Episode 90: The Power of the Small, Every Day Action with Masami Sato
Episode 90: The Power of the Small, Every Day Action with Masami Sato
Lauren Tilden
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 90. I have such a treat for you today. I know I say this a lot, but this is one of my favorite interviews that I've done so far for this podcast. My guest for episode 90 is Masami Sato. And in our conversation, we discuss the power of the small everyday action when it comes to changing the world through your business. I was so inspired by everything Masami shared in this interview, and after recording, I felt more excited than ever by the power of small businesses like yours and mine.
But before we get into the episode, I am so so so excited to tell you about my new membership program Making Good Happen. Last week, I opened the doors to Making Good Happen, and I am so excited. I've had such amazing business owners sign up to be members already, and I'm kind of freaking out about how good this is going to be.
So what is Making Good Happen? Well, one thing I know all too well is that it is one thing to learn the things we know will take our businesses to the next level. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions that we need to take. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about. Making good happen is a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business. And more importantly, take the actions you plan to take month in and month out. Actually take the steps necessary to see the results you dream of.
Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called, you guessed it Making Good Happen. There'll be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from mini pep talks, to journaling prompts and action items. It also includes deep work sessions, so these are kind of like co-working on Zoom but with no video or audio so that we can minimize distractions while we work together. It includes guided monthly marketing plan creation and an online community of other like minded small business owners. Accountability tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month, and more stuff that is a surprise because I just like surprises.
And so that we can all kick off 2022 with a bang making good happen is officially launching the first Monday in January, January 3 2022. If you are interested in joining head to makinggoodpodcast.com/happen and sign up for an email that will give you all the juicy details on the program. Because this is the first time this program has ever been offered. You can join and lock in this monthly price for as long as you're a member at the lowest rate it will ever be available, if you sign up by December 18.
This is a ridiculously good deal and I would so love to have you join again. You can get all the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen.
Okay, so let's talk about today's episode. My guest is the amazing Masami Sato. Masami is the founder and CEO of B1G1, a social enterprise and B Corp based in Singapore, B1G1, also known as buy one give one helps businesses around the world integrate effective giving into what they do. Today B1G1 works with more than 2800 businesses. And these businesses have created over 220 million giving impacts to date together. Masami has a diverse business background, is a two time TEDx speaker and the author of four books. She is also a mother of two teenage children. Her work originates in the belief that businesses with a real sense of purpose can make a real difference in the world. In our conversation, we discuss the power of the small everyday action, three critical components of business giving the most beautiful analogy I've ever heard of businesses as pollinating bees, how to overcome procrastination when it comes to making impacts, how to make giving a habit, unique, creative ways to give back, the power of kindness, and much, much more.
I learned so much and was so inspired by this conversation, and I am so excited to share it with you. Here it is.
Hey, Masami, welcome to Making Good.
Masami Sato
Thank you so much for having me, Lauren. Great to be here.
Lauren Tilden
I'm really excited to talk with you. We have tried to get this scheduled for a while and I'm so glad the day has finally come. So I'm really looking forward to this conversation. I would love for you to introduce yourself to me and more importantly, the listeners of this podcast. And I know you have a long history in business so I would love to hear the story about where your current business B1G1 one came from, and then maybe what got you started as a small business owner even before that.
Masami Sato
Okay, so you know, it's hard to decide where to begin the story. I think, you know, talking about small business in particular, I think it's good to start with my first interaction with a small business. And so that was actually my grandparents' business back in Japan, in Tokyo. So my grandparents had a small family business. And growing up as a young child, and my own parents were very, very busy working for different companies. So me and my sister both mostly spent our school holiday time with grandparents, staying with them and helping their business every day. So serving customers, or cleaning the shop, so being in a business environment, small family business environment, I learned so much. And even though I was like a shy, introverted child, but still, for me, business gave me a door to the world where I understood a lot of things that I couldn't learn at school. So that was kind of my beginning of an entrepreneurship journey.
Lauren Tilden
What kind of business was it?.
Masami Sato
Oh, it was just like a general shop and like selling food items, or it's like, almost like a convenience store in today's sense. But it was sharp, like, deep rooted in the community. So people are living in the neighborhood that will pop by on the way to work, they stop. Other than serving customers, like, as a business, there was this social interaction element, because, you know, we knew a lot of customers who lived around us.
So, yeah, so that was the kind of beginning. And then what happened was, when I finished studying in Japan, I had the opportunity to travel around the world. And up until then, I was this scared person, and who didn't know anything about what was happening outside of my own little world. But when I stepped out and without being able to speak English, because, you know, that was when I really started to learn English as well, I started to really like, enjoy connecting with others, and being very, very simple, because I didn't have complicated words to use. I really loved interacting with people in very simple ways.
So we're in that time, when I was backpacking, and not having much on a very low budget, and often like staying at people's homes or doing exchange work or so, in that time, I started to become aware of the different kinds of challenges people face around the world. And I started to question why we were all doing what we were doing, you know, like my parents working so hard in the growing Japanese economy, and trying to go up in the corporate world. And then at the same time, there are people who have so little, and it just didn't make sense. But they were still able to smile and still able to share their limited food with me, like inviting me to eat with them or stay with them. And so I felt really quite confused and conflicted. And eventually at that, at one point, I thought, like, well, this consumerism is the source of all evil. So I will just let go of everything and try to find self sustainable living, you know, so I moved through the countryside in Japan at one point and spent a couple of years living with traditional farmers, you know, trying to create self-sufficient life.
And after all, like, after two years, I realized that actually I was, you know, wrong, because there was no way that I could have a totally disconnected self sufficient life. And if I was trying to, not to do the wrong thing, and try to justify, you know, myself, then there was no goal like, I could reach happily. So then I continued on my journey, and eventually, I became a mom and I was traveling, and I eventually settled in New Zealand and gave birth to my own first child. And that was, then I really felt that I wanted to do something, rather than saying, like, well, I had so many issues, and there were a lot of stray kids or, but I couldn't do anything like that was how I felt before.
By having my own child, I realized that it was really important to me to do something and not to just be the mum for my own child, but to do something for other kids too, if I could, as much as I could. So that's when I started my very first business which was food company, and eventually in the evolution of food, business and all that and as a result of all that, hard work that we did, we were growing and our company was in Australia then distributing packaged frozen healthy meals to more than 150 retail stores at one point. And that was when this very simple idea of B1G1 came to me. Because, you know, I realized that I started my business because I wanted to do something and then give, but our company was always, you know, growing. So we had to put all the resources back into business, and I never felt we were ready to do something great. So I thought, what if instead of trying to do something big in the future, we did something small, and did it every day. And so that buy one give one concept of, you know, every time we sell a meal, we contribute a small proceed small part, or proceed to help feed and educate a street child. And so that was the kind of first time I connected with the idea of B1G1, buy one, give one. And then eventually, several months later, I finally decided to sell my company in Australia back then, and move to Singapore to start B1G1 as the business giving initiative to work with many businesses around the world to do this form of, you know, embedded Giving. And it's been 14 years since then. So that's the kind of beginning.
Lauren Tilden
My gosh, so amazing. One thing I really loved hearing you say was, you know, initially, when you started this food business, you wanted to make a positive impact. But like, as time went on, and you grew the business, you just didn't feel ready, like you were at the point where you could really make a difference. I think this is something that a lot of small business owners, particularly like really small business owners will relate to, because, you know, a lot of them start making their own product. And, you know, you start your sales are low in the beginning, and it feels like how could I possibly make an impact when my business is so small. So I love your philosophy, I guess that like, it's kind of never too early to do that, right? Like, just bake it into your business embed it, sort of is already use into your business, and you don't have to wait till you reach a certain point, you can just start making an impact now.
Masami Sato
Totally agree.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, I would love for you to share a little bit more about your current business, B1G1 and the kind of work that you do with businesses.
Masami Sato
Okay, so I like the fact that you mentioned the word business, like your current business, because sometimes like people, you know, talk about the charity, because what we are doing is fundamentally are giving the initiative so the closest word you can use to describe this kind of activity could be like charity, you know, traditionally. Actually B1G1 initiative has two parts. One is the business part. And the second one is the charity part. So for the facilitation of all of the giving, that we do, then we actually have charity organizations, you know, registered in US as a charity to actually manage that. But at the same time, actually, this entire initiative has this like business component at heart, because you know, we are social enterprise, like we believe in the fact that the businesses with a real sense of purpose can really change the world together. And so when we came up with this idea of B1G1 and how to make it work, we started out, you know, thinking that this is a social business, this is a business.
And so the model of B1G1 has like a very much a business thinking about how to deliver value to businesses that we work with, and make their social contributions as impactful and effective and meaningful as possible. So we really thought about, you know, what was really missing in the general form of giving or business giving. And then we identify the three things which was impact the habit and connection. So first of all, like, you know, traditionally, the humanity was always giving, and they were always charity organizations for like, you know, years and years, decades. I don't know how many hundreds of years charity organizations and social organizations existed, but there's always generosity in us that you know, would give and, but at the same time, what was kind of missing in the convention or giving space was the impactfulness that people were giving just for the sake of giving amount of money to charity ABC but they didn't quite understand what they were helping achieve with their giving. So we realized that we wanted to make the giving very impact based. So in B1G1 today, we have more than 450 high impact projects that were broken down into tangible, like micro units. So you could help, for example, plant a tree, you know, tangerine tree in Malawi, or forest, a tree in the rain forest park or so. So that's a very impact base. And another thing is the habit that if we do just ad hoc giving, just because we feel like then, you know, we need to wait until like a massive natural disaster or something happens to just to give or we have to host a massive like charity bowl, to raise funds. But that might cost a lot of money to us to do those things.
And so we realized that if we could embed the effective giving in our day to day activities, that's already happening, such as business activities, because business is here driving our world, so we thought, what's the key?. And then finally, we wanted the giving to bring the sense of connection. And when we do this with businesses, then basically businesses are all connected with each other, and also with our everyday act. So we realized that helping businesses to connect and make a difference together and creating the sense of connection with their team and customers. So those things really mattered. So we developed a business initiative and membership model, where businesses of all sizes and types can come together, and contribute together, so we develop the systems, you know, we have widgets that can count the number of impacts in so many different ways, and businesses can embed those widget on their website, like, you know, embedding a YouTube video, and then to share the impacts that they are creating, or they have a certificate of gratitude that they can download and send. So we always continuously think about the meaningfulness of and the value of creating a giving culture for businesses and try to drive value to them, whilst making it simple and easy for them to give. And then we pass 100% of what they give to the causes that they choose to support through us.
Lauren Tilden
So awesome, so cool. So this is one way obviously that a small business could consider implementing a giving aspect to their business is to join, like, work with someone like you. What would be for someone maybe just starting out who might not feel like they're quite there again? Do you have a process that you suggest for sort of figuring out how to incorporate or embed, like a do good component?
