Posed for Success

Karem Mieses is a Productivity Consultant & Business Strategist who for the past 2 decades has been helping business owners turn their companies around from bankruptcy to profit. Her specialties in project management and finding new sources of revenue helped her transform her consulting practice to 100% online in 2014. She is the creator of Idea2Profit Online Academy, host of the “Life Boss: Becoming Unstoppable” Podcast & award-winning author that teaches business moms how to grow their family business with delegatable step-by-step systems.

Learn the 4 step process to cleaning out your "to-do" list in 30 minutes and how Karem can take your list of "shoulds" to done.

Karem teaches us the questions we can ask when planning out our week to maximize productivity and eliminate overwhelm and guilt.

Listen to all of her tips and get her free weekly planning sheets here.

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Each year, I take a day at the end of the year to do some review and planning. When I’m doing my year in review there are a few different questions that I ask myself. 

The first thing I ask myself is:

How did this year start out?

You may have heard the saying, you overestimate what you can do in a day and underestimate what you can do in a year. When you take a few minutes to reflect back on where you started and where you are now, you will be blown away.

This can be for anything in your life. Not just your business. When I think back to where I was last year and where I am now, it puts so many things into perspective. This has been a huge year for me and my family. But not entirely in a business sense. My husband graduated and got his PhD, we got his dream job, moved across the country, and are finally settled. This time last year, we had NO clue where we were going to be. With Covid and soaring unemployment rates, we had no idea if my husband would even get a job. With my business, I had to put everything on hold for the majority of 3 months. And yet, I’m still here doing my best to show up for you.

That’s a whole lot of things happening in a year’s time. But let me tell you. When I focus on the day to day actions, the majority of the time, I feel like I’m behind. I’m not. From where this year started out to where I am now is amazing.

What worked well this year?

It’s always great to focus on the things in your business and life that went really well. Did you have an offer that took off? Did you create a new offer that was more in alignment with your audience? Were you more consistent in doing something? Did you have better systems?

This year, and especially this last quarter, I’ve been crushing it at Instagram Reels. They have been SO much fun to create and I love being able to educate and entertain at the same time. 

I’ve also really dedicated some time to upping my Pinterest game. It’s been a challenge because my brain tells me that I’m not an expert in this, which is why I bring on Pinterest guest experts to teach you about this amazing platform. But let me tell you, I’ve been working, and learning, and experimenting, and I’m proud to say that I’ve seen a difference in my business and Pinterest is something that has worked well for me this year.

What didn’t work so well?

Being able to reflect on ways to improve is always an excellent step to take in your business. When we don’t take the time to reflect on this, we may be sticking our heads in the sand, or trying to push through so hard that we don’t realize we are pushing against a brick wall. When we ask ourselves what didn’t work so well, it allows you to make some changes, removes blocks, and helps you move forward.

Things that didn’t work well for me this year, batching my content. I know, I know. I’m the queen of touting the benefits of batch work. And I stick 100% to all of that. But I’m being very honest with you. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work for me. This year, I have been dealing with some PTSD and anxiety and it’s really hindered me from being able to batch create in the way that I like to. I’m putting some systems into place in 2022 so that I can get back into the power of batching.

Read more here.

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Welcome to the posed for success podcast, episode 91, The Confident Selfie Secret.

How many times have you tried to take a selfie? You are most likely in either one of three camps. 

1. Completely avoid taking selfies.
2. Take 45 photos trying to get the one you like.
3. Are a pro and have the duck faced pursed lips down to a science.

I know you know what I’m talking about. 

Now most of you aren’t likely to be in that third group. It’s just not in most people’s nature to feel comfortable on camera or to take and post perfect selfies all the time. Now, I’m on a mission to change that, but we’ll get back to that in a bit.

You probably felt more like group 1 or two, who either completely avoids taking selfies or you aren’t confident with taking your own photo that you end up taking a million photos and then spend a half hour trying to pick out one that you actually feel like it’s worth posting.

If you relate to this at all, listen up, because I’m talking directly to you. Here are some reasons why I think you need to learn how to take selfies. Or, if we want to make it sound more professional….learn the art of self portraits.

