Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Messy in the Middle
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Messy in the Middle
Messy in the Middle episodes
- 301: Keep These 3 Things in Mind When Creating Your Weekly Marketing Plan
Welcome back for season 3 of Messy in the Middle! In this episode, we cover:
- The principles of know, like, and trust
- How these principles relate to visibility, credibility, and relationship building content
- What each of those types of content may look like
- How to find a balance of all 3 in your content
Thank you so much for joining me!
Let's connect! Send me a DM on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/haleyejohnson/
Check out my website haleyejohnson.com
Check out how we can work together https://thepropegy.com/work-with-us-2/
Shout out to my dog for not barking, my editor Krissy for doing her thing, and my friend Devin for letting me use his music. Their links (minus my dog's) are below.
Krissy https://krissymeriwether.com
Devin https://open.spotify.com/artist/4unfvnlHngJg79KK262US3?si=3N2wVmrVRYy807iWB-30OQ
23 min - 216: A Quick and Dirty Guide to QuizzesToday's episode is all about quizzes! Quizzes are an amazing lead magnet, they're fun to take and can be easy to make- if you've got all the right tools to help you do it! In this episode, we cover:
- The logistics of making your quiz, broken down step by step
16 min - 215: Scaling While Staying Candid and Kind with Kendall CherryMost of us probably had the same dream - leaving our 9-5 jobs and starting a business on our own. So, we did! And it was amazing! And then it was not so amazing. And then we started to question ourselves on whether or not we made the right choice. And then things started to get better. And so on and so forth. This is probably the blueprint of an average entrepreneurial journey and my guest today is no exception. Kendall Cherry is the Founder & Creative Director at The Candid Collective, the authentic content and copywriting studio, helping rebellious types connect with their people and make more sales with authentic content. And today, you're in for a treat because Kendall and I touch on so many topics that are challenging for entrepreneurs - from navigating the pandemic and managing a team to the emotional burden of entrepreneurship and the lack of diversity in online businesses. So, make sure you tune in! In today's episode, we cover:
- Kendall's professional background and her business at the moment
- Her rookie mistake and lessons that came from it
- How transitioning into copywriting allowed Kendall to find her zone of genius
- Managing a team as a creative entrepreneur
- Kendall's apprenticeship program and her philosophy on hiring new team members
- The emotional burden of being an entrepreneur
- Lack of diversity in online businesses
- The secret to successfully leveraging email marketing today
- Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy https://www.amazon.com/Who-Not-How-Accelerating-Teamwork/dp/B08KYKR23H/
- Sign up for Kendall's Wallflower Fridays newsletter https://candidcollective.co/wallflower-fridays
- For more info, visit Candid Collective website https://candidcollective.co/
- WTF to send to your tiny ass email list https://candidcollective.co/one-year-of-email-ideas
- Connect with Kendall on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/candidcollectiveco/
1 hr 5 min - 214: Building an Aligned Business® with Kelsey KerslakeAs solopreneurs we're used to wearing many hats and doing many things by ourselves, but if you want to grow and scale your business there comes a point where you have to start outsourcing tasks and subsequently, building a team. And this comes with its own set of struggles. My guest today is here to talk all about the messy middle of scaling and growing your business as a solopreneur! Kelsey Kerslake is Founder and Creative Director of Pinegate Road. She is also a mentor for online business owners. Her passion is supporting online service providers, coaches, and educators to help them lead businesses and live lives that are fulfilling and profitable. Over the last decade, she has helped hundreds of online business owners build their brands and online presences, while successfully running a sustainable 6-figure virtual design agency. Now, she's gotten to a point where work-free days with her family are her new norm! In today's episode, we cover:
- How and why Kelsey started her agency
- Challenges of scaling your business and how to overcome them
- Setting boundaries as a business owner
- Coaching side of Kelsey's business and why she decided to pause her agency work
- The messy middle of transitioning and pivoting a business
- Future plans for Kelsey's business(es)
- Connect with Kelsey on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kelseykerslake/
- Connect with Kelsey on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/thealignedbusiness
- Connect with Kelsey on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pinegateroad/
- Aligned Business Academy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thealignedbiz/
- For more info, visit Pinegate Road website https://pinegateroad.com/
40 min - 213: Accepting Your Worth and Protecting Your IP With Nequosha AndersonAs business owners we want to protect our business at all times, but there are so many things to learn, do and wrap your head around when it comes to navigating the do's and don'ts of having a business. And legal protection is probably the toughest aspect to navigate, especially during your messy middle. My guest today is here to help ease your suffering and put things into perspective. Nequosha N. Anderson is the owner of Anderson Law Firm PLLC. She is a licensed attorney based in Orlando, Florida. After practicing for the state government for a few years, she was completely over the daily grind of it all! By leveraging her 12+ years in business operations and defense litigation skills, she assists other business owners in protecting the solutions they create for other people's problems. In today's episode, we cover:
- Nequosha's' background story and what inspired her to become a lawyer
- Dealing with imposter syndrome and accepting that you're worthy
- How entrepreneurship can facilitate personal and professional growth
- Building and growing your own team and the secret to good delegating
- When should you trademark your business and protection tools available for entrepreneurship
- Pros and cons of DIY vs a "done for you" trademark and red/green flags to look for when hiring a trademark attorney
- Connect with Nequosha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esquire44/
- Connect with Nequosha on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andersonlawfl/
- Connect with Nequosha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nequosha-anderson-6318b959/
- For more info, visit Anderson Law Firm website: https://andersonlawfl.com/
56 min - 212: Can You Be Salesy Without Being Sleazy?Can you reallllly be salesy without being sleazy? Today's episode dives deep into discussion of persuasion in sales psychology (sounds fancy, I know). In this episode, we cover:
- What IS sales copy?