Masami Sato
Yeah, like, it's actually, you know, the most important idea or perspective to have here is to make it just as simple and easy as it starts, because it's so easy to postpone things like when we overthink it, or over complicated. So when businesses have the intention, like we want to do good, then just the thinking about, you know, one thing that happens in the business that is symbolic, or that is important to you. So for example, one of the examples of early adopters of big one, because we've been doing this for a long time. But you know, some of the early stories always very, very precious to us. And many of those businesses are still with us today.
And so one company, as an example, was a fashion business. But when this lady called the currents that her business, she was just doing it because she liked, you know, doing things in fashion. And she used to just take some of her fashion items to the weekend farmers market so where she sold those things. And she didn't even have a physical shop or anything. And she discovered to B1G1 and then even though you know, she thought like, it might not make sense to me to be doing this because I'm just starting out and we are not making much money; but she did it because she resonated with it.
And then in the beginning she decided that for every piece of product which she sells, she wanted to contribute toward the girls education to help girls continue to study in some countries like Cambodia, so that they don't get affected by the risk of child trafficking. So that's what she did. So she gave a little bit for each product. And you know, in the old days we used to notice her giving because it was very, very frequent, she was giving like every day. And we thought, you know, we used to think like, oh, that must be taking so much of her time. And she could actually accumulate the giving and do it like monthly or something.
So one day, we asked her, like, Why do you give every day, then she said, actually, it mattered to her because it reminded her of why she was doing what she was doing. So she continued to give regularly, then we then started to notice that the impacts in giving started to get bigger and bigger over the years, that we were not kind of quietly noticing it. And then what we discovered later years later was that, you know, basically with that, in our commitment to make a difference and do good and attracting the right people in her own business mission, she started to grow, and she had retail stores. And then she eventually pivoted also to more doing online business, and she is doing a multi million dollar business now. And her giving is so much bigger, and she is still with us and giving. And she still talks about how that part really mattered to her.
So I think just the thinking about, you know, simplicity of what you resonate with, like, what problems do you care about? And it can be all sorts of things, right? Because it's overwhelming to see all sorts of things like around that and feel powerless. But if you know that, well, actually, every call in a meeting that you have, you could be planting a tree to celebrate that nice conversation we have, and they might just cost you a couple of dollars to do you know, in our company, too. We do all sorts of creative giving. So every email we send, we actually do make an impact, because impact in B1G1 can start with just one cent. So actually, anything is possible.
Lauren Tilden
Oh my gosh, I love that with the email so much. Do you have other, so now that I'm excited about this, these two ideas, the emails and the calls, like donating for each of those? What are some other kind of like creative ways that we can give? That's not just, I guess, like, my personal way of donating currently is I donate 5%, which is great, and I feel good about it. But I love this creative approach that you have. So are there other ideas similar to the donate per email? Or donate per phone call?
Masami Sato
Yeah, yeah, so there are all sorts of things you could do some, like really creative things is to really like tune into the opportunities to do good together. And so, sometimes like things like, the fun ones could be, every time somebody is caught the typo in our article we gave them all because then it makes people go like, you know, have fun, like, and it was at every opportunity. And also, to actually celebrate the moments together, you know, like, whether it's high moments or low moments or learning moments. And so we, you know, we hear so many different creative ideas, some businesses choose to do things like whenever the team members are having a birthday, instead of just giving a conventional present, we let them choose that giving that they want to do.
So giving can be a great way to open up like the generosity inside the culture of business. And also, you know, even when somebody is running your business alone, right, like, then it's sometimes very lonely to be doing it alone. But the moment you are able to celebrate the things together, because every time like business interact with people, whether it's customer clients, or suppliers or so if we are able to use these moments to do something generous together, then instead of like just doing business, and you know, always talking about business deals in the traditional sense, like how much does it cost? Or how quickly can you deliver this, like those kinds of conversations, like that's important, but at the same time when we actually can step out of that and to do something together for something greater than ourselves something that outside of our own like interest, then actually that sense of a connection that gap that can be created could be very interesting.
So I think I highly recommend to start with a simple, like it because we don't need to do too many things at once because then we will delay, but just pick one first, and then do something or just let's say you know, certain budget for social goods like so if you had a target like oh you are happy to allocate to just 1% of your business, you know, resources, whether it's revenue or you know, product to sell or just 1%, but to social good, and then once you have that kind of target, then it makes it makes it really easy for you to think about what you want to use that 1% for. And then the idea is endless, because you know, you can actually like, you can stick with one thing before long term, that's really also good too. But some of the things you might want to do it, the more creatively ad hoc, so sometimes, like, you might think about, okay, season of giving is coming. And this year, we want to involve our community or our clients in choosing the type of giving that we want to do together to celebrate it. And so we can thank everybody for the part that they play. So that, like, I would leave it to the imagination and the feeling of each entrepreneur. But the most important thing is not to delay and do it now and start soon. Because, you know, in life, we kind of know that we never know what happens, like in the long run. So if we can celebrate our everyday wins, rather than trying to delay our greatest pleasure to a later point of time, then that is definitely better than, you know, trying to do something big, but not do it now.
Lauren Tilden
Yes, I'm glad that the conversation brought us here, because one of the things I wanted to ask you about was the role of procrastination in doing good. Which, for me, I think that procrastination is really connected to perfectionism. Like, we want to do it big and do it perfectly. So we're just gonna wait until that moment comes. But what do you think holds businesses back from just taking that first step to, you know, make us take a small action, even if it doesn't feel huge, maybe, but is important to get started, like you say, so what holds people back from doing that?
Masami Sato
I think like, everyone has a good intention, but we also have a distraction on a day to day and I like to, you know, look at the things like behavioral economics, because, you know, all the good intention that we have, or all the goals that we set, like, why do we actually fail? We are all capable individuals. So learning about that is very interesting. And I don't blame anybody, because I have the same problem of some of the human weaknesses in achieving my own goals as well. So I think that the key part is, you know, definitely that simplicity, because we generally like over complication, or, you know, thinking a lot about what goes wrong. All that kind of things are prevented. So, actually just, at one point of time, we realized, oh, actually, we want to do this, then just identifying one small but tangible action, and then find a way to stick with this whether to have some form of delegation, or automation, or peer support.
So if, for example, making a different method, but you are very busy, then, oh, maybe you just set the automatic monthly recurrent giving to the carbon offset. So every month, you just at least offset the cover for your team, you know, by doing that, then it happens automatically. So that's one way. Another thing could be like, if you have some people working for you, then instead of you trying to do everything, not just the saying, okay, somebody in our team may love to actually be the giving champion. And then the moment you delegate, your role changes to somebody, you have to do it because somebody supports somebody else, you know, in doing it and then get the maximum joy out of it. So I think when we understand our own weakness or distraction, finding a way quickly to just mitigate that, like, take away that complication or distraction, and just do one small simple thing, but do it in such a way that you can continue to do and to turn that into a habit is really, really useful, I think.
Lauren Tilden
Yes. Such great suggestions. I think we've covered this a little bit, but one thing I know you talk about is the power of the like the regular everyday action. And I guess how small things add up. Could you go into that and just maybe I'd love to hear what you have to say on that. I know it'll be super inspiring.
Masami Sato
So um, I like using metaphor in many things, because that makes the things like it easy to understand. So, for me, when we think about the power of everyday action, or power or business, then I think about the pollinators of the world, like bees. And so, when we look into the world of bees, what we discover is that these tiny, tiny creatures that we don't even notice on a day to day basis, responsible for majority of our food production, so we depend on them so much, and they are tiny, but the power that you know, they have is, in the day to day things that they are doing, which is they're going out flying out and pollinating flowers as they collect the nectar. And they're doing it as a part of who they are, you know, they're not doing it for social responsibility. It just, that's what they do naturally. And so when we think about our day to day action, and the businesses are doing what they do, actually, businesses are designed to be the pollinators of the world, to create the abundance shared abundance for us and to make our life better. So there is fundamentally the structure of business being the kind of abundance creators, but over the years of, you know, business development, we started to go off that initial intention and became so focused on maximization of profit alone.
So when we do that, then what happens is we are trying to extract more nectar without the pollinating because pollinating slows us down, or, you know, we have to carry more stuff on our legs, as bees, when we became so smart to extract more, but forgetting that the business's day to day activities actually involve the giving back and nurturing the soil of our you know, ground and so that we can have a continuous abundance. And that's why we realized that the effect of giving and the sense of generosity and caring for the world need to be coming back with their business activities day to day, because then, even when we are not even thinking about the social responsibility, actually, those good things can happen through the everyday things that we automatically and naturally do everywhere around the world. And those businesses and day to day activities can overcome all of the differences and barriers that we have, like borders, or different idealism or culture because businesses are actually everywhere, touching people's lives. So that's why I believe that, they do the things that the businesses do and people do, if we could do more good to spread that sense of caring and generosity through this, that's going to be very, very powerful.
Lauren Tilden
Mm hmm. I love that metaphor. And I love just the way that you talk about businesses being like pollinators of abundance, I think that's just such a really beautiful way to think about small about business. And for me, small business. I, I don't know, I think business kind of can get a bad reputation. I think growing up, I used to feel like I could either do something that would make the world a better place. Or I could work in business, you know, that they were different. So I just love how you kind of know, like, just the lens that you view business, it's like business can, business has created a lot of problems in the world, and in my opinion, but it can also solve a lot of problems. And it's really just a matter of like, all this intention that you're talking about.
Masami Sato
Yeah, definitely like so, you know, back then, like, I think businesses and charities are very different things. And they they seem to operate in the opposite way or something. But I think the new form is the hybrid organizations. Some of them are called social enterprises, but some are just businesses which had a stronger social mission or some charities which have very good commercial acumen, you know, and creativity to create the sustainability without being 100% dependent on like, people's good intention to donate money or so I think the more we can come to the middle, the better the world becomes. Because businesses you know, caring and making different decisions actually can have a huge impact in the world. And then also certain problems may not be solved by businesses, because there is no money to be made, so charity models are still important. But then charitable organizations also need to move more toward the value generation model so that they don't need to be worried always about the sustainability of the work that they're doing. So, yeah, so I think that is kind of like a path that we all get to play as entrepreneurs and even running small businesses, we are actually creating this new movement and trend, and every thing do or say, and share actually matters.
Lauren Tilden
Yes, yes. So you talks about different forms of businesses, your business is a B Corp. Is that right?
Masami Sato
Yes.
Lauren Tilden
Okay, so I would love but can you just share a little bit about what it means to have a B Corp and what kind of businesses it might be a good fit for?
Masami Sato
Okay, so because earlier I talked about B1G1 having two parts. One is the commercial enterprise and another one is the charity. So the B Corp, certification is given to the business entity, because we are social enterprise. And then for initiative like ours, you know, just because we are social enterprise, we cannot easily just get the B Corp approval, because B Corp has many different elements in giving that gravitation. So you go through all sorts of assessment and then verification process. And so attaining a B Corp status is actually not very easy, but it's a good thing that we actually reflect on because, you know, B Corp assessment, the test can be taken by anybody for free. So if you're interested, then you can just go to B corp website, and then take the assessment, free assessment. And then you can see your rating and which part of your business practice you can improve.
