There’s this common myth that as a business owner, you’ve got to do it all. LinkedIn can feel overwhelming, but today, Nina Froriep debunked that myth and showed us how to simplify and thrive on the platform. Her approach is a breath of fresh air—practical, doable, and built for business owners who’d rather spend time serving clients than battling algorithms.

Consistency Beats Frequency: Posting once a week at the same time and day yields better results than flooding the platform randomly. Think of it as training both the algorithm and your audience—regularity builds recognition.

Engagement Builds Credibility: Your LinkedIn feed is a virtual business card. Posts with thoughtful comments and genuine engagement show potential clients and collaborators that you’re active and respected in your field.

Small Groups, Big Impact: Nina’s LinkedIn engagement group thrives because members prioritize reciprocity and accountability. They comment on each other’s posts within an hour, creating authentic connections and visibility.

Invest in the Process: Paid groups tend to see higher participation. People value what they pay for, and Nina’s group offers more than just engagement—it’s a supportive community with resources and learning opportunities.

If you’re ready to elevate your LinkedIn strategy, connect with Nina Froriep on LinkedIn to see how her approach could work for you.

Looking for more resources for your business?  Check out the MTFW Resource Page

You know that sinking feeling when you realize you’ve been ignoring great advice or giving up on something that actually worked? We’ve all been there, myself included. That’s why I loved this conversation with Matt Nettleton. As my most frequent podcast guest, Matt brought his signature blend of insight and candor to our “What Went Wrong?” series. Together, we revisited the missteps that taught us valuable lessons—like ditching a successful accountability group, setting goals that feel more like a prison sentence than a roadmap, and stubbornly resisting good advice. If you’ve ever tripped over your own decisions, this one’s for you.

Actionable Takeaways

Want to hear the full conversation and laugh along at our shared “oops” moments? Tune in to this episode—it might just save you from making the same mistakes!

Look for more: https://podfollow.com/more-than-a-few-words

When I was Vice President of Creative Services at Conseco, we were always out of literature for key products. In the insurance business literature is all you have to sell, so these outages would cripple our sales team. Out out of stock list was routinely close to 300 different items and climbing. While we had numerous meetings on the subject nothing ever changed.

So I stopped talking about procedures and policy and asked a simple question "If our goal was a back order level of 100 what would we do?" Defining a specific target, instead of vague "get better" gave a focus to our discussions. Every day we knew exactly how far we were from our target.

As an added incentive, I offered to take the print team to any restaurant in town if we reduced our back orders to 100  by September. 1. The date gave us the sense of urgency we needed to keep this in the forefront of our discussions.

We kicked off every production meeting with a brief conversation about the back-order list and the ideas started flowing.  We instituted a "red flag" for any project associated with back order items. Every team, editors, designers, writers and account executives agreed if a red tag landed on their desk it was their first priority.

Slowly the numbers started to improve;  We posted the daily results on the way so we could see our progress in real time. . On September 1, we went to lunch at Cafe Nora. There are several important lessons for small business owners in this story:

I love games. Whether it’s playing cards with family, a quick round of trivia, or even the occasional video game, there’s something so engaging about the world of play. But I’ve never really thought about applying the principles of games to business—until I spoke with Rob Alvarez of Professor Game. Gamification, as Rob explains it, is about using elements of play to motivate action and achieve goals, and it’s not just for big companies. From language apps to skincare quizzes, the possibilities are endless.

Gamification Defined: At its core, gamification uses elements of play and game design to achieve goals that would otherwise be difficult to reach. It’s not just about entertainment; it’s about motivating people toward meaningful actions.

Two Approaches to Gamification: Rob shared examples of gamification in action:

The Player-Centric Perspective: Effective gamification starts by understanding what motivates your audience—what excites and moves them to action. Viewing your audience as "players" or protagonists can shift the way you design experiences and tailor your strategies.

Psychological Strategies: Small changes can have a significant impact. For example, LinkedIn’s progress bar motivates users to complete their profiles step by step, illustrating how even simple features can enhance engagement.

