Unfiltered

“I can’t believe they said that” Instagram posts, marketing campaigns that pissed of A LOT of people, BS apologies, and more—that’s what we’re chatting about in today’s episode of Unfiltered.

In this super open convo about some recent marketing mishaps we’ve witnessed from brands like Copyhackers, Bumble, Youthforia, and more, we’re discussing what these missteps show us consumers are fed up with, the best ways to handle public apologies, and some things we consider… pretty dang unforgivable.

Grab a glass of milk because this one’s extra spicy.

Highlights:

• 3:00—17:19: The Copyhackers post that enraged the internet (and the surprisingly unpleasant way that Copyhackers handled all the angry IG comments)
• 17:19—35:50: What Bumble did right and what Bumble didn’t get so right in their latest marketing campaign that also enraged the internet
• 35:50—45:20: The beauty company that had all of TikTok talking (and not in a good way) because of one product they recently put out
• 45:20—50:00: The importance of being honest when marketing products and a very popular beverage biz that recently found itself in hot water for not being so honest
• 50:00—59:39: Why Kelloggs’ recent ad was giving off “let them eat cereal” vibes and what we can learn about the balance between hopping on current issues vs. being insensitive to people’s current struggles

We’d love to connect with you! You can join our broadcast channel and connect with us on Instagram: Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

In this episode of Unfiltered, we’re sharing our all-time-fav books (so far). Everything from nonfiction books in the business and self development genres to fantasy and thriller fiction genres!

Have any recs that you think we’d like? Message us on IG! Here are the ones we mentioned:

Nonfiction Books:

• “Permission to Put Yourself First” by Nancy Levin
• “The Dark Side of the Light Chasers” by Debbie Ford
• “The Cult of the Customer“ by Shep Hyken
• “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller
• “Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love from Day One” by Emily Hayward
• “You are a Badass at Making Money” by Jen Sincero
• “Everybody Writes” by Ann Handley
• “The Storyteller’s Secret” by Carmine Gallo
• “10x Is Easier Than 2x” by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan
• “Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferriss
• “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle
• “Becoming Supernatural” by Joe Dispenza

Fiction Books:

• “Powerless” by Lauren Roberts
• “Kingdom of the Wicked” by Kerri Maniscalco (3 Book Series)
• “Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow
• “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys
• “The House Across the Lake” by Riley Sager
• “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
• “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez
• “House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende
• “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving
• “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon

Want a free book? You can use Fran’s or Alethea’s Thriftbooks link and when you spend $30, you’ll get credit for a free book!

We’d love to connect with you! You can join our broadcast channel and connect with us on Instagram: Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

If you could go back to the beginning of your biz, knowing everything you know now, what would you definitely do the same and what would you change?

In today’s episode of Unfiltered, we’re answering exactly that. From the #1 thing we all agree took us too long to figure out to the things we’re so thankful we did in the beginning, we’re spilling about the exact things we would and wouldn’t change if we were to start our businesses all over again.

Highlights:

• 10:31—24:27: Our thoughts on transitioning into running your own business versus going all in right off the bat
• 24:27—33:11: The #1 thing that took all of us some serious time and money to realize was total BS
• 33:11—36:57: What we learned about having multiple offers vs. just a few
• 36:57—39:53: Brand strategy (and when the hell would actually be the best time to invest in it)
• 39:53—51:01: The different marketing platforms we love (and the ones we wish we hadn’t wasted time on) 
• 53:12— 58:56: A few ways we regret having spent our money as well as a few of the things we wish we had invested in at the beginning 
• 58:56—1:01:45: The different ways we wish we had approached creating packages and timelines
• 1:01:45—1:06:25: The importance of prioritizing community-building and biz friendships

We’d love to connect with you! You can join our broadcast channel and connect with us on Instagram: Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

We’ve it, you’ve seen it, and a whole lot of the online space seems to be full of it… and that’s people talking about viral strategies and hitting huge income months, but behind closed doors? Everything isn’t always as it appears.