Some of the expectations that the B Corp set may be more suitable for like larger companies, I believe, but actually, even smaller businesses too, we can have the big indicators as like a goal not to work toward so when you are setting like a new employment, the process, you know, hiring process, or when you are crafting the company handbook, and these are the things that you will enjoy doing through business development. So when as your business grows, and some more team members start to join, then you might set the project, like let's identify our culture, you know, much more clearly and start to crafting company handbook, which incorporate all this kind of fairness policy, in our employment practice, or so at least like as a, you know, key external measurement, that would be a very useful thing to look at. And then if any companies successfully became B Copr, then that's great news, and I think together if we inspire more businesses to think about their business practice, not to just about their own product and service and how to make it more socially responsible, or environmental friendly, like those are important things that we could all do. But at the same time B Corp also gives us like, other factors, like you know, how you are treating your employees, or what kind of policies that you are setting. And so that's actually very interesting thing to look at. So definitely highly recommend that. If anybody interested in B Corp, or want to learn more than you can visit their website.
Lauren Tilden
Awesome. Thank you. Um, one of the sort of final questions I have for you, I have a few questions left. One is, how can kindness change the world?
Masami Sato
Well, I think, everyone may have different answers for that. But what we may not disagree with, is that actually, kindness creates so much good in the world and in our environment. So if we think about the world, like imagining two types of world, one is the world of, you know, giving and care and getting kindness and the other one is the world of, let's say, self interest and the competition and, you know, being unkind and trying to win the game, everybody trying to get more from each other, right? Like and then think about which world do you want to belong to? And then I feel like not many people will choose to dislike, unkind, vicious world where everybody's trying to get more steal from each other and not trusting each other. And I think people generally want to be in a place where people can be kind to each other, help each other, support each other, share more with each other.
And so, what happens sometimes is that even though we all understand that this importance of like, you know, humanity kindness and caring, but just because of what we see in front of us, sometimes we go, oh, you know, everybody else is doing this, or nobody else cares. So I will behave like this. And then we get the kind of acting that because of this, it's okay for me to do this kind of, you know, thinking, but at the same time, if we totally just step out of that thinking, and then we go, like, what makes me feel the best? and to be the best of me today, then, no matter what happens, no matter how others react or do or say, if we decided to be kind, to be open minded, to listen, to respect people, to enjoy life, to smile, to have fun, and to care, and to love. And if we could do that, if we just could do that no matter what happens, then we just know that we have a better world. Because we can come together and work together, we can have open conversations and discuss issues. And when we disagree, we could still listen, we could still be open minded, still ask the questions, still try to understand and still try to come up with a compromise. So I think kindness is really such a catalyst like kindness or caring or empathy, generosity, you know, these are things that really do matter. And that's why I think the more of this we can incorporate in our day to day things like business, then it's going to be the biggest change maker, I think, because you know, the world already has a great technology, great knowledge, and great power, creativity, amazing, amazing skills of people. Like we have all these amazing things already. It's just that sometimes we lose that sense of why we are doing what we do, and why we are all here together.
Lauren Tilden
So beautiful. This question, I feel like we have spent most of the conversation answering but how do you do good through your business? I feel like we have talked about that in a lot of different ways. But I mean, I guess what is your, like, if you could make one impact on the world through B1G1, what would that be?
Masami Sato
Probably the most important thing for the world or for moving forward together is to not to judge, and you know, like not to judge immediately, because what is happening in the goodness of the world, or social impact world, we are all trying to create good. And then sometimes with all the good intention too, sometimes certain things will be implemented, there could be like unintended consequences, and we've seen that in the social space, too. I don't know if you'll recall things like when, you know, famous iconic company like TOMS shoes were very admired for what they were doing for, you know, giving pairs of shoes to children, to prevent them from getting the disease and things like that. But then years later, people started to discover that when TOMS Shoes, were giving the massive number of shoes, it was causing problems for local like, production and the trade of the local people. And so sometimes it's great intention over the years, they may learn something else was there. And but the thing is, it's so easy for us to jump on to like judgment, and then to go like that was wrong. And, you know, they did it wrongly, and point the finger at some someone.
But when we, when we do so, it might naturally discourage people from taking any action because people don't want to be criticized or people don't want to make mistakes or be wrong. And so all of that judgment might take away the potential to do good. But I think what's more important in doing good to space is to actually do something and then to be open to learn from it and open to be sometimes wrong. But then to come up with what's better, how to collect it, how to adjust our approach, and because the world is continuously changing the approach that worked last year or you know, last decade may not work in the future, and we may need to change things. So that's why I feel like even though we talk they're all about doing the things, well I think is really important is that if we actually are open to learn and to do good in a way we think it's good today, but to be open to the potential change coming up that we will continue to do our good with the right, the genuine intention to help people, but at the same time, when you can be humble, and then not to be like, like, you know, trying to just do few things too quickly, because taking small steps, like we learn more along the way, and then click the Actions and keep going. And then to actually appreciate the small moments and every person that helps us make that journey. And so yeah, so that was a nice question.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, that was a great answer. Thank you. I think that's such an important point. That, yeah, to just do the best you can, and when you know, better, you know, you might learn that there's a better way to do things, and to just do it better when you can. But I mean, I think what you're describing is just sort of like, yeah, the humility and the willingness to be wrong, and to not, maybe get defensive about it. But just try to do the best thing you can in the moment. I think that's, that's such a great point to make. What is one small business that you admire?
Masami Sato
Oh, one small business. I don't know, there are so many businesses and small businesses I admire because actually, like, you know, why would anybody start a business when they could be working elsewhere, and probably better money. And you end up working so much more. And, you know, you may have no clear line between life and work, family and work. And that's like, small business. And that's why every person who runs a small business, I admire them. And also because I grew up, you know, seeing my grandparents run their businesses, and for them, it was just like, the things of their life, like the way of being because their shop was at their house. And also, when we were having breakfast together, we could see a customer walking in, then we would go out and help the customer. So I really admire people who run small businesses, because they have this embodiment of, you know, business and the family together, and that family value naturally conveys into the way they run their businesses. So I wouldn't pick any one single particular business, but I admire every person running their own small business.
Lauren Tilden
What is one book you would recommend?
Masami Sato
Oh, book? That's a challenging question for me, because I read like, generally I like reading books that talk about behavioral economics and things like that, because it's always those like findings around human psychology and how we behave. Yeah, it's very interesting to me. So there are lots of books that relate to that. But then, because I knew you were going to ask this question, I was just looking at my bookshelf before this call. And then I just picked up two things. One is actually the book of Adventures of Tintin. Because I used to read this with kids. And I was like, really into this. So these kind of books gives like...
Lauren Tilden
What book was that?
Masami Sato
The Adventures of Tintin.
Because I love these stories, and you know, because it just takes you out into the world into different realities and makes you feel creative and open. And another book I picked up from my bookshelf is Bucket List. And this is not a book written by somebody, but it's an open book that you can write in, then I thought, oh, bucket list, like I left it in the bookshelf for so long and didn't actually look at it. So thank you for asking that question. Because this book is about us filling in what we want to do in our life and actually do it. I will look into this now.
Lauren Tilden
I love that. What a great, what a great reminder. Where can people who are interested in learning more about B1G1 or just learning more about you in general, where should they go to connect with you online?
Masami Sato
So if you're interested in finding out more about the B1G1 initiative then you can go to b1g1.com and if you forget it then you can type buy one give one on Google then we will still come up. And another place you can find me as a person is probably LinkedIn is the best place so you can go to LinkedIn and search for me.
Lauren Tilden
Amazing, Masami, thank you so much for having this conversation with me. This has been one of my favorite episodes, I just could listen to your talk forever. So. Wow, I'm just excited to share this with everyone. Thank you so much.
Masami Sato
Thank you. And it's been a pleasure talking with you and thank you for all the lovely questions as well.
Lauren Tilden
When I finished editing this conversation, I had literally pages of ideas and notes. I hope you're as inspired as I was by Masami's story and work. Learn more about how you can join B1G1 at b1g1.com. And more details on this episode can be found in the show notes at makinggoodpodcast.com/90.
If you enjoyed this episode, I would so love for you to leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. And finally, I would love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen. My brand new membership kicking off in January to reserve your spot and lock in the lowest monthly rate that will ever be available, get the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen. And again to lock that price be sure to sign up before December 18. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
108: 4 Cornerstones of a Rock-Solid Marketing Mindset
108: 4 Cornerstones of a Rock-Solid Marketing Mindset
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact.
I’m your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 108.
Today’s episode is all about the 4 cornerstones of a strong marketing mindset that creates results.
BUT! Before we get into the episode, I just wanted to plant a bug in your ear that the next couple of weeks, the doors to Making Good Happen will be re-opening. If you are looking to make a smart marketing plan and then have the accountability to ACTUALLY follow through on the plan… we would LOVE to have you in Making Good Happen. Be the first to hear more about it by joining the waitlist: makingoodpodcast.com/waitlist.
Okay. So again - today is all about the 4 key components of a marketing mindset that will lead to the business results you want to experience.
When I started my business, I remember feeling completely overwhelmed. I had no idea what to do where to start, or even what questions to ask in the first place.
So I spent hours and hours reading blog posts, browsing Pinterests, following other small business others, and watching Youtube videos, looking for someone to tell me what to do.
Inch by inch I started doing things in my business, but always very tentatively. I always had this feeling that I just needed the right strategies and tactics and then I’d experience the results I dreamed of.
So I kept learning. I took courses. I observed the other brands in my industry. I spent MORE time on Google and Youtube. And after a while, I found that I knew A LOT.
But knowing a lot is not the same as taking a lot of action, and after a while I realized that the biggest thing standing in my way was my own mindset.
I’ve really come around on this fact – in fact I think some of the best things I’ve done in my business I’ve been able to do because I’ve worked hard to cultivate a strong mindset.
But many of you might be thinking, yeah yeah yeah, strong mindset, blah blah blah – but practically speaking what does that mean?
I can relate to this because this is how I used to feel when I heard people preaching about the power of mindset. But I’ve become a real believer in something I know to be true:
Your mindset creates your results.
And if that is true, then this begs the question – how do we cultivate a strong mindset – a mindset that will create the results we want instead of holding us back?
I’m so glad you asked.
I’ve come up with a list of the 4 most important components of a marketing mindset that help you create big results in your business, and I’m excited to share them with you.
Let’s get into the first one, and that’s INTENTION.
I don’t think intention has ever been more important than it is now. We live in the time of information overload. There are more inputs than we can possibly process, more demands on our time than we can accommodate, more things we COULD be doing than we’ll ever possibly get to.
The thing about marketing that can be frustrating is that it’s never DONE. It’s not really a project that finishes – no matter what you do, you’ll always feel like there’s more you could have done if you had more time or resources. It’s just how marketing is.
So, in this environment that we’re in, bombarded with strategies and social media platforms and tools… how do we figure out how to spend our time and effort?
With INTENTION.
Intention is all about getting crystal clear on what our goal is – what we need our marketing to accomplish, and then creating a plan of actions that are directly in service of that goal.