Designing for Connection: Gamification can foster community and social interaction. Whether it’s forming teams in Fortnite or creating shared experiences at a gym or salon, the sense of connection can be a powerful motivator.

LEARN MORE

If you have enjoyed this conversation, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts - or to MoreThanAFewWords.com

Good marketing isn’t all one thing or another. It’s really about creating a hybrid approach, pulling together the best elements of different strategies to move your brand forward. In today’s episode, I spoke with Alex Thoric, a seasoned digital marketer and entrepreneur, about how combining organic content and paid advertising can create a winning formula. Our conversation reaffirmed something I’ve believed for a long time: successful marketing isn’t just about tools and tactics; it’s about understanding people—how they think, what they trust, and how they engage.

Here are the key points from our conversation:

Trust Takes Time and Touchpoints

Short Content for Quick Wins, Long Content for Loyalty

Boost Organic Content with Paid Ads

Hooks Are Everything

Retarget Strategically

Actionable Takeaways:

Hybrid marketing isn’t just a strategy; it’s a mindset. It’s about meeting your audience where they are and guiding them step by step. If you’re curious about Alex’s work, check out his website https://www.buildingincomeondemand.com/

And if you are looking for other resources for your business check out https://morethanafewwords.com

Failure can feel like a four-letter word for entrepreneurs, but it doesn’t have to be. It can also be an opportunity to learn and grow, but let's face it failure is painful, so sometimes it is nice to learn from other people's mistakes. That's why I decided to launch the What Went Wrong series, I wanted to create a space for honest conversations about missteps and miscalculations—and the incredible lessons they teach us.

For the first episode, I invited Emily Aborn, a copywriter, speaker, and podcast host, to share her entrepreneurial journey. From opening a non-toxic mattress store to building a successful women’s entrepreneurship community before finding her true calling, Emily’s experiences are a masterclass in learning to pivot, listen to your gut, and embrace the opportunities hiding in what might feel like a dead end.

Follow Your Passion, Not Someone Else’s Path: Emily’s entrepreneurial journey began in health education but veered into unexpected territory when she ignored her instincts and tried to conform to others’ expectations. Her advice? Be honest about what excites you—and what doesn’t.

Mistakes Are a Roadmap: Whether it was running a retail mattress store or managing a large entrepreneurial community, Emily’s ventures taught her valuable lessons about boundaries, focus, and what she truly loves to do.

Pivot When It’s Not Working: Closing her store wasn’t a failure—it was a realization that led Emily to rediscover her passion for writing and helping others with their messaging. She emphasizes the importance of assessing what’s working and what isn’t before moving forward.

Test the Waters First: Before diving headfirst into a new business idea, gain hands-on experience. Emily credits working in a mattress store for showing her the potential—and pitfalls—of the retail world.

Create a Business That Aligns With You: Emily encourages entrepreneurs to design businesses that reflect their strengths and preferences, rather than forcing themselves into roles they dislike.

Entrepreneurship isn’t about avoiding mistakes—it’s about learning from them. Emily’s journey proves that even when things go sideways, there’s always a way forward.

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe or sign up for a newsletter, and never miss another episode https://morethanafewwords.com/avoid-fomo

Stand Out by Finding Your Unique Flavor

How often have you been told that the first step to creating marketing is getting crystal clear on your customer. Who are they? What do they need?

That's just the starting point. The real magic happens when you figure out how to be different. And I'm not talking about different for the sake of being different. I'm talking about leaning into what makes you unique.

It's like choosing what kind of apple you want to be. If you just say you're an "apple" in general, you'll get lost in the crowd. But if you decide, "You know what? I'm going to be a Honeycrisp" - now you're really getting somewhere.

Because the pears and oranges of the world can't compete with your Honeycrisp flavor. You've carved out your own niche, and you're owning it.

The same goes for your business. When you get clear on what makes you special - your origin story, your values, your signature process - that's when the magic starts to happen.

