Your Sparkly Brand

By Megan Gersch & Lauren TassiBusiness Entrepreneurship

Your Sparkly Brand episodes

November 22, 2022Q & A [Scared to Show Up on Social, Non-Cringey Sales, Work/Life Balance]
You’ve got questions about mindset related issues that come up in the entrepreneurial journey, such as dealing with imposter syndrome and getting past social media trolls — and we’ve got answers!
Welcome to another Q & A episode of Your Sparkly Brand. We are excited to give answers to these listeners' questions. If you’ve got a question you want to be answered on our next Q&A episode, send either of us a DM on social or email [email protected]
Key points in this episode…
Meg experiences an a-ha moment in one of her mastermind sessions about products and services pricing.

Lauren makes a huge investment in her business.

Today, we’re having a Q and A episode and we’re talking about mindset related issues.

How to get past trolls in social media comment sections and show up regardless.

Your confidence in your product or service is the ultimate and it comes with consistency in showing up.

Check out Episode 12 on Handling Haters for more actionable tips.

How to overcome imposter syndrome.

Episode 9 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome.

How to achieve a work-life balance.

Done is better than perfect.

Track your daily progress.

Prioritize the needle-moving activities in your business.

Episode 8 - Time Flow & Creativity w/Ros Croad.

How to work through a feeling that others don’t believe in you, your strengths or talents.

Build confidence through repetitive positive reinforcement.

Being successful without showing your face on social media is twice as hard.

Practice recording videos of yourself.

How to talk about your offers online without coming off as too salesy.

Connect with what you do and believe in it.

Episode 11 - Selling Without Feeling Sleazy.

How to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

Building a brand takes time, energy and consistency.

You don’t have to have everything figured out at the start.
LINKS WE MENTIONED
Episode 12 of Your Sparkly Brand Podcast - Handling Haters: https://anchor.fm/your-sparkly-brand/episodes/Handling-Haters-e1kuseq
Episode 9 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: https://anchor.fm/your-sparkly-brand/episodes/Overcoming-Imposter-Syndrome-e1kusfk
Episode 8 - Time Flow & Creativity w/Ros Croad: https://anchor.fm/your-sparkly-brand/episodes/Time-Flow--Creativity-wRos-Croad-e1kusft
Episode 11 - Selling Without Feeling Sleazy: https://anchor.fm/your-sparkly-brand/episodes/Selling-Without-Feeling-Sleazy-e1kusf0
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings and reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
21 min
November 15, 20229 Tips for Better Lead Magnets: How To Create A Valuable Freebie
As business owners, we often create lead magnets in order to build trust with customers and encourage their patronage. A lead magnet would defeat its purpose if it neither results in trust building nor generates sales, and that can be frustrating. In this episode of Your Sparkly Brand podcast, we discuss tips on how you can create a valuable and enticing freebie that will make customers repose confidence in your brand and that will boost sales for your business.
Key points in this episode…
Meg hits the a-ha moment on a website design project she’s handling for a client.

Lauren gets excited at the freedom she enjoys in her business which allows her to take time off to go on a trip.

Synonyms of lead magnet.

Lead magnet is a free piece of content or discount that prompts a person to give you their email address.

Its goal is to build your email list and build trust with your potential customers.

Email marketing is more intimate than other forms of marketing.

“Join our email list” isn’t very effective.

Your lead magnet must be something desirable.

Focus on what your target audience wants or their struggles.

Give an actionable quick-win.

Consider how your audience prefers to consume information.

Get creative with your freebie delivery.

Give as much value as you can.

Don’t be afraid to give too much away.

Incorporate your brand values to your freebies.

Lauren’s most successful freebie - the Zen AF Launch Checklist - can be accessed here: https://go.laurentassiagency.com/zen-af-checklist

Meg’s most successful freebies.

Once somebody opts in for your freebie, drop them into a welcome series in your email platform.

Include clickable links in your PDF if you’re creating one.

Include a call to action (CTA).

Consider your entire customer journey.

Check out our previous episode on sales funnels here: https://anchor.fm/your-sparkly-brand/episodes/Sales-Funnels-Simplified-e1kusf9

Get your freebie out there.

“Stan” is an amazing platform for pushing out your freebies.
LINKS WE MENTIONED
The Zen A.F. Launch Checklist: https://go.laurentassiagency.com/zen-af-checklist
Episode 14 of Your Sparkly Brand Podcast - Sales Funnels Simplified: https://anchor.fm/your-sparkly-brand/episodes/Sales-Funnels-Simplified-e1kusf9
Stan: join.stanwith.me/megangersch
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
14 min
November 08, 2022How I Save 3+ Hours a Week! [Dubsado Review]
Hey brand owners! A few weeks ago, we talked about delighting your clients and customers. If you haven’t listened to that episode, find it here: Overdeliver: How to Delight Your Clients & Customers.
In this episode, we discuss a customer relationship management tool, Dubsado, which you can utilize to make your customers’ and clients’ journey a seamless one, and consequently, delight your customers. Dubsado is also a great tool for keeping your business organized and automating repetitive processes.
Key points in this episode…
Meg goes to Denver and gets blown away by the incredibleness of Meow Wolf.