To begin, you need to understand that there is a deep desire in human beings to connect. I’ve talked about this plenty, but this is the best place to start. Humans love connection. That’s how we operate in everything that we do in the world. We have to connect in order to work, collaborate, sell, and buy. And people will choose to take these actions with people they know, like and trust. If you are looking to increase these types of actions with others, you need to start with connection. 

Your audience needs to see you. They need to learn more about you. They need to like you and what they see, and then they will begin to trust you. Taking self portraits is a crucial step in this process. 

If you want to test this out for yourself, check out what content people engage with the most. Whether on your facebook, instagram, tiktok, emails - whatever. You are more likely to see higher engagement when you show your face and connect with other people.

Next, you need to recognize that you are unique. There’s only one YOU! What you do and how you do it is different from everyone else in the world. And that’s special. You could be selling the exact same product as your next door neighbor, but you will do it differently because there’s only one way that you do it. 

So capitalize on that. And realize that when you put yourself out there and show yourself you won’t be for everybody and that’s okay. Let me give you an example. Friday nights are usually pizza night at my house. My husband and I go all out and make the most delicious homemade pizzas. We have fun testing out new toppings and combinations. You could say we are pizza aficionados. Now, you might think that a pizza is a pizza…especially if it’s a delicious pizza. But of course, that’s not true. My husband will not touch a pizza that has pineapple on it. But I love that. There’s no convincing my husband that a pizza with pineapple is worth being made or eaten. And that’s okay. Because, while I know I’m in the minority here, I love a good pizza with ham and pineapple. And when I get the chance to eat that pizza, you’d better believe that’s the slice I go for.

Let me teach you how to do this. Head on over to britbennion.com/selfie.

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The coaching industry is at an all time high. When you’re competing for clients, you need to make sure to stand out. Here are five tips to gain high paying coaching clients.

KNOW WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO

It’s vital that you know exactly who you are talking to. While you may know a lot about health and wellness, if you are a coach for someone who is trying to lose weight by counting macros, that’s completely different from a coach who is trying to help someone lose weight by training for their first 5K. 

The same goes for someone who is a life coach. If you coach mothers of children who are on the spectrum, that will be very different from someone who coaches people who have gone through traumatic experiences. You may have the skill set to do both, but if you are trying to attract a client into your high ticket offer, you need to make sure you know exactly the type of person you are talking to.

This niching down may feel restrictive, but it’s actually very freeing. Once you understand exactly the type of person that you are working with, you can start to easily create content that relates to their situation. 

When you get focused on who exactly it is that you’re talking to, you start to stand out as the authority in that field, which opens up many new opportunities for coaching clients.

SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE

When you know who you’re talking to, you need to speak to them in a way that they understand and can connect with. For example, a fertility coach needs to know the special words and jargon that are used in that world - like TTC, which stands for trying to conceive, or BBT, which stands for Basal Body Temperature. Now, not all of them are acronyms, but to make my point, you need to use the words and language that your clients are using. This builds instant trust between you and your future client. 

Coaching is a very high level practice. As a coach, you are able to remove yourself and see your client’s problem from a bird’s eye view. Many times this may mean that you are speaking to a solution and a conclusion that they haven’t arrived at yet. This causes a disconnect. 

When you are creating content to attract a high level client, you want them to feel like you are inside of their head. Using their own language helps them to resonate better with what you say.

How do you find the language that your ideal client community is using? Here are three easy ways to do that:

Read the rest of the tips here.

Content creation burnout...we've all been there. Whether you need extra help, have major life experiences, or just not finding the joy in your business that you used to, burnout is real, and you're not alone.

Having a plan to overcome burnout is essential and I've got five ways to help you through a difficult time in your business.

Know Your Energy and Plan Your Week Accordingly

Just because somebody says you need to create content a certain way doesn't mean that it's going to work for you. If it works for one person, it doesn't work for everybody.  Know and recognize your energy and then plan your week accordingly.

You may be someone who likes to sit down and get you content knocked out in one sitting. Or you might need to create content in the moment.

