Profit Is A Choice

Joining us today is Andy Seeley, CEO and Co-Founder of Creatively Disruptive, a digital marketing agency built by a team of professional nerds that work together as the Small Business Champions. Andy is a Small Business Marketing Expert and he is committed to helping businesses keep up with all the latest algorithms to make sure they are getting their money’s worth for their online advertising.

• Email-marketing

• Retargeting

• Trust

• Results 

• It's about actually crafting your business with the right client base on your demand. Andy Seely (17:24)

   

• If all of my designers are listening here, we talk about all the time, we're selling feelings, not things. Michele (20:55)

   

• The power of email is that it doesn't cost you anything once you've got it. It costs you some effort and it costs you sharing some of your knowledge, but you're not paying 50 cents a click. Andy Seely (23:26)

   

• I had heard one time you can tell somebody what to do all day long, but the difference is, do they have the time and the ability to do it. And that's why I know when I talk about when people are hiring us, they're not just hiring us for what we know, they're hiring us for the expertise to implement it. Michele (28:05)

   

• We are sharing you; we are showing that you trust your clients as much as you want your clients to trust you. Andy Seely (32:47)

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• Website: creativelydisruptive.com

• Twitter: @AndyDisruption

• LinkedIn: Andy Seely

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

With me today on the podcast is Sarah Walker of Nuance Interiors in Washington State. Sarah has just opened high end showroom in the Pacific Northwest catering to builders and other designers. We are going to discuss her journey in design, how she chose to step out of the comfortable and take a risk, and what she would do differently next time.

• Pre-planning

• Relationship building

• Luxury experience 

• I think every designer needs some level of business class. It's understanding what it takes for that firm or your own firm to stay in business. Michele (08:35)

   

• I would say a lot of my successes as a designer is who I know and who I'm connected with, and really supporting my vendors as they support me. Sarah Walker (15:48) 

   

• I also partnered with a Profit First accountant, and we actually review costs quarterly. I can categorize my expenses on a weekly basis so I'm really aware of what's going out, cost wise right now. Sarah Walker (30:28)

   

• Another point is to look at the SBA loans like you did. Do you buy the building? Do you rent the building? There's a lot that goes into those conversations. Michele (34:10)

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• Website: nuanceinteriors.com

• Instagram: @nuanceinteriors

• Facebook: nuanceinteriors

• Pinterest: nuanceinteriors

• Email: [email protected]

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• 7 Figure Case Study - Download here

• Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port

There comes a time for every business owner where they know a cursory glance over their business is not enough. They must do a deep dive into the company to check for workflows, profitability, products, services and more. And this deep dive can be overwhelming if not done methodically – because there are rabbit trails that quickly show up! On today’s podcast I am going to share with you my recent deep dive strategies, how they worked, and what could be improved. Enjoy!

• Strategy session

• Agenda

• Document

• Prioritize

• Step one in preparing for a deep dive session is to create an agenda. Michele (2:11) 

   

• Step two was to leave room on the agenda for new items to emerge and for the scope to morph. Michele (2:54) 

   

• Step three is to create a plan to take notes and capture outcomes. Michele (5:05) 

   

• Creating time to step back from the day to day and to revisit workflows, processes and documents can be difficult – but the investment is amazing. Michele (10:29)

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• ReMarkable 2 Tablet

With me today on the podcast is Jenni Egger of Jenni Egger Designs. Jenni is one of my coaching clients and she has built a wonderful business in Indiana. Jenni had a career prior to her design firm working with the Estee Lauder Corporation. We are going to discuss what she learned from that company that gave her a specific insight into building and scaling her current firm.

• Managing for results

• Talent management

• Family 

• We don't want to cram people into a position, we want to align the position with the talent so that people are working in their zone of genius in an area, they love doing the things that they're well suited for, and have a skill set. Michele (6:42) 

   

• Identifying the talent and then fitting them in the right job times investment equaled growth. Jenni Egger (7:04) 

   

• If you take care of your staff and your team members, they will take care of your clients. Michele (15:28) 

   

• Something I believe in is you look at what you already own, what you already have what you already possess, that you can just make better. Jenni Egger (28:39) 

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• Website: JenniEggerDesigns.com

• Instagram: @jennieggerdesigns

• Facebook: jennieggerdesigns

• Email: [email protected]

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• 7 Figure Case Study - Download here

• The Company I Keep by Leonard A. Lauder

• Ways to Make Your Interior Design Business More Fun - EP 149 with Michele Williams

If you are following along with my newsletter challenges, then you are working to determine what is critical for you and your team to complete this year. (By the way, if you don’t get my newsletter, go to www.scarletthreadconsulting.com and sign up or download any of my free offerings.) And as you are focusing on what is really critical you may be looking at a task list that is longer than your calendar has months left in the year.

Today we are going to talk about fitting your business into your life instead of fitting your life into your business. I hope you find some great take-aways to lighten the load.

• Calendar

• Create boundaries

• Identify What You Want

• We start our business to live the life that we desire, but quickly, we find that we are always working and not living. So how do we keep the tension between these two areas in a safe place? . Michele (2:00) 

   

• At the beginning of each year, I go to my work calendar (or actually a personal Google calendar that is linked to my work calendar), and I mark off every day I want to take off – for any reason. Michele (3:44) 

   

• I had not created the space in my own life to have joy, love, kindness, and peace show up as a natural byproduct.  Michele (6:42) 

   

• I learned to create boundaries around work and life. My life was scheduled, and then I scheduled my work. This allowed me to fit in work – not fit in my life. Michele (9:51)

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• 7 Figure Case Study - Download here

• 3 Reasons to Take Your Design Business on Vacation - EP 142 with Michele Williams

• Dynamics of an Entrepreneurial Family - EP 77 with Brantley and Harrison Williams

With us on the podcast today is Aimee LaLiberte. Aimee is the owner of My Virtual CFO and is also a life and money coach. We are chatting about having a relationship with money – the good and the bad. Listen in as we talk about money being neutral and amoral. Afterward, leave yourself some time to reflect on how money was viewed by your family during your childhood and how that influences the type of business you run today.

