On Your Terms®

Whether you believe Olive Garden is fine dining or low brow, one thing you have to admit is that they are doing something right – and no, it’s not the breadsticks. Olive Garden has a successful approach to customer service: Treating their customers like family. In this episode, I share two ways you can emulate that approach and why you’d want to in the first place.

With this strategy, you can create your own army of word-of-mouth loyalists to market your business for you and increase their lifetime customer value, without having to make everyone in the world happy.

This week, I’d like to shout out Alex, who kindly wrote: “I was so excited when Sam started this podcast. She has such great information on her Instagram and I’m so happy she started this podcast to have all this great info in one place. It’s so hard to choose one great episode because all of her episodes are amazing.”

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 06:10 - Why you should treat your customers like family
2. 09:01 - Creating a balance between customer service and sustainability
3. 17:49 - How to build customer support into your offer
4. 21:32 - Providing scalable support and expert access
5. 28:38 - How to give exclusive access
6. 29:47 - Getting customers to interact with one another
7. 30:34 - Why supporting your existing customers is more important than acquiring new ones

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’s the end of the year, which often brings a time of planning and reflection. While we previously discussed how to plan out your business year, I wanted to spend this episode doing some personal reflecting on what 2021 has looked like for me.

Tune in to hear me discuss, openly and honestly, what’s been going on behind the scenes for me – both personally and professionally – and get a breakdown of the lessons I learned along the way.

We go from multi-six figure launches to firing a Facebook ads team and touch on everything in between in this in-depth look into how I apply my planning systems to my own work and life. I’m really transparent with you in this episode!

I also want to shout out Chelsea (@gut.hormone.nutritionist), who left an amazing review, saying: “Sam’s podcast has helped me connect more dots about becoming legally legit as well as giving me tips on how to create a profitable business. I’m glad I stumbled upon her.”

If you’d like to get a shout out on future episodes, just leave a review and make sure to drop your Instagram handle!

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 02:43 - How I approached 2021 differently and the change I experienced once I did
2. 05:26 - Focusing on personal healing and approaching my father’s health
3. 13:50 - Running my first live six-figure promotion while treating my dad from home
4. 17:49 - Being intentional about how much you work
5. 23:24 - Launching On Your Terms® podcast
6. 30:13 - Operating my business while being sick and moving
7. 36:43 - Firing my Facebook ads team and learning to rely on ads less
8. 46:58 - Hosting a Masterclass series
9. 49:34 - What I’m doing now
10. 52:24 - My lessons for the year

RESOURCES:

1. Louise Henry's "Uplevel with Asana" course - https://samvanderwielen.krtra.com/t/QwGmfvsPA2Xc (get $100 off!)
2. Episode 22. How to Plan Your Business Year (free guide!)

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

We’re approaching the new year, which means for many of us that it’s time to start planning out how we’ll run our businesses after the calendar flips to 2022. In this episode and the accompanying free guide, I share my exact annual business planning document and walk you through the steps you need to take to map out a plan you can execute easily.

For healthy reference and a dose of reality, I also share what happened when I didn’t plan in the past, when I saw the light, what made me change my ways – and the difference in results I’ve seen since then.

Shout out to an amazing listener, Lindsay (@littlefoundations on Instagram), for leaving a fantastic review on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to get a shout out on future episodes, just leave a review and make sure to drop your Instagram handle!

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 02:02 - Why I never used to plan (and why I changed my mind)
2. 11:08 - How detailed you should make your plan
3. 12:43 - Reflecting on what you’re grateful for and what you let go of
4. 16:32 - How to plan out events and projects across the year
5. 20:54 - Working backwards from your goal to the beginning of the year
6. 25:33 - Breaking down each quarter by its monthly focus
7. 31:29 - Addressing business and personal goals
8. 35:22 - Creating daily non-negotiables

RESOURCES:

1. Free annual business planner guide - https://www.samvanderwielen.com/2022-planning-guide/
2. Louise Henry's "Uplevel with Asana" course - https://samvanderwielen.krtra.com/t/QwGmfvsPA2Xc (get $100 off!)
3. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to get a shoutout! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-your-terms/id1576423248

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

Your time is valuable. As a business owner, you spend a lot of that time pursuing leads and, more specifically, making sales calls. Love it or hate it, it’s a part of business. The best thing you can do is to get good at it.