When you're aware of how you can best create content, plan your creation schedule around that. Block out chunks of time or give extra space to allow for moments of inspiration. Just don't try to force content creation into something that doesn't work for you, because that will cause resentment and burnout.

Prioritize Where You Create Content

We know that you have the ability to be everywhere, but doing this causes  burnout.

If you're trying to be on all of the platforms all of the time, of course you're exhausted. So the best thing for you to do is focus on where you get the most traction and let everything else just trickle down. 

I'll give you a little bit of an insight into how I create content and how I utilize this.

I choose one thing, the most important piece of content that I can create, and I go 100% all in on that.  My podcast is my core piece of content. It's the most important thing that I create and it's something that I prioritize and make sure that I do every single week.

Because this is a bigger piece of content, I'm able to let the rest of the content that I create throughout the week and month trickle down from this one piece. I break it down, summarize, and pull quotes from this content and am able to make multiple pieces of similar content. 

From my podcast I can create:

• Weekly Newsletter
• Weekly Blog Post
• Pinterest Pins
• Instagram Carousel
• Instagram Reel
• Facebook Group Post
• Instagram Stories

If I have to choose between making a Reel and producing a podcast, I prioritize my podcast.

Create Healthy Headspace Around Content Creation

When you have resistance to content creation it means that you need to change your mindset around it.

Maybe you need to sit down and think a couple of minutes about your "why". Why are you building a business? When you start thinking about your greater purpose, you are more able to create content from a place of abundance, not stress.

Having a healthy mindset around content creation you're better able to get into flow and your content connects better with your audience.

Use a Content Creation System

A content creation system helps you create content easier and faster. Having systems actually makes you use less brain space. You're using less energy because you're going through an already proven process.

Check out my FREE content creation system HERE.

Organize Your Content
 
Organize and catalog your content to see what is working for your business. A good baseline is to do organize your content every few months. Once you have a good understanding of your best content, you can use this to repurpose content. If you want to be known as an expert in something, you have to repea

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Marketing your business may seem scary or overwhelming. If you don’t have money set aside in your business budget for marketing, you may not be getting the type of traction you want. You may not be getting the number of clients or bookings you want. 

Some businesses have HUGE sums of money set aside for marketing. Think of how much it costs to put in a commercial during the super bowl. MILLIONS, right? 

It costs about 5 and a half million dollars to advertise a 30 second commercial in the superbowl. Now, nearly 100 million people view the super bowl, not to mention all of the people who come back after the fact, just to watch the commercials on YouTube. I know that I certainly do that. If we do some rough estimating….and I mean rough. It actually breaks down to spending about one dollar and getting 20-30 people viewing the commercial.

That doesn’t sound terrible right? 

On a recent facebook ad campaign I ran, I calculated it out and found that my ad spend for nearly the same exposure was priced pretty similarly. I could reach about 30 people for 80 cents. 

Fascinating. To think that I’m able to have the same budget spend ratio as someone who advertises in the Superbowl?

However, let's contrast that to what happened when I created content using my Brand Builder's Formula. I was able to create a 30 second commercial for myself and it was seen by over 3,000 people, that were mostly in the realm of my ideal community, for FREE. Then I did it again the next week, and the next week. 

Even when I create a post for myself and it’s seen by 40 or 50 people, I can do it for free.

Having a marketing budget is amazing and it helps you to grow bigger faster, but if you aren’t utilizing the tools that you have right now for free, how will you ever be successful enough to even have a budget to pay for that growth?

This is where branding is the solution to market you and your business for free, vs spending any amount of money. If you have listened to episode 86, I talk about the 4 pillars of a stand out brand. I say this over and over again. When you build these pillars: Visibility, Vision, Visuals, and Viability, you are able to create a brand that attracts clients to YOU in your sleep. This is what I teach in Brand Builder’s Bootcamp. 

Listen to the episode to hear two case studies. 

If you are not a massive company with a HUGE budget for marketing, or even if you are, you have to understand fundamental principles I teach in my Brand Builder's Formula in order for you to get that next client and grow.

The advertising and marketing world has changed. We can’t just list an ad in the newspaper and expect people to come running. If you’re an online business, there’s not even a newspaper to do that in.

