I'll Make This Brief

Navigating social media as a parent can feel really tricky. Nikki and I discuss how our relationship with social media has changed since we first got online and how we plan on approaching screen time, cell phones, and social media with our children as they grow. 

I share some questions that I’ve been reflecting on as I evaluate how I want to show up on Instagram and Nikki dives into how you can run a successful business without being on every platform. Along those lines, today’s legal brief is about establishing boundaries within your team, especially around communication.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• Recognizing when social media is no longer serving you 
• How apps like Instagram and Facebook have changed since they first launched 
• What to do if you’re trying to stay off social media, but you really need to leverage it for your business 
• The fine line between finding inspiration and muddling your own ideas 
• Finding a balance and being intentional about screen time with our kids 

RESOURCES

• Join the waitlist for my new HR app, Quinn! 
• @thecut
• @biglittlefeelings    
• Mika Perry's website
• Collin Kartchner Ted Talk (about smartphones)
• Geneva 
• The Social Dilemma
• It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover   
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom video 

CONNECT WITH NIKKI 

Follow Nikki: @thenikkibutler 

Follow Nikki Butler Media: @nikkibutlermedia 

Work with Nikki: nikkibutlermedia.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

Nikki and I are covering topics like how to know if a candidate is the right fit for your company, ways to manage the emotional drain of entrepreneurship, and effective home systems that we have in place. 

We highlight how we delegate tasks and seek support from our partners around decision fatigue. We also talk about how we communicate with our families when we have to work outside of normal business hours, which is one of the major trade-offs of being your own boss. Plus, today’s legal brief is all about having solid privacy policies and reviewing how you protect internal information. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• Embracing the ability to create your own company culture 
• Juggling the on and off switch as a business owner 
• Communicating about caretaking and home-based tasks with your partner 
• Our favorite life hacks that make the day a little bit easier 
• How to avoid the Sunday Scaries  

RESOURCES

• Join the waitlist for my new HR app, Quinn! 
• Get What You Want: How to Go From Unseen to Unstoppable by Julie Solomon
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  
• Kacey Musgraves
• James Taylor   
• What's For Dinner Club
• Mika Perry's blog  

CONNECT WITH NIKKI 

Follow Nikki: @thenikkibutler 

Follow Nikki Butler Media: @nikkibutlermedia 

Work with Nikki: nikkibutlermedia.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

Nikki and I are chatting all about the value of having a podcast and being a guest on other people’s shows. We dig into what metrics you should be tracking, how to plan out your content, and ways to monetize your podcast, regardless of how many downloads you have. Nikki highlights why having a podcast is truly one of the best ways to sell your services and offerings, and she explains how to use your platform as a way to make strategic connections.

We break down how to get started (I promise it’s not as scary and complicated as it seems!) and give our top recommendations for the tech and software required for recording. Plus, today’s legal brief is about understanding the IP that you want to own in your business and getting really clear on where you’re delegating tasks. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• How to identify your goals, set KPIs, and measure the success of your podcast 
• Ways to create a solid workflow so you can stay consistent 
• How to gauge how many people are listening to your show and engaging in the content 
• Tools for moving the needle that aren’t overwhelming 
• My strategy for getting the most out of the interviews by repurposing the audio and video on social media 

RESOURCES

• Join the waitlist for my new HR app, Quinn! 
• Be: A No-Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth by Simply Being Yourself by Jessica Zweig 
• Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
• Virgin River
• Dopesick
• Geneva    
• My episode on Boutique Chat: Building a Strong Legal Foundation for Your Business 
• Fiverr 

CONNECT WITH NIKKI 

Follow Nikki: @thenikkibutler 

Follow Nikki Butler Media: @nikkibutlermedia 

Work with Nikki: nikkibutlermedia.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

Nikki has such a wealth of knowledge around media training, best interview practices, and speaking skills. In our conversation, we talk about how to stay true to yourself when you’re being interviewed, tips for getting really clear on your messaging, and ways to share your story in an effective way. 

