I was about to title this episode "How I'm Actually Feeling About AI Right Now", because honestly? It's not all sunshine and robots over here.

Look, you know me. I'm the AI girl. I teach it, I use it, I've built entire systems around it. But lately? Some stuff happening in the AI space is giving me the ick. And in some cases, I'm like... have we completely lost the plot?

I'm still team AI—don't get me wrong. This tech has changed everything for entrepreneurs. It's opened up massive opportunities, saved me countless hours, helped me tighten up systems, create better content, and run a stronger company. But here's the thing: not everything coming out of this so-called "AI revolution" is smart. Not all of it is going to grow your business in the right way.

So I'm flipping the mic on and getting real about a couple things that aren't sitting right with me. And honestly? I think you might agree.

We're building personal brand businesses in this weird new AI-saturated world, and we need to be smart about it. Because your edge isn't in how many automations you have—your edge is YOU. Your stories, your opinions, your energy. That's what can't be replicated, even by a really good AI twin.

What You'll Learn:

• Why AI twins and digital clones are giving me major ick (and why they might be killing your personal brand instead of building it)
• The problem with AI-generated podcasts and why they'll make your audience tune out fast
• How to use AI to amplify yourself without replacing the human connection your audience craves
• Why you don't need to keep up with every single AI development (and how it's actually holding you back)
• The one thing that will always be your competitive edge as a personal brand entrepreneur
• How to zig when everyone else zags—and why "ugly content" might be your secret weapon
• My challenge to you: how to lean MORE into being human in your business, not less

Resources Mentioned:

• The Personality Manifesto (FREE): https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/personality

Your Next Steps:

• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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What if you could run a scrappy Black Friday promo and walk away with $15,000 in sales?

That's exactly what Sam Adler did, and she's here to spill all the details.

Sam is a classically trained pastry chef turned award-winning food photographer and stylist. Her vibrant style and smart strategy have landed her features in Cosmopolitan and Taste of Home, and she's built a thriving education business teaching fellow food creatives how to do what she does. But last Black Friday, she tried something new: she ran her first-ever "5 Days of Deals" promotion using my Black Friday in a Box strategy, and the results were incredible.

In this episode, Sam and I dive into her journey from custom cake shop owner to food blogger to full-time photographer and educator. She walks us through exactly how she structured her Black Friday week, what offers she sold (from $24 guides to her $2,850 mastermind), and what surprised her most about the results. We also talk about why she's changing things up for this year's Black Friday and what she learned from testing new offers during the sale.

If you've ever wondered whether the Black Friday in a Box strategy works for businesses outside of traditional course creation, or if you're curious about how to structure a multi-day promotion with offers at different price points, this episode is for you.

What You'll Learn:

• How Sam transitioned from pastry chef to food photographer to online educator
• The exact breakdown of Sam's five Black Friday offers and how much each one made
• Why her $24 restaurant photography guide ended up being one of her best sellers
• What happened when she tested a brand-new $697 offer on Thanksgiving (spoiler: no one bought it, and that's okay!)
• How she filled half of her $2,850 mastermind spots without doing any sales calls
• The power of testing new offers during Black Friday to gather valuable data
• What Sam is changing for her Black Friday strategy this year
• Why following the Black Friday in a Box strategy to a T made all the difference

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday
• Sam's Food Blog: https://frostingandfettuccine.com/
• Sam's Creative Business: https://samadlercreative.com/

Your Next Steps:

• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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Ever wondered how someone could make half their annual photography income in just one week? That's exactly what happened to Megan O'Hare when she ran her first strategic Black Friday promotion.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Megan O'Hare, the powerhouse behind The Photo Project—a course that teaches moms how to organize their digital photo chaos. 

We're diving deep into how Megan went from making around $7,000 on her first attempt at a Black Friday sale to crushing it with $51,000 the following year using my Black Friday in a Box strategy. She's pulling back the curtain on exactly how she structures her promotions, why her done-for-you service sells out twice a year, and how she's built a business model that allows her to barely touch social media while still growing her email list and revenue consistently.

This conversation is packed with strategy gold, including why Megan limits her high-ticket one-to-one offers to just two sale periods per year, how she's made certain products available ONLY during Black Friday (talk about built-in urgency!), and why 95% of her done-for-you clients are people who already bought her course but decided they'd rather just have her do it.