Social media advertisements, like Facebook ads, have evolved. When you are using Facebook Ads to market your business, you have to put into action a strategy. You still have to build your know, like, and trust factor. A single advertisement will not work. People see far too many advertisements and we’ve become numb to them. You must "woo" your next clients, you must provide them with value while positioning yourself as the expert. It’s a fine dance, but it will be the difference between endlessly putting content out there with no direction and getting nothing out of it and actually having a strategy that works for you and attracts clients in your sleep.

So how do you advertise and market yourself for free? You build a personal brand using the four pillars in the Brand Builder’s Formula. Visibility, Vision, Visuals, and Viability. It’s as simple as that. 

Want to learn more about

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I’m sharing with you the only thing you need for your personal brand.

You need this one thing with showing up, in who you speak to, where you show up and more. This is so important that if you were to forget EVERYTHING that I’ve ever told you, this would still be incredibly beneficial to you. 

So what is this magical, mystical thing?  

The only thing that you need for your personal brand to be successful is CONSISTENCY.

Yes, the magical word of branding. Consistency.

To learn more about where you need to be consistent, click here.

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Building a personal brand is the ONLY way that your business can grow and withstand the bumps in the road that always come with entrepreneurship. Many of us get into entrepreneurship because we have a bigger dream of what we want. Sitting behind a desk all day doesn’t cut it. Whether you started your own business because you wanted freedom, extra income, control over your life, or something else, I want to help you have the best chance of success and sustainability. 

That’s why I teach the Brand Builder’s Formula. This formula consists of three 4 pillars that you need to have in your personal brand in order to build a business that will last.

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you know that it’s not all roses. There are ups and downs. There are financial downturns and times when your creativity is in a rut. If you focus on building a strong brand, it will be the guide to get you out of those ruts. It will be the foundation to let you weather those downturns. More than any other thing you can do in your business. 

So let’s learn about the four pillars of a stand out brand.

VISIBILITY

In order to have a personal brand, YOU need to be visible. This doesn’t mean that you need to always be dancing in instagram reels or tiktoks, but it does mean that when people are trying to make a purchasing decision between two products, and they know who you are, they are more likely to purchase from you. 

VISION

You need to know not only who you are, but who you serve. That clarity brings about vision. 

I recently did a poll on instagram where I asked if you would prefer for you to find more clients or for clients to find you. Every single one of you said that you would like clients to find you. You want to attract your ideal clients. You want clients knocking on your door, not the other way around. That’s awesome! I want the same thing. 

If this is something you want for your business, it means that you need to have a clear vision of who you serve and how you serve them so that your ideal clients will come straight to you. 

VISUALS

Your visuals can also be called the content that you create. You need to be creating visuals or content..REGULARLY. How can you expect anyone to find you if you don’t put things out there?

Using consistent visuals is vital to having longevity in your brand.

VIABILITY

If you want your brand to survive and thrive, you need to make sure that it lives. It needs to be viable. Which means that you have to have systems in place to allow it to be consistent.

So many of you are asking me “Brittany, why am I not growing? Why are my ideal clients not coming to me? Why am I not making the sales?” And very often this is the reason. You are not being consistent. 

Each time I put a system in place that’s either automated or super simple to use, I get better results with my clients. When I batch my work or schedule in time to get the work done, I show up with a plan that gets me closer to my goals.

Viability is what gives your brand life.

I want to invite you to my FREE 3 day challenge where I deep dive into each of these pillars and how you can actually implement them into your business. 

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1) KNOW WHO YOU’RE SPEAKING TO

This one you may have heard before. You need to niche down, you need to know who your clients are, you need to understand who you are speaking to. And if you’re thinking, oh my gosh...I’m hearing this again. Well….it’s because you aren’t doing it! 

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in my years as an entrepreneur, it’s that if you keep hearing the same thing over and over again - you’d better pay attention.

Knowing who you’re speaking to is foundational to creating a strong personal brand. When you can get really crystal clear on who you’re speaking to, then you can connect to their wants, needs and problems.