In today’s episode of Unfiltered, we’re talking about the myth of overnight success, why chasing huge money goals can bite you in the ass, some of the BS we’ve noticed when it comes to income transparency, and the things we actually focus on and prioritize to build our own businesses sustainably.

It’s a doozy of a discussion so buckle up and let’s dive in.

Highlights:

• 2:11—17:29: Why going viral isn’t a metric to aim for and how it gets used as a scam strategy
• 17:29—24:17: The myth of overnight success and why it’s important to create your own definition of success
• 24:17—28:00: How to take a step back and pay attention to who you’re comparing yourself to
• 28:00—34:31: The danger of popular traps that flash big numbers (like 20k days, 100k months, etc.)
• 34:31—42:52: A summary of all the things we pay attention to to build our businesses sustainably

We’d love to connect with you! You can join our broadcast channel and connect with us on Instagram: Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

If there’s one thing every entrepreneur is guaranteed to go through it’s a pivot. Whether that’s a pivot into a new niche, a pivot away from an offering, or a pivot of your whole-ass business, pivoting is a big part of building a business.

In today’s episode of Unfiltered, we’re dishing on all of the pivots we’ve made, the fears we’ve faced around changing up the stuff we’ve come to be known for, when the desire to shake sh*t up is something you should listen to and when it’s something to ignore, and so much more.

It’s juicy. And hopefully, helpful. And as always, totally unfiltered.

Highlights:

• 4:16—11:33: All the title changes our IG bios have undergone
• 11:43—15:21: The importance of being cringey
• 15:21—27:15: The “taboo” feeling of pivoting and the way we’ve reframed it
• 27:23—30:52: Why listening to your desire to pivot is important (and when it can be harmful)
• 32:07—41:34 The #1 thing that makes it possible to pivot without having to leave everything behind

Brand Strategy Resources:

• Brand Foundation Self-Discovery by State of Sage
• Clarity Era: Unlocked, A Free Training by PDA Studio

We’d love to connect with you! You can join our broadcast channel and connect with us on Instagram: Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

All aboard the struggle bus because in today’s episode of Unfiltered we’re sharing all the things we’re currently struggling with. Not the lessons we’ve learned. Or how we’ve made it to the other side. But just the fears we’re facing in real-time and the challenges we’re working with.

It’s hella vulnerable, hopefully relatable, and definitely a reminder that things are messier behind the scenes than they might appear to the world.

(Anti) Highlights:

• 6:00—19:44 - The battles of balancing social media (marketing on it, unplugging from it, you name it)
• 19:44—26:20 - Creating a flexible schedule vs. the reality of actually having a flexible schedule 
• 26:20—33:51 - Questioning what success even looks like to us and all the ways that has changed
• 33:51—40:00 - Scarcity mindset. Period. 
• 40:00—44:46 - A real-time revelation about “bad” investments
• 44:46—End - The BS behind believing in a “secret formula” 

Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram! Find Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

If you’re someone who sells using the internet, you’re gonna love today’s episode of Unfiltered becauseeee we’re diving into all of our honest thoughts about the online space AND where we think it’s headed.

(Shout out to @groovysocial for this gem of a question.)

From the things we’ve already seen changing since we started our businesses to the shifts we’re predicting for the future of marketing in the online space, we’re spilling all of our unfiltered thoughts.

Highlights:

• 1:38—9:21 - How people are approaching investing in a totally new way
• 9:21—21:00 - The marketing tactics that seem to have stopped working 
• 21:00—33:14 - New ways successful brands are putting themselves out there
• 33:14—49:32 - The kind of content people are shiftiting away from and towards
• 49:32—51:00 - The emphasis we’ve noticed that biz owners are putting on sustainablity
• 51:00—58:11 - Why brand strategy (and client experience) are more important than ever before

Resources/People Mentioned:

10x is Easier Than 2x
Max (@bymaximuehue)
Nicole (@groovysocial)

Marketing/Sales Psych Books:

Building a Storybrand
Hooked
Obsessed

Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram! Find Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

Chances are, if you’re a biz owner, you’ve heard a thing or two about client experience. But… what the heck even is it? AND, how do you deliver a good experience to your clients?