What you'll learn:

• How Megan went from $7K to $51K in Black Friday sales by implementing a strategic promotion plan
• The exact structure of her 5-day Black Friday sale and why limiting availability creates massive demand
• Why her done-for-you service clients are almost always previous course buyers (and what that means for YOUR business model)
• How she runs a summer sale using the same Black Friday strategy for an additional revenue boost
• Her approach to making certain products available ONLY during promotional periods to drive urgency
• Why lead generation ads are her "cost of doing business" and how she thinks about ROI differently
• The truth about her email marketing strategy (spoiler: it's not perfect, and that's okay)
• How she's structured pricing for her done-for-you service to avoid awkward money conversations

Resources Mentioned in this episode:

• Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday 
• The Photo Project: https://thephotoproject.co/ 
• Megan O'Hare on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oharephotos/ 

Your Next Steps:

• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools

Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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I am SO pumped to share this episode with you because it's proof that the strategies I teach actually work in the real world.

My student Stephanie Kase just pulled back the curtain on how she made $20,013 during Black Friday 2024 using my Black Friday in a Box strategy. And she documented EVERYTHING.

We're talking about a woman who doubled her previous year's Black Friday results without massive audience growth. She went from making her typical $4-6K flash sales to hitting a goal that honestly seemed ambitious when she set it.

What I love most about Stephanie's approach is that she didn't just follow my strategy blindly - she adapted it, tested it, and made it work for her business. She ran five days of deals, used strategic upsells, and even threw in some warm audience Facebook ads that generated a 13.4x return on ad spend.

This isn't just about the numbers though. Stephanie breaks down exactly what worked, what didn't, and what she's changing for next year. She's sharing the behind-the-scenes reality of running a successful Black Friday campaign, including the 500 people who unsubscribed (and why she's totally fine with that).

Grab Black Friday in a Box while it’s on SALE: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday

What you'll learn:

• The exact 5-day deal structure that generated over $20K in sales
• How strategic upsells and order bumps added $4,100 to her revenue
• Why running ads to warm audiences only resulted in 13.4x return on ad spend
• The specific email timing strategy that worked (and what didn't)
• Her biggest mistakes and what she's doing differently in 2025
• The email subject lines that got the highest open rates during Black Friday week
• How she prepared her audience weeks in advance with a Black Friday catalog
• The backend technical issues you need to avoid when running daily deals

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday
• Stephanie's breakdown and free Black Friday debrief document here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgJSgXeShB4

Your Next Steps:

• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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Ready to find out how I made $158K in just five days? And no, this isn't another "look how amazing I am" story—this is me pulling back the curtain on the exact Black Friday strategy that's been game-changing for my business and hundreds of my students.

I'm spilling all the tea on my 5 Days of Deals method that I literally invented back in 2019 when I was desperately trying to figure out how to make Black Friday work for course creators. Back then, I had exactly two products and was in the middle of pivoting my entire business. Fast forward to last month, and this same strategy brought in $158,584 in revenue with 246 buyers.

But here's what makes me proud—this method I created out of desperation is now being used by big names across the industry. Ellen Yin, Dallas Travers, and countless others have adopted my 5 Days of Deals approach. The problem? Most people are copying the surface-level stuff without understanding the real psychology behind why it works.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the complete strategy—from my humble $8K beginnings to last year’s $158K success. I'll walk you through each day of my recent campaign, share what my students are doing with lists as small as 800 subscribers, and explain why this isn't just about the sales you make that week.

What you'll learn:

• The exact breakdown of my $158K Black Friday campaign (day by day, offer by offer)
• Why I created the 5 Days of Deals method and how it became industry standard
• The three key elements most people miss that make or break these campaigns
• Real case studies from students who've made $10K-$100K with small email lists
• Why audience priming matters more than audience size
• How strategic email sequencing drove 50% of sales in the final 6 hours each day
• Why Black Friday is really about validation, momentum, and list-building (not just sales)
• The psychology behind urgency and exclusivity that makes this strategy work

GET BLACK FRIDAY IN A BOX: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday

BLACK FRIDAY CASE STUDY: HOW I MADE $158K IN 2024 (FREE): https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/casestudy 

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Her AI Era Summit: Empowering Women in AI with Kinsey and Joyce

The stats are in: men are twice as likely to use AI tools than women. And that's a problem. Not just because AI can boost productivity by 40% (hello, gender income gap!), but because AI tools are literally being trained by the people using them. If more men are using AI than women, guess whose perspective is shaping the future?

