Small Business Casual: Content Marketing, Productivity, Customer Experience for Entrepreneurs & Creators

Text Emily!

Think your stories aren't worth telling? 

Think again! 

In this episode, my guest Sara Lohse helps us to find the stories in our ordinary lives that are hiding in plain sight. She shares how everyday moments can become compelling stories that build connection, make content memorable, and help guide people to new insights and inspiration. 

Our conversation explores how to uncover the threads inside the "mundane" and why the best stories are almost always the ones that seem too small to matter (at first).

In the episode: 

• The tattoo that was meant to be an airplane... but... turned out a little upside down and how it changed Sara's life, nudging her into entrepreneurship
• Why audiences don't need more information and stats, they need more stories. Your stories. 
• Why your story doesn't need to be dramatic, traumatic, or feature any rock bottoms to be worth telling 
• Examples of how to find threads and patterns that lead to compelling and memorable stories 
• How to create a memorable impression and lasting connection with every story you tell 
• Do's and don'ts of good storytelling 
• And more!

Quotes: 

“A podcast isn't a place for information; it's a place for stories.”

“Our stories are already written. They're just a telling of what we've experienced.”

“Why are we just kind of coasting through our lives when we could be just intentionally experiencing it?”

“You don't need a huge trauma story to have a story worth telling.”

“Start with the lesson, then find the story.

“The best stories are the ones that feel almost too small to matter at first.”

About Sara Lohse

Sara Lohse is an award-winning author, podcast strategist, and storyteller who helps business owners and consultants create impact through thought leadership and podcasting. As the founder of Branded Media, she's guided by one core belief: everything happens for a story.

Book: openthisbook.com/

FREE Storytelling Download: favoritedaughtermedia.com/openthisjournal/

Instagram: instagram.com/stickwithbranded

Facebook: facebook.com/sara.nicole.lohse

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/saralohse/

About me, Emily Aborn! Your Hostess with the Mostess 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, speaker, and your loyal and nerdy host of Small Business Casual. I bring 12+ years of entrepreneurial experience and have spent the last eight years writing copy across 124 industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Website: Emilyaborn.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Emily.CatherineGrace

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/EmilyAborn

Substack: Smallbusinesscasual.substack.com

Text Emily!

Time feels a little weird lately, doesn't it? Being alive right now feels like a tilt-a-whirl.

Between adopting our rescue pup (anyone else only got two brain cells left?),  juggling a house, a business, and a zillion things at once, I've been living in a low hum of "gahhhhhhh!" 

A friend reminded me: this is a season, not a life sentence.

In this episode, I'm sharing the seven things I'm actually experimenting with to feel a little less scrambled, without adding more pressure to the pile:

• Redefine "on track" 
• Follow the energy and the breadcrumbs
• Focus on micro-consistency
• Lower your Minimum Viable Doses (MVD)
• Shrink the horizon
• Do a brain dump
• Keep one daily anchor ritual

About me, Emily Aborn! 

Your Hostess with the Mostess 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, speaker, and your loyal and nerdy host of Small Business Casual. I bring 12+ years of entrepreneurial experience and have spent the last eight years writing copy across 124 industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Website: Emilyaborn.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Emily.CatherineGrace

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/EmilyAborn

Substack: Smallbusinesscasual.substack.com

Text Emily!

Your brand is telling a story whether you meant it to or not. 

The question is whether or not it's telling the right one.

In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant designer behind my own timeless branding, Jess Mercier, to talk about brands that tell a story. You'll also learn how Jess's own rambly intuition-led road brought her to where she is, and the work she does, today.

If you've ever wondered what separates a logo from a real brand identity, or you're scared to be seen in your own business, this conversation is for you...

In This Episode:

• Why Jess quit art school and what eventually brought her back to creative work
• Quieting the inner critic and imposter syndrome
• How your past is part of, and informs, your present work
• The difference between designing a logo and building a brand identity
• The biggest branding mistake people make when they DIY it or rush the process
• And more!

A Little About Our Collaboration

Jess is the mastermind behind the branding for my copywriting business, and she and I work closely together on copy, website, and design projects every chance we get! We get into how that collaboration works and how we help clients as a team, so if you've ever wondered what it looks like when a copywriter and a designer join forces, you'll get a peek behind the curtain.

