The Content Experiment Podcast

You’re spending time and possibly money on your content. Are you getting what you want out of it? Brand awareness? List growth? Sales? New connections? Something else?

Chances are that if you’ve made it to these show notes, you feel like your content could do a little more than what it’s doing right now. You’ve come to the right place.

On this episode of the Stories in Small Business podcast, I’m sharing with you eight reasons why your content isn’t doing its job. There are tips for quick fixes, ideas for longer-term tweaks and mindset shifts and resources for you to do better with your content in the long run.

There are so many reasons your content may not be working. You owe it to yourself to find out why.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Content Mastery Lab
• Content Strategy Clarity
• Dead Link Checker
• Broken Link Checker
• ActiveCampaign

As business owners, we have enough on our plate already, right? From standard operating procedures to marketing to sales to networking to product creation to...you name it. It's a lot. But one place where a lot of business owners hide their head is their numbers.

But the numbers in your business could make or break your business. If you're not listening to the story your business numbers are telling you, you might not be around very long. That's why the conversation I had with today's guest is such an important one.

Danielle Hayden of Kickstart Accounting shares that while it's okay (and even recommended) that you outsource your financials, every business owner needs to know some key numbers in their business. And we're not just talking revenue here. Do you know your business's financial trends? Are you making responsible decisions based on those trends?

It's time to get comfortable in your role as CEO and take the fear and overwhelm out of accounting. Tune in for more!

Mentioned in This Episode

• Content Strategy Clarity challenge
• Get your free goal-setting worksheet

About Danielle Hayden

Danielle is a reformed corporate CFO (chief financial officer) who is on a mission to help rule-breaking female entrepreneurs understand their numbers so they can gain the confidence needed to create sustainable profits. After spending 10+ years in the boardroom as a corporate finance officer, Danielle is now in her sweet spot as the co-owner of Kickstart Accounting, Inc. where she helps business owners with bookkeeping, financial analysis, and education and as the author of the Profit Planner book series. When Danielle isn't crunching numbers on her clients' behalf or crafting the next iteration of the Profit Planner, you can find her hanging with her two kids as she inspires them to lead their fullest lives or doing any, and almost every fitness-related activity ranging from Spartan races to pilates.

As business owners, we have enough on our plate already, right? From standard operating procedures to marketing to sales to networking to product creation to...you name it. It’s a lot. But one place where a lot of business owners hide their head is their numbers.

But the numbers in your business could make or break your business. If you’re not listening to the story your business numbers are telling you, you might not be around very long. That’s why the conversation I had with today’s guest is such an important one.

Danielle Hayden of Kickstart Accounting shares that while it’s okay (and even recommended) that you outsource your financials, every business owner needs to know some key numbers in their business. And we’re not just talking revenue here. Do you know your business’s financial trends? Are you making responsible decisions based on those trends?

It’s time to get comfortable in your role as CEO and take the fear and overwhelm out of accounting. Tune in for more!

Mentioned in This Episode

• Content Strategy Clarity challenge
• Get your free goal-setting worksheet

About Danielle Hayden

Danielle is a reformed corporate CFO (chief financial officer) who is on a mission to help rule-breaking female entrepreneurs understand their numbers so they can gain the confidence needed to create sustainable profits. After spending 10+ years in the boardroom as a corporate finance officer, Danielle is now in her sweet spot as the co-owner of Kickstart Accounting, Inc. where she helps business owners with bookkeeping, financial analysis, and education and as the author of the Profit Planner book series. When Danielle isn’t crunching numbers on her clients’ behalf or crafting the next iteration of the Profit Planner, you can find her hanging with her two kids as she inspires them to lead their fullest lives or doing any, and almost every fitness-related activity ranging from Spartan races to pilates.

There comes a time in your business where it's time to raise prices. You shift your services, you're experiencing growth or simply inflation has caught up with you and it's time. But it feels like there's such a stigma around price increases, particularly among service-based businesses.

A few years ago, I raised prices across the board for all my retainer clients--and didn't lose a single client in the process. The trick was that I was shifting my services to serve my clients even better than before, and gave them all enough time to let the new pricing (and added value) sink in.

Listen in to this week's episode of the Stories in Small Business podcast as I walk through some of the most important things to consider when raising your prices and tell you exactly how I've done it in the past.

I don't claim to be a pricing expert, but I do want to share what worked for me in the hopes it will work for you too.

Mentioned on This Episode

• Content Strategy Clarity free challenge

There comes a time in your business where it’s time to raise prices. You shift your services, you’re experiencing growth or simply inflation has caught up with you and it’s time. But it feels like there’s such a stigma around price increases, particularly among service-based businesses.

A few years ago, I raised prices across the board for all my retainer clients--and didn’t lose a single client in the process. The trick was that I was shifting my services to serve my clients even better than before, and gave them all enough time to let the new pricing (and added value) sink in.

Listen in to this week’s episode of the Stories in Small Business podcast as I walk through some of the most important things to consider when raising your prices and tell you exactly how I’ve done it in the past.