• Beliefs 

• Money mindset 

• Comparison 

• Resistance 

• Money doesn't have a morality. It's what we do with it and how we handle it. It's our choices that that are morally inclined, but money is just an object. Michele (10:51) 

   

• I think sometimes breaking apart the constructs that we've held, can really kind of shake us when we realized that they were never true. Michele (17:22) 

   

• What I found every time I've grown my business, it has been when I've let go of this pre-determined agenda that I've had about myself, that you need to work really hard in order to get ahead. As soon as I dropped that and said, I believe in myself, it's always unfolded. Amy LaLiberte (19:40) 

   

• Price it properly and serve them and the rest is going to take care of itself as far as the ability to make money. Michele (22:14) 

   

• When I really started to examine my work hard attitude and work life balance, I realized this is not what I preach to my clients. Why is it that I would never want to hear my clients doing this, and yet it's acceptable to me? It was really that moment where I had to take a step back and say, okay, something's got to give, what do I need to do?   Amy LaLiberte (23:30)

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• Website: My Virtual CFO

• Instagram: @MyVirtualCFO

• Facebook: MyVirtualCFO

• LinkedIn: Aimee LaLiberte

• Email: [email protected]

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, Fix This Next, Profit First, Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz

• Pricing Without Emotion®

• Understanding Your Financials™

• Master Your Profit®

When I started my podcast journey in September of 2018, I knew I would only do it if I could have the time and resources to do it well and consistently. I have now wrapped up 3 full years of podcasting and this is the start of year 4. Thank you all for continuing to be willing to listen, share, and talk about the choices that make our businesses and lives profitable. I would love for you to leave a review of the podcast on your favorite listening device. I believe there is more to be done and uncovered – so cheers to the beginning of year 4 of Profit Is A Choice.

• Review

• Profitability

• Strategic Plan

• In episode 112 I shared 6 ways to remove overwhelm in your business. Two of my favorites are to stop and breathe, then focus on the next ONE thing. The other four ideas aren’t too shabby either. Michele (3:24) 

   

• Strategic plans are the conversation of the year for me. In episode 129 I share with you why you need one. Actually – I share 5 reasons you need one. Michele (8:48) 

   

• Reviewing a year like this really reminds me of the varied experiences in our industry and it allows me to think bigger than I might sometimes think on my own. It can do the same for you.  Michele (19:46) 

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• 7-Figure Case Study

• Play to Your Strengths - EP 35 with Darren Virassammy

• Who Should I Hire First: Admin Assistance or Junior Designer? by Michele Williams

• StrengthsFinder Assessment

Joining me today is Chad Smith of SideDoor. Chad is an entrepreneur with a long background in the design industry. On today’s podcast we are discussing how to monetize and streamline the ordering and procurement process by using an online tool that has digitized the order process. SideDoor can be used in a multitude of ways in your business, and I hope you are as excited about learning and considering the opportunities as I am.

• Purchasing product

• Ease of process

• Digital ordering and catalog

• We're all trying different things, in shifting our business practices and industries around us are shifting. But we learned from each one of those endeavors, and then take that into the next one. Michele (3:03) 

   

• That's what's so helpful for programs like yours, teachings like yours podcast like this, because the reality is, what drives success for the business owner is, frankly, the repetition of like some of the boring basics, if you will, those are the things that make the difference. Chad Smith (11:11) 

   

• I can assure you, in my experience, people aren't going to solve your problem. They may help once you have those processes in place you help your firm grow. Chad Smith (15:05) 

   

• In this whole microcosm of design, SideDoor gives an opportunity for vendors, even smaller vendors, the opportunity to get in front of designers, to sell their product. Michele (31:35) 

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• Website: On SideDoor

• Instagram: @onsidedoor

• Email: [email protected]

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• 7-Figure Case Study - Download here

Joining me on the podcast today is Misty Molloy of CoCreative Interiors. Misty began her design business a little over a year ago and has had rapid growth both in the development of her business and in her designs. After working through her financials, Misty experienced some overwhelm which lead to her getting stuck with how to move forward. Listen in as we dissect her challenge, remove obstacles, and make a path forward for her.

• Growth

• Plan

• Action

• Overwhelm

• I started my business with the foundation in mind because I recognized how important the business principles and the foundation are to the success of a business. Misty Molloy (6:38) 

   

• How do I recognize and achieve the challenge of a business plan, and accomplish it without exhausting and killing myself? Michele (15:10) 

   

• The more that you know, and recognize what you are perfectly poised to do, the more you're going to recognize it when it hits your desk and you get to talk to the client about it. Michele (25:58) 

   

• One of the things that are interesting is this idea of balancing what you want and what the market wants. That's part of where I get stuck - just because you build it doesn't mean they will come. Misty Molloy (28:06) 

   

• I think that in our businesses, we can hit that same wall, like I've made so many decisions, I just don't want to make the next one. And then whatever comes up, we put a block up against it. Michele (35:56) 

   

• I think that's the ultimate value of coaching is having someone who can help identify the roadblocks and create that framework for busting through those roadblocks. Misty Molloy (53:46)

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

• Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com

• LinkedIn: Michele Williams

• Website: CoCreative Interiors

• Instagram: @cocreativeinteriors

• Facebook: CoCreative Interiors

• Email: [email protected]

• AIM Masterclass - Watch now

• 7-Figure Case Study - Download here