The Robyn Graham Show a Podcast for Christian Women - Become Calm, Confident, and Consistent

Brenna McGowan joins me to share her story telling methods and online content writing tips that will save you time and energy! Brenna is a copywriter focusing on Instagram and email. She loves to figure out ways to connect words for impactful meaning. Copy for email and Instagram are very similar, thus Brenna helps others create content for both. Brenna has a gift for telling stories and even uses experiences like the time when she was at Costco and God "spoke" to through a jar of mis-placed Parmesan cheese. It's important to realize that what seems silly to one person, may really resonate with others. Using our stories in our copy can help our audience to relate to us. After being a stay at home mom and then working part time, Brenna started a social media marketing business but found that what she really loved was creating copy, not doing social media management. That is when she pivoted to focus on email marketing. Brenna was not a journalist or English major but believes that not having a formal education can sometimes be a benefit. On-line writing is very different than other types of writing. As an on-line copywriter it is important to write very conversationally and that means formal punctuation and grammar are left to the wayside. It's really important to realize that you don't have to have formal training to become an expert. We live in a digital world, so information is at our fingertips. Tips for Online Writing You do not want to write in paragraph form when writing for on-line purposes. You want a lot of white space. You want one, two or three sentences at the most per paragraph. People are skimming from their phone or mobile devices, so you need to keep things short and at a 6th grade reading level. Use bold font and bullet points to break up your text. This helps make the reading scannable. In on-line writing, you can absolutely start a sentence with and or, but. It's like un-learning everything you learned in English class. Reading your content out loud is a huge help to ensure that your writing is conversational. Using conjunctions is another place where the writing becomes less formal and more approachable. You want on-line writing to be informal, but still professional. Be personable, but not unprofessional. Demonstrate your expertise while being approachable. The Soccer Mom Test Before you publish something on-line, ask yourself if you would tell the story to someone you know, but don't really know, know. If it feels wrong to tell the story to another mom on the soccer field, then you probably shouldn't use it in your on-line content. We are in the real house-wives culture. People want to see behind the scenes. Be able to share things that seem different or odd to be saying online, but again, don't cross over into something too personal, meaning you wouldn't share it with an acquaintance. Don't tell stories that would take away from your credibility. When experiencing a situation, instead of telling the story right away, take a while to process it, then when you are no longer emotionally involved, tell the story. Wait to tell it until you can unemotionally tell the story so that you can remain professional. Think about the reader as you are writing your stories. Don't be the person that no one wants to sit with at dinner. Think about what your story will do for your readers. Email is a platform that we own and should be using to grow our contact list. When we use email-marketing we are able to be front and center and a constant reminder for our audience. When someone gives you their email-address they have decided to trust you and know they want to hear from you. We should email our audience once a week. Even if they don't read the messages, you are top of mind. Be sure to provide value in each email. If you are interesting, your readers will want to hear from you. If people unsubscribe, they weren't your ideal audience any way. They weren't going to hire you. Don't take the unsubscribe personally. "The strength of your business is based on the size of your email list." – Amy Porterfield Lead magnets don't have to be super detailed. They can be simple but need to be informative. You can start your email list with the addresses you already have. Provide the option to unsubscribe and if they don't want to hear from you, they will unsubscribe. We carry stories around with us. Use your stories to infuse your personality into your business. Book Recommendations Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte How to Win Friends by Dale Carnegie Favorite Quote "Everything is hard until it's easy." – unknown Check out Brenna's Segues Away Guide. In your email there is a transition sentence, the segues away from your story to the call to action. The guide is rich with examples so be sure to download it. Access the guide HERE. Learn more about Brenna Website Instagram: @brennamcgowanco The Content Bar Learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, HERE. To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE. Connect with me, Robyn Graham: Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

It’s really easy to follow the rules and directions other people put on us and settle for good enough.   When we realize that as humans we can break rules and make decisions for our own paths and thrive through our passions and serving others, our lives can be more fulfilling.

When people engage in creativity, they are more engaged, more likely to be fulfilled, happier and more likely to connect with others on a deeper level. 

Creativity has a plethora of value for wellness and it’s in our DNA.

