No BS Agency Podcast

Today, I’m sharing a conversation with one of my star students-turned coaches, Erika Stanley. 

Erika has truly mastered the No BS model. She's done an amazing job finding more freedom, space, and enjoyment in her life in a way that I know so many entrepreneurs wish they could. She’s also become a highly-valued and much-loved member of our No BS community.

In this conversation, she shares her story of going from agency employee to No BS owner.

Erika Stanley is the Founder, CEO, and AI Evangelist at Mile End Digital, and she's on a mission to help small business owners lead with their values and make a difference in the world. With almost 20 years in the industry and now in her fourth year of business, Erika blends heartfelt storytelling with cutting-edge technology to create a digital presence that’s both genuine and competitive.  Erika’s mantra: Live your truth, make a difference, and dive into every adventure life throws your way.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The agency habits and processes Erika had to unlearn when she struck out on her own
• How Erika realized she needed help leading clients confidently through projects
• What helped dramatically improve Erika’s efficiency and helped level up her creativity
• What money mindset shifts Erika needed to make going from an agency salary to agency owner
• How the No BS model has brought Erika financial and time freedom and flexibility

Learn more about Erika Stanley:

• Mile End Digital
• Get on the waitlist for Botify Your Brand
• Instagram: @mileenddigital
• Connect on LinkedIn

Resources:

• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

“If you can make $30,000 or more in just a few days of branding work with Worst of All Design, why would you ever start a training program?”

This month, I’m talking about my why. Why I do what I do, what motivates me, and what has made me the business owner I am today. 

And today, I’m going to answer one of my most frequently asked questions. Why start No BS Agencies Mastery? 

It’s a fair question and I’m going to share how I got from successfully running my own agency, to sharing our method, and how it all ties back to creating meaningful impact in the lives of others.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• My slow realization that teaching the No BS model could be my unique way of creating positive impact for others
• Why it matters to me that the No BS program impacts more than just students’ bottom lines
• How running a business helping small agency owners helps me invest in other causes I care deeply about

Resources:

• Black Belt with Taki Moore
• Kiva
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

Sometimes people ask me, “If you’re so successful in your agency, why are you doing this training program?”

To really answer that, we’ll have to rewind a bit, to my introduction to the concepts of microlending and social entrepreneurship, and how they taught me that seemingly small actions could have major positive impacts.

Continuing this month’s series on connecting with your “why” and getting clear on your motivations, today I’m going to share how my mission to create meaningful impact has shown up in my life and work over the years.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How I was introduced to and got invested in social entrepreneurship
• How I realized that the nonprofit world wasn’t for me, but I still wanted to have an impact
• Why I found it’s key to play to my strengths and what I love doing in service of my greater mission

Resources:

• Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism, Muhammad Yunus
• Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty, Muhammad Yunus
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

There’s a daily journaling exercise that I suggest to everyone who joins No BS Agencies Mastery. 

There are four questions in the exercise, and it takes as little as five minutes to complete, but one question in particular is critical for success: Why are you doing this?

There is no right or wrong answer, and your response might change every day. There are a lot of reasons to build a business. But the key is connecting with your motivations.

This month, I’m going to talk about the big “why” and how it’s so powerful for keeping you going through the tough times. I’ll be sharing my own personal and professional journey getting clear on why I’m doing what I do.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How connecting with your why every day helps you through the ups and downs of starting and running a business
• How I realized that some of my best, most satisfying work has been as a facilitator 
• Why I’m so passionate about helping others find their confidence

Resources:

• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

You need a niche. 

You’ve probably heard it a million times. But what does honing and owning your niche look like in practice?

Today, I’ve invited one of my longtime star students turned No BS Program coach, Andrea Merrill, to share her story of how she went from drowning in low-paying client work to consistently closing the high-ticket clients of her dreams by getting clear on her niche.

Andrea Merrill is the founder of Virtually Adventurous. She helps scatterbrained speakers become go-to experts while making a ton of money. Andrea's clients have generated over 80 million in sales to date and she's helped them discover new opportunities that they never thought possible and make a greater impact beyond the stage. 