When we’re super clear on what we’re trying to achieve, we can apply intention to be selective about prioritizing the tools, platforms and marketing activities that will lead to that goal.
Every time a new shiny object comes a long… like a new tool everyone is using or a new social media platform people are telling you to jump onto, you can ask yourself:
What do I want my marketing to achieve?
Is this new platform or tool one that will help me reach and market to my specific ideal customer?
Is this a better use of my limited time and effort than other marketing activities?
The second cornerstone I want to talk about is IMPERFECTIONISM.
Yep, IMPERFECTIONISM. Okay so I googled it and it doesn’t seem to be an actual word, but just go with it.
Here are some examples of things that have proven to be PIVOTAL in my career and life:
Teaching myself how to do calligraphy, and later watercolor
Taking on running a retail store
Starting a podcast
Starting a membership program
What do these things have in common?
The common denominator is that doing each and every one of those things required me to take action and do things, even though I KNEW I wasn’t going to be able to do it at the level I wanted to. But I somehow found the strength within myself to do it anyway, no matter how imperfectly.
There’s a quote on this topic by NPR host Ira Glass that I love SO SO much that I want to read it to you.
It says:
Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this GAP. For the first couple years, you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people NEVER get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It’s only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take awhile. You just gotta fight your way through.”
SO, SO, SO, true. And I think for creative small business owners, we have to take it even one step further, because even though maybe we’re not quite where we want to be yet… we have to put it out into the world ANYWAY. Because we have a business!
But here’s something interesting. Some of the things I’ve put out into the world that aren’t where I’d want them to be… they are sometimes people’s most favorite things of mine!
Sometimes, especially as an artist, the things you might consider “imperfections” or flaws, might be what really speak to someone else.
And I say this as someone with very strong perfectionist tendencies. But the last few years have shown me that while perfectionism hasn’t gotten me very far, being willing to be imperfect has been an absolute game changer.
All of this to say. Being willing to put things out into the world, even imperfectly, is something that I wish for all of us.
So, here’s what I want to ask you:
What’s something you want to do but haven’t done because you’re afraid of doing it imperfectly?
Where are you holding back because it’s new to you?
What’s something you’re procrastinating on because you’re afraid you won’t be good at it?
The third cornerstone of a rock-solid marketing mindset is COURAGE. Now to some extent, we’ve already been talking about courage, but I want to get really really direct on this topic.
Let’s be very clear on something that I don’t think is talked about enough:
Marketing your business takes A LOT of courage.
If you find it difficult to put your work out into the world, to show your face, to share about yourself, to go so far as to tell someone why what you have to sell is a good fit for them…. You’re not alone.
To take something we created, that we often put our heart and soul into, and put it out into the world for others to respond to is seriously hard.
AND YET. It’s pretty much the definition of marketing.
Here are some of the fears that tend to come with the marketing territory:
Fear of being judged (especially by people in your real life)
Fear of putting in a lot of effort and having it not pay off
Fear that people won’t like what we have to sell
Fear that we’re not actually good enough, that we’re not qualified, or that we don’t actually have anything to offer
Fear that we won’t be able to handle success
I’ve experienced all of these fears and in fact, many times I still do. It occurs to me that random people from my past might be judging what I’m doing, that I’ll go ALL OUT on a launch and no one will buy anything, that I’ll create something new and people won’t like it, that I don’t actually have the right to get up here and tell you what to do, and that if I find enormous success that I’ll become even more of a workaholic and let my personal life implode.
And the thing is, I don’t have anything in this episode about getting rid of that fear, because that’s not actually the point.
The point is that even in the face of all these fears and unhelpful voices and thought spirals… we need COURAGE.
And courage is available to all of us if we’re willing to have it. We have to be willing to experience all of these fears and thoughts, and do the thing anyway.
If you let them, these fears will stop you from doing anything at all. And in my case, they have - many times.
One of my favorite quotes is just 3 simple words from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
Words that remind me that it’s okay to have fear and move forward anyway:
“Courage, dear heart”
My questions for you to reflect on this concept of courage in your mindset are:
What fears prevent you from showing up the way you want to show up?
What would happen if you let the fears be there and took action anyway?
This brings us to the fourth marketing mindset cornerstone, and that is Consistent Action.
While at first, this might not sound like it relates much to mindset, I can assure you that it does.
It’s easy to take action consistently when we have momentum. When things are going well, we’re feeling good about our business, and we’re seeing results.
But it’s A LOT harder to take consistent action when we don’t feel like it and we’re not seeing that immediate feedback or positive results.
Let’s talk about this podcast, as an example.
I started this podcast in May 2020, and for the first 3 months, I got less than 500 downloads each month… and less than 1000 downloads each month for the first six months.
But, for whatever reason, I kept showing up anyway, putting the effort in to create a quality podcast episode each and every week, no matter how the results were coming in. Well, eventually, things really took off. Now this podcast has well over 60,000 downloads, and has led to my membership program, Making Good Happen, which is one of my favorite things EVER.
And this is because of that consistent action. Showing up every week for almost 2 years now.
This concept is one of the big takeaways from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, the book we discussed for Making Good Book Club in episode 101.
Like the tiniest particle in the universe is an atom – but atoms are what make up the whole universe…
The results we see in our businesses and lives are comprised of the tiny, seemingly insignificant actions repeated consistently over time.
Some questions to think about on the topic of taking consistent action:
What actions do you know doing consistently would make a big impact on your business?
What do you want to be doing consistently in your business but tend to fall off the wagon?
So, for fun let’s bring all 4 cornerstones together now.
To see the results we want to see from our marketing, we need to
create an intentional marketing plan (cornerstone 1 - intention)
find the courage to put ourselves and our businesses out there when we execute it… however imperfectly. (cornerstones 2 and 3 - imperfectionism and courage)
and we need to continue showing up and executing this plan CONSISTENTLY (cornerstone 4)
So there you have it! The 4 cornerstones of a marketing mindset that will lead to serious results.
To review, the 4 cornerstones are:
Intention
Imperfectionism
Courage
Consistent Action
Throughout the episode I shared quite a few reflection questions that I’d encourage you to sit with and think through to help you see where your mindset is at now and where you might have room to grow. I’ve collected them and rounded them up in one place in the show notes page, which you can find at makinggoodpodcast.com/108.
One final piece of advice on this topic: read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. This is a FANTASTIC book that makes such a clear case for the power of mindset – and specifically the power of a GROWTH mindset. We covered this in the first ever edition of Making Good Book Club – I’ll link it in the show notes, but you can go listen to that on episode 92.
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love your support! Here are 3 ways you can support Making Good:
I’d so love for you to leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player
If you have a friend you think you would enjoy the podcast, send them the link
Finally, I would LOVE to for you to take a screenshot of your podcast player while you’re listening to the episode and tag me on social media @laurentilden. I would love to cheer you on!
Before I wrap up, I also want to remind you that if you want all the details FIRST about when the doors open to my membership for small business owners, sign up at makinggoodpodcast.com/waitlist.
Thank you for being here, and for focusing on making a difference with your small business!
Talk to you next time.
100: Celebrating 100 Episodes (A Tour)
100: Celebrating 100 Episodes of Making Good
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact.
I’m your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 100.
100! What?! I can not believe that we are 100 episodes into Making Good.
Hosting this podcast has been one of the most rewarding (and also most personally challenging) experiences of my life. That may seem like an exaggeration, but it’s not. I have learned SO MUCH from showing up to hang out with you, week in and week out.
I’ve also met some of the most incredible people – from the incredible community of podcast listeners to the brilliant guests listeners of this podcast to the brilliant guests who have been on the show. I am so grateful to each and every one of you for your place in the Making Good world.
I just pulled up the podcast stats, and we have podcast listeners in 122 countries and over 4000 cities.
I’ve been thinking about what the best way to celebrate this milestone is, and I decided to go back to what’s at the heart of this podcast, and that is CONTENT.
I thought I’d take you on a tour of all 100 episodes so far, and give you the one-liner description of each one so you can go back and catch up on any episodes from the archives you’ve missed but that resonate with you.
All of the links will be in the show notes, or you can simply scroll through your podcast feed for the relevant episode number.
So, let’s get to it!
Episode 1: Welcome to Making Good! This is an introduction to the podcast and what you can expect from it. If you’re already listening to the podcast, I’d say you can skip this one. If you’re brand new – this is a great place to start.
Episode 2: 10 Ways Your Small Business Can Do Good - I believe there are INFINITE ways to use your business to make a positive impact, but this episode covers 10 big, powerful ways you can start thinking about now.
Episode 3: Fulfillment, Finding What Lights You Up and the Enneagram with Jenna Starkey - Jenna is a fulfillment coach helping people find what they’re meant to be doing in this world. In this episode we talk about why being fulfilled in your work is good for the world, how to find your gifts, the enneagram and more.
Episode 4: Intro to Marketing (Small Business Marketing 101) - New to marketing? Consider this your primer. In this episode, I provide an overview of the marketing landscape and how everything fits together. This episode includes a free PDF download as well.
Episode 5: How to Use Instagram to Grow Your Business (and Do Good!) with Chris Emmer - In this episode, Chris shares about how to grow your social media audience, what metrics to pay attention to, 4 different types of content to create, and more.
Episode 6: Podcast Blackout: A week after George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis police, many podcasts participated in a Podcast Blackout, where instead of releasing a traditional episode, they acknowledge the lethal racism that has killed so many black people.
Episode 7: 7 Stumbling Blocks to Avoid As You Build Your Business - I’ve had my fair share of mindset road blocks, and in this episode, I share 7 things that can trip you up as you build your business. There’s also a free journaling prompts download that goes with this one.
Episode 8: Feeling Overwhelmed? Do THIS. - We all get overwhelmed sometimes. In this episode, I share my process for handling that overwhelm.
Episode 9: Representation (celebrating PRIDE) - I talk about my experience as a gay business owner and how important being inclusive in your business and marketing is.
Episode 10: Discipline + the Simple Path to Confidence with Nesha Frazier: Personal development powerhouse Nesha Frazier shares her tricks for confidence and self-mastery
Episode 11: 5 Things I’d Do Differently Next Time: Business is nothing if not a learning experience. In this episode I share 5 things I’d do differently fi I could start over.
Episode 12: DIY Design + Sharing Your Knowledge with Illiah Manger: Graphic designer and founder of C&V Creative, Illiah Manger is a champion for great design, sharing your expertise, building community, and more.
Episode 13: Authenticity as an Obligation (life in the age of social media): I defend my belief that we all have an obligation to be authentic on social media.
Episode 14: 14: How to Get Organized + Beat Overwhelm with Mariah Tomkinson - My friend Mariah Tomkinson, an operations expert, joins me for a conversation about knowing how to spend your time, the importance of systems, Mariah’s favorite productivity tools, and more.
Episode 15: How to Write Effective Emails (intro to email marketing) - Here I talk about my philosophy toward email marketing (hint: PROVIDE VALUE), how to get people on your email list, and making an email marketing plan.