The First Phase As Katina observed those around her whom she was supposed to be learning from and modeling, she realized that most of them had settled on "good enough". They weren't passionate about their work. They weren't passionate about life. It's really easy to follow the rules and directions other people put on us. When we realize that as humans we can break rules and make decisions for our own paths and thrive through our passions and serving others, our lives can be more fulfilling. When Katina realized this, she began the transition from her first phase of a career in data analytics to her second phase, entrepreneurship. The Second Phase Katina created a blog, "On Adulting". Her goal was to live with passion and help others do the same. She became a life coach and has a podcast to communicate her messages of living with passion and purpose. Her most recent venture is "Daydreamers". Daydreamers is dedicated to helping humans find creative outlets that will help them live longer and happy lives, be more productive and have less stress. It's time to put the devices down, connect with others and live life to the fullest. Finding the Joy Again Incorporating small aspects of life into your routine can help you live a more fulfilled life. What made you happy when you were young and had no inhibitions? Add those things back into your daily routine and see if your days don't have a little more joy and fulfillment. Benefits of Creativity People are facing burnout and loneliness now more than ever. Seventy percent of people who enter adulthood feel there is a creative gap between what they were feeling and believed they should be feeling in their everyday lives. Creativity has a plethora of value for wellness and it's in our DVA. It helps us live longer happier lives, is truly connected to our brain and heart health, boosts our immunity and decreases stress. Creativity is what separates humans from every other being in the animal kingdom. It isn't just the arts, but our ability to predict or imagine another future that doesn't exist right now. This data comes from the book, "The Runaway Species" by Anthony Brant and David Engleman. The Data A study by Adobe, stated that productivity increases by 75% when employees are given time and space to be creative. Another interesting aspect is the impact that creativity has on culture. It helps people connect and build relationships. Are you lonely? We are living in what is considered to be the loneliest society ever despite all of the technology and ways that we have to connect. Almost all adults today say they only have one close friend. This in and of itself has major health impacts. When people engage in creativity, they are more engaged, more likely to be fulfilled, happier and more likely to connect with others on a deeper level. More than 50% of people studied reported this. As humans we need to be intentional on how we connect with others. How to Find your Creativity Recognize that we are all creative. Realize that things do not need to be perfect. Unlearn the obsession that you have to create something beautiful for everyone else and just do things for fun, as hobbies. Don't have outcomes tied to creativity. Simply try and experiment. Learn More About Katina and Connect with Her Katina Mountanos is the founder of On Adulting, a viral blog, and community of over 23,000 millennials who are figuring out how to navigate adulthood in a conscious, happy way (@onadulting). She is an entrepreneur, writer, and mindset coach whose work has been featured on HuffPost, Fast Company, Teen Vogue, Elite Daily, Mindbodygreen, and others. Katina started her career in data analytics and environmental sustainability at Goldman Sachs and most recently co-founded a brand new startup called Daydreamers to help everyday adults access creativity more often. Her first book, On Adulting, will be hitting shelves in Fall 2020. Follow along at @onadulting or join the private OA Facebook Group, The Space. Website: www.onadulting.com Website: www.daydreamersspace.com Instagram: @daydreamersspace Instagram: @onadulting Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE.

Are you ready to build a successful brand? Pia Silva shares how in this episode.

Pia Silva is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of "Badass Your Brand:  The Impatient Entrepreneur’s Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit".  She helps entrepreneurs badass their brand and business to scale their freedom with profit.  She is a Forbes contributor and has been featured on MSNBC’s Your Business, Entrepreneur on Fire, and the UGurus and Million Dollar Women Summits to name a few.

