The Hot Mess Business Podcast

In this episode, I talk with Taylor Jacobson of Focusmate.com about how he's changing the world with his software that helps people accomplish the things that are most important to them and by building a community where people can thrive. 

We discussed...

• How to make it right when you screw something up
• His transitions from "high performer" to procrastinator to being predictably productive
• The magic of setting your intention before any deep work session
• The highs and lows of getting feedback...especially when it's not great
• How we've forgotten how to be ourselves at work and how to change that
• Practical strategies for creating a feeling of safety on your team
• The one question he asks himself regularly that has changed everything.

Taylor brings such a unique voice and perspective to the question of how to get through the mess in your business and I am SO inspired by the way he leads. You won't want to miss this one.

In this episode, I talk with Pamela Slim of K'é Main Street Learning Lab and pamelaslim.com about all the ways all of us already has what we need to succeed in business along with some practical ways to continue growing and learning as an entrepreneur.

We discussed...

• How she unexpectedly gained all the skills she needed to become an entrepreneur while working her corporate job
• The power of building connections with your local community
• How to quit your office job with no plan and instantly make more money (Just Kidding!)
• The qualities every successful entrepreneur needs to thrive
• The question you can ask your trusted network to find out your own hidden strengths.
• The peace (and time!) that comes when clear, repeatable processes are in place.
• Her tested formula for how entrepreneurs can move through the messiest parts of their business.

I'm so thrilled to be able to share Pam's wisdom with you...it didn't feel right to keep her to myself. :)

In this episode, I talk with Chris Ronzio of Trainual.com about how even a born-entrepreneur sometimes has to stumble through a mess or two when building their business. He keeps it real about what he's done to become the successful entrepreneur he is today. (And some of it may surprise you!)

We discussed...

• How he built his first businesses when he was just a kid
• The awesomeness of Trainual.com, and how he built this successful SAAS company
• All of the ways things didn't go as expected and how he used each of them to grow
• The problem with sheep
• The good news that you CAN get better at hiring (but that it'll never be perfect)
• How to blend confidence with vulnerability as a business leader
• The astonishing truth about how much he invests in his learning and development as a leader (This one blew my mind!)
• The steps you should take RIGHT NOW to identify the operational problems in your business
• His best advice for what to do when you feel like a mess

I admire and respect Chris so much and am so excited for you to get to learn from him too.

About My Guest

Chris is the founder and CEO of Trainual.com, a platform for entrepreneurs to get their business out of their brain by documenting and delegating the processes in their company.

About the Host

Tamara is the founder of The Process Mentors, where she helps businesses get clear on their processes. As a Trainual Certified Consultant, she can help you tackle the project of documenting your business in Trainual She hopes The Hot Mess Business Podcast will help inspire its guest to embrace the messy parts of running their business...because we've all got 'em!

On this guest-less episode, Tamara lets you peer inside her head as she wrestles with a bit of a hot mess of her own. Maybe you can relate?

In this episode, I talk with Gareth Pronovost of Gap Consulting about his daring (and sometimes messy!) leap into building a successful business inside of a year by posting just one YouTube video a week

We discussed...

• How he walked away from a "good job" to start a brand new business
• The glory and wonder of Airtable
• The ways that "scope creep" was ruining his business (and his life)
• His experiments with hourly billing, project-based billing, "done-for-you" work and a coaching model and what he learned from them
• The value of sharing less-than-perfect video
• Why you should start creating video content today and his step-by-step plan for how you can get started, even if you know nothing about it
• The proof that you don't need amazing equipment or lots of editing to produce valuable content
• The unexpected relationship between effort and value
• The importance of being clear about who you serve and what they want
• His best advice for what to do when you feel like a mess

Gareth is a true inspiration for anyone who's telling themselves they need to "do more research" before they start sharing their work. He's living proof that you don't need to have it all figured out to begin.

About My Guest

Gareth's professional mission is to help businesses get organized and automated. To achieve this, his company offers educational resources and done-for-you solutions to help educate and inspire users of complex database solutions. He enjoys automating mundane tasks, playing video games, and calling himself a millennial.

You can find out more about Gareth at https://garethpronovost.com or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/garethpronovost.

In this episode, I talk with John Holcroft of The Accountability Service about the systems and mindsets he has designed to make sure he finishes his most important work. (And how he helps others do it too!)

We discussed...