About Jess Mercier

Jess Malli Mercier is the owner and creative behind JMM Artist Designer, a branding strategist, artist, and designer known for blending artistic vision with intuitive design. She attended Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, concentrating in color theory and abstract painting, before finding her passion in creating brands. Her style is clean and modern, with a deep commitment to bringing out the individuality of every client.

Jess moved to Houston from Massachusetts eight years ago with her husband and two daughters. She's a big advocate for women in business, a large-scale abstract painter, a thrift store junkie, and a hunter of hidden culinary gems. She believes we're all made of energy, and that what we put into the universe connects us to the people we're meant to help.

Connect with Jess

• Website: www.jmmartistdesigner.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: facebook.com/jmmartistdesigner
• Instagram: instagram.com/jmmartistdesigner

About me, Emily Aborn! Your Hostess with the Mostess 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, speaker, and your loyal and nerdy host of Small Business Casual. I bring 12+ years of entrepreneurial experience and have spent the last eight years writing copy across 122 industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Website: Emilyaborn.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Emily.CatherineGrace

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/EmilyAborn

Substack: Smallbusinesscasual.substack.com

Text Emily!

Reinventing yourself could be the best move you ever make… 

In this episode, we get to hear the story of Mary Foerster, who challenges the assumption of when and how reinvention takes place. Mary speaks directly to those who feel stuck while promising them ideas for hope, transformation, and a restoration of their passion. 

You’ll hear how, even to this day with all her skills and expertise, Mary is working to overcome perfectionism and imposter syndrome. She shares her philosophy on lightening up and having a little more fun in life, and why starting before you’re ready is highly recommended. 

• The many iterations of Mary Foerster and how her journey can inspire us to follow our passion 
• The realities and challenges of starting a business later in life 
• The part of podcasting and business no one warned her about 
• Why the excuse, "I'm too _____" is just mental trash 
• The power of relationships and community 
• The play/work balance 
• And more! 

Quotables 

“Look to your strengths.”

“The gold is in your backyard.”

“Podcasting allows you to be real with one person at a time.”

About & Connect with Mary 

Mary Foerster is the creator and host of Real Estate Connections, a podcast exploring the people, trends, and ideas shaping today's housing market. A former Realtor, house flipper, legislative advocate, and longtime leader at AARP, Mary has spent decades building connections that strengthen communities. At 75, she continues to educate, inspire, and engage through podcasting, community leadership, and her work with Rotary and Westford Community Access Television. 

Podcast: buzzsprout.com/2553466/episodes

Mary on Don't Be Caged By Your Age: dontbecagedbyyourage.com/opening-new-doors-after-70/

Mary on Instagram: instagram.com/realestateconnectionspod/

Connect with Me, Emily Aborn: 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, Podcast Host of Small Business Casual, and Marketing Strategist with 12+ years as a business owner and 8 years writing copy across 121+ industries. 

I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Visit my website at: emilyaborn.com 

Text Emily!

It's tempting to think of transitions as temporaries. 

Dead zones. 

The throat-clearing before we rush in and get to "the real work". 

But what if the setup, the shutdown, and the in-between moments aren't the boring part... they're where the best work actually gets a solid foundation?

In this short(ish) bonus episode, my new rescue pup Finch teaches me (the hard way) that dogs and humans alike need transition time. 

I share what I'm learning about intentional transitions that protect your energy vs. drain it and a whole grab bag of small, doable ways to build more transitions into your day, week, month, and seasons. 

Transition Ideas: 

• Pre-project setup: folder, research, and resources all in one place before you write a word
• End-of-day shutdown: close tabs, clear the inbox, and tidy files so tomorrow-you starts clean
• A runway before a work block: grab your tea, light a candle, cue up your playlist to give your brain an "I'm entering the cave now" signal
• A landing after a work block: a short walk, a snack, a little celebration, instead of slamming frazzled into the next thing
• Buffer zones between calls: it's not 2020 anymore, Toto. You don't have to stack them back to back
• A Friday list for Monday: leave breadcrumbs so the weekend handoff is smooth
• Breathing room between clients: cleanse the mental palate so client B doesn't get client A's leftovers
• Re-entry time after weekends, vacations, and sick days, easing in instead of expecting a full day one
• Idea parking lots: let a great idea sit before you act, so you know it's a keeper
• Season transitions: zoom out and move gently between busy and slow, launch and recovery

About me, Emily Aborn! Your Hostess with the Mostess 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, speaker, and your loyal and nerdy host of Small Business Casual. I bring 12+ years of entrepreneurial experience and have spent the last eight years writing copy across 122 industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Website: Emilyaborn.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Emily.CatherineGrace

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/EmilyAborn

Substack: Smallbusinesscasual.substack.com

Text Emily!