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why working within a niche is the opposite of boring and boxed-in
• How getting clear on her mission and values helped Andrea define her niche
• Why you need to validate your niche before you go all in
• The biggest mindset shift Andrea had to make to step into her confidence in her business
• How Andrea overcame her fears and struggles with doing outreach, and the advice she gives to students today

Learn more about Andrea Merrill:

• Virtually Adventurous
• Instagram: @virtuallyadventurous
• Connect on LinkedIn

Resources:

• Choose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential, Amber Rae
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, Joe Dispenza
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

 Does your business ever stress you out?  

Silly question, right? Of course it does! 

Being a business owner can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming. The responsibility can be heavy and when things aren’t going well, it can feel like your entire world is imploding. I know I’m not the only one who’s been brought to tears with stress and frustration and worry in the course of running a business. 

So what’s the opposite of crying at the kitchen table?

Peace. Ease. Even if you haven’t quite articulated it, that’s really what we’re all hoping for. We want to feel at ease in our businesses, no matter what’s going on at any particular moment.

And achieving that sense of ease is what I want to talk about today, because it’s one of the most crucial mindset shifts you can make.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Three key elements of creating ease in your business
• Why your habitual feelings of stress and overwhelm might be lying to you
• Why you need to make actionable habits out of your plans and goals
• How to break out of the employee mindset and think about revenue annually, not month to month
• Why true ease has nothing to do with what’s in your bank account

Resources:

• The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, Gay Hendricks
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

When you decided to hang your own shingle and be your own boss, did you imagine that you’d finally have the kind of freedom and flexibility that you never did as an employee?

But how much freedom do you actually feel? Are you tied to your business at all hours, constantly answering emails, afraid to leave your phone or laptop for even a day? 

If that’s you, you are not alone. It’s a phase of business that everyone goes through, and the only way out is through clear, intentional action to change the way you do business.

Today, I want to talk about three mindset shifts you have to make if you want to stop being constantly tethered to your business and start having the freedom you’re looking for.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How  to build real freedom into your schedule
• Why freedom is a mindset as much as it is time in your schedule
• The relationship between profitability and freedom

Resources:

• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

If you’ve been running your business for a while and still feeling underpaid and overworked —you are not alone.

There are three things that most people are looking for when they decide to build a No BS Agency: Profit, Freedom, and Ease. We can teach them all of our strategies, tactics, and action plans to make that happen. But none of it will work unless they are able and willing to make some critical mindset shifts.

This month, I’m digging into those mindset shifts. Today, we're talking about the shifts you need to make when you think about profit.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How we define profitability within the No BS Agency framework
• Why you have to separate value delivered from hours worked
• Why your highest-priced offer isn’t necessarily your most profitable
• Why and how to say no to unprofitable projects

Resources:

• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

What makes messaging stick?

Today, I’m digging into that question with marketing and communications expert, Ben Guttmann. Plus we’ll talk about his experience of growing and then selling an agency, and the opportunities that have opened up as a result.

Ben Guttmann is a marketing and communications expert and author of Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win–and How to Design Them. He’s an experienced marketing executive and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. Ben is former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast NBCUniversal, The Nature Conservancy, and other major clients. Currently, Ben teaches digital marketing at Baruch College in New York City and consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The story behind the sale of Ben’s agency
• The intangible benefits of having taken an agency through a sale
• Five key qualities of simply, effective messaging
• What we can learn about effective messaging from political campaign slogans
• Why designers need to remember that design is first and foremost about business

Learn more about Ben Guttmann:

• Website
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Instagram: @ben.guttmann
• Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win–and How to Design Them

Resources:

• Read the first chapter of Simply Put for Free
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

This month, I’ve been talking about the value of building an Authority Machine, what it is, what it can give you and your business, and what you need to focus on to make it successful.

So at this point you might be asking yourself, “So how long is this going to take?”

Here’s the truth: It’s not simple, fast, or free. Building an Authority Machine that produces results takes time, effort, and consistency that isn’t accessible to everyone.

That might sound discouraging, but I actually think it’s part of what makes an Authority Machine such an impactful asset for your business. 

So today, I’m going to explain why “how long does it take,” is the wrong question

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The difference between creating content and building authority
• Why there is no one guaranteed timeline to building your Authority Machine
• Key skills that are part of building authority
• How having a community around you is so beneficial to sticking through the process

Resources:

• The dilemma of the timid trailblazer | Eleanor Hancock | TEDxBrayford Pool
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Launchpad
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com