Pia Silva is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur's Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit. She helps entrepreneurs badass their brand and business to scale their freedom with profit. She is a Forbes contributor and has been featured on MSNBC's Your Business, Entrepreneur on Fire, and the UGurus and Million Dollar Women Summits to name a few. Pia is passionate about efficiency and spending time with family. She spends time educating on branding and living freely and will soon launch her own podcast, "Show Your Business Who's Boss". First Phase Pia's first phase was starting a business with her husband Steve, who is a graphic designer. She really had no idea what she was doing so she spent time networking and then tried to follow those who were in the same space. Under the influence of other's and what their business models where she thought they needed and office and employees. She and Steve basically became a small agency until they became so indebt that they had to do a complete rebrand of their company. After three years of having the agency, the went broke. Credit cards were maxed out. They had a lot of overhead. Pia then flipped the business on it's head and created the business they not have that she considers Phase 2. Coaching Writing newsletters and speaking were two pieces of advice that Evan Harowitz gave Pia to grow her business. This advice is what has helped their current business grow to the success it is today. That advice is the foundation of the business model they have in the second phase. As long as you get at least one piece of value out of a coach, hiring one is something that can help you. Even with books. Look for that one piece of information that is the ultimate golden nugget that will help you transform your business or personal life. If you want value it's always there. Getting Started Pia started her writing and speaking career by sending email newsletters out to everyone she had connected with through networking. She suggests making a list of places that might host you as a speaker. Start local. Write the title of your speech and a little blurb. Once you have the speaking engagement booked, you will figure out the talk. It's OK to start small and work your way up to a larger audience. Fine tune your message with a smaller audience. With experience and confidence, you'll grow into larger stages. Being a great speaker takes a lot of practice and hiring a speaking coach helps as well. But practice is going to build the confidence. Use stories as the avenue for writing and speaking. Story is how your content and brand are yours. It's all about how you tell the story and how your story resonates with others who will engage with you. Second Phase Let's talk about niching down! Niching down can mean a lot of things… Target market Personality of the client Type of Projects Size of client Niching down is the intersection of all of these. Keep in mind that your niche may transform. You can be multi-passionate within a niche. Think of it as an hourglass. You narrow down, then open back up. Open up so that when you add value, it's still to the same market or within the same space. Think of clients as giving you types of value Money Value you get for working with yet another ideal client and getting that much better at working with that specific type of client. Referral source from an ideal client. Be your brand unapologetically. Own whatever it is that makes you special! Let people know what you are all about and put all of your energy into being the best most excellent version of that you can be. Anyone who gets a discount is not your ideal referral source. You want people who are willing to pay top dollar for your services because then they truly value you and your services. The Price is Right Raise early and often. But don't necessarily raise that much. It is all relative. One person may think you are inexpensive and someone else may think you are over-priced. Start your pricing where you are confident. Get clients and then raise your price. Move up gradually. Raise prices and build confidence at the same time. The Lead Product The lead product replaces the proposal. Interview the client and get to know all about them to be able to serve them. Instead of risking them taking the information and running without paying, make this part of the program. There is a fee for the consultation and information gathering and then the fee is applied to the final price. It is critical to provide strategy with the lead product. Give it a name so that people know the lead product is providing answers to a problem or question that the prospective client might hand. Efficiency One of Pia's passions is efficiency. She is hyper focused on time and wants freedom of time therefore being efficient is very important for business and life success and happiness. Book Recommendation The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks Favorite Quote If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter. – Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln Learn More About and Connect with Pia Website Instagram To learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. Learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE. Connect with me, Robyn Graham: Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Questioning her legacy during chemo treatments for stage 3 colon cancer, Barbara Majeski, a Today Show contributor and media personality, decided to move forward with purpose. 

Being very humbled by the experience, she realized what she was meant to learn and that it was time to live a life of purpose.   She believes that realigning with your purpose and serving others is what can keep you going. 

Having a bigger platform to get her message out was key and is what drove her toward a career in medi

Baring it All and Finding Your Purpose and Authenticity for Personal and Business Growth "Baring it All" One of Barbara's lifelong dreams was being on television. She is now a media specialist and has been on the Today Show, Inside Edition, The Jam in Chicago, Fox and Friends and so much more. Her podcast is "Baring it All". She shares stories of the grit behind the glamour. Sincerity Grace and gratitude for other people and understanding their value is important. When people are trying and giving their best efforts, they should not be judged. We need to realize the importance of other people. Don't be dismissive of others and their value. Practicing Self Care You have to put your oxygen mask on yourself first! When you give yourself the oxygen, some sort of physical or meditative movement makes you a better person. It's physical and mental, encompassing your mind, body and soul. Selfcare is the most selfless thing you can do. You can't take care of yourself you can't serve others. Pivoting Questioning her legacy during chemo treatments, she decided to move forward with purpose. She could have quit at any time during her career but the fact she needed to care for her brother pushed her and gave her purpose. Her brother actually gave her purpose. She had such great purpose to care for her brother so she could never quit. There was no quit, no back door. Being very humbled, she realized what she was meant to learn and that was to live a life of purpose. That realization drove her forward. Realigning with your purpose and serving others is what can keep you going. Having a bigger stage, a bigger platform to get her message out was key and that is what drove her to media. There are so many things she can't do, just like the rest of us, but she has the gift of speaking and is not afraid to speak out to serve others. Moving Fast and Breaking Things Just go for it! Put yourself out there! Find your purpose to serve. You have your own unique gift and how you use it is your pathway to living a good life. A success is a by-product of living in service. Start on a small level and let is extrapolate out. The Journey to Media Once she made her decision to be involved in media, she made it happen. There was a little bit of luck, a little bit of serendipity and some experience. She literally fell out of the sky and landed on the Today Show. The reality is she found Amy Rosenbloom who is a media trainer. Amy was a former producer at the Today Show. Serendipitously Barbara found the biggest deal in TV in New York City. It was hard work. There were mock trainings and mock set-ups but it was four months of training. Can you Move into Your Second Phase? Yes! Put the imposter syndrome and negative voices out of your head. Start with bite size pieces. Get yourself in motion. It is the law of inertia. A body in motion stays in motion. Think big but act small. Do one small act every day and that will temper those negative thoughts and you will propel forward. Think big and act small and be willing to invest in yourself. You are here to do something and to do it well. Being on the Media When the mic is thrown at you, get to your story. Get to the meat and potatoes. Say it succinctly. Know your elevator speech. Be one hundred percent positive of who you serve, why you serve them, and what you do. Create a mantra that you are ready to say at any time. Favorite Quote When you can't control the wind, adjust your sails. When adversity hits, instead of panicking, remember this quote and think about how you can serve, how you can use your business in this time and adjust your sails. About Barbara Barbara Majeski was a married, stay-at-home mom, raising three kids in the suburbs of New Jersey and living what she believed to be the "good life." In the summer of 2015 things began to unravel. Barbara's marriage came to a devastating end and in the midst of grappling with her new reality, Barbara was handed a stage 3 cancer diagnosis. Barbara vowed that if she beat cancer and got another shot at life, she would live bigger, better, and bolder with greater purpose, meaning and intent. After two years of treatment, recovery, and divorce, Barbara began pursuing her dream career in media, and launched an online community united inpersonal growth, purpose & authenticity. Learn more about Barbara and Connect with Her: Website: www.barbaramajeski.com Instagram: @barbaramajeski Podcast: Bare it All Learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Marketing Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE. Connect with me, Robyn Graham: Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Allison is a Stock Photographer and Podcaster. Allison also hosts a Podcast, "Social Media for Mompreneurs". Each week, the show helps busy moms build their brand online in just minutes a day--even when those minutes are hard to come by. Allison believes social media should be fun and easy. With her sassy and fun personality, mixed with her creativity and love for sweatpants and jewelry, she's able to deliver the simple and creative tools to help mompreneurs boost their business with confidence and ease.