• How being your own boss isn't all sunshine and rainbows
• The importance of urgency for getting work done and how to create it
• Why planning, emotional pressure, and reflection are his essential ingredients for getting things done
• Why thinking of yourself as someone who's "not a productive person" could be hurting you (And how to stop it!)
• What to do if you're not a completer-finisher

The final nugget of wisdom John shared with me completely changed my day for the better. I hope it works the same magic for you!

About My Guest

John Holcroft lives in England but grew up in Northern Ireland during the troubles. That leads to an interesting accent, a few stories, and no desire to go back. A serial entrepreneur, stay at home dad, and Olympic level procrastinator, in his corporate past he helped save an investment bank from collapse during the 2008 crisis. Then he went on an entrepreneurial adventure, including making music education apps and a medical app that won awards for advancing patient safety.

I know you'll love John's candid reflection on all the ways he continues to learn and evolve as a business owner.

You can find out more about John at theaccountabilityservice.com or you can email him at [email protected].

In this episode I talk with April MacLean of Infuse Dance Studio in Southern California and Unify Dance Network to find out how she has embraced her own messiness to build a thriving dance studio and a new digital platform for dancers.

Just a few of the gems from this episode include…

• How leaping before you've figured everything out (or know too much!) can actually be a benefit
• How feeling like a hot mess is a sure sign you're growing (and that's a good thing!)
• The importance of the people you surround yourself with and how to know if they're a good choice
• The value of focusing on the big picture
• Why playing to your strengths instead of doing all the things will set you free
• April's vision for proving that art and business really DO go together
• The important reason why you have to really love and believe in what you do as you're growing your business
• And of course, why you need April by your side in the case of a zombie-apocalypse

About My Guest

April MacLean is a dog-obsessed, coffee drinking, podcast aficionado from Southern California. After moving through 22 foster homes, she credits dance as being the first therapy that actually worked with her and has decided to dedicate her time building both a brick and mortar studio and digital platform for dancers, focusing on diversity, education, and connection.

I hope you find April's unique blend of wit, wisdom and straight-talk as inspiring as I do. 

You can find out more about her by email at [email protected], or at  www.infusedancestudio.com or www.unifydancenetwork.com, or on Instagram @mizmaclean

In this episode, I talk with La'Vista Jones from 31 Marketplace about all things business efficiency, including...

• How she got bullied into starting her own business
• The predictable "crossroads" when many business owners begin to feel overwhelmed
• The power of a "Brain Dump Session" to get the mess of your business out of your mind
• Why partnering with an operationally-minded people might be the key to scaling your business
• How she regularly uses "quiet time" to find a path forward
• Employing a "business bully" to hold you accountable to your business goals
• Seeking help in whatever way you can

La'Vista knows her stuff and I hope her simple, actionable strategies inspire you to take the first step in getting help with your feelings of overwhelm.

La'Vista Jones, CLBC is a certified coach and business strategist. She's also an author, speaker and community builder. She uses her former corporate experience and acumen to support other entrepreneurs in the marketplace. Her desire is to help business owners merge setting foundations for sustainability and growth with prioritizing their own self-care. La'Vista's unique magic is bringing order to the overwhelm that many solopreneurs experience in life and business. Her work focuses on streamlining processes and identifying operational gaps as well as outsourcing opportunities.

La'Vista's creative approach to business analysis and implementation saves her clients valuable time that they can then spend on their own self-care routines. An Ohio native, La'Vista currently resides in Arizona with her husband, their son, ‘The Cub’ and fur baby, Bull Dozer. You can find out more about her at thirtyonemarketplace.com and on Instagram @lavistajones

In this VERY first episode of the The Hot Mess Podcast, Tamara interviews process-genius, Inga Varney who will share her experiences with jumping into a complex organization and embracing her beginner's status, how she tackles managing her daily tasks, the importance of following the pain in your business to make it work better, and much more! (You'll even learn what a "pooka" is!)

This first episode is a bit of a "Hot Mess" in-and-of-itself, especially when it comes to the audio & editing, but to improve, we must begin!

A Bit about Inga Varney

Wine-geek; Process-nerd; Lover of organized digital and physical spaces, while almost always having thousands of messages in my inbox and large stacks of paper all over my desk and surfaces; Currently a part-time employee working full time hours while dabbling in my wine business and hanging out with my darling 3-year old and lovely husband.

You can get in touch with Inga at...

[email protected];

www.WineStarServices.com

www.facebook.com/WineStarServices

And here's that nerdy little cube-thingy we talked about:

https://timeular.com/

In this introductory "Episode 0," Tamara talks about why The Hot Mess Business Podcast was invented and the messy conversations she hopes are born out of it.