Buckle up buttercup because on today’s episode of Unfiltered, we’re diving into a juicy conversation about everything we’ve learned about client experience (mostly from Fran, whose literal job title is client experience architect). From the misconceptions we had when we were just getting started to the big mistakes we’ve made to the fun ways we’ve sprinkled in our own personal touches, this episode is dishing on everything there is to know about client experience.

Highlights:

3:03—16:59 - Defining what client experience even is and the thing you’ll want to know before creating yours
16:59—26:33 - Common misconceptions and ways our perspectives on client experience have shifted since starting our businesses
26:33—30:28 - When’s the right time to prioritize client experience (and what’s actually worth investing in when you’re just getting started) 
30:28—35:15 - The importance of outlining your processes (and what that even means)
35:15—51:41 - How and why to have good-ass communication with clients and the fun personal touches you can add to make communication your own
51:41—54:48 - The pros and cons to templatized emails
54:48—1:03:07 - Looks vs. experience and whether or not to focus on branded touch points 
1:03:07—1:14:00 - How automations have changed our lives, saved our sanity, and made us millionaires (Jk… mostly)

Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram! Find Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

It’s easy to connect our self-worth to our business when everything is going well: successful launches, booking out, high-cash months… But what happens when you hit a dip? Will a failed launch, slow season, or low-cash month be a reflection of your worth? If you aren’t doing the work to detach your identity from your business, you’re bound to hit an identity crisis or two.

In this episode, we’re chatting about all the different ways our businesses have triggered our personal insecurities and struggles, from receiving client feedback to losing retainer clients. But we’re also dishing out the various ways we’ve learned to detach ourselves from the outcomes in our businesses!

Highlights:

2:20–5:18 - Why detaching your self-worth from your business during the highs will help you handle the lows better
5:19–18:12 - Signs your identity might be tied to your business
18:13–24:43 - The connection between boundaries and self-worth
24:24–36:41 - How your attachment style might be showing up in your biz
36:42–51:59 - The differences we’ve seen between rawdogging the day and starting it off grounded using morning routines
52:00–57:53 - The importance of setting realistic expectations and how to handle it when things don’t go the way you want them to
57:54–end - It all starts within YOU and if you don’t believe it for yourself, no one will (get outta here, external validation)

Mentioned resources:

Calee’s 5-5-5 Method
101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think

Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram! Find Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!

You’ve probably heard the phrase “cult brand,” h*ck, you might have even been taught by a business coach how to BUILD one…

But what does building a cult brand even mean? And is it actually something we should be striving for as business owners?

In today’s episode of Unfiltered, we’re diving into a ridiculously real convo about “cult”brands, aspects we’ve noticed that make our guts a little queasy, and whether or not building a cult-following is a dangerous power dynamic or a good goal to aim for.

Highlights:

• 01:58—12:26 - What the h*ck are cult brands and the different types we’ve noticed popping up
• 12:26—19:13 - How cult brands are dang good at disguising what they are 
• 19:13—25:40 - The difference between building a cult following and a community 
• 25:40—30:05 - The ways narcissism impacts entrepreneurship
• 30:05—38:45 - The difference between branding and cult branding (and the core similarity they share)
• 50:16—52:35 - The danger of buzzwords

Special shout out to Megan Phillips who has a super cool tagline of “you can sit with us”

Like this episode? Check out episode 02. where we talk about mean girl marketing or episode 10. where we chat about how talking sh*t might be affecting your biz.

Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram! Find Han @hannahreed.co, Fran @thepassionscollective, and Alethea @copywithspice. And if you have thoughts, feedback, questions, etc. that you want to share with us, pop over to the bottom of this page on Alethea’s website!