Allison is a Stock Photographer and Podcaster. She provides the fun and creative stock photos busy mompreneurs can't live without. Allison also hosts her Podcast, Social Media for Mompreneurs. Each week, the show helps busy moms build their brand online in just minutes a day--even when those minutes are hard to come by. Allison believes social media should be fun and easy, not daunting! With her sassy and fun personality, mixed with her creativity and love for sweatpants and jewelry, she's able to deliver the simple and creative tools to help mompreneurs boost their business with confidence and ease. First Phase Allison worked in corporate as a creative. When she had her boys, she decided to be a stay at home. She didn't want to miss out on her boys' lives. But… Being a stay at home mom can be isolating. It was all give and something was missing. She needed something for herself and then there was the guilt associated with not contributing to the family finances. Instead of working, she was taking the boys to Target and spending money! For Allison, the solution to the internal battle, was to find something where she could be present but also have something for herself and also contribute to the household funds. Second Phase She spent time observing behaviors on Instagram and realized she could help other entrepreneurs. Many fellow entrepreneurs were asking her about her flat lays and her photos in her Instagram feed. After so many requests, she decided to start a stock photo membership. However, it took her almost a year to fight off imposter syndrome and market the membership program. Imposter Syndrome is Real The biggest mistake she made on her entrepreneur journey was allowing imposter syndrome to hold her back from her dreams. She finally realized that she had to find her inner strength and realize her uniqueness and publish the membership opportunity. What really helped her move forward was meeting her "social sisters", a group of women who support each other on their entrepreneurial journeys. Finding a tribe and support system was key for success as an entrepreneur. It was imperative for growing a successful business. What a Personal Brand is to Allison I asked Allison what personal branding means to her. Her response: "It is what you want to be known for. It's how you make people feel. Your personal brand is beyond the picture, the caption or the website. It's what they are thinking about you when they are walking out of the room." Allison went on to say that as entrepreneurs we must generate content based on what you want other people to know you for. You want to be unique. Book Recommendation Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo Favorite Quote "Everything is Figureoutable" ~ Marie Forleo Get Allison's Jewelry! Rocksbox Jewelry Subscription Code: ALLISONSBFF17 Learn more about Allison and Connect with her: Website Instagram To learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. Learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.

I had to close my business because of Corona Virus, now what?

First and foremost.  Don’t panic!  Do a thorough assessment of your finances, business and personal.  Evaluate which bills are due immediately, which can wait. 

The goal of the Cares Act is to keep people being paid and employed even if they aren’t working.   This will keep businesses going and once the pandemic ends, businesses will be able to open again without having lost rental space, etc.