And that leads into the next simple step

2) UNDERSTAND WHAT PROBLEM YOU SOLVE

This isn’t simply understanding what you do. Anyone can do that. If you’re a hairstylist, the problem you solve isn’t overgrown hair. If you’re a photographer, the problem you solve isn’t outdated pictures. If you’re a life coach, the problem you solve isn’t listening to your clients for an hour. 

What you DO isn’t the same as the problem you solve. 

The problem you solve is the transformation. HOW you do it is just the mechanics behind giving your client that transformation. 

It’s a subtle but vital difference. I see so many business owners trying to grow their business on selling their service, but that doesn’t cut it. Especially in a digital world where there are a million other people doing the exact same thing. 

If you are able to focus your brand messaging on the problem you solve, you are already 10 steps ahead of the majority of your competition. 

The final simple step to build your personal brand is to be crystal clear.

3) BE CRYSTAL CLEAR

A confused customer doesn’t buy. 

Someone who has never met you or seen what it is that you do should be able to figure out:

1) Who you serve and 
2) How you solve their problem

in just a few short minutes. If that’s not happening, you’ve got some work to do.

Now this goes a little deeper than clarity. It also means that you need to be consistent. Clarity comes through consistency. And this is where having a formula, like the Brand Builder’s Formula, will give you the tools you need to know to create simple consistency in your business.

When you are able to know who you’re speaking to, understand what problem you solve, and be so crystal clear on those points that you become the only person your client can think of when they need help, you’ve taken 3 simple steps to build your personal brand.

If these ring true to you and you know that this is what you need in your business, join me in my course, Brand Builder’s Bootcamp. I’m opening doors - for the LAST time in 2021.

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A personal brand statement is a 3 to 4 sentence statement that explains you and your brand. But it’s more than just a quick 30 second elevator pitch used to introduce yourself.

You may have done an exercise where you practiced what you would say if you walked into an elevator and only had 30 seconds to explain what it was you did for work. And that’s a great skill to have. It’s important to quickly and concisely explain who you are and what you do.

Here’s a direct example from indeed.com:

“Hi, my name is Sara. It’s so nice to meet you! I’m a PR manager, specializing in overseeing successful initiative launches from beginning to end. Along with my 7 years of professional experience, I recently received my MBA with a focus on consumer trust and retention. I find the work your PR team does to be innovating and refreshing—I’d love the opportunity to put my expertise to work for your company. Would you mind if I set up a quick call next week for us to talk about any upcoming opportunities on your team?”

Get it? You are telling someone what you do and kind of pitching your ideas or offer to them.  But a personal brand statement goes deeper than that. 

A personal branding statement is a guide to everything you do in your business.

A personal branding statement is what you will look back on and reference for everything you create. From content to offers, to articles, to social media, to podcasts, to what you wear and where you speak, who you network with and more. It’s THAT important. 

Why do you need one?

So why do you even need one? Remember that I said a personal branding statement is a guide to everything you do in your business? This is different from just telling someone that you are a stylist or a designer. A personal branding statement showcases the personal aspect that you bring to what you do. It says who you are, what you do, who you serve, or what problem you solve, and what makes you unique.

A personal branding statement is your guiding compass. 

If you don’t have one, you will probably make a wrong turn and then waste time scrambling to get back on the right road.

How many times have you said, “Yes” to a project or client that just didn’t work out for you? I know that I’m guilty of that. It makes everything you do so much harder because it isn’t in alignment with your mission and goal. But if you have a brand mission statement, you can always refer back to it to guide what you should say yes to, what you should say no to, what you create, what you offer, and how you serve.

Where to use one?

As an entrepreneur, you most likely aren’t sending out resumes to various corporations. That’s one place that many people think a personal branding statement should be used. 

Instead, you will most likely be using it as a guide for what you are creating and offering in your products or services. You may even use it to introduce yourselves at networking events or meeting others to collaborate with. What about pitching yourself for a podcast or as a guest speaker at a summit or conference? This is a fast and easy way to grab the attention of people you want to work with. It’s a concise way to qualify if an opportunity is the right fit for you. 

But the most important place to use a personal brand statement is in your daily business. 

How do you create one?

Check out this post for more info....

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