Sure, it might mean turning away some customers along the way. But you can't be everything to everyone. And the funny thing is, when you stop trying to blend in and instead lean into your unique flavor, that's when the perfect-fit clients start to find you.

They're drawn to your authenticity, your confidence, your refusal to be like everyone else. And there's nothing more powerful than working with people who truly "get" you.

So, the next time you're tempted to play it safe, ask yourself - what makes me different? Because that's where the real magic lies.

If you’ve enjoyed this conversation sign up for a weekly newsletter get links to episodes you might have missed and other resources for your business   https://morethanafewwords.com/avoid-fomo/

If you’re like me, you’ve probably found yourself working so hard on your business that burnout feels inevitable. That’s why I was excited to talk with Rob Tracz, a performance coach who helps entrepreneurs transition from burnout to breakthrough. With his holistic Prime Performance Coaching framework, Rob tackles the physical, mental, and emotional hurdles entrepreneurs face. Together, we unpacked strategies for navigating burnout, building resilience, and sustaining success.

Avoiding Burnout Starts with Awareness

The Team Triangle: Your Built-In Support System

Slowing Down to Break Through

Rob’s insights are a reminder that success isn’t about grinding endlessly—it’s about creating a sustainable path forward. If you want to learn more about his Prime Performance Coaching program, you can find Rob at robtracz.com and across social media.

Feeling inspired? Look for conversations and so much more at www.morethanafewwords.com for practical advice and insights to grow your business.

Why did I invite Lisa McDonald, a certified career coach  to join me for a conversation?  You are not looking for a job, but you are probably looking for employees,

And Lisa is probably working with those potential employees, telling them not to apply for a job with your company.

In this lively conversation, we talk about the mistakes employers make starting with job descriptions that don’t really reflect the company to interviews that go completely off the rails.

This is one conversation you need to listen to, before you try to hire your next employee.

Lisa explains that crafting a compelling job description is as much about storytelling as writing a great ad for your business. It’s not just a list of tasks; it’s your chance to paint a picture of what it’s like to work with you. And let’s be honest, if you’re on the hunt for a “purple squirrel,” you’re setting yourself up for frustration.

Here are the key takeaways:

Ditch the Bucket List: Stop trying to find the impossible candidate who checks every box. Instead, focus on the core skills and values you need. Hiring for potential can often yield better results than sticking to an unrealistic wish list.

Think Like a Candidate: Just as you’d tailor your resume to highlight your strengths, craft your job description to attract the right person. Use language that reflects your company’s personality, values, and culture. A good job description should read more like an invitation than a set of rules.

Avoid the Extremes: Don’t sound too outdated or overly trendy. The goal is to sound authentic—like the kind of team a candidate would actually want to join.

It’s All Marketing: Your job description isn’t just a list of responsibilities; it’s an ad for your company. Think about the words you’d use to sell your product or service and apply the same principles to your hiring process. Remember, you’re selling the idea of working with you.

Mirror Your Culture: Make sure your job description aligns with how your team communicates and operates. If your workplace is warm and collaborative, let that shine through in your wording.

If you’re struggling to hire, take a hard look at your job descriptions. Are they telling the right story? Or are they pushing people away before you’ve even had a chance to meet them? Start fresh, focus on the essentials, and don’t be afraid to let your company’s personality come through. You might just find that the right candidate has been waiting for a job posting that finally speaks their language.

If you enjoyed this conversation, look for More - more conversations like this, workbooks, whitepapers, webinars and so much more https://www.morethanafewwords.com  

I bet you're thinking this is going to be another marketing tip. Well, not today. Instead, I want to tell you about something I'm working on that I'm really excited about. 

We all learn best from our mistakes, but mistakes can be painful. So I want to help you learn from other people's mistakes. That's why I'm inviting back some of my favorite guests to share stories of their adventures through entrepreneurship.

We will talk about what were they hoping would happen, what went wrong, and what did they learn.

Curious? Ready for a couple of lessons? Then join me every Sunday morning for a new series called What Went Wrong.  Then be sure to check out the other conversations during the week filled with marketing tips to help you grow your business.

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