Lauren’s client from over two years ago reaches out with a business referral.

Meg wins a year-long free subscription to Dubsado.

Lauren is pro-Dubsado and recommends it to service providers.

Save 20% off your first month or year by signing up here: dubsado.com/?c=tassi

Dubsado is a customer relationship management tool.

Dubsado is highly customizable.

What you can do with Dubsado.

Lead capture.

Client portal.

Contracts, proposals and invoices all in one place.

How you can use Dubsado to manage your business.

Lead to discovery call.

Automated reminders and proposal follow-ups.

Onboarding workflow.

Offboarding sequence.

Downsides to Dubsado.

It takes a while to get the hang of it as there’s a lot to learn.

It does not serve expense tracking and bookkeeping purposes.

Payment processing is unavailable.

Doesn’t do email marketing.

Dubsado can be integrated with Google Calendar.

Benefits of using Dubsado for your business.

Visually cohesive.

Professional experience for your clients.

Keeps you organized.

Incredible customer support.

How to get started with Dubsado.

Free trial.

Affiliate link in show notes — save 20% off your first month or year

Dubsado saves Lauren 3-5 hours per week.
LINKS WE MENTIONED
Dubsado CRM System: dubsado.com/?c=tassi
Dubsado Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/dubsado
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
22 min
November 01, 2022Ways To Prep Your Biz for The Holidays
The holiday season is coming up! Yayyy! We hope someone is as excited as we are.
Even if you’re not feeling it this year, as a business owner you’ve got to plan for the holidays. The tips we share in this episode will help you prepare for this year’s Black Friday promotions and beyond. Avoid overwhelm and busyness by following these prep tips and getting ready now!
Key points in this episode…
Meg has her first workshop where she speaks to Pike Place Market on the basics of short form video.

Lauren creates a new policy in her business.

The holiday season is coming up fast.

Tips to get your business prepared.

Take advantage of Black Friday promotion whether as a product or service provider.

Offer discounts.

As a service provider, create an offer that is relevant to Black Friday.

Get your shipping situation figured out.

Gifts for clients.

Let clients & customers know your availability and response time.

Do something special for your team.

Prepare mentally and financially for the possibility of a slow down in your business.

Hire extra help before you need it.

Stock up on inventory and supplies ahead of time.

Make sure your website is ready.
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
12 min
October 25, 2022Overdeliver: How to Delight Your Clients & Customers
As a client or customer, have you ever felt disappointed after a business transaction? Like your expectation wasn’t met? Have you ever felt like a business is all about the owner and never about you, the customer?
This is often the result when a business isn’t focused on delighting customers. It’s very difficult for a business like that to sustain brand loyalty. Whether you’re a product-based or service-based business owner, delighting your customers is such an easy way to build and sustain brand loyalty.
In this episode, we walk you through the step-by-step process of how to delight your customers, and consequently, increase customer retention.
Key points in this episode…
Lauren onboards a new client.

Meg attends the Success Society Retreat and makes valuable connections.

Delighting your clients and customers is about going the extra mile to make their experience a little more sparkly.

Delighting your clients and customers helps your brand stand out and builds customer loyalty.

Ways by which service and product based business owners can delight their customers.

2 very important points in customers’ journey to delight.

Get them excited about your product or service immediately after purchase, and avoid instant buyers remorse.

Leave them feeling great about working with you or buying your product.

Ways to delight your clients digitally.

Celebrate them on social media.

Attend their live social media streams and engage / ask questions.

Treat anyone who works for you like gold.

Offer special perks and discounts to encourage repeat business.

How to blow someone away as a service provider.

Overdeliver when it comes to service.

Make the process of working with you as easy as possible.

How to blow someone away as a product-based business owner.

Impressive packaging.

Tiny gifts.

Fast shipping.

Provide fantastic and friendly customer service.
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
20 min
October 18, 2022What We Learned In Our 1st Year of Podcasting
Your Sparkly Brand is 1 y’all! It’s been a whole year of consistently inspiring and empowering entrepreneurs by showing up with high-value content targeted at helping them grow their business.
In the spirit of celebrating our one year anniversary, we decided to share insights into our podcasting journey. We share lessons that we’ve learnt over the years, and the tools and tricks behind our consistency and success. If you’re looking to start a podcast, this episode is a must-listen for you. If you’re already hosting or co-hosting a podcast, you might also find one or two tips that can help you improve on how you deliver.
Key points in this episode…
Meg celebrates reaching the highest grossing month in her business.