I get tons of questions regarding what you legally can or can’t do on a sales call, whether or not you’re allowed to give advice, what counts as advice vs. education, taking payment over the phone, and so much more. So, in this episode, I break down three things you should never do on a sales call, before diving into what you can do instead, so you can make the most out of your time and effort.

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 04:21 - Why sales calls can land you in hot water
2. 08:17 - Why you should never give advice on a sales call
3. 13:16 - Whether or not you should take payment over the phone
4. 19:04 - How to guide the conversation when running a sales call

RESOURCES:

1. Visit samvanderwielen.com/prequalify-oyt to get my free “Pre-Qualify Before They Buy” email templates & video guide
2. Episode 2. Scope of Practice for Coaches (What You're Legally Allowed to Do)
3. Episode 20. 5 Ways to Avoid Difficult Clients (Stop Legal Problems Before They Start!)

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

We’ve all had problem clients – I know I have. Whether we find out after the fact or learn how to recognize warning signs, not everyone we work with is going to offer a smooth experience. I’ve learned a lot from dealing with them in the past and in this episode, I’m passing on those lessons to you.

Problem clients often become legal problems. We’ve already talked about how to break things off when a client you’re dealing with becomes a pain, but let’s see how we can prevent dealing with them in the first place.

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 05:40 - Why it pays to be picky
2. 14:57 - How to set boundaries with clients
3. 23:38 - Trusting your intuition
4. 24:57 - Paying attention to special requests
5. 32:00 - How to tell a client you’re not a good fit
6. 33:41 - Interviewing your clients
7. 36:33 - Warming up and weeding out

RESOURCES:

1. Visit samvanderwielen.com/prequalify-oyt to get my Pre-Qualify Before They Buy templates
2. Episode 2. Scope of Practice for Coaches (What You're Legally Allowed to Do)
3. Episode 5. What to Do When a Client is a Pain

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

We all want to create and share content respectfully and properly online. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to draw the line between inspiration and imitation. Let’s go over some of the basics of copyright law, what it is, what content falls under that category, and how you can use other peoples’ content, legally. I also discuss the fair use exception, what it is, and what content falls under it.

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 04:56 - Understanding the gray areas of copyright law
2. 07:11 - What content falls under copyright law
3. 10:38 - How you can use someone else’s work legally
4. 15:48 - Fair use laws and how to use them
5. 22:35 - Making sure you have something original to say

RESOURCES:

1. How to Legally Share Content [blog post] - https://www.samvanderwielen.com/how-to-legally-share-content/
2. Copyright Basics PDF from US Copyright Office - https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf
3. Fair Use Guide - https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/
4. Episode 1. Community Over Competition is BS: Tips to Navigate Your Competition in a Healthier Way

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

Instagram Reels: You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em – or sometimes a bit of both all at once. If you listen to all the people out there, you’re bound to hear both sides of it, that Reels are a waste of time and also the only way to grow your business. Let’s cut through the noise and figure out how you can create content that actually moves the needle while using your valuable time effectively. In this episode, I detail 10 tips for Instagram Reels focusing on what’s best for your business, not what’s going to get you the most views. Because growing our business is what we’re all here for, right?

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 04:00 - The mistakes people make when it comes to Instagram Reels
2. 07:20 - My background with Reels
3. 13:17 - Using music legally
4. 16:01 - Thinking evergreen with Reels content
5. 17:21 - Letting people get to know you
6. 19:17 - Getting people to read your captions
7. 23:39 - Making your point in the caption
8. 26:15 - Having fun while making it educational
9. 28:31 - Don’t take it too seriously
10. 30:40 - How to find trending audio
11. 31:59 - Get inspiration from related entrepreneurs
12. 33:57 - Save your Reels to your phone
13. 35:35 - Answering your questions and sharing my Reels process

RESOURCES:

1. Get $100 off Louise Henry's Uplevel With Asana course (what I used to get SO organized in my business) here: https://samvanderwielen.krtra.com/t/QwGmfvsPA2Xc [affiliate link]
2. IG Music Legal Tips from IG — https://about.instagram.com/blog/tips-and-tricks/updates-and-guidelines-for-including-music-in-video/
3. IG Reels Audio tips from IG — https://help.instagram.com/270447560766967/?helpref=hc_fnav
4. FB Music Legal Guidelines — https://www.facebook.com/legal/music_guidelines

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

Online businesses aren’t immune to the laws, regulations, and rules that traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have to follow – despite what some “armchair legal experts” may have told you in a Facebook group chat. On top of that, there are some rules that apply specifically to online businesses and the ways that they grow. In order to make sure you are legally protected in ALL aspects of your business, let’s go over six specific things that online businesses need to do to be run in a legally legit™️, safe, and protected way.

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 04:49 - The similarities and differences between starting an online business and brick and mortar
2. 09:38 - How scope of practice changes when you’re working online
3. 12:43 - Why you must legally protect your website
4. 18:11 - The contracts you need to have in place
5. 23:46 - Why you need business insurance for your online services
6. 27:07 - Registering your online business
7. 29:49 - How to take online payments properly

RESOURCES:

1. 6 Legal Must Haves for Going Virtual [blog post]
2. Watch my YouTube episode "How to Send/Sign Contracts Legally"
3. Episode 2. Scope of Practice for Coaches (What You're Legally Allowed to Do)
4. Episode 10. What Your Website Needs to Be Legally Legit
5. Episode 8. What Makes a Good Contract? How to Make Sure You're Protected
6. Episode 7. The First 3 Steps to Legally Protect Your Business (Where to Start!)
7. Episode 9. How to Register Your Business to Protect Your Personal Assets

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

Self-talk plays a huge role in our lives, especially for anyone who’s putting themselves out on the wire in a public forum like social media. Today, we’re talking with Katie Horwitch, a New York City-based writer, speaker, mindset coach, and the founder of WANT (Women Against Negative Talk), a platform and podcast that offers tips, tools, motivation, and inspiration to help people move forward in life by shifting their negative self-talk. We talk about how you can improve your own self-talk, how it impacts your life as an entrepreneur and on social media, and her career journey to the point where she’s ended up today.

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 05:43 - How Katie incorporates acting into her current work
2. 14:42 - How Katie’s self-talk practice began
3. 32:55 - The ways social media affects self-talk
4. 49:28 - Ways that Katie builds resilience online
5. 55:27 - How to improve your own self-talk

RESOURCES:

1. Visit womenagainstnegativetalk.com to listen to the podcast and join Katie’s newsletter!
2. Find out how to work with Katie at katiejoyhorwitch.com
3. Follow Katie on Instagram: @katiehorwitch
4. Listen to Episode 2. Scope of Practice for Coaches (What You're Legally Allowed to Do)

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

Let’s take a trip back in time to when I first started my online business. What was the marketing landscaping looking like and what was going on in the online business world at that time? I’ll dig into the details in the episode, but I can tell you one thing for sure: things are so different today! I’m going to share what was working when I started my business, what’s no longer working, the marketing strategies that DO work now, and look ahead to predict where things are going. It’s the past, present, and future of marketing for online businesses!

In this episode, you'll hear…

1. 01:53 - Why you need to get cozy with constant change
2. 12:28 - The trends that dominated the online marketing scene when I first started
3. 19:19 - Why true authenticity is a winning strategy
4. 25:51 - The importance of community depth over audience size
5. 27:08 - Shifting from a launch-focused strategy to evergreen products and programs
6. 29:16 - Putting a face to the name of your business
7. 33:59 - How micro educational video content is the new hotness
8. 36:19 - Why doing things on your terms works best

RESOURCES:

1. Listen to Episode 14. How to Market Your Evergreen Product (+ Which Platforms You Should Be On!): samvanderwielen.com/episode-14
2. Listen to Episode 6. Staying Nimble as an Entrepreneur: samvanderwielen.com/episode-6
3. The Lifestyle Edit (Naomi) thelifestyleedit.com
4. Olive & June Nail Kit - get 20% off (affiliate link): http://fbuy.me/v/samanthafoss

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