Today’s guest, Aby Blum Sudds, is here to tell you that not only is google analytics, or data analytics in general, not scary, but it can be an essential tool in your small business toolkit. Would you believe me if I said having a handle on your data can even be a stress reliever?

In this month’s edition of Making Good Book Club, my co-host Charelle and I discussed Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business. If you’re someone who is considering the future of your small business, this book is worth a read. In it, author Paul Jarvis makes the, (I would say very strong), case for why keeping your business small is the best plan, rather than aiming for growth.

On Making Good, we have talked quite a bit about transparency, authenticity, and sharing your story. But storytelling can feel like a huge task, and getting it right can seem intimidating. My guest today, Ché Elizaga Castro, demystifies what it means to share your story as a business owner, and does an amazing job breaking it down into clear, bite-sized pieces. 

Ché is the founder of Come Alive Co., where she works with entrepreneurs on their brand story strategy, copywriting, and connection with other impact-driven leaders. Her purpose, in her own words, is “to help women feel known, seen, and worthy of their wildest ideas.” She does this by helping people step into their story so they can approach their marketing with confidence. 

Ché’s passion for what she does is truly infectious, and I’m so grateful for how generously she shared her wisdom. This episode is an absolute goldmine.

I’ve noticed something about this podcast, and specifically about you, dear listener.

And that’s this: You tend to be something like me. The things that I’ve struggled with, so so so often they are things that you struggle with too.

Things like self-doubt. Perfectionism. Consistency.

And, as we’re talking about today – procrastination.

The more I reflect on the topic of procrastination and its role in my own life – which, spoiler alert – has been huge. The more I realize that it’s such an important topic.

It might come as a surprise that we haven’t spent much time talking about website optimization on this show yet. Trust me, when I realized that was the case, I was just as shocked. After all your website, as today’s guest called it, is “your business's home on the internet.” So of COURSE, in addition to it reflecting your brand and personality, we want it optimized for your business’s goals. Elissa Voris joined me on the show to break it all down for us.

In this episode, I'm sharing my 12 favorite tools: we'll talk design tools, email tools, productivity tools, and much more.

As the name implies, this book, written by the founders of the project management tool Basecamp, is a book that challenges the assumptions and the traditional approaches to business…. In such a good way. I think you’ll learn a ton from this book and come away inspired to think about things in a whole new way.

Many listeners of the show may know that online education, along with this podcast and other resources, is a large part of how I educate small business owners about marketing. That’s why I was so excited for Melissa Guller to come on the show to explain how YOU (yes, you – even if you don’t think it’s right for YOUR BUSINESS) can diversify your income with online courses. 

Today’s episode is about something that is so, so, SO important – a concept that has changed my life and that I wish I’d put into practice so much earlier than I did.

And that concept is what I call IMPERFECTIONISM. In other words, the willingness to do things imperfectly.

Because of perfectionism, I’ve spent a lot of my life holding back. Not putting things out into the world, not sharing my work, not showing up. 

But. Here’s the thing:

The only way to get better at something… in other words, to get closer to “perfect”... is to do the thing imperfectly. 

I’m going to be honest with you dear listener. The topic of this week’s episode is a skill that I would say is NOT in my zone of genius. That’s why I was so excited to sit down with Crystalynn Shelton so I could pick her brain about all things business finance. 

Crystalynn is a licensed CPA, small business advisor, and a QuickBooks Top 100 ProAdvisor specializing in financial accounting software training, coaching, and consulting. Crystalynn was so so generous with her extensive knowledge of bookkeeping, I know anyone listening to this interview will pick up some useful tips and tricks. 

Today we are back with this month’s edition of Making Good Book Club, and we’re talking about Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman.

Traction is all about how we can best organize our businesses to set ourselves and our teams up for success. The book walks through six key components of a business and dives into how each one can be made more streamlined, and more effective.

You guys, this is SUCH a Charelle book, lighting up and inspiring her not-so-hidden inner business organization nerd. Even if you’re a team of one, we both thought there were so many valuable nuggets in this book for any business owner, especially if you may want to build a team down the line. If you’re anything like me, you MIGHT find this book a little dry, but it is absolutely worth a read.  

In this episode, my guest is my WIFE, Kate Ciurej (happy Pride!)  We talk about what it’s like to be the spouse of a small business owner, some of the things small business owners can do to be more supportive partners (and vice versa), the mental load (which, as you’ll hear – in my house, it’s Kate who really carries). We also discussed  one of Kate’s big interests: productivity and time management! She shared some great tips for managing tasks and projects that I know will be super helpful to you. Kate has been my #1 supporter in my business in just about every way you can imagine, some of which you’ll hear about in this podcast.

Creating social media content for our business takes a lot of time. But how do you know if the time you’re spending on social media is actually creating results for your business? In this episode, I'm sharing 10 ways to get more results (read: SALES!) from your social media marketing.

One of my favorite things to do on this podcast is to share an idea or concept that is new to me and that I am so excited about. This is one of those episodes!

Today we’re talking about regenerative business. Wondering what that is? I was too until I had this conversation with Helen but it’s safe to say I’ve become a believer that this is an idea we can ALL embrace 

My guest for today’s show is Helen Tremethick. Helen Tremethick is a Regenerative Business Designer & Holistic Business Coach for entrepreneurs who are ready to show up more fully (and authentically) in their lives and their businesses.

This week is the 3-year anniversary of Making Good!! Hosting this podcast has been one of the greatest gifts of my life – truly, that’s not an exaggeration – and to me, it has really shown the magic that comes from consistently creating valuable content over time… specifically LONG-FORM content.

That’s what we’re going to talk about today!

Also, this is the *PERFECT* episode to kick off a new segment we’re doing on Making Good. One of my favorite parts of my work is the chance to get to know and connect with small business owners like you, so I’m going to be spotlighting one of you on each and every episode moving forward! This new segment is called the Small Biz Spotlight, and it’s a short + sweet interview with a small business owner like you. It’ll be aired at the end of each episode, so stay tuned for that after the main bit of today’s episode.

Charelle and I are BACK with another episode of Making Good Book Club! While The Art of Gathering is not technically a business book, it is absolutely one that can be relevant for all of our businesses and I really encourage EVERYONE to read it! This book is about the fact that even a simple meeting can be a transformative experience – the world or someone’s world can be just a little bit different as a result of it, and this is worth thinking through! This episode is for ANYONE who hosts events, in person or online. You will learn a lot.

Today’s episode is all about brand messaging: the what, why, and how… and how to actually apply it to your business. This is the first time we’re diving into this subject on the podcast, and we couldn’t imagine a better guide than Ashlee Sang.

Ashlee is a business strategist who equips conscious and caring business owners with brand messaging strategies to grow their impact and revenue in alignment with their values. We learned SO MUCH from Ashlee, and we know you’re going to as well.