Episode 16: Your Mindset & Your Results with Reina Pomeroy - Life and business coach Reina Pomeroy joins for a conversation about changing your mindset, combatting mindset issues the importance of knowing your WHY, and more
Episode 17: Marketing vs. Promotion, LinkedIn + Does Email Really Work? [Marketing Q&A] - In this episode, I answer listener questions on topics like LinkedIn, email marketing, promotion vs marketing, efficiency, etc.
Episode 18: Building Strong Connections Through Storytelling with Megan Dowd - Brand strategist Megan Dowd joins me for this conversation around why stories matter, the power of boring stories, how to make your business more financially accessible, and more.
Episode 19: 19: How to Finish 2020 Strong - This episode was released at the very start of Q4, and shares tips on how to finish a complicated year strong – even if nothing has gone as planned so far
Episode 20: Finding Your Life's Next Chapter - Life coach Nancy Shadlock joins for a conversation about finding your “next chapter” and your unique gifts, inclusiveness in business, and more.
Episode 21 - 9 Rules of Writing for Business -Here I share some of the tips and tricks I’ve picked up in my career as a marketer and small business owner that help me write honest and effective marketing.
Episode 22 - Where You Spend Your Money Matters with Laura Clise of Intentionalist - Intentionalist founder Laura Clise joins me for a conversation about intentional spending, how to encourage your customers to spend intentionally, shopping small, and more.
Episode 23 - Wholesale for Beginners (intro to wholesale for makers and artists) - Consider this episode your introduction to wholesale. We talk about everything from what you need to get started, who it’s a good fit for, systems and marketing.
Episode 24 - The Power of Affirmations with Jen Hatzung - Jen is the founder of Abundant Affirmations, and this conversation is all about the power of affirmations, how to incorporate them into your daily lifee, and more.
Episode 25 - How to Find your Small Business COmmunity - I believe SO strongly in the power of community. In this episode I share my tips for finding yours.
Episode 26 - Advocating for Yourself, Making Friends + How to Have Difficult Conversations with Alex Dickinson - My friend and negotiation expert Alex Dickinson joins for a conversation about the power of asking for more.
Episode 27 - Something Scarier Than the Fears Holding You Back - This is a halloween week episode that’s relevant all year round, all about what’s scarier than the fears that stop us.
Episode 28 - Mental Health, Self Care and Perfectionism with Amy Deland - AMy is the founder of Emerge Thriving, and in this episode we talk about mental health stigma, the power of sharing your experience, entrepreneurship and mental health, how businesses can support mental health causes and more.
Episode 29 -5 Things Your Website Needs - Consider this episode your checklist for optimizing your website.
Episode 30 - Thoughtful and Powerful Decision-Making with Natalie Wong - Natalie si the founder of Pep Soap, and in this conversation we explore her tagline: low waste, small batch, big heart.
Episode 31 - My Thoughts on Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving has a troubling history. In this episode I share my thoughts on the holiday and how we can support the people who were here first.
Episode 32 - Inclusiveness, Identity and the Power of Small Business with Nikki Innocent - Women’s leadership coach and diversity equity and inclusion strategist Nikki Innocent joins me to discuss inclusiveness and changing the future of leadership.
Episode 33 - Marketing Ideas for Better Holiday Sales - This episode is a great one to listen to as you plan your end of year promotions to end the year on a high note.
Episode 34 - Get More Results on Instagram in Less Time with Chris Emmer - Social media pro Chris Emmer returns to the podcast with an episode that answers that so important question: how can we increase our results on social media… in less time?
Episode 35 - How to Identify Your Values - This episode covers why values matter, and how to get clear on yours.
Episode 36 - Building a Business Around Being Yourself with Micah Larsen - In this episode, marketing guide Micah larsen joins for a conversation around putting yourself into your marketing.
Episode 37 - Who Are You to Do That? Getting Friendly with Impostor Syndrome - In this episode, I share about my own experiences with impostor syndrome over the years, some of the research on impostor syndrome, and my best tips for facing it head-on.
Episode 38 - How to Do A Year in Review - It’s important to reflect on what happened and what we learned in the year we’ve just finished. But if you’re looking to do a year in review, I’d recommend actually listening to episode 95 which is a slightly updated process.
Episode 39 - Create a Rock Solid Plan for 2021 with Mariah Tomkinson - Brilliant operations expert Mariah joins for a conversation around planning for the year to come.
Episode 40: 6 Principles for Doing Good With Your Small Business - In this episode, I reflect on what I’ve learned about doing good through small business in the first 40 episodes of this podcast.
Episode 41 - What Do You Really Want? Getting Unstuck with Keltie Maguire - Clarity coach Keltie Maguire shared her powerful take on why getting clear is important, how to find clarity, what to do when something feels off, and more.
Episode 42 - A Guided New Year's Visualization with Jenna Starkey - Life and business coach Jenna returns to the podcast, this time sharing a guided visualization to help you visualize the year to come.
Episode 43 - Behind the Scenes: What I Learned in 2020 + Plans for 2021: This episode takes you behind the scenes of my business, how things went in 2020, and my vision for 2021.
Episode - 44: How to Actually Finish What You Start with Wendy O’Beirne - If you have a track record of starting things and not finishing them… this episode is for you. Wendy is a completion coach who helps us actually do what we want to do.
Episode 45: The One Thing You NEED to Get Stuff Done (+ 8 other tips) - In this episode, I share some of my best tips for how to set yourself up for success when t comes to getting things done.
Episode 46: Parenting and Running a Small Business with Jess Gupta - Jess is the founder and CEO of Taavi, a support network for pregnant people and parents. In this episode, we talk about how to balance being both a small business owner and a parent.
Episode 47: The Magic of a Call to Action (How to Do CTAs Right) - The Call to Action is one of the most important and powerful tools in marketing – this episode is all about how to use CTAs right.
Episode 48: What Your Small Businesses Can Do About Inclusion + Belonging with Cachet Prescott - In this episode, virtual inclusion strategist Cachet Prescott shares what even the smallest of businesses can do to focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Episode 49: The 2 Most Important Ingredients of Success (Whatever That Means to You) - This is a pretty bold claim, but i stand by my 2-ingredient recipe for success that I share in this episode.
Episode How to Get More Results from Your Marketing (in Less Time) with Michele Caruana - In this episode, I’m joiend by marketing expert Michele for a conversation about how we can get more out of our marketing… and spend less time.
Episode 50 - Top Recommended Books for Biz Building (by past guests!) - in this episode I round up ALL of the books recommended by podcast guests to that point. This is a seriously good readling list!
Episode 52: How to Build Your Business Around Your Customer with Nataley Shepherd - Handmade brand consultant Nataley Shepherd joins to discuss the value of really getting to know your ideal customer.
Episode 53: What to Say in Your Marketing - If you ever feel stuck when it comes to creating your content and knowing what to say, this episode is for you.
Episode 54: How this Jewelry Designer Went from $300/mo to $25k/mo Using TikTok with Miranda Hamlin - Jewelry designer (and my friend!) Miranda shares her journey growing her business very rapidly thanks to TikTok.
Episode 55: 3 Essential Questions to Answer for Better Marketing - In this episode, we discuss the three essential questions to answer in order to level up your marketing:
Episode 56: Community, Mindset and Consistency with Terrah LP - Social media strategist Terrah covers topics like community, mindset, sharing the highs and lows, collaboration, and more.
Episode 57: The Golden Rule in Small Business - In this episode, I share my belief that one of the keys to doing good business is the Golden Rule, and share 5 areas of business it applies.
Episode 58: How to Give Through Your Small Business with Kris Putnam-Walkerly - Giving Expert Kris joins for a conversation about the role of intention in giving, why “How you give” is just as important as “what” you give, how to choose a cause, and more.
Episode 59: How to Get Started with Email Marketing - Email marketing is the superhero of your marketing plan… seriously. In this episode I walk you through getting started.
Episode 60: Business Finances, Profit First, and Worthiness with Aimee LaLiberte - Profitability advisor Aimee LaLiberte joins for a conversation about Profit First, money and worthiness.
Episode 61: I'm a MOM! How I'm Approaching My Business 3 Weeks into Parenthood - In this personal episode, I talk about becoming a mom and what my business looked like 3 weeks in.
Episode 62: The Magic of Pinterest for Small Business with Renee Dick - Pinterest pro Renee shares how pinterest is one of the most under-utilized small business opportunities – and how you can get started.
Episode 63 - How to Stick With It - One year into Making Good, I share how this podcast has helped me turn into a consistent person.
Episode 64: How to Reduce Waste + Be Kinder to the Earth with Moji Igun - Zero waste consultant Moji Igun (Moji Egun) joins for a conversation about reducing your environmental impact through less waste.
Episode 65: The Exact Tools I Use to Keep My Business Running Smoothly - This episode is a run down of all the tools that help keep things in motion over here across my various businesses.
Episode 66: Mindful Marketing with Amie Finlayson - Business strategist Amie joins to discuss mindful marketing, what types of marketing practices could be seen as unethical, how to make a mindful marketing plan, and more.
Episode 67: A Few Things I Think You Need to Hear (Hint: It's About Your Mindset) - I’m a big believer in the power of mindset. in this episode, I’m sharing 9 things that I believe will help any small business keep a strong mindset.
Episode 68: Building a Magnetic Brand (+ Getting Scrappy) with Natalie Swan - Marketer Natalie Swan talks about how to do marketing for your business that attracts your ideal customer.
Episode 69: Added Value: The Foundation of My Marketing Strategy - In this episode, we go back to basics and talk about the philosophy that is at the heart of my marketing: Adding Value.
Episode 70: 3 Simple Steps to Managing Your Business Finances (+ Doing More Good) with Stephanie Skryzowski - Stephanies is a financial consultant, and in in this episode we covered the 3 simple steps to managing business finances, why so many small business owners shy away from the money side of business, how to create a roadmap for profit and more.
Episode 71: How to Do Good Through Your Small Biz (REPLAY!) - This is a replay of one of the most important episodes of Making Good, episode 2. In it, we talk about 10 ways to use your business to make a positive impact.
Episode 72: How to Use Instagram (Mindfully) to Grow Your Biz in Less Time with Chris Emmer - This is another replay (of episode 34), and is all about using Instagram mindfully.
Episode 73: Marketing With Heart: 15 Prompts for Heart-Centered Content - In this episode I share 15 prompts to answer that will help you create heart-centered marketing content that your audience will connect with.
Episode 74: Elevating Your Voice (+ Breaking Rules) with Kami Guildner - Business coach Kami joins me for a conversation around getting your message and story out there.
Episode 75: The 5 Stages of the Customer Journey - In this episode, I break down the 5 stages of the customer journey: awareness, consideration, purchase, delight, and loyalty. This episode also comes with a free downloadable PDF.
Episode 76: Efficient Content Creation with Katie Guenther - Email marketing strategist Katiie Guenther joins me for a conversation about repurposing existing content to make it go further for us.
