GSD Diaries with Angela Proffitt

If you want to get your business on a better path to success, then it’s time to become a business leader. You can do your passion, and yes, you can make money, but if you don’t know how to run a business, then you might as well either a) learn or b) stop. Becoming a business leader includes many things, but one of the things you can do starts in the moment you first interact with someone.

Yes, today we’re talking about first impressions! Our guest is Meryl Snow, owner of an amazing catering company, and she’s an awesome speaker and coach too. Today, Meryl is teaching us a few keys for nailing that perfect first impression. Why does a first impression matter? Because we are all judging each other from the moment we first engage. You’ve heard the expression “Talk the talk, walk the walk,” right? Well it’s true! How you act, how you talk tells a person if they should work with you or not. Obviously, bad first impressions happen. I know I’ve definitely had a few. It is possible, though difficult, to recover from a bad first impression.

Be nice, be transparent, be open, no matter how people treat you. Realize, however, that it is much easier for you to recover personally from a bad first impression than it is for your company to recover. In your first moments of interacting with someone, you want to leave them with a feeling or idea that is unforgettable. Being yourself is key because you are a unique individual and you have so much to offer. Make an effort to have genuine interest in people and to create rapport. This is where your personal brand comes into play. You are your brand. Just be yourself. Your brand will then be clear.

So many people don’t consider themselves “sales people.” Well guess what: every time you try to persuade someone you are selling them something. When you first meet someone, you are selling yourself. It doesn’t hurt to know a little bit about proper salesmanship when it is something you’re doing everyday, consciously or not. Join our little chit-chat to learn more about first impressions by listening in to the podcast!

**Main Topics: - How to create a positive first impression - How to recover from a bad first impression - How to be unforgettable - How to use persuasion in your initial interactions

**Key Takeaways: - “You have got to learn to delegate. The only way a company can grow is when the leader can delegate and follow up on it.” - “The greatest way to articulate your experience, your skills, your knowledge, and your worth in today’s competitive market is to create and nurture your brand.” - “If we know ourselves, we’re going to give a good first impression.”

If you don’t have any type of analytics or data set up, it probably should be the first thing you do before you go to bed tonight. Really, it’s that important. I’ve learned the hard way that really making sure that you’re asking the right questions and that you have the right data points set up can really make or break your business from a profitability standpoint. Our guest today is Michael Loban, Chief Growth Officer of the analytics consulting company, InfoTrust. He is also the coauthor of the Amazon best-seller Crawl, Walk, Run: Advancing Analytics Maturity with Google Marketing Platform. We’re talking to him about the ways you can (and should) use analytics for your company. 

One of the things you should be most aware of is your website. We talk about digital transformation: the process you take to give your website a complete refresh. This is the route you should take if your website hasn’t been touched at all in years. There is another option besides transformation, however, and it is one that big companies use. Michael calls it digital evolution: changing and tweaking something new every day. This process is so subtle that customers often don’t notice it, and it helps you avoid the intensive process of a digital transformation. 

There are so many options in the Google marketing platform, and it can get overwhelming. Don’t worry:  Michael explains the differences between each platform and what they do. He also explains which ones may be the best options for your business.  

So many people are so excited to begin running ads, but their decisions can often turn into expensive experiments if they are not careful. Before you invest in any advertising, ask yourself how you came to the conclusion that you needed the advertising. Then, validate your decision. If you can’t do either of these things, then you are not ready to invest. Also, always make sure you keep your advertising to a budget that you can afford to lose because advertising is a learning curve. 

Finally, non-compliance fines are a big deal. Avoid these by being respectful of your customer’s data and by asking for permission before you do anything with it. It really comes down to your integrity as a business owner. Do what’s right, and you won’t get into trouble. Listen in to learn even more exciting things about the world of analytics!

Main Topics:- The difference between digital transformation and digital evolution- Which Google marketing tools are best for you- What you should do before investing in ads- How to avoid non-compliance fines

Key Takeaways:

- “The easiest way to persuade somebody is not for me to use my opinion or say I wrote a book about it. Instead, we build a couple of quantitative models and see which one can deliver us more results.”

-“You always want to look at the progress. Do not look at absolute number. Just look at how things are progressing.”

-“Good advertising can help customers make good decisions.”