In this conversation with Melissa Snow, we dive into the often unspoken realities and speed bumps of entrepreneurship, especially for women. Melissa's story reveals the nature of starting a business and the necessity of adaptability, consistency, and courage.

Melissa reminds us that we don't have to fit the mold to find our fit. 

We discuss what makes networking actually work, how to find the right rooms, and why consistency matters more than trying to “work the room.”

• Melissa's accidental entrepreneur story and business ownership (with a twist!)
• How she helps women grow through relationships, referrals, and human-centered networking
• Why so many women feel they don't fit the mold in business.
• The difference between structured networking and unstructured events, and why fit matters. 
• Practical ways to make networking easier
• The tension between giving and receiving in community building and how to ask for what you need
• Being consistent and showing up. 

Notable quotes by Melissa: 

“Network like a human and not like a salesy weirdo.”

“You don’t have to be anything specific in order to be successful in business, but you do have to find the way that works for you.”

“The purpose of networking is not to get clients. The purpose of networking is to build your network.”

About Melissa

Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist and founder of Powerful Women Rising, a business growth ecosystem serving female entrepreneurs around the world.  After building multiple successful businesses of her own, Melissa now helps women increase visibility, generate consistent referrals and build strategic partnerships through the PWR Connection Network and Business Growth Mastermind.  She’s on a mission to change the way women build businesses - proving you can be authentic, values-driven and profitable without pitching, perfection or performance.  She hosts the popular Powerful Women Rising podcast, runs on iced coffee and lives in a home full of rescue animals. 

Links

Powerful Women Rising Podcast: https://powerfulwomenrising.com/podcast
Powerful Women Rising Community (use code: podcast for a free ticket!): https://powerfulwomenrising.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerfulwomenrising/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.snow.908579

About me, Emily Aborn! Your Hostess with the Mostess 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, speaker, and your loyal and nerdy host of Small Business Casual. I bring 12+ years of entrepreneurial experience and have spent the last eight years writing copy across 122 industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Website: Emilyaborn.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Emily.CatherineGrace

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/EmilyAborn

Substack: Smallbusinesscasual.substack.com

Text Emily!

"Just be relatable!" Ahhh, I love me some generic advice overly spewed on the internet, don't you? 

What exactly does it mean to be "relatable"? 

How on earth are you even supposed to do that?

What if I don't wanna' be relatable? 

And is relatability really the GOAL? 

In this episode, I explore how relatability for relatability's sake is about as effective as a bridge that leads to nowhere. 

I contrast through three real examples that either made me cringe or sign up on the spot, and I break down the three ways relatable content collapses. And of course, because I like my bridges to lead to better destinations... I'll show you how to use relatability to ACTUALLY bring your people closer. 

You'll Learn: 

• What "relatable content" means and why sometimes, it sounds better in theory than it plays out
• The difference between content that reaches for connection and "unpopular opinion" bait that's just reaching for attention
• Flop #1) The bridge that goes nowhere. Aka commiseration in fancier clothes
• Flop #2) The bridge back to YOU. Vulnerability that U-turns. 
• Flop #3) The bridge built on air. Claiming to relate to something you haven't lived (and where AI makes this worse)
• The fix for each, and why you need either real empathy OR real authority, not just the manufactured "me too"

Takeaways: 

• Relatability is a bridge, not the final destination.
• The point is to get someone from "this person gets me" to "they can help me get somewhere better."
• You do not need to have lived someone's exact experience to help them. You do need real empathy or real authority.