That's exactly why Kinsey from Feel Good Social and Joyce from Only Boldly decided to shake things up and create Her AI Era Summit – a five-day virtual event designed specifically for women entrepreneurs ready to step into their AI power.

I had the best time chatting with these two brilliant women about why women need their own seat at the AI table (spoiler: we're not just taking a seat, we're building our own table), how the "bros with Lambos" are infiltrating AI education, and why women who are already carrying the load at work and home deserve the leg up that AI can provide.

We dive deep into the guilt women feel around using AI tools – because heaven forbid we make our lives easier – and why that needs to stop immediately. We also get into some fun lightning rounds about AI headshots, voice cloning, and the AI tasks that still feel like pure magic.

If you've been on the fence about embracing AI in your business, this conversation will give you the push (and permission) you need to dive in.

Make sure you snag your ticket to the summit, Her AI Era happening Oct 13-19: https://gemma003--heraiera.thrivecart.com/her-ai-era-summit-2025/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Her AI Era Summit: https://gemma003--heraiera.thrivecart.com/her-ai-era-summit-2025/
• Only Boldly (Joyce): https://onlyboldly.com
• Authentic AI for Entrepreneurs (Kinsey): https://feelgoodsocial.com
• ChatGPT: https://openai.com/chatgpt
• Midjourney: https://midjourney.com
• Make: https://make.com
• Descript: https://descript.com
• Perplexity: https://perplexity.ai

Your Next Steps:

• Get Your Summit Ticket: https://gemma003--heraiera.thrivecart.com/her-ai-era-summit-2025/
• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

Support the show

What if I told you that you could make $131,522 in two months while mostly offline? That's exactly what happened during my summer "ghost mode," and I'm spilling all the details on how I pulled it off.

This summer was supposed to be my full unplug season. We're talking lake swims, cottage mornings, road trips through Ontario and New York State, and honestly having no clue what day it was half the time. I posted two Instagram photo dumps total, did zero launches, and stayed off the content hamster wheel completely.

But here's the plot twist: my business didn't just survive without me—it thrived. We brought in over $131K in July and August alone, did 490 sales with a mix of new and returning customers, and everything ran like clockwork. So if you've ever wondered what it actually looks like to take real time off AND keep the money flowing, this episode breaks down exactly how I did it.

I'm getting into the nitty-gritty of the systems that made this possible, why paid ads aren't optional if you want consistent revenue (yeah, I said it), and the few CEO-level projects I did tackle during my "off" time. Plus, I'm sharing what this means for you and how to build a business that doesn't fall apart the moment you step away from your laptop.

What You'll Learn:

• How I generated $131,522 in revenue during July and August while mostly offline
• Why paid ads are the real engine behind "sales on autopilot" (and the exact numbers behind my summer ad spend)
• The power of stacked payments and recurring revenue for financial stability
• The difference between day-to-day chaos work and strategic CEO-level projects
• How to build infrastructure that lets you actually take time off without everything falling apart
• What systems you need to stop being the bottleneck in your own business
• The mindset shift from "keeping up" to building leverage

Your Next Steps:

• AI Dream Team, Start Here: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/aiworkshop
• Two-Hour Brand Book: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/brand
• Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday
• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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Here's the thing about Black Friday that nobody wants to admit: most people are doing it completely wrong.

They're slashing prices and praying. They're throwing up a quick "50% off everything!" post on Instagram and wondering why their sales are flat. They're convinced their audience is "too sophisticated" for Black Friday, or their business is "too small" to make it worth it.

Meanwhile, there are course creators and coaches quietly crushing six-figure weeks using strategies that have nothing to do with desperate discounts.

I'm sitting down with Mara and Becca, two-thirds of the powerhouse trio behind the upcoming Black Friday Summit (along with their co-host Dolly). Mara has run over 100 Black Friday campaigns since 2018—yes, you read that right.

We're spilling ALL the tea today. From the JCPenney catalog strategy that generated massive buzz to why trying to beat the crowd by running your sale early might actually backfire, this conversation is packed with the kind of behind-the-scenes insights that separate the pros from the amateurs.