Episode 77: Getting More Engagement, Sharing Product Photos, + Discounts [Marketing Q&A] - In this episode I answer listener questions, on topics like engagement ons social media, product photos, discount codes, and more.
Episode 78: How to Approach Content Creation with Taryn Rachelle - In this episode, social media strategist Taryn takes us behind the scenes of her content creation process and strategy.
Episode 79: One Simple Exercise to Help You Write Better Marketing Content (+ Bonus Tips) - Here i share one of my favorite marketing exercises to help you write better content.
Episode 80: Launching 101 (+ Why Launching Is For YOU) with Shannon Vonderach - Launching is for everyone, and in this episode I’m joined by my friend Shannon (email strategist and photographer) for a conversation about the power of launching.
Episode 81: 8 Places to Meet Small Biz Friends - Community makes all the difference when it comes to your small business experience. In this episode I share 8 places I’ve found my community in the small biz world.
Episode 82: Email Marketing for e-Commerce + Planning for Q4 with Kris Daria - In this episode I’m joined by e-Commerce email marketing pro, Kris, for a conversation around email automation and the specific automations you should have set up in your business, creating an email marketing plan, and more.
Episode 83 - How to find your calling - In this episode I share what I mean by finding your calling, why it’s important to find it, and how to actually find it.
Episode 84: The Power of Local with Sarah Frost - My guest is my friend Sarah Frost, a maker-turned-founder of Making Local, a directory resource dedicated to making shopping small and local easier for consumers. In this episode we cover how to make small and local more accessible to your customers, why we should all prioritize shopping local, and HOW to actually shop local… and more.
Episode 85: How I'm Approaching End-of-Year Marketing Planning - This episode was released in late October, and provides an inside peek into my approach for my end of year marketing.
Episode 86: Influencer Marketing for Small Businesses with Charmaine Charmant - Fashion influencer Charmaine shares all of her expertise and experience in influencer marketing, including how small businesses can work with influencers in their marketing.
Episode 87: Introducing Making Good Book Club (+ Meet My Co-Host, Charelle Griffith) - In this episode I introduce my co-host for Making Good Book Club, Charelle Griffiith! Charelle is a marketing strategist and book lover, and she shares her tips on making sure that we don’t just read good books, but actually implement what we learn.
Episode 88: How to Face Your Inner Critic, Creative Blocks + Impostor Syndrome with Cynthia Hauk - Cynthia is a creative coach, and in this episode we discuss the inner critic and how to face it, the concept of incremental improvement, how to tackle creative blocks in business, and more.
Episode 89: 15 Holiday + End-of-Year Content Ideas - In this episode I share 15 prompts for your end of year marketing.
Episode 90: The Power of the Small, Every Day Action with Masami Sato - Masami is the founder of B1G1, a social enterprise and B Corp, and in this conversation we discussed the power of the small everyday action, 3 critical components of business giving, how to overcome procrastination when it comes to making an impact, and more.
Episode 91: How to Increase Your End-of-Year Sales - In this December episode, I give some tips for ramping up your end-of-year sales to end on a high.
Episode 92: Apply ‘Mindset’ by Carol Dweck to Your Business (Making Good Book Club #1) - In this first ever Book Club episode, Charelle and I discuss Mindset by Carol Dweck and how we can all apply it to our businesses.
Episode 93: My Wish for You in 2022 (+ What Might Be Holding You Back) - Spoiler alert - my 2022 wish for you is to take action every day. In this episode I share why, and some of the things that MIGHt be holding you back.
Episode 94: Thriving Financially + A Book That Makes a Difference with Susanne Mariga - Accountant and author of Profit First for Minority Business Enterprsies, Susanne Mariga shares all about profit first, money mistakes that small business owners make, and what thriving small businesses have in common.
Episode 95: How to Do a Year in Review (2.0!) - In this episode I share my new and improved process for doing a year in review that helps you celebrate your wins from the past year, and learn from what could have gone better.
Episode 96: How to Take Your Own Photos of Your Products with Hallie MacPherson - This episode on product photography was a common listener request, and I am thrilled to have my friend, photographer Hallie to share some of her magic and secrets behind taking great product photos.
Episode 97: Let's Make a Plan for 2022 - In episode 95 we talked about doing a year in review. Now let’s talk about planning for the year to come. In this episode I share my process for creating a plan for a great year.
Episode 98: 5 Marketing Shortcuts for 2022 - In this episode, I share 5 shortcuts for doing great marketing in 2022.
Episode 99: Instagram Stories, Social Media Strategy + Consistency with Emma Tessler - Social media strategist Emma Tessler shares her process for creating social media strategies, how to use IG stories for sales,, 3 different purposes of social media content, and more.
Episode 100 – that’s today’s round up of all of the goodness of Making Good so far!
So. There you have it. 100 episodes of Making Good. I hope this round-up has pointed you in the direction of one or two episodes from the catalog that you want to make sure to catch.
If you’d like to celebrate 100 episodes with me, I’d love for you to send me a direct message on Instagram and let me know one way, large or small, that this podcast has made an impact on you.It would totally make my day – I’m at @laurentilden on Instagram.
You can find the show notes from today’s episode at makinggoodpodcast.com/100.
I can’t say it enough - THANK YOU for listening to Making Good. I value every minute that you’ve spent listening to this podcast – truly.
Thank you for being here, and for focusing on making a difference with your small business!
Talk to you next time.
103: 6 Things I’ve Learned About Launching
103: 6 Things I’ve Learned About Launching
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact.
I’m your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 103.
I’ve been selling products since I launched Good Sheila in 2017… but it wasn’t until last year that I feel like I finally figured out how to really launch in a way that creates buzz, conversation – and most importantly, results.
So, today I’m going to be sharing 6 things I’ve learned about launching that I think you can use the next time you are releasing something new into the world.
BUT! Before we get into the episode, I just wanted to plant a bug in your ear that in March, the doors to Making Good Happen will be re-opening. If you are looking to make a smart marketing plan and then have the accountability to ACTUALLY follow through on the plan… we would LOVE to have you in Making Good Happen. Be the first to hear more about it by joining the waitlist: makingoodpodcast.com/waitlist.
Okay! So let’s talk launching, shall we?
First of all, what do I mean when I use the word launch?
A launch is simply the coordinated effort of releasing something into the world.
You can launch a business.
You can launch a product.
You can launch a service.
Your launch plan is your best shot at making a splash.
I used to think that launching a product simply meant that it was now available for sale. Build it and they will come, right?
Well… no. Turns out, that’s not how it works.
What it took me a little bit too long to learn is that a product launch that actually generates big results has a lot of planning, effort, and MARKETING involved… long before the product is available to buy.
I took a different approach to launching for the last two things I released into the world, my 2021 Holiday Collection for Good Sheila, and my new membership program, Making Good Happen, and the results really spoke for themselves.
So, today I’ll be sharing the 6 things I learned about launching as a result of doing things pretty differently the last couple of times around.
The first thing I learned is that The most important part of your launch, BY FAR, is the pre-launch.
When you break it down, launching has 3 phases:
Pre-launch: this is the period of time leading up to the launch
Launch: this is the results of all the planning and previewing when the product is available to buy
Post-launch: the period after the launch when you evaluate and make any tweaks necessary
In the past, my approach to launching has been to work really hard behind the scenes on whatever I was launching (and not really share much about that), until it was finally ready when I’d press publish and say LOOK WHAT I MADE. I hadn’t spent the time warming up my audience, getting them interested in what I was doing, so the results weren’t what they could have been if I’d invested more time beforehand in the pre-launch.
I really believe that my last 2 launches have exceeded my expectations because I did the vast majority of the marketing BEFORE there was even a way to purchase. I spent the time giving sneak peeks, involving my audience in decisions about the product, and building buzz, so that when there was finally something to buy, I had adequately warmed up and interested my ideal customers in what I had to offer.
There are no set rules about how long a pre-launch period is, but I’d recommend at least a few weeks.
For my December product launch, my pre-launch was a few weeks long. For the launch of Making Good Happen, the pre-launch period was a couple of months long. This means for a couple of months before there was even a check-out page, I was talking about Making Good Happen. If you listen to this podcast, you probably heard me!
Okay, let’s move on to the second thing I’ve learned about launching, and that is to Show EVERYTHING behind the scenes (no matter how boring it seems to you).
Like I mentioned, my approach to launching has usually been to work hard behind the scenes, keep pretty hush hush about the product itself, and then when everything is all ready to go, I launch with an email or two and some social media posts.
But, this time around, I decided to approach my launch COMPLETELY differently. I pulled back the curtain of mystery, and shared everything.
For example, for my Good Sheila holiday collection launch, which included gift wrap, gift tags, and ornaments – by the time I actually launch, I had already shared images and sneak peeks of EVERY SINGLE ITEM in the holiday collection.
For example… with wrapping paper, that meant I let people in on the painting, the scanning, the digitizing, the pattern making and everything.
With the Making Good Happen launch, I shared screenshots of the member portal and content as I was building it.
I let people in on the whole process. I was really hesitant to do this, because I felt like I was spoiling the surprise of the launch…. But as it turns out, now looking back – I wish I’d done even more!
Next time, I’ll challenge myself to go even further and share more and more of the behind the scenes.
And the results are in! The mystery reveal that I normally have done is simply not as effective as building hype by actually getting people excited about what's coming... and that means details. Photos. Behind the scenes.
The third thing I’ve learned about launching is to include your audience in your product decisions.
One of the best ways to make people feel invested in something you’re making is to get them involved in creating it.
For both my December product launch and Making Good Happen, I decided that I was going to give my audience some real power over how I designed everything and what designs/features to move forward with.
Let’s talk about the product launch as an example:
When I was painting ornaments, I'd put the different designs out there on Instagram stories and in my email list, and have people vote on what they liked best.
When I designed way too many wrapping papers, and had to narrow it down to 4 or 5 (which ultimately became 7, haaaa), I had my audience vote on their favorites.
And, I have to say. I was REALLY surprised with what people liked the most.
You can choose to involve your audience in your product decisions like I did… or you can have them help you with smaller things, like packaging design, or the colors on your sales page. Even the tiniest decisions are things you can involve your audience in.
Including your audience in your product decisions does a few things for you:
It makes sure you’re creating products that your audience wants
It’s a super effective way of generating engagement with my customers (you’ll be surprised by how many people participate)
It puts it in the back of people's minds that you have a launch coming up… even if you’re not explicitly talking about the launch
It gives you information on what your audience is interested in. You can even go the extra step and record which people voted on which things, so you can follow up with them later and let them know that their vote won!
The fourth thing I’ve learned about launching is that VIP Waitlists work.
For years I’ve been seeing people launch with VIP waitlists, and not really “getting it”. A VIP waitlist is when you give first access to shop to people who sign up to be on your list. This especially works well when you have a handmade product and a limited quantity.
Here’s how I used VIP Waitlists for each of the two things I launched in the last few months.
For my Good Sheila holiday collection launch, I created a VIP Waitlist for folks who were interested in shopping my new collection. The incentive to sign up was that folks on the waitlist got access to shop 24 hours before everyone else, and they also got an exclusive discount that I didn’t share with anyone else. Then, after 24 hours, I opened shopping up to the general public but they didn’t get access to the VIP discount.