If you’ve struggled to keep focused on things, you may be wondering if you have #ADHD​ or you may be dealing with the symptoms but are afraid of finding out the truth because of the stereotyping that often accompanies a diagnosis. Well good news: there’s lots of us out here! There are so many entrepreneurs and successful people who have ADHD. And it isn’t just hyper little boys who have it but thriving adult women too! Today, we’re talking to business coach and ADHD expert, Diann Wingert, about how ADHD is not a curse: it’s a superpower.

Diann first explains what ADHD is. It is a genetic disorder that stays with you all your life. It does not come and go as some believe. But thankfully, it will not hold you back as long as you learn to work with it. You may wonder if you have it, so Diann gives us a few telling signs to look for that indicate that you may have ADHD. You may notice that you have a difficult time standing still, or that you act fast, or that you learn by doing, or that you often drift off into your own thoughts. You may even have trouble with your memory. If you notice these things in yourself, you may have ADHD.

Once you know that you have ADHD, it may be difficult for you to know what to do with yourself. Diann suggests being aware of it and how it affects you so that you know how to work with it. Become familiar with the Unholy Trinity: procrastination, perfectionism, and people-pleasing. These are things you will need to learn to combat as you continue to grow. She also stresses the importance of accepting yourself during the process. Realize that you have a different way of doing things, and that that’s okay. One of the biggest ways you can help yourself is by creating routines that keep you organized and tune out #distraction​.

Keep in mind that a healthy mindset is the key to surviving. Realize that you are not the victim of your brain. Allow yourself to ask for help. There are some things that you will need others to do for you. Since you may become overwhelmed by your own great ideas, differentiate between options and opportunities and make sure that what you do decide to do aligns with your goals. Join us to learn more about the relationship between ADHD and business and how it can be such a great thing!

**Main Topics: - How do you know you have ADHD? - What should you do if you have ADHD? - What mindset should you have if you have ADHD?

**Key Takeaways: - “When you know who you are, and you know what you want to do, don’t ask for permission. Just do it.” - “You can build a team of people around you to support you in all the areas that you struggle so that all you have to do is shine in the areas you’re good at.” - “We don’t recognize what our actual capacity is, so we are always letting ourselves down.”

Ladies out there (and gentlemen too), I think you are going to love our guest today because I absolutely love her and her brand. Our guest is Amira Alvarez. Her brand is called the Unstoppable Woman, and it is a coaching empire. The type of influence that Amira has had on so many women is soooo incredible. 

Amira grew up in a good middle class upbringing. She basically had everything she wanted, and though it was a blessing, it had its own challenges as well. Amira had to learn to overcome “good enough” and to dream bigger. She learned to trust her instincts when they told her something was right or wrong. Then, she made decisions that she stuck to, even when things became difficult. 

One of the things she firmly believes in is the Law of Compensation. This is the idea that you will be compensated for how much someone needs what you do, how well you do it for them, and how hard it is for them to replace you. You need to find what sets you apart and become better and better to make this law work for you. Not only should you be growing, but you should also be having fun while doing it. One way you can start growing is through learning from a mentor. Maximise your mentor by actually listening to and following their advice instead of holding to your own ideas and ways. You will learn so much more when you do this. 

As Amira learned, overcoming good enough is difficult, but until you do, it can hinder your ability to own your value. To own your value, you should begin by communicating your value. Impress people with the idea that you are well off and that you can help them to do well too. You can do this by bringing your energy and confidence to every interaction you have. You can gain this confidence by doing the thing you advise others to do. Importantly, you should own your value to yourself as well as others. Don’t be afraid to praise yourself! Finally, get out of the fear of making mistakes so that you can learn and grow so much faster. Listen to the podcast for even more AMAZING insights from Amira!

Main Topics:

- How to maximize your mentor- How to communicate your value- How to increase your cash flow through giving- How to get out of the fear of making mistakes

Key Takeaways:

- Now is the right time to go after what you want. - Do the thing that gives you the power to do the thing.- If you start giving, you’ll start receiving: it’s the law.

As an entrepreneur, you know that business is kinda like a roller coaster. There are so many unexpected twists and turns as well as many ups and downs. Well, buckle up because today I am talking to entrepreneur Tony Guarnaccia about how to adapt to surprises and how to ride that roller coaster and ride it well.