If you've been sitting on the fence about Black Friday because you think your business is "too small" or your audience "won't go for it," we're about to bust those myths wide open. Spoiler alert: There's no business too small for Black Friday, and yes, even if you only have 15 people on your email list, it can still be worth your time.

What You'll Learn:

• Why novelty is the secret sauce that makes Black Friday campaigns absolutely crush it
• The "January implementation" strategy that's changing the game for course creators in 2025
• How to prep for Black Friday without becoming a stressed-out mess by Thanksgiving
• Why shorter sales pages are the move right now (and when a Google Doc might actually be genius)
• The biggest myths about Black Friday that are keeping you from cashing in
• Real numbers and results from campaigns that generated six figures
• How service providers can absolutely nail Black Friday sales (yes, even photographers and designers!)
• The exact timeline you need to prep without losing your mind

Resources Mentioned:

• Mara, Bekah, and Dolly’s Black Friday Summit (August 26-28): http://gemmabonhamcarter.com/blackfridaysummit 
• Gemma’s Black Friday in a Box program: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/blackfriday
• Mara: marakucirek.com 
• Bekah: rebekahreadcreative.com   
• Dolly: dollydelongphotography.com/ 

Your Next Steps:

• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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Summer productivity got you feeling like you're running on dial-up internet? Same, girl, same.

I had this brilliant idea to squeeze in a "CEO check-in week" mid-summer between family trips. Spoiler alert: trying to fire up your work brain in July after weeks of living in your swimsuit is like asking your laptop to function underwater. My brain is straight-up buffering, and honestly, opening my inbox feels like a personal attack.

But here's the plot twist—while I'm over here feeling like I can barely string together a coherent email, my business just casually dropped over $74K in revenue this month. No launches, no campaigns, barely a whisper on social media. Just my evergreen systems doing their thing in the background like the absolute queens they are.

This episode is part vent session, part pep talk, and all about why building those automated systems early in your business is the smartest thing you'll ever do. I'm pulling back the curtain on three massive behind-the-scenes projects I'm tackling right now (website overhaul, email platform migration, and landing page cleanup), plus sharing why I'm never doing a mid-summer work check-in again.

If you're feeling meh about productivity right now, this one's for you. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is give yourself permission to rest and let your systems carry the load.

What You'll Learn:

• Why mid-summer productivity breaks might be sabotaging your flow (and what to do instead)
• The exact revenue my evergreen funnels generated during my low-energy month
• Three major behind-the-scenes projects happening in my business right now
• How to build systems that support you when your creativity is playing hide-and-seek
• Three practical steps to automate your business (that you can tackle when your brain comes back online)
• Why beating yourself up about summer slumps only makes things worse

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Tonic Website Themes: https://tonicsiteshop.com/ 
• Rebel and RISE (Katie's ShowIt services): https://rebelandrise.co
• Kit Email Marketing: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/kit 

Your Next Steps:

• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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Starting a podcast to grow your business? Hold up. Before you default to that classic interview format everyone seems to be doing, let's talk strategy.

I recently had a coaching call where this exact topic came up, and it got me fired up because I see so many course creators and coaches launching podcasts without a clear purpose—just copying what they see others doing and wondering why it's not converting into sales.

This episode isn't just about podcast formats; it's about getting crystal clear on your actual goals and building a strategy that serves YOUR vision, not someone else's. Whether you're planning your first episode or six months deep wondering why nothing's happening, this one's for you.

I'm breaking down the real advantages and pitfalls of interview versus solo episodes, when each format makes sense, and why most course creators should be anchoring their shows in solo content if they want to see serious business growth. Plus, I'm sharing the pattern I see over and over again that's killing conversion potential.

What You'll Learn:

• Why interview episodes might be sabotaging your sales (even if they feel easier)
• The advantages of solo episodes for building your personal brand and authority
• When interviews actually make sense for your business goals
• How to strategically mix both formats without losing focus
• The core principle you need to apply everywhere in your business, not just podcasting
• Specific questions to ask yourself to align your strategy with your actual goals

Your Next Steps:

• Watch my new AI workshop to learn how I built a custom set of AI Assistants to help me run my business: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/aiworkshop
• Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs
• What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools
• Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter

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