- Why do we associate it with being sleazy?
- What are the 6 key principles of sales psychology?
- How we can make use of those 6 principles in our sales copy in an ethical way
17 min - 211: Messy Middle to Maternity Leave with SEO & Pinterest Strategist Julia BoccheseIf you have an online business, then you know how important SEO is. SEO makes Google your friend. It makes your website more visible, which means more traffic and more opportunities to convert prospects into customers - and we all want that! So, today I bring you a true SEO expert to help you optimize your website! Julia Bocchese is an SEO & Pinterest Strategist for Small Businesses. She helps creative businesses rank higher on Google and Pinterest to reach their ideal clients so they can get their time back and focus on their passions. In today's episode, Julia shares some of the lessons she learned from her own "messy middle" as well as small tweaks you can make today that will help your website be more visible and rank higher on Google! In today's episode, we cover:
- Julia's backstory and how she started her freelance career in SEO
- Some of Julia's rookie mistakes and lessons she learned from them
- How long it takes to see results from SEO and why you should optimize your website right now
- Creating packages, pricing packages, and deciding what offers to keep and what offers to let go
- Taking a maternity leave as an entrepreneur and Julia's maternity leave preparations
- Julia's typical work week and her plans after maternity leave
- Pros and cons of teaching at a university vs creating online courses
- Connect with Julia on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/juliareneeconsulting/
- Connect with Julia on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/juliareneeconsulting/_created/
- Connect with Julia on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-bocchese/
- For more info, visit Julia's website https://juliareneeconsulting.com/
45 min - 210: Learning How to Unf*ck Your Biz with Braden DrakeBeing an entrepreneur is hard enough, but dealing with the legal side of your business can be both hard and scary! As entrepreneurs, we wear many hats and dealing with taxes, contracts, and other legal issues that come up along the way is something we may do on a daily basis. In comes our hero and my guest today - Braden Drake! Braden graduated from law school in San Diego. He took and passed the bar exam, which makes him an official lawyer. After that, he went and got his master's degree in tax law. Soon, he started a law firm, worked 1-on-1 with 100+ creative small biz owners, and discovered that he loved teaching and empowering entrepreneurs to kick ass in business. Wanting to help more people, he began creating online, free & paid resources. In today's episode, we cover:
- Braden's path to becoming an attorney and getting a Masters Degree in Tax Law
- How Braden got started with the online side of entrepreneurship and his strategy to "being everywhere" online
- Braden's process of writing his first book and how he creates and markets his digital products and programs
- Turning a signature program into a membership and how that was the answer to all of Braden's questions
- The difficulties of being an entrepreneur
- Being the face of your business and the issues it brings up
- Setting your goals and the support you need in order to get there
- Should you use contract templates and how to know the difference between a good contract template and a bad contract template
- The difference between signing a contract and accepting terms and conditions
- Braden's podcast Unf*ck Your Biz!, his favorite guests and favorite episodes
- Connect with Braden on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bradenadamdrake/
- For more info, visit Braden's website https://www.bradendrake.com/
- Get Braden's Book UNF*CK YOUR BIZ https://www.bradendrake.com/book
- Unf*ck Your Biz! Podcast https://www.bradendrake.com/podcast
- Braden's Besties FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/375843312994732/
52 min - 209: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Case StudiesThis week's episode is a quick one and we are talking all about case studies! In this episode, we cover:
- Who case studies are for
- The role case studies play in your sales process
- How the heck to write a case study
12 min - 208: Having a Brand Good Time with Lauren LoretoBy now, we all know that if you don't like the messy middle - you're probably not meant to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is hard and messy, but if you are willing to take that leap it's more than worth it. Today, I welcome Lauren Loreto, a creative marketing consultant and brand strategist with over 10 years of industry experience, to talk about the messiness of entrepreneurship. Lauren is the Founder and CEO of Brand Good Time, a marketing consultancy on a mission to help ambitious entrepreneurs use creative marketing to get visible and grow their businesses without sacrificing their sanity to do it. Lauren is passionate about customizing sustainable marketing strategies that honor your capacity as a person, a leader, and business owner. To put it simply, your business should add to your life, not take you away from it, and Lauren is here today to share her story on how she did exactly that. In today's episode, we cover:
- What Brand Good Time is all about
- How bombing an audition led Lauren to a path of entrepreneurship
- Lauren's experience in a (toxic) corporate world and the lessons she learned
- How to build your own business while working a full-time job
- Looking at your corporate job as a paid education
- The difference between selling your book of business and selling your business
- Harnessing the growth mindset
- Challenges that come with scaling your business
- The evolution of Lauren's marketing strategy and how it looks today
- The importance of being consistent with your marketing
- How to get the most from your analytics and data to make the best decisions
- How to increase your traffic as a small business
- Lauren's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brandgoodtime/
- Lauren's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenloreto/
- Brand Good Time https://brandgoodtime.com/
- She's Busy AF Podcast https://brandgoodtime.com/podcast/
- Lauren's Metric Tracker https://brandgoodtime.com/lucrative-lead-tracker
- Company Of One by Paul Jarvis https://www.amazon.com/Company-One-Staying-Small-Business/dp/1328972356
51 min
About Messy in the Middle
From the publisher's feed
Business is a freakin' roller coaster and Messy in the Middle is here to take you along for the ride. Join your host Haley Johnson from Propegy as she and her guests navigate the uncomfortable,…
unfamiliar, and sometimes unmanageable parts of running a growing online business. From hiring and team support to finances and accounting, to just wanting to cry sometimes – not enough people are talking about the messy middle of life and business (so that's what we're gonna do here).