Tony was born to be an entrepreneur. His parents owned an Italian bakery, and he says that he was always coming up with new ways to make money as a kid. His life, however, was completely changed when his parents’ bakery business failed. They lost everything. He went to college to study business because he wanted to learn as much as possible so that he didn’t make the same mistakes that his parents did. Tony is one of those unique entrepreneurs I know that actually went to business school.

 In his mid-twenties, he created his own baking business making cakes with personalized photos. They took this idea to a whole new level by shipping these specialized cakes across the nation. This business was successful for a time. A few years later, however, it failed. This was when Tony realized he was missing something. He changed gears, working with some of the best companies to learn what it was that they knew that he didn’t. 

What did he learn? As an entrepreneur, you need to know how to adapt to the roller coaster. You need to know what is trending now and how to ride that trend. The best businesses have a strategic long-term plan. And though it doesn’t always make sense, there are times when you need to slow down in order to speed up. Listen in to this podcast and ride this roller coaster along with us! 

Main Topics:

- How did Tony learn to adapt in order to become profitable?- How does creating a strategic plan affect your business?- How do you create opportunity from adversity?- Why you should stay on top of the trends

Key Takeaways:

- Slow Down to Speed Up- You don’t have to be the brightest bulb. You don’t have to be the best person. If you’re in the right industry that’s growing, organically, you’re going to have success.- Where we are today is a function of—like it or not—the decisions we make.

Building a successful business is a journey and every part of you the path you have taken has gotten you to where you are today! Even before your business was even a thought, your experiences have molded you into the strong, ambitious business owner and entrepreneur that you are today. Wow, that's SO AMAZING!  Today I am chatting with Bofta Yimam, Emmy Award-Winning Journalist, International Speaker, Coach & the Founder of Speak & Influence, all about how to navigate business growth, the power of your story and how to slow down to visualize the destination and goals for your business. 

Main Topics: - There is power in your story and your journey - The impact of visibility on your business - How to build confidence as a speaker

Key Takeaways: - Take the time to slow down and strategize - State your goals out loud - Define the stops along the way to your business destination

By now most of us have heard of TikTok, and it’s easy to fall into scrolling for hours! But do you know how to use it from a business perspective? Are you questioning if it is a good use of your time and wondering how you can use it to market? Today I am chatting with Kyle Kaplanis, Head of Talent for PRJT Z Talent and Host of the BizTok Podcast, all about marketing strategies that work on TikTok, How TikTok Influencer Marketing works and how it can help your brand.

Main Topics:

- Marketing Strategies that work on TikTok - How TikTok Influencer Marketing works and can help your brand - Building your personal brand via TikTok

Key Takeaways:

- Build your personal brand on TikTok - Key strategies to growth on TikTok - Insights on behind the scenes of influencer marketing

Whether you are just starting out or enhancing your business, there's some things you should know... You may not be doing everything you should be to make sure you and your business are covered legally. Not to worry! Today I am chatting with Emily D. Baker, lawyer for online businesses all about how legal isn’t the sexiest part of business, but it’s critical to a business’ success.

Main Topics: - Why does legal even matter in online business space? - What are some legal things to keep in mind when starting to scale? - Emily shares stories from the online business world as well as her time as Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles

Key Takeaways: - Legal doesn’t have to be over complicated or time-consuming. - Legal is a must for anyone scaling their business.  - Practical stories that can be helpful for the audience. 

The world of marketing can make you feel lost, the trends are constantly changing and keeping up can be a challenge! Did you know that digital marketing is a science?! Today I am chatting with Arjun Rai, Founder and CEO of HelloWoofy how he and his team support business underdogs with the power of visualized data science for digital marketing.

Main Topics: - How to create a seamless, smarter, and innovative social media marketing experience while maximizing efficiencies - How to eliminate time-wasting work so you can spend more time doing what you do best - How to elevate your business with AI

Key Takeaways: - Market with science - Create content automagically using a smart marketing dashboard - Work smarter by utilizing AI

What solution does your business bring to your clients? All businesses can fall into a certain industry category, but what sets your business apart? What makes the solutions you bring unique from any other business in your industry? Today I am chatting with Joe Vega, Co-CEO of Lovingly all about how to stand out in your industry, utilize technology to drive the experience and break free of the ordinary. 

Main Topics: - The importance of the customer journey - How to level up the technology your business utilizes - How to break free of  the ordinary and grow your business

Key Takeaways: - Don't accept the status quo, prioritize innovation - Remove the guesswork with clear direction - Provide value past the connection point