For the launch of my marketing accountability membership program, I created a special waitlist for people who wanted to be notified when the doors opened for the first time ever. I had a special price that was offered for people who signed up in the first couple of weeks, and was so pleasantly surprised by how many people signed up for this list with that incentive of getting access to the best price ever available.
From now on I will *ALWAYS* do VIP waitlists anytime I am doing a significant launch, because such a high percentage of my sales from both launches came from that smaller subset of people.
The fifth thing I’ve learned about launching is that sometimes the best marketing means getting scrappy.
I love systems and things that happen automatically. I love “set it and forget it” marketing. I love scheduling emails and letting them go out. I love things that are hands-free.
This means that I sometimes struggle with the more hands-on, manual marketing tasks – like Instagram stories, which are generally done in the moment, and by hand. I tend to resist SCRAPPY.
But friends… Scrapy works. I spent so much time in both of these launches doing individual outreach, sending DMs back and forth on Instagram, creating Instagram story graphics from my phone instead of designed in something like Canva or Photoshop.
And I really believe that a lot of my sales came in because of this personal, hands-on approach. Because I was present, and made myself available in a way that I don’t always do.
The sixth and final thing I’ve learned about launching is… we need to ERR on the side of too much marketing.
I think I've always known this intuitively, but I'm walking the walk this time. Nobody sees everything you put out there into the world. And it's no one's top priority except yours.
WHICH MEANS, we need to feel like we're going overboard in our communications.
During my launch and pre-launch, I felt like I was posting about my program CONSTANTLY. I did make sure to sprinkle in some other, non-launchy content in there, but for the most part I was going full out. And even as a seasoned marketer, this was challenging for me.
And…. turns out that’s what I needed to do.
During your launch: Send more emails than you expect to send. Post more on your social platforms. Reach out personally to people who expressed interest. Put yourself a little bit outside of your comfort zone.
The worst thing someone can do is say no, or unsubscribe.
But I know that people who buy my products will love them, because I stand behind them 110%. And keeping in mind that the more sale I generate, the bigger impact I can create, helps me be willing to put myself out there and market more than I might be inclined to.
So there you have it! 6 things I’ve learned about launching in my 4 years in business so far that have led to my most successful launches.
To review, the 6 things are:
The most important part of your launch is the pre-launch
Show everything behind the scenes
Include your audience in your decisions
VIP waitlists work
Get scrappy
Err on the side of too much marketing
You can find details from this episode at makinggoodpodcast.com/103.
Before I wrap up, I also want to remind you that if you want all the details FIRST about when the doors open to my membership for small business owners, sign up at makinggoodpodcast.com/waitlist.
Thank you for being here, and for focusing on making a difference with your small business!
Talk to you next time.
106: 7 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact.
I’m your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 106.
Mistakes are par for the course when it comes to being a small business owner. We’re constantly being pushed to try new things, work outside of our comfort zone, and wear wayyyy too many hats. Mistakes are proof that we’re ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING.
But There are certain mistakes that can really trip you up and put a wrench in your progress. I know because I’ve been there. So today, I thought I’d share 7 of the marketing mistakes I’ve made and seen so many other small business owners making, in hopes that hearing me share about them might just give you what you need to avoid making them yourself.
BUT! Before we get into the episode, I just wanted to plant a bug in your ear that in March, the doors to Making Good Happen, my membership program, will be re-opening. If you are looking to make a smart marketing plan and then have the accountability to ACTUALLY follow through on the plan… we would LOVE to have you in Making Good Happen. Be the first to hear more about it by joining the waitlist: makingoodpodcast.com/waitlist.
FIRST: Perfectionism
OHHHHH perfectionism. Until recently, I used to consider perfectionism a kind of secret strength. On some level I knew that it slowed me down, A LOT… but I didn’t fully comprehend the extent that this impacted my life and I was PROUD that I always felt like I produced the best quality work.
But in the last few years, I’ve come to realize just how damaging being a perfectionist can be. For me, perfectionism meant that I only ever wanted to do something if I was SURE I could do it really, really well.
This is not a good quality to have as a small business owner, and specifically as someone who markets their small business, because we are CONSTANTLY having to try new things and do new things that we’ve never done before. If we wait until we feel like we can do them perfectly to take the first step… we’re going to be waiting way, way, way too long.
For me, I haven’t fully gotten rid of perfectionism. It’s still my natural tendency. But what I have gotten is much more aware.
If I notice myself procrastinating, I can often tell it’s because I’m being a perfectionist. That whatever I’m procrastinating on, it’s because I don’t feel like I can do it perfectly yet.
When I have big dreams that I’m not taking action on, there’s a pretty good chance that there’s some perfectionism coming into play.
This has happened with doing big launches, with being willing to do Reels, even with starting this podcast.
Here are a couple of mindset shifts I’ve made that make confronting perfectionism easier:
First, I’m willing to put things out there even at 80% quality level. (You know this because you’ve probably heard my dog barking in the background on this podcast more than a few times!)
Second, I often ask myself: do I want to do this imperfectly, or do I not want to do it at all? Because really those are what it comes down to it. Are you willing to let your perfectionism cost you the results you want?
Something to think about.
SECOND: Paying too much attention to what other people are doing
The second mistake that I’ve made and I know so many others can relate to is paying too much attention to what everyone else is doing.
It can be tempting to look around, see people who SEEM to be getting the results we want to get, and feel like we need to do something just like that to succeed.
But the reality of marketing is that it’s what makes us DIFFERENT that is our superpower.
One core concept you’ll hear marketers talk about is the Unique Selling Point. What is it about your product or business that is unique and special to you? This is how you stand out from everyone else… and standing out from everyone else is why your ideal customers will choose your business over others.
Not only that, but paying too much attention to what everyone else is doing can also really make us get in our own heads about our businesses and how things are going. We compare ourselves and feel bad.
But the truth is that we never really know what’s going on behind the scenes in someone’s business. They might talk a big game or portray an image of all the things you want… but it’s just what they’ve chosen to show you. It can be all smoke and mirrors.
We all have plenty to learn from other people, but there’s a fine line between LEARNING and comparing.
THIRD: Focusing on all style over substance
The third mistake I have to share with you is focusing on all style over substance. I have to say, I can definitely be guilty of this.
What do I mean by this?
I mean… focusing on setting up the fancy website before you really have a product to sell. Or focusing on getting your logo and business cards instead of going out and doing the hard work it takes to make sales in our businesses.
It can be easy to get distracted by things like our logo and branding and website, because those are the things visible from the outside.
But overly focusing on these types of things can actually be a distraction from things like creating content to attract your ideal customer, going and having conversations with them to start building a relationship, sending your weekly email out, etc.
I’m not saying that things like your brand don’t matter – OF COURSE they do. But I don’t believe that they’re what will make or break your business. What will make or break your business is DOING THE WORK. Executing your marketing plan on a consistent basis.
FOURTH: Lack of intention
The fourth mistake that I’ve made and I know a lot of others have also made is to have a lack of intention when it comes to what marketing activities we’re doing.
The reality is that for just about all of us, there’s probably way more WE WISH we could be doing or that we want to be doing than we can actually do given our time and resources.
So how do we decide what to spend our time on and what NOT to spend our time on?
INTENTION.
We need to get crystal clear on what our business goals are, and then INTENTIONALLY design marketing activities that are directly in service of that goal.
A great example of this is deciding what social media platforms to focus on. We have Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Clubhouse, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and on and on and on. How do we choose where to spend our time? We need to get intentional about getting to know your ideal customer and make a decision based on that person – where they’re hanging out and spending their time.
Whenever you’re stuck on a decision in your business, it can be helpful to take a step back and ask yourself, “what am I trying to accomplish here? How does this relate to my overall business objectives?”
FIFTH: Spreading yourself too thin
Closely related to the last mistake about lack of intention is my fifth mistake, and that’s spreading yourself too thin.
I’m more guilty of this than ANYONE ELSE, so I just want to raise my hand upfront and acknowledge that. This is a mistake I continue to make and have to always check myself.
BUT. As I mentioned before, there’s so much we COULD do and WANT to do with our limited time and energy. So many small business owners are IDEAS people. We are full of plans and thoughts and big ideas for things we *could* be doing.
This mistake is all about basically ignoring the reality that we have limited time and resources, and trying to do it all. If you’re the type of person who has a daily “to do” list with 27 items on it… this might be you.
What happens when we try to do everything, is that we tend not to do most of those things as well as we could. We can’t really double-down on any one thing, because there are always 25 other things we could be doing.
There’s a book called Essentialism by Greg Mckeown that really changed the way I think about this. Here’s an excerpt from the book’s blurb on the website, which I’ll link to in the show notes:
Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized?
Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum?
Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?
Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?
If you answered yes to any of these the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.
The Way of the Essentialist involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution.
I’ve found that practicing Essentialism is a daily practice. It’s not something you just snap your fingers and all the sudden you’re an essentialist. I do a better job at it in some moments rather than others. But if you resonate with this mistake, I can’t recommend the book Essentialism enough.
SIXTH: Marketing that is very busy
The sixth mistake on my list is marketing that’s very busy. This is probably the most specific, tactical item on the list, but I think it applies to pretty much every type of marketing you can think of, from photos to words to logos to design.
There are small small exceptions to this, but as a rule – white space wins.
When you’re writing an email, a piece of social media content or even a product description, don’t fill it with fluff. But more importantly, use white space to your advantage. Marketing is not a good time to write paragraphs that are 10 sentences long.
You’ll hardly ever see me write an email or anything really in my business with more than a few consecutive sentences… and often I just do ONE sentence at a time.
And that’s because I have my reader in mind. Sure, I’m more than capable of reading long paragraphs… but that’s not what I’m on social media or someone’s website to do. So don’t ask me to… because there’s a good chance I’ll skip right over it.
Now, I’m not saying that you should write 1 sentence captions all the time. I love reading a good long caption or description or email. But breaking it up visually with line breaks, bullet points, section headings, etc. is a super helpful way to make it more digestible.
I also see a lot of photos used in marketing that are just super busy and have way too much going on. In general, in your product photos – your product should be the star of the show. If I can’t immediately tell what’s for sale by looking at it, we’ve got a problem.
When in doubt, go for white space.
SEVENTH: Not sticking with it
Today, I looked at my podcast statistics. I’m over 60,000 downloads – and I just reached 50,000 downloads in January. This is something I’m really excited about.
But honestly, most things in my life I’ve given up LONG before I’ve had the chance to see results like that. I started my podcast in May 2020. For the first 8-ish months, I did have listeners and downloads, but growth was slow. But I continued to show up and put in the work week after week.
Now, my podcast is growing quickly and so many opportunities have come my way as a result. But I couldn’t have gotten to the point I’m at without putting the work in for a LONG time before I really started to see results.
Taking small actions consistently over time is pretty magical, and I’m now trying to apply this concept to other parts of my business and life. What could happen if I showed up consistently for the long haul?