About me, Emily Aborn! Your Hostess with the Mostess 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, speaker, and your loyal and nerdy host of Small Business Casual. I bring 12+ years of entrepreneurial experience and have spent the last eight years writing copy across 122 industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Website: Emilyaborn.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Emily.CatherineGrace

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/EmilyAborn

Substack: Smallbusinesscasual.substack.com

Listen and Subscribe

If this one made you rethink your own "me too" content, follow the show, leave a quick review, and tell me: what's a piece of relatable content that took you somewhere? I'm collecting good examples.

Text Emily!

Once you hit the 2, 3, 6... going-on-15-year mark in business... you've come up with A LOT of ideas. So, what do you do when you're fresh out?! When the well runs dry, and things just feel a little... flatlined? 

In this episode, I'll help you go from ennui to elation as we reinvigorate the spark with some out-of-the-box ideas and experiments (none of which require you to grind harder or drive around on an empty tank). 

In this episode: 

• Why "I'm not creative enough," is never answer. 
• The power of trying something new, challenging, and with a deadline
• Going deeper instead of chasing the next thing 
• Gaining outside perspective when you're too up close and personal 
• What you can learn when you commit to "telling about it" 
• How community is KEY to pulling you out of a funk 

The Experiments: 

• Build excitement and anticipation with a deadline or a date
• Try something new
• Get your hands on a challenge
• Go deeper within (repurposing counts)
• Gain outside perspective
• Report or share about it
• Do it with others

Come Refill in Community!

• Candid Content Day - email me to get on the list for the next one: [email protected] 
• New England Podcasters Group - second Saturday of every month! Join us HERE: newenglandpodcasters.group

About Me: 

Small Business Copywriter and the host of Small Business Casual, with 12+ years as a business owner and 8 years writing copy across 122+ industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! [email protected]

Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack

Text Emily!

Is Consistency for the Birds? 

We often treat "consistency" as one of the 10 Commandments of Business. Like changing your mind or backing away is a character flaw. 

In this episode, I make the case that, at least 50% of the time... it's the other way around, and walking away is being consistent with the truth of YOU. 

There's smart consistency: Showing up reliably and staying true to your values. 

And fooolish consistency: Clinging to a decision, a product, or a posting schedule just so you don't look flaky.

I get into why changing your mind is often a sign of growth instead of weakness, why consistency and frequency are not the same thing, and the reversals I've made lately in my own business. 

Main Takeaway: Consistency isn't about staying the same. It's about staying true to who you are while the what, the how, and the how-often are allowed to evolve. Changing your mind might be the most consistent thing you ever do.

In This Episode: 

• The difference between smart consistency and foolish consistency
• Why consistency isn't the same as frequency (and how conflating them can burn you out)
• How consistency looks different seasonally
• Why changing your mind isn't always flaky 

Quotes:

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." - Maya Angelou

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Connect with Me, Emily Aborn: 

I'm a Small Business Copywriter, Podcast Host of Small Business Casual, and Marketing Strategist with 12+ years as a business owner and 8 years writing copy across 121+ industries. 

I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun and downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a question for the show? Email me at [email protected].

Visit my website at: emilyaborn.com 

If this one landed with you, please like, comment, subscribe, and tell me one thing you've changed your mind on lately. I'll trade you mine!

Text Emily!

No one wants to be the bad guy in their own story, of course… but it can go a little too far sometimes. 

I see it on website after website. 

Not villains who are posing as saints, but innocent, well-meaning service providers and practitioners who accidentally make themselves the hero of a story that’s supposed to be about their clients! 

In this episode, we get into what it means to make your clients, customers, readers, and listeners the hero of the story without losing your voice, yourself, or your personal stories in the process. 

We get into what can accidentally turn your community OFF and make content a little insufferable, and tangible action you can take to fix it. 

• 7 Fixes to make your customer the hero of the story 
• What to avoid when showing empathy and understanding 
• How to keep your experience and expertise in the picture
• And more! 

About Emily Aborn

Small Business Copywriter by day, host of Small Business Casual by uh... also by day, Emily brings you 12+ years of experience writing across 122+ industries (translation: your project won't be her first rodeo!). 

She helps you step into becoming and sharing the real YOU. For fun and downtime, Emily's a reader, writer, hiker, and enjoys moments of uninterrupted silence. 

Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! [email protected]

Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack