marketing or customer experience at all.

Jaymie's Instagram | Website

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

Specific positioning is, hands down, the fastest path to increasing sales.

Nearly every single client AnnMarie is working with right now is proof of that.

So then, why isn't her own positioning still not that specific?

In this episode, AnnMarie takes a hard look in the mirror. 

But first, she's sharing two client examples: one with a six-figure TikTok following who was struggling to generate consistent revenue in her consulting business, and another who had a thriving coaching practice for years but all of a sudden leads and sales were drier than cuticles after a cross-country flight. Spoiler: things changed for both of them when specific positioning entered the chat. 

Then she gets honest about her own positioning journey, and why it's nowhere near as specific as it could be right now. And not for lack of trying -- she has gotten hyper-specific with her positioning a couple different times in the past 6 years. But nothing stuck long term. She breaks down why, and why she hasn't forced herself back into hyper-specificity.

Dished on this episode:

• Why getting hyper specific about who you serve and/or how you help is the fastest way to cut through noise and make more sales right now 
• The client whose imposter syndrome kept her from consistent revenue and what happened when she stood on business about her true exprtise
• The client who's coaching practice was cricket-y until she nailed her specific positioning (and then sold out offers on vacay in Italy)
• The two levers you can pull right now to get more specific with your own positioning: the what and the who
• The topics AnnMarie has tried to get known for over the years, and why neither one fully stuck long term
• Why she hasn't landed on her own hyper-specific positioning, and why she's not forcing it 

Bottom line: Specificity is the fastest way to cut through the noise and sell more. And even someone who does this on the daily for clients it hasn't landed it for herself. So yeah, it's ok to be an expert who's still figuring it out for yourself.

Did this one hit? Subscribe and share it with your own Friends With Businesses.

Want help nailing specific positioning in your own business? The Life-Proof Business Leader audio series has you covered in Part #2. 

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

Jazmin Cornejo is the founder of Bizz Bitch, a business community that prioritizes real connection and support over "wheeling and dealing." Jazmin is a self-proclaimed collector of people who has personally introduced AnnMarie to more close friends and clients than either of them can count. And recently, Jazmin did something most business owners wouldn't dare: shut down the most profitable part of her business pretty much overnight.

In this episode, AnnMarie sits down with her friend of 2 years, Jazmin, for an honest conversation about what really creates success in community/membership offers (hint: it's is not perfectly IG-worthy events), why being unapologetically yourself is the best positioning strategy there is, and specific boundaries Jazmin holds to keep her highly connection-based work from draining the life out of her.

They also get into the identity shift Jazmin has been working through since closing the agency side of her business a few months ago, the story she's still telling herself around the kind of work that makes her money, and why the "practical pieces" are the easy part of making a major business shift.

Dished in this episode:

• A rapid-fire round of "what I drink in a day" to kick things off
• Why it was such a clear choice for Jazmin to. be child-free despite society's emphasis on motherhood being the obvious path for women
• Why some people are wired to be the planner of the friend group, and what happens when that person gets stretched thin
• The real difference between hosting good events and building true community, and why they're different skill sets 
• What it looked like for Jazmin to shut down a massive leg of her business, and the inner work she's still navigating in the aftermath 
• The boundaries she holds with clients and community members to keep her sanity and space for her personal life

Bottom line: The people who build lasting, supportive, profitable communities are those who prioritize connection and courage, even when it costs them from time to time. Nobody is meant to do business alone.

Join the conversation: If anything Jazmin or AnnMarie said sparked something for you, drop into the DMs and make an ask!

Hit subscribe and share this episode with your own Friends With Businesses.

Going through a major business shift of your own? AnnMarie's Life-Proof Business Leader audio series is a must-listen.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• Bizz Bitch (membership guest pass)
• Bizz Bitch Podcast with Jazmin 

About Today's Friend: Jazmin Cornejo is the CEO + founder of the Bizz Bitch an unapologetic online and IRL community, movement, and podcast.

Jazmin's Instagram | Website

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult

AnnMarie doesn't believe in balance. She believes in harmony. There's a difference.

After recording another "With Friend" episode, AnnMarie's friend Jaymie asker her to dish about she's actually life-proofed her business enough to be a present parent to 2 boys, while growing businesses and having a full life beyond business and motherhood. 

So that's exactly what this episode is: the real, specific choices and systems supporting AnnMarie in this season.

 If you've ever tried to figure out how your dream business and your dream life can actually fit together, whether kids are part of that picture or not, this one's for you.

Dished on this episode:

• Why AnnMarie prioritizes harmony over balance, and what that means when  things get off track
• The real reason she doesn't work on Fridays, and when it's nice to have it as a  flex day
• How she keeps her head on straight serving so many clients so deeply each day 
• Why she only does async client support via specific communication channels 
• How mornings, naps, and a full time childcare look with two kids under four
• The CEO Schedule process that keeps her workweek life-proof and productive even when life is life-ing

Bottom line: Life-Proof isn't a formula. It's knowing exactly what needs need to be met in any given moment, and having the systems and structure to meet them without stretching yourself too thin.

Did this one hit? Subscribe and share it with your own Friends With Businesses.

Want to actually Life-Proof every aspect of your business from offers, to positioning, marketing, sales, and beyond? The Life-Proof Business Leader audio series walks you through it, completely free.

Resources mentioned:

• Life-Proof Business Leader (Free Audio Series)
• CEO Schedule Tookit

Stay connected:

• AnnMarie's website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Book a complimentary consult