Lauren’s husband, Alex, had his first chemotherapy appointment.

We recently reached a major milestone. We’ve been podcasting for over a year!

Starting a podcast is a lot of work, but really rewarding.

Lessons we’ve learned along the way.

Set your intention on who your podcast audience is.

Your idea will evolve. Be okay with flexibility in your idea and be open to feedback.

Get organized with your assets.

Podcasting presents a great networking opportunity.

It becomes a great catalog of content that you can refer people back to.

Experiment and try new things, and be willing to try other things if that’s not working.

When simplicity works, go with it.

Make it easy for your guests by giving them as much information as would make them comfortable.

Provide assets to guests to make it easy for them to promote your podcast.

Don’t be too concerned about how to impress your podcast guests, just show up and genuinely listen to them.

Be yourself, nobody cares how you look.

Do video if you can.

Use Anchor as your free, user-friendly podcast hosting platform.

Descript is a great podcast video editing tool.

Q&A format is really fun.

Don’t stop experimenting.
LINKS WE MENTIONED
Descript Podcast Editor: https://www.descript.com/?lmref=jIPm8A
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
19 min
October 11, 2022Creating 6-Figure Systems for Your Biz w/Khadirah Muhammad
We’ve talked a lot on this podcast about how important life is. And how important it is to run our business with the consciousness that we have a life outside of work and not allow our business to run our life.
In this episode of Your Sparkly Brand, Khadirah joins us to share her story of switching from being a marketing consultant to becoming a Systems Implementation Engineer, helping her clients organize structures and increase revenue.
Khadirah Muhammad is a Systems Implementation Engineer and Founder of SucceedingWithSystems.com who went from breaking into the entrepreneurial world at 18 with the goal of retiring her parents, to falling in love with systems and automation that make a true business’ world go round. Her notable projects include taking a client’s 2 -person operation from $15,000 to $80,000 in revenue in 60 days.
Now Khadirah helps solopreneurs and those with small teams create 6 Figure Systems so they can gain back their time freedom and lifestyle freedom, and rekindle the joy in their businesses using Systems, Automation, and Technology.
How to connect with Khadirah…
Website: https://succeedingwithsystems.com/
IG (personal): https://www.instagram.com/khadirahsmuhammad/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KhadirahMuhammad
Key points in this episode…
Meet Khadirah Muhammad!

Meg’s sparkly moment of the week.

Lauren’s sparkly moment.

Khadirah’s sparkly moment.

Khadirah’s business building journey.

Challenges Khadirah faced starting out in a male-dominated industry.

How Khadirah’s background in engineering and working with systems helped her break out into the entrepreneurial world.

How Succeeding with Systems has challenged the status quo.

Khadirah’s advice to entrepreneurs going through similar hurdles as she went through in her entrepreneurial journey.

How entrepreneurs can find a balance between hiring employees and embracing system automation.

Inspiration to work with solopreneurs and small businesses.

3 steps that businesses can take to automate their system to save time and double their revenue.

Tips to our listeners who are wanting to grow their business but feeling overwhelmed.

Favorite time-saving tools.

System Khadirah has created to simplify her life.

Upcoming projects.

Where to find Khadirah online…
Website: https://succeedingwithsystems.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KhadirahMuhammad

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khadirah/

Are you subscribed to the pod? If not, what are you waiting for!?! Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.
LET'S CONNECT
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram.
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok and Instagram.
31 min
October 04, 2022Burning Man Adventures: Branding & Marketing in a Brandless World
Meg recently took a trip to Burning Man and shares what she experienced on the trip, including her favorite moments, challenges she faced, and the lessons she gained. We talk about the principles Burning Man culture is built on and the relevance of these principles to businesses, noting that inspiration for marketing, branding, and growing a business is everywhere.
At the end of this episode is an interesting question that we would love for you to answer. You can respond on Spotify or drop your answers on any of our social media channels.
Key points in this episode…
Meg outsources some responsibilities in her business and fully steps into her role as lead designer.

Lauren references Your Sparkly Brand podcast and sends them as helpful resources to clients.

Lauren’s life update.

Burning man is a transformational event that happens once in a year.

Burning man is founded upon 10 principles.

Principles of burning man that are relevant to every business owner.

Radical Inclusion: No prerequisites exist for participation at Burning Man.

Decommodification: Creating a community that is brand-free in order to support the gifting community.

Radical Self-reliance: Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources

Radical Self-expression: People express themselves in different kinds of ways that can only be determined by the individual or collaborating group.