Nikki highlights the importance of staying present and only taking on opportunities that align with your business and audience. We talk about what it’s like to be both an interviewer and interviewee, and how to tackle public speaking engagements. Plus, today’s legal brief is about how to set clear expectations through a speaking contract or guest release. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• Join the waitlist for my new HR app, Quinn!
• The key to finding your whitespace within an industry 
• The simple list you want to keep in mind when you’re interviewing someone 
• Why you want to avoid yes or no questions during an interview 
• The best tactic to deflect a question and bring it back to your messaging 
• Getting comfortable going off script and letting the conversation naturally flow 

RESOURCES

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• Geneva - join us in the Kindle Swindlers book club! 
• Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson
• Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard      

CONNECT WITH NIKKI 

Follow Nikki: @thenikkibutler 

Follow Nikki Butler Media: @nikkibutlermedia 

Work with Nikki: nikkibutlermedia.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

Nikki and I have a candid conversation about navigating motherhood, marriage, and entrepreneurship. We talk about finding that sweet spot where you’re comfortable with the attention you give to your business and the quality, present time that you have with your family. We highlight how to set firm boundaries and delegate tasks within your business and household, and how to overcome the discomfort that so many of us have around accepting help. 

We also touch on what default parenting is and how to lay the foundation of teamwork when it comes to raising your kids and maintaining your home. Plus, we talk about the “why am I doing this?” battle that comes up when you feel pulled in so many directions and how to stay focused on the long-term vision and payoff of being a business owner. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• Celebrating every stage of motherhood and entrepreneurship for what it has to offer 
• Recognizing ways that you’re selling yourself short 
• How we utilize time blocking to create uninterrupted work and family time 
• Simple ways to set boundaries in your contract, especially as a service provider 
• A different way to stretch your mindset around your purpose in owning a business 
• Tips for avoiding resentment and petty arguments with your partner 

RESOURCES

• Join the waitlist for my new HR app, Quinn!
• Open Book by Jessica Simpson 
• Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky 
• Only Murders in the Building 
• For All Mankind 
• When It Clicked Podcast  

CONNECT WITH NIKKI 

Follow Nikki: @thenikkibutler 

Follow Nikki Butler Media: @nikkibutlermedia 

Work with Nikki: nikkibutlermedia.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

Welcome to the second season of I’ll Make This Brief! I’m joined by Nikki Butler, founder of Nikki Butler Media, to talk about taking the leap, overcoming impostor syndrome, and learning to evolve. We discuss what it looks like to reconnect with your passion and the ‘why’ behind your business.

We’re both big believers in taking imperfect action in order to get more clarity around our big ideas, and we talk about how that mindset has helped us grow as multi-passionate entrepreneurs. At the end of the episode, I dig into today’s legal brief, which is all about the value of owning your own brand and trademarking early on in your business journey. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• How to launch a podcast and maintain momentum 
• The importance of getting into the flow of your business 
• Finding ways to pivot instead of completely quit 
• Recognizing when you’re limiting yourself and making excuses as a safeguard for failure 
• My recommendation for anyone who has an idea for a company name and hasn’t trademarked it yet 

RESOURCES

• 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest  
• We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power by Rachel Rodgers 
• From Impossible to Inevitable: How SaaS and Other Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin
• The Daily 
• Plain English
• Heights House Hotel in Raleigh, NC    

CONNECT WITH NIKKI 

Follow Nikki: @thenikkibutler 

Follow Nikki Butler Media: @nikkibutlermedia 

Work with Nikki: nikkibutlermedia.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