I don’t claim to be a pricing expert, but I do want to share what worked for me in the hopes it will work for you too.

Mentioned on This Episode

• Content Strategy Clarity free challenge

Everyone has their own hangups about content development and marketing our businesses, and I love that this week's guest is helping authors to overcome those challenges. Debbie Gonzales is a former educator and administrator and an author and coach for authors in the kidlit industry. She works with authors of all backgrounds and experience levels to get their books in the hands of readers.

Like so many of us in this entrepreneurial space, Debbie dove in head-first and learned everything she could about owning a business. She learned how to blog (and why it's a marathon, not a sprint), how age impacts how you're marketing yourself and the importance of community for women of a "certain age."

As someone in Debbie's "certain age" target market, I could not have been happier to chat with her. Not only that, but Debbie is a member of my Content Mastery Lab and she gives new meaning to the words star student.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl
• Girls with Guts!: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records by Debbie Gonzales
• Content Mastery Lab

About Debbie Gonzales

Debbie is a career educator, curriculum consultant, former school administrator and adjunct professor, a podcaster (The Debcast), and a visibility coach who helps authors and illustrators to gain the clarity, focus, and skills required to develop influence and visibility in the kidlit marketplace. She's the author of six transitional readers for New Zealand publisher, Giltedge, and the non-fiction picture book Girls with Guts: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records (Charlesbridge, 2019). Deb serves as a member of the Michigan Reading Association board and earned her MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Learn more about Deb and her many projects on her website.

Everyone has their own hangups about content development and marketing our businesses, and I love that this week’s guest is helping authors to overcome those challenges. Debbie Gonzales is a former educator and administrator and an author and coach for authors in the kidlit industry. She works with authors of all backgrounds and experience levels to get their books in the hands of readers.

Like so many of us in this entrepreneurial space, Debbie dove in head-first and learned everything she could about owning a business. She learned how to blog (and why it’s a marathon, not a sprint), how age impacts how you’re marketing yourself and the importance of community for women of a “certain age.”

As someone in Debbie’s “certain age” target market, I could not have been happier to chat with her. Not only that, but Debbie is a member of my Content Mastery Lab and she gives new meaning to the words star student.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl
• Girls with Guts!: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records by Debbie Gonzales
• Content Mastery Lab

About Debbie Gonzales

Debbie is a career educator, curriculum consultant, former school administrator and adjunct professor, a podcaster (The Debcast), and a visibility coach who helps authors and illustrators to gain the clarity, focus, and skills required to develop influence and visibility in the kidlit marketplace. She's the author of six transitional readers for New Zealand publisher, Giltedge, and the non-fiction picture book Girls with Guts: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records (Charlesbridge, 2019). Deb serves as a member of the Michigan Reading Association board and earned her MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Learn more about Deb and her many projects on her website.

It's so hard to say no to something in business, but that's exactly what you need to do if you're feeling overwhelmed by the idea of creating all the content in all the places. You do not need to show up everywhere online to market your business effectively.

In fact, the opposite is true. You need to be strategic and focused when delivering your message. You need to do your homework and know exactly where your audience is showing up—and then double down there.

If you're struggling with what content to create for your audience, you need to listen in to this episode. I'm giving you permission to stop publishing content on all the platforms so you can truly focus on the things that will bring you the best return on your investment.

Mentioned on This Episode

• They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
• Content Strategy Clarity free challenge
• Content Mastery Lab membership

It’s so hard to say no to something in business, but that’s exactly what you need to do if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of creating all the content in all the places. You do not need to show up everywhere online to market your business effectively.

In fact, the opposite is true. You need to be strategic and focused when delivering your message. You need to do your homework and know exactly where your audience is showing up—and then double down there.

If you’re struggling with what content to create for your audience, you need to listen in to this episode. I’m giving you permission to stop publishing content on all the platforms so you can truly focus on the things that will bring you the best return on your investment.

Mentioned on This Episode

• They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
• Content Strategy Clarity free challenge
• Content Mastery Lab membership

Getting more visibility has never been easier, especially with the ease with which we can create content today. And by "content," I don't necessarily mean blog posts and YouTube videos.

On today's episode of the Stories in Small Business podcast, I'm talking with my friend Jodi Brandon about why business owners should consider writing a book to elevate their business and how to put aside the fears of jumping into the process. Jodi also shares a big "oops" she made in her own first self-publishing venture. Of course, I love that she shared this because no one is perfect and we can all make mistakes--even within our own expertise.

We also talk about outsourcing in our businesses, my progress (or lack thereof) with writing my own book and her new group program, The Write Life. Listen in now!

Mentioned in This Episode

• Write. Publish. Market. by Jodi Brandon
• The Write Life

About Jodi Brandon

Jodi Brandon has more than 20 years' experience in book publishing. After many years working in traditional publishing, Jodi and her husband relocated from New York to Philadelphia and she launched her freelance editing business. Today Jodi works primarily as a book publishing partner for entrepreneurs, creatives, and small business owners who want to grow their business with a book. Find more on her website or follow her on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.