On Your Terms®

I recently got back from ConvertKit’s Craft + Commerce Conference in Boise, Idaho and my mind was BLOWN!

The online business world is changing and we all need to adapt. This conference brought together some of the biggest names in the industry, but also the up-and-comers who are trying new things and finding out what works.

I’m going to share some of my biggest takeaways, why I went, what I had hoped to get out of it, and what people are missing out on when they don’t go to conferences. I’ll also give you the one takeaway that, if you were to only take one thing from this conference, will make a huge difference in your business.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 03:12 - Why I chose to attend Craft + Commerce (and why I almost changed my mind)
2. 17:35 - Blogging isn’t dead
3. 19:22 - The importance of diversifying your marketing strategy
4. 22:58 - Focusing on the big stuff and less on the trends
5. 35:02 - Getting down with your numbers
6. 37:00 - Titles are so important
7. 40:36 - Public speaking tips
8. 43:07 - Investing in your future self
9. 45:35 - Being high value*
10. 48:47 - Getting clear on what success means to you
11. 50:22 - Doing $10k work

In our review of the week, TadaSrah writes: "Sam is so knowledgeable and down to earth. I love listening to On Your Terms! Sam is incredibly knowledgeable and is an outstanding teacher! She makes the “less fun” legal parts of running a business actually interesting and enjoyable to learn. I’m also an Ultimate Bundle® member which has helped me tremendously in my business, so I was stoked when she started a podcast because I love learning from her! I listen while I’m doing chores around the house and I always feel like she’s right there talking directly to me. I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who is starting or running an online business. Thanks for all that you do Sam!"

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Tickets to next year's conference are on sale here: conference.convertkit.com
2. ConvertKit (affiliate link)
3. Goal Setting, Productivity & Evergreen Content (Guest Episode with Louise Henry)
4. Khe Hy
5. Mike Pacchione
6. Cara Chace
7. Dr. Ben Hardy
8. Glo Atanmo
9. Chloe Weaver
10. Tim Urban
11. Sam Parr (The Hustle)
12. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

A lot of people throw around the word “millionaire” but when you look at the numbers it’s clear they are using a different definition of millionaire. My goal isn’t to trash talk business owners who call themselves millionaires, but to encourage you to be a savvy consumer—of both businesses and content—and to be aware of this when you’re looking at your own numbers and feeling like you’re behind.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 02:07 - Why this industry needs a reality check
2. 11:29 - The difference between revenue and income
3. 13:04 - Understanding net worth
4. 17:17 - Not focusing solely on revenue
5. 18:47 - Why you should hold your industry to a higher standard

In our review of the week, Karly Wannos says: “The BEST no fluff, step-by-step podcast for Entrepreneurs. Sam Vander Wielen’s podcast, On Your Terms, is an absolute must for all entrepreneurs. The episodes are not only interesting and inspiring but will walk you through step-by-step on what you need to know to operate as a small business owner or entrepreneur. This podcast and Sam’s Ultimate Bundle® takes all the guess work and stress away from protecting your online business. This podcast is a total game-changer for anyone looking to start, grow or scale a business in 2022."

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Episode 48. Do You Need a Business Coach?
2. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

What is a d/b/a? You may have heard the term d/b/a before, but you don’t really understand what it is or whether or not you need one. Maybe you’ve already registered a d/b/a but you haven’t registered your business—is this out of order? Don’t worry, because I’ve got you covered! I’m going to teach you exactly what a d/b/a is, when you really need one, and how to go about getting one.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 03:51 - Common misconceptions about d/b/a
2. 05:31 - The problem with not having a d/b/a
3. 09:42 - What a d/b/a is and how it’s different from registration
4. 15:52 - How to know if you need a d/b/a
5. 20:06 - How to get a d/b/a

In this week’s review, Back_Around wrote: "Just what I needed! I'm so glad I found your podcast. I've learned so much! Thanks Sam!"

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Episode 9. How to Register Your Business to Protect Your Personal Assets
2. Episode 17. 6 Legal Must Haves for Online Businesses
3. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Do you ever get to the end of the day and feel exhausted—but you can’t quite pinpoint what you actually did that day? It can feel overwhelming running an online business and trying to get all of your tools in order: Should you use Asana or ClickUp? Should you journal? How do you set reasonable goals? Where do you create content? It’s a lot to deal with!