How do you measure success? For some people, it’s the amount of money in their bank account, the car they drive, or the zip code that they live in. For Lou and I, success comes from the impact we can make for our clients, the livelihood we can create for our teams, and the quality time that we can spend with our loved ones. We discuss how to tell when it’s time to pivot, what it looks like to take actions that align with your end goal, and the importance of getting out of a toxic cycle of comparison. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• The three metrics that Lou uses to measure success in a business 
• Getting really clear on how much you want to grow, especially as a service-based business 
• Coming up with your own success markers and celebrating the small wins 
• Exemplifying and embodying what success looks like for your employees 
• Updating your definition of success as your business changes 

RESOURCES

• Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv Eker
• Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any Business by Donald Miller

• Arcadia Toys 
• Jayebird

CONNECT WITH LOUISE

Follow Louise: @a_wild_lou_appeared 

Follow The Finance Agency: @the_finance_agency 

Learn more about The Finance Agency: thefinanceagencyllc.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

( 0:50 ) Welcome to I’ll Make This Brief! Today, Lauren and Louise are discussing how to measure success. 

( 1:15 ) Lauren and Louise share what books they’ve been reading recently. 

( 3:18 ) Lauren and Louise list two small businesses that they support. 

( 6:25 ) Louise explains the three metrics she uses to measure the financial success of a business. 

( 7:41 ) Lauren and Louise talk about defining success for a service-based business. 

( 10:46 ) Lauren asks Louise, “How would you say we know when it's time to pivot?” 

( 14:52 ) Louise and Lauren discuss the importance of not comparing or measuring your success to anyone else’s achievements. 

Talking about boundaries is one of my favorite business topics. Louise and I dive into the systems that we have in place to protect ourselves, our teams, and our clients, especially when it comes to the pressure of being available 24/7. We share our favorite tools for setting boundaries on our calendars and communication channels, which helps us establish clear limits between work and personal life. We also highlight strategies to create exceptions to your rules without totally deconstructing them. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• Establishing the right boundaries for the current season of your business
• Creating a company culture that honors boundaries 
• Setting yourself up for success by building in buffer time 
• Why we like to use online calendar systems 
• Key habits that help us avoid burnout 

RESOURCES

• Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most  by Greg McKeown
• Scale or Fail: How to Build Your Dream Team, Explode Your Growth, and Let Your Business Soar by Allison Maslan 
• Vitruvi 

• Hannah Wingate Designs

• Calendly 

CONNECT WITH LOUISE

Follow Louise: @a_wild_lou_appeared 

Follow The Finance Agency: @the_finance_agency 

Learn more about The Finance Agency: thefinanceagencyllc.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

( 0:44 ) Welcome to I’ll Make This Brief! Today, Lauren and Louise are talking about boundaries. 

( 1:30 ) Lauren and Louise share the books they’re currently reading. 

( 4:26 ) Lauren and Louise highlight small businesses that they’re loving right now. 

( 9:23 ) Lauren asks Louise, “What is your favorite boundary?”

( 14:14 ) Lauren asks Louise, “Do you allow clients to text you?”

( 17:20 ) Lauren asks Louise, “How do people make appointments with you?”

( 19:56 ) Lauren and Louise talk about how they avoid burnout. 

( 22:52 ) Lauren and Louise discuss how they set up their email inboxes. 

Setting prices for your offerings is one of the hardest decisions to make as a business owner. Louise and I are sharing tangible takeaways and examples of how we’ve navigated pricing in our businesses. We talk about the difference between your bottom line and your profit and loss statement, when and how to raise your prices, and how to create consistency across your pricing approach. Lou breaks down the three different elements to consider when setting a price that works best for you and your business, and she also illustrates how having a variety of services helps you scale. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• A good profit margin benchmark to aim for 
• Why cash flow is so important 
• How to avoid scope creep 
• My experience transitioning out of a membership program and into hourly billing 
• How to advise your current clients that you’re changing your pricing 
• How to respond to someone who doesn’t respect your pricing 
• Why Louise and I both believe that you should be publishing your pricing on your website

RESOURCES

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• A CEO Only Does Three Things: Finding Your Focus in the C-Suite by Trey Taylor 

• The Fred
• Mila + Stevie

CONNECT WITH LOUISE

Follow Louise: @a_wild_lou_appeared 

Follow The Finance Agency: @the_finance_agency 

Learn more about The Finance Agency: thefinanceagencyllc.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

( 0:48 ) Welcome to I’ll Make This Brief! Today, Lauren and Louise are talking about pricing. 

( 1:28 ) Lauren and Louise chat about what books they’re currently reading. 

( 2:21 ) Lauren and Louise share two small businesses that they like. 

( 4:20 ) Lauren asks Louise, “For a new offering, how can we come up with a price?”

( 4:58 ) Lauren asks Louise, “How much should we save for taxes? What's a good rule of thumb?”

( 5:16 ) Lauren asks Louise, “What would you say is like a good generic profit margin?”

( 5:58 ) Lauren asks Louise, “Can you break down the reason why cash flow is so important?”

( 13:23 ) Lauren asks Louise, “What would you say is generally a normal percentage increase? Or should we stay away from being caught talking about it in the concept of percentage increases?”

( 19:11 ) Lauren asks Louise, “How do you raise prices?”

( 27:51 ) Lauren asks Louise, “I have heard that only six out of 10 people should be hiring you or your prices are too low. What do you think about that?”

( 29:46 ) Lauren and Louise talk about why they like to put their prices on their website. 

The transition from solopreneur to company leader can be tough, so Lou and I are chatting about what it’s been like for us to experience those growing pains. We talk about how building a team and setting the tone for your company culture creates a certain level of wellbeing not only for you, but also your team. We share our go-to tools and systems that we have in place to set clear communication, expectations, and boundaries between our employees and clients. We also touch on how to calculate your return on investment when it comes to hiring and what to consider when you’re giving a raise or a bonus. 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• Putting systems in place to set your employees up for success 
• The pros and cons of hybrid or fully remote work environments 
• Being willing to test out new tech and find what works best for your team 
• Keeping tabs on what’s going on in your business without micromanaging 
• Getting clear about when it’s time to bring on a new employee 
• Empowering your team to create healthy boundaries and practice self-care 

RESOURCES

• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown 
• Contagious by Jonah Berger

• Lovevery 
• SplayTray
• Helpwise
• ClickUp 
• Asana 
• Clockify 
• Harvest 
• QuickBooks Time
• OpenPhone   

CONNECT WITH LOUISE

Follow Louise: @a_wild_lou_appeared 

Follow The Finance Agency: @the_finance_agency 

Learn more about The Finance Agency: thefinanceagencyllc.com 

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

Follow Lauren: @thelaurenboyd

Join the waitlist for HR app, Quinn

Follow Guide My Business: @guidemybusiness

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

( 0:44 ) Welcome to I’ll Make This Brief! Today, Lauren and Louise are talking about their experiences with building teams. 

( 2:00 ) Lauren and Louise talk about what they’re currently reading. 

( 4:16 ) Lauren and Louise highlight small businesses that they’re loving right now. 

( 6:36 ) Lauren asks Louise, “I know that a lot of companies that used to be fully in-person have now transitioned to this really nice hybrid. But I think it does challenge us as business owners to find different systems. Have you seen that in The Finance Agency?”

( 7:41 ) Louise and Lauren talk about Slack versus email. 

( 16:51 ) Lauren asks Louise, “Let's talk a little bit about setting expectations with your team.”

( 20:45 ) Lauren asks Louise, “For someone who doesn't have to bill their time for clients and maybe doesn't have that system in place, what's a system that you love?”

( 23:23 ) Louise and Lauren talk about getting clear on job roles and scopes. 

( 26:26 ) Lauren asks Louise, “Is that 3x a really good number for someone who is a revenue generator?”

( 29:03 ) Lauren asks Louise what the fix is for people who don’t take vacations or time off from work. 

( 33:47 ) Lauren says, “Being resolute in what our boundaries are has been a big thing for our wellbeing and empowering my team.”