Civic Responsibility: Community members who organize events are charged to assume responsibility for public welfare and to communicate civic responsibilities to participants.

Meg’s Burning Man experience.

Meg’s favorite moment.

Struggles and challenges faced at Burning Man this year.

Meg’s favorite art pieces.

What being a marketer in a brandless world is like.

Meg’s ah-hah moment

Meg’s biggest takeaway from the Burning Man adventure.

Meg’s advice to someone who wants to go to Burning Man for the first time.
LINKS WE MENTIONED
Dubsado CRM System: dubsado.com/?c=tassi
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
21 min
September 27, 2022Making Money AND Making the World a Better Place w/Emily Barany
Emily Barany joins us for this episode of Your Sparkly Brand! She shares the story of how she made the decision to work with non-profit businesses as a result of her passion for making the world a better place, and how the journey has been since she started. She also clears the popular misconception about non-profits not making money, clarifying that making money and making the world a better place are not mutually exclusive.
Emily Barany is a serial social entrepreneur, who has launched a half a dozen businesses aimed at making the world a better place. In 2011 she launched VISIONALITY with a mission to help organizations dream big and a commitment to transform their dreams into reality. What’s Emily’s dream? She wants to be part of something BIG – projects that are bigger than the people involved and causes that will change the world. She has won several awards and recognitions for herself and her business.
How to connect with Emily…
Website: https://visionalitypartners.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionalitypartners/
IG (business): https://www.instagram.com/visionalitypartners/
Key points in this episode…
Meet Emily Barany.

Meg’s sparkly moment of the week.

Lauren’s sparkly moment.

Emily’s sparkly moment.

Emily’s entrepreneurial journey.

What Emily’s business, ‘Visionality’, does.

Challenges faced by Emily while starting up her business.

What led Emily to starting a non-profit business.

Other businesses and passion projects launched by Emily since starting Visionality.

How business owners can create a parent-friendly workplace.

The importance of marketing and branding to Emily’s business.

How Emily measures success as an entrepreneur.

Emily’s hobbies and interests outside business and humanitarian efforts.

Emily’s favorite time-saving, sanity-saving tools she uses in her business.

Emily’s piece of advice to her younger business self.

Emily’s upcoming projects.

Where to find Emily online…

Visionality Website: https://visionalitypartners.com/

Visionality Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionalitypartners/

Visionality IG: https://www.instagram.com/visionalitypartners/

Visionality Twitter: https://twitter.com/VISPartners

Visionality LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visionality-partners/

Emily’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybarany/
Are you subscribed to the pod? If not, what are you waiting for!?! Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.
LET’S CONNECT
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
35 min
September 20, 2022Brand Archetypes Explained Part 2
Last week, we started a discussion on brand archetypes and the importance of brand archetypes to your branding. We also discussed different brand archetypes and their characteristics.
This week, we conclude our discussion and provide you with tips on how you can build a solid brand archetype. You’ll also discover what brand archetype your business embodies and how to really dig into that personality and tone of voice in order to carve an indisputable personality for your brand.
Key points in this episode…
Lauren realizes how much she loves connecting people with opportunities.

Meg works on updating her lead magnets to include more robust resources that can help leads through a problem.

The second half of the brand archetypes.

Archetypes that leave a legacy.

Qualities of ‘the Outlaw’ archetype

Brands, characters and industries that embody ‘the Outlaw’.

Qualities of ‘the Magician’ archetype

Brands, characters and industries that embody ‘the Magician’.

Qualities of ‘the Hero’ archetype

Brands, characters and industries that embody ‘the Hero’.

Archetypes that explore spirituality.

Qualities of ‘the Innocent’ archetype

Brands, characters and industries that embody ‘the Innocent’.

Qualities of ‘the Sage’ archetype

Brands, characters and industries that embody ‘the Sage’.

Qualities of ‘the Explorer’ archetype

Brands, characters and industries that embody ‘the Explorer’.

Recap of brand archetypes discussed last week.

How to build a solid brand archetype.

You can have a mix of archetypes.

Speak Your Mind Question.

Outro: Brand archetype goes beyond just selecting characteristics.
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave us a 5-star rating! Ratings & reviews will help this podcast grow so we can make the world a little more Sparkly!
LET’S CONNECT
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover in an upcoming episode? Are you a business owner who wants to join us on the podcast to share your story? Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch.
Find Lauren at laurentassiagency.com or on Instagram
Connect with Megan at megangersch.com, on TikTok, and Instagram
10 min

About Your Sparkly Brand

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Your Sparkly Brand is a marketing and branding podcast designed to inspire and empower entrepreneurs. This podcast is all about delivering no-fluff, high-value content that helps you grow your…

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