Thankfully, Louise Henry is joining me today to break it all down for you. We talk all about productivity, setting goals, and finding the content platform that works best for you. You can actually become a more productive entrepreneur while working less when you have organized systems and clarity around your daily priorities.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 03:18 - Who Louise Henry is and how she serves people
2. 13:53 - The unexpected parts of building an online business
3. 19:24 - Three tips when you’re starting your business
4. 23:59 - Getting started on YouTube
5. 29:52 - Seeing business results from social media
6. 33:35 - Why having organized systems is so important
7. 37:34 - Picking a productivity system
8. 45:40 - Setting goals for your online business
9. 53:07 - Using challenges to grow your business

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Join Uplevel with Asana and save $500 off your enrollment: samvanderwielen.com/uplevel
2. Use Sam's email marketing system (ConvertKit): https://convertkit.com/?lmref=SiAv4Q
3. Get Your Free 30-day Asana trial: https://asana.grsm.io/jl6zx0q14eml (affiliate link)
4. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

It seems like just yesterday I started this podcast—and at the same time like I’ve been thinking about starting one forever. It’s been a great connection point with my audience, and I’ve already seen direct results in my business. If you’re in the same boat as me, thinking of starting a podcast for too long but unsure of where to start, I’m going to share everything I’ve learned along the way that you can apply to your own podcast, whether you’re thinking of starting one or already have one running. I also share how to position your podcast to grow your listeners and your business, podcasting social media strategies, and more.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 04:15 - Having the right expectations for your podcast
2. 06:50 - Giving your audience what they want
3. 10:34 - Setting up your podcast and business to support each other
4. 12:40 - What to do when you’re thinking of starting a podcast
5. 17:54 - Having a business plan for your podcast
6. 21:01 - Things to keep in mind when starting your podcast
7. 28:28 - How to make your social media and podcast work together
8. 32:52 - Leading people into your business
9. 33:29 - Having a review strategy
10. 35:22 - Batch recording your podcast

In our review of the week, amandathecoach said: "I purchased Sam’s Ultimate Bundle® in Fall 2021 as my very first step in starting my brand new company and then I started listening to her podcast. In addition to being a legal expert who somehow always answers my questions before I’ve asked them, she is a successful businesswoman who does not hold back on sharing great advice to start and run a growing business with a solid foundation. Everything she offers is super high quality and worth my time and energy. I love that she continues to connect me with other experts too through her podcast and other offers!"

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Follow Jen Diaz on Instagram: @jenmdiaz
2. Episode 38. How to Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel with Katie Steckly
3. Episode 36. How to Grow Your Business on Instagram (Guest Episode with Natasha Samuel)
4. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Mentioned in this episode:

Legal Workshop

Do you feel lost thinking about how to legally protect your online business? Head to mylegalworkshop.com to sign-up for immediate access to my free 1-hour legal workshop, 5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow your Online Business.

Legal Workshop

Courses are the backbone of my business, and I’ve helped thousands of other people run and sell legally legit courses in their businesses.

Even if you aren’t offering courses, much of the advice I give here is going to apply to memberships or other passively-purchased products. We’re going to talk about what course contracts you need, how you can protect your content, and how scope of practice applies to courses. I’ll also go over the most common PITA problems you might come up against so you can avoid them completely.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 08:05 - What makes courses unique legally
2. 09:15 - Keeping up with changing legal considerations
3. 12:29 - Having the right contract
4. 19:52 - Using your contract to protect you
5. 26:05 - How to protect your course content
6. 29:46 - Applying scope of practice to your course
7. 31:22 - Common legal issues with courses—and how to avoid them

And here’s our review of the week! sarahhhsss writes: “Incredibly useful and packed with value!! Hands down the best resource I’ve found as I’ve thought about starting my own business!! I follow so many people but this has been the most valuable resource yet!! She does a great job of providing exactly the info you need, no more and no less! I am feeling much more confident about starting a business! I also feel much closer to pulling the trigger as she answers all of my most pressing business questions in one easily digestible forum! Would absolutely recommend!!!”

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Episode 2. Scope of Practice for Coaches (What You're Legally Allowed to Do)
2. Episode 12. ​​How to Find Clients for Your Online Business (without ads!)
3. Episode 13. How to Create a Program That Sells Itself
4. Episode 14. How to Market Your Evergreen Product (+ Which Platforms You Should Be On!)
5. Episode 27. The Tech Tools That Helped Me Grow My Business (& What I've Ditched!)
6. SamCart (affiliate link)
7. ConvertKit (affiliate link)
8. Kajabi (affiliate link)
9. Asana (affiliate link)
10. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

People ask me all the time: “Do I really need a business coach?” And my answer usually surprises people. There are plenty of great business coaches out there—but there are also a lot of bad ones. This is more my thoughts on the industry rather than individual coaches. It’s important to be discerning about who you get help from in your business and have clarity on what you actually need.

I’m going to share tips on when you should and shouldn’t have a business coach, what to look for, my personal experience working with business coaches, and what I thought was worth it or a total waste.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 03:01 - The problem with business coaching
2. 08:08 - A story about learning along the way
3. 13:14 - When business coaching is helpful
4. 17:50 - Why I don’t work with coaches and what I do instead

Now let’s share our review of the week! Kelseyanne13 wrote: "Great resource!

Sam is real and honest, which I love. This podcast has been a helpful resource to me as I begin building my nutrition coaching business. She talks about relevant topics to me and doesn’t embrace the hustle culture which I so appreciate!"

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. shinewithnatasha.com
2. Episode 36. How to Grow Your Business on Instagram (Guest Episode with Natasha Samuel)
3. creatorlymedia.com
4. Episode 38. How to Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel with Katie Steckly
5. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Trigger warning: This episode talks about cancer, loss, and grief.

When you’re running a business, you still have to manage to live your life alongside it. And when things happen in your life that demand your attention, you want to be able to give it the attention it needs. This came up personally for me when I had to take a sudden leave from work. Thankfully, I have systems in place that allow me to do this and still keep the business running smoothly.

I share what happened in my life to prompt my break, tips for setting up the systems I had in place to allow for a seamless and sudden period of leave, and the push/rest concept that I have been thinking about for quite some time.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 03:41 - A life update from Sam
2. 28:56 - Having people behind you to support you
3. 31:04 - Giving yourself time to rest
4. 36:04 - Creating a system to give yourself time off
5. 48:36 - Times to push and times to rest

And now our review of the week! Jenna_RD writes: “I have been listening to Sam for a while now, and have enjoyed every single one of her podcast episodes. I love the natural, down-to-earth way she presents information, and I really appreciate her consistent reminders that growing my business can be done on MY terms. I've used her Ultimate Bundle® of legal templates to get my business up and running, and it has relieved so much stress knowing I'm set up from a legal standpoint. Thanks Sam!”

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Check out my Emergency SOP Instagram Post and Reel
2. Blog Post: 6 New Streams of Revenue to Add to Your Business Right Now
3. Episode 12. ​​How to Find Clients for Your Online Business (without ads!)
4. Episode 13. How to Create a Program That Sells Itself
5. Episode 14. How to Market Your Evergreen Product (+ Which Platforms You Should Be On!)
6. Episode 32. Should We Always Be in Growth Mode in Our Biz?
7. Episode 38. How to Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel with Katie Steckly
8. Episode 45. Four Tips for Sending Legally Legit Emails
9. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

A while back on Instagram, I posted about something I do to save money at the grocery store and someone commented: “Why do you care about saving money? Doesn’t your business make a ton of money?” There are a lot of misconceptions baked into that comment that relates to building an online business and that’s what I want to dig into today.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 00:43 - You are not your revenue
2. 03:01 - The fiduciary duty of any business owner
3. 04:45 - Why saving money is villainized
4. 06:32 - Growth vs. lifestyle businesses
5. 16:34 - The privilege baked into online business advice

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

When you’re used to sending emails person to person, nothing could be more straightforward. But when you’re representing a business – even if that business is just you – things get a bit trickier. In this short episode, I’m going to share with you four tips you can implement right away in order to ensure the emails you’re sending on behalf of your business are legally protected.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 00:39 - Why you need to send emails legally
2. 02:14 - Making sure you have an unsubscribe link
3. 05:59 - Having a mailing address for your business
4. 06:57 - Including your business name
5. 08:14 - Only sending emails to people that want them

If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 gift card), just leave a review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of it to me on Instagram via DMs!

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. The Ultimate Bundle®
2. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!
3. Get notified when each episode of On Your Terms® comes out

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER