No BS Mastery Podcast

Last week, I talked about how to think about planning your year ahead when you’ve had a wildly successful year.

If you’re looking back at 2024 and feeling like things fell apart instead of coming together, you are not alone. Those same students I talked about last week who had their best years ever have also had years that felt like a total bust. 

If things didn’t take off quite the way you hoped and you feel like you worked so hard and don’t have much to show for it, remember, this is the end of the year, not the end of your story. Where you go from here is up to you.

So, let’s talk about planning for 2025 if your year wasn’t so great.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How unrealistic goals and timelines trip us up
• The thing about hitting every goal 
• Planning for the unexpected
• The difference between being productive and strategic in your work
• How to reflect on 2024 and turn it into a plan to bounce back

Mentioned:

• Taki Moore

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

It’s been a year filled with milestone achievements for No BS Mastery students. And the wins aren’t just about bank accounts and booked calendars. It’s taking pottery classes in the middle of the day and bucket list trips across the world and teaming up on a project with a legend in your field. It’s the freedom and flexibility that comes with owning and trusting the No BS process.

So what do you do when you’ve had your best year yet?

If you want to get to the next level, but you don’t want to lose the spaciousness that you’ve found in your life, what do you need to do to achieve those results? 

Let’s talk about how to reflect on a big year so you can move into 2025 set up for success as the kind of business owner you want to be.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The common trait that successful agency owners share
• Why you need to take time to reflect on the low points of the year, not just the wins
• How to find areas of your business that aren’t working and are draining your energy
• How to evaluate if you’re ready to scale sustainably
• Setting goals and strategizing for the entire upcoming year

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

Katie Koch and Jess Dyroff are No BS Agencies Mastery success stories. They joined the program soon after they started their business, setting the right course that works for them from the start. 

Katie Koch and Jess Dyroff are the founders of Brightside Creative, where they transform nonprofits and mission driven organizations into unforgettable brands, empowering them to put their mission in motion.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How Jess and Katie started their business
• Why Jess and Katie joined the No BS program so soon after starting their business
• How the No BS process made them the trusted partner their clients want
• How the No BS model helped Jess and Katie structure their business in a way that works for their business and personal goals

Learn more about Jess Dyroff and Katie Koch:

• Brightside Creative
• Instagram: @brightside.kc
• Facebook: @BrightsideCreativeKC
• 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

Let’s see if this sounds familiar: You say yes to everything. You take any project as they come up and you start them as soon as possible. You have too many clients and you’re juggling too much work. You have no work-life balance. And if you’re not up to your eyeballs in client work, you’re stressing and spinning your wheels about the next thing to cross your door.

Burnout is on the horizon.

Last week, we talked about setting boundaries with your clients to successfully manage those expectations and relationships.

In this episode, we talk about something equally important: the boundaries you set for yourself, in your life and in your business that will actually help you grow.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• What feeds scarcity and tramples your boundaries
• Why you have to protect time to work on your business, separate from client work
• The kinds of boundaries you have to set for yourself and your business
• The really important thing about small habits

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

Many branding agency owners and creative people find dealing with clients very difficult.

In my experience, and after having coached many people through difficult client experiences, I have found that the culprit is almost always lack of clarity around boundaries and expectation management.

Things often go off the rails when you can’t communicate and maintain clear boundaries with clients. That’s when you get urgent after-hours emails. That’s when you get scope creep. That’s how everyone ends up unhappy, you and your clients.

So let's talk about how to have clearer boundaries for yourself and your business and how to communicate those to your clients. 

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How do you create boundaries and set expectations with clients 
• How often you need to communicate your process 
• What ensures project efficiency
• What actually happens when you try to be responsive always and please your clients all the time 
• Why maintaining boundaries around your time makes your clients value it more

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

I’ve come to realize that so many people struggle to set and hold boundaries because they are afraid of being perceived negatively.

Whether it’s saying no to a casual invite to a bar when you’d rather not or holding firm to your boundaries in a professional setting, having and communicating clear boundaries can be stressful. 

But it is absolutely vital to your business for you to develop this skill. 

So that’s what I’m talking about boundaries this month. In this episode, we talk about what boundaries are, why they're so hard to set, and how you can start to practice the art of having them, acknowledging them, and setting them.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• What actually allows clients to push your boundaries
• What helps create more positive experiences for your clients
• How to start identifying areas in your life where you want to have better boundaries and why you don’t
• Using low-stakes situations to get more comfortable setting a boundary or saying no

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

Eleanor Hancock is a star student inside No BS Agencies Mastery and her transformation over the last couple of years has been absolutely phenomenal to watch. She’s an inspiration to me and in the community, and I know you’ll get so much out of hearing her story.

Eleanor Hancock is the co-founder of Number 75 Design, a creative agency that specializes in creating ‘damn fine brands’ and websites for dreamers, rebels, corporate escapees and change-makers. Eleanor’s “75% Rule” encourages action over perfection, helping entrepreneurs discover their hidden potential and take meaningful strides towards their goals.

As a self-proclaimed timid trailblazer and respectful rule-breaker, Eleanor has mastered the art of turning imposter syndrome into a source of strength and she’s all about empowering small businesses to make big waves in their industries.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The state of Eleanor’s business after COVID and before joining the No BS Mastery 
• Why Eleanor was initially hesitant to join the No BS Mastery
• What Eleanor has discovered is the most valuable piece in any client project
• How Eleanor and her husband deepened the relationships within the community and their clients
• How the Mastery program has also been a catalyst for Eleanor to overcome impostor syndrome

Learn more about Eleanor Hancock:

• Number 75 Design
• Instagram: @number75design
• The Dilemma of the Timid Trailblazer

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 could just make the right social media posts, if you could just make your offer better, if you could just find the people who would pay the high prices, would that make you successful? 

What does it really take to be successful as a one to two person branding agency?

Success is about the whole picture: the business you want, the money you want to make and the lifestyle that you want. It’s about experiencing life the way you want to experience it.

This month we're talking all about hard truths that most business coaches are not going to tell you. In this episode, I give you the hard truths about what it takes to be successful. 

Tune into this episode to hear:

• What is more important than consistency of sales
• The non-negotiable action you must get comfortable with if you want to be successful 
• The importance of setting and holding clear boundaries with clients
• Becoming the kind of person who owns the business you want

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

Money. A topic that makes so many people so uncomfortable.

We all have money stories that can negatively impact us. God knows I have spent a lot of time working through those to have a healthier money story and a healthier relationship with money. 

So many creatives don’t like talking or even thinking about money. But it is such an important and powerful aspect of your business. If you don’t have a handle on the truth about money and numbers and how it impacts your business and everything else in your life, it can keep you playing really small.

In this episode, I share five hard truths about money that most business coaches won’t tell you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The truth about chasing consistent month-to-month income
• When access to capital is more important than profit
• The truth that some of your investments in your business will inevitably fail, and what to do when it happens
• Why you might not be getting paid what your work is worth
• A bonus truth about revenue and profit

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

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur these days. 

Start your own business! Be your own boss! It might look glamorous from the outside, but small business owners know, the truth isn’t all that.

This month, we’re talking about hard truths most business coaches won’t tell you. And today, I’m going to lay down some hard truths about what it really means to be an entrepreneur.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why being an entrepreneur isn’t for everybody — and that’s okay!
• The truth about growth, momentum, and rest
• What is inevitable if you go into business for yourself
• The thing about giving yourself validation for your work

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