This concept is a huge part of the book Atomic Habits by James Clear… as he describes it, just like an atom is the smallest particle that makes up everything in the universe – everything we want to achieve in our lives we can get to through taking small actions consistently.
Atomic Habits was actually the second book we did for Making Good Book Club, which was episode 101 of Making Good. Check that out if this topic is interesting to you – I’ll also share it in the show notes.
So, to wrap up… here are the 7 mistakes I hope you can avoid making:
Perfectionism
Paying too much attention to what others are doing
Focusing on style over substance
Lack of intention
Spreading yourself too thin
Marketing that’s too busy
Not sticking with it
It’s possible you’ve already made some of these, or are in the process of making them… but my hope is that this episode will help you look a little bit bigger picture at the way you approach marketing, and maybe make a shift or two.
You can find details from this episode at makinggoodpodcast.com/106.
Before I wrap up, I also want to remind you that if you want all the details FIRST about when the doors open to my membership for small business owners, sign up at makinggoodpodcast.com/waitlist.
Thank you for being here, and for focusing on making a difference with your small business!
Talk to you next time.
92: Apply ‘Mindset’ by Carol Dweck to Your Business (Making Good Book Club #1)
Episode 92: Apply ‘Mindset’ by Carol Dweck to Your Business (Making Good Book Club #1)
Lauren Tilden
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcasts for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 92. Today is a very special day because it's the first ever edition of The Making Good book club. If you missed the announcement on episode 87, here's the short version. Making Good now has a book club. Once a month, my co host Charelle and I will discuss a book we think can help move the needle in your small business. And we'll share our takeaways specifically for small businesses. My co host is a marketing strategist and book lover, Charelle Griffith. Charelle is an amazing small business owner who adds so much to the conversation around these books and I'm so glad she's agreed to join me on this journey. If you want to get to know Charelle better, definitely go have a listen to episode 87. Today in this first book club episode, we're talking about the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. We discuss what the book is about our key takeaways and our ideas about applying it to your small business. And then at the end of the episode, we share our choice for next month's book club. Just a reminder that if you want the updates on the book club, you can sign up to get notified at makinggoodpodcast.com/bookclub.
Okay, so before we get into all of the good stuff, one more big update from me, the doors to Making Good Happen are officially open. And I am so excited. I've had such amazing small business owners sign up from all kinds of different business categories. And I absolutely cannot wait to work with those of you who have already signed up. And if you haven't already signed up and you're wondering, what is Making Good Happen? Well, let me tell you, one thing that I know all too well as that it's one thing to learn the things that will help our businesses thrive. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions we need to take. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about. Making Good Happen as a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business, and more importantly to take the actions you want to take day in and day out to see the results you want to see in your business.
Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called, you guessed it Making Good Happen. There'll be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from many pep talks to journaling prompts to action items. It includes deep work sessions so these are kind of like co working on zoom but with no video or audio to minimize distractions. It includes guided monthly marketing plan creation, an online community of other like minded small business owners, accountability tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month, and more stuff that is a surprise and some bonuses, so that we can all kick off 2022 with a bang Making Good Happen is officially launching the first Monday in January, January 3 2022. So if you want to start 2022 with an intentional strategic marketing plan that you actually execute, and an amazing community join us and Making Good Happen. If you're interested in joining you can head to makinggoodpodcast.com/happen and sign up for an email with all the juicy details. Now because this is the first time I'm ever offering this program, you can join and get this monthly price for as long as you remember at the lowest rate it will ever be available at if you sign up within the next couple of days by December 18. This is a ridiculously good deal and I would so love to have you join again, you can get all of the details at making goodpodcast.com/happen. Without further ado, here's episode one of Making Good book club all about Mindset by Carol Dweck.
Charelle we're here it is the first ever episode of The Making Good book club.
Charelle Griffith
I am so excited. I can't believe it's finally happening. I'm so excited. Such a good book. Great way to kick it off. I'm so excited, Lauren.
Lauren Tilden
I know. I know. I feel like we've picked the perfect place to start. And for those of you who may be just stumbled upon this episode, the first edition of The Making Good Book Club is on the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. And that's what we're gonna be talking all about today, talking about the highlights of the book, the main takeaways, and then importantly, how we can apply what we've learned to our small businesses. And before we dig in, we thought it'd be fun to just check in a little bit with each of us and see what's going on in our businesses and what's new before we sort of dig into the weeds of all things minds.
Charelle Griffith
So December is a busy time of year for me because when it comes to planning, that's one of my like, we'll supermarket, supermarket? superpowers. And so I've been running 2022 strategy days so I'm working with business owners one on one to create their annual plan for next year. So I have run a few still got a few more to go. So I've run them into January as well. So yeah, busy time for me, but I love it. There's nothing that gets me more excited than like sitting down with people thinking, what are you going to achieve next year? And then create a plan to make it happen. So yeah, good time of year for me.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, that's fine. Yes, for me, it is also a super busy time of year. So this episode comes out December 15. We're in November as we record, but still, it's end of year madness for retailers. So we're busy stocking up the shop and I'm about to launch my holiday stationery collection. We've got all of our like, in the US black Friday's a huge big deal. All the holiday promotions, shipping deadlines, just kind of getting our heads around all of the messaging that goes into all of that. And luckily, I have a little bit of a team to help with the operational side, and I kind of stick to the marketing. So that's what that is. I'm knee deep, neck deep, chin deep, and all of that right now.
Charelle Griffith
You just have an eye popping out. It's just popping out above.
Lauren Tilden
Exactly. Um, well, I think this is the perfect time of year for the conversation we're about to have. You and I are, we both agreed that mindset would be a great place to start because I think it is easy to underestimate, I know, it's easy to underestimate the impact that your mindset can have on the results that you see in your business and how things go for you. This is something I did not anticipate, really, when I started out in small business land, I just kind of thought it was all about the tactics and the strategies and the courses and implementing. And I did not realize how important it would be for me to really get my head screwed on, right. But I really didn't have the language around the different ways that my mindset was affecting me until I read this book mindset. So as people are thinking about entering January and a new year of their business, I think this is just such a perfect foundation that we can lay and start, you know, really approaching in the new year with a new mindset, or at least a refreshed mindset. So super glad we're starting here. Let's start by talking about just what is this book about? I mean, what are the key takeaways that you could have taken away from reading this book, Charelle.
Charelle Griffith
So I think for me, as you were saying, mindset is something that, as a small business owner, you've got to work on. And I think I like you like virtually everyone else I've ever known. It's only once you start running a business, I think you realize how much personal development and personal growth work needs to happen. But the thing about mindset, I think, when you think of it, when we think about our mindset, like Oh, I gotta change it. And you might have heard people say, like, you need to, like, look at your limiting beliefs or identify what your thoughts are and what their mindset is. And so when I first read this book, I was like, expecting it to be, I suppose a bit around that. And it wasn't at all like actually, for me, what really stood out about the book straightaway was just this idea of like the two different types of mindsets that people have. So rather than necessarily digging deep into like, particular belief, this actual concept of being basically you can have a fixed mindset, or you can have a growth mindset, and how and that whole level of just depending on which side of the scale you set that has a massive impact on the rest of your life in so many different ways.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like one of the well actually, first let's define fixed mindset and growth mindset. Because I think that's really, for me over and over again, throughout the book, like just really getting your head around what each of these two things looks like, is sort of a core outcome of a core takeaway that I have of the book is like really understanding what they are. The book has tons of examples of different people, athletes, business leaders, students who have exhibited one of these two mindsets, and how that has has affected the course of whatever they're doing. And I think it's important, an important point that she makes several times in the book is that we all have probably both of these mindsets in different ways that you're not 100% of growth mindset person or 100% of fixed mindset person, but we tend to kind of lean on one more than the other and that affects of course, pretty much everything in our lives.
So let's define them and I think I pulled up the page where she first defines them so I'll just read her definitions and then Charelle, if you want to maybe translate that to I don't know non academic speech or take away from that. Okay, so she says believing that your qualities are carved in stone, the fixed mindset, creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you only have a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality and a certain moral character, well, then you better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. So, fixed mindset is believing that your qualities are fixed in stone, your capabilities, your intelligence, those things. The growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things that you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies and help from others.
So what, yeah, translate that for me.
Charelle Griffith
So I think so fixed, I see very much this idea of like, we sort of are what we are born, that makes sense, this idea, then actually, our qualities are probably formed from quite a young age. And that is the reality of how we see the rest of our life. And we sort of put ourselves in a box. And we think that we do not have the ability to change, we think that qualities are just something that you either are or you aren't, you have them or you don't. And by the time you become a certain age, you sort of think that's who I'm going to be for the rest of my life. That's what I take fixed mindset to be.
Whereas growth mindset is this idea that change can happen. And actually, these things, all these qualities that we have, as individuals are not fixed in stone. And even if there's been part of your life for a certain amount of time, there is no reason why you can't change but as the quote you read, it said about, like, through effort through strategies and help from others, like this isn't going to change overnight. And I think this taps in a little bit to like how we have habits and how like our natural behaviors. So it's not like you're just gonna go to flick a switch, no change, but through concentrated effort through awareness, and through trying to change you do have the ability to change.
Lauren Tilden
And the main thesis of the book is really that the most the people who I guess accomplish the most and see the most success, whatever that looks like for them, whether it's academically or in business, or in sports, just the highest performers, highest achievers are those with the growth mindset, not the in the fixed mindset can really hold us back. And what is interesting is that it's so, in my experience, and even my life, like the fixed mindset is so ingrained to like everything. A big thing with a fixed mindset is labeling and judging things. So, you know, when your parents call you, like smart, or you're so good at that, or you're so naturally talented. Interestingly, what we take away from that is, I'm naturally smart. So I can't show I can't basically, if I put an effort into being smart, like if I have to study to be smart, for example, that means I'm not naturally smart. I guess I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but like the idea of being a natural at something is something that we start to pride ourselves on, rather than priding ourselves on, you know, working hard and getting better through hard work.
Charelle Griffith
Yeah. And the book talks about this idea that we just, we don't actually reward people with hard work we do seem to have no appreciation and affection to people just seem to be naturally talented and gifted. That's what we're like, oh my gosh, these are like superstars or that they're super formers like, where they come from, where is the people that seem to have worked for it, actually, we have a different mentality and attitude to them.
Lauren Tilden
Right. But even the so called naturals like, often, if you're a quote unquote, natural, you have this natural talent or ability, but you don't put in the hard work that these people are often over calm or surpassed by the people who maybe didn't start out like with the quote unquote, natural ability, but we're the people who put in the work and the practice and the effort. And I can think about this in my own life, like I was a pretty naturally talented softball pitcher. And I didn't have to work very hard to be a good pitcher, pitcher's position and softball.
Charelle Griffith
And I was guessing that.
Lauren Tilden
So and so in the beginning, it was like, I was so good. I was, I tended to be better than people in other teams. But I didn't, like I guess I got some kind of gratification about being a natural at it and I didn't put in as much work as other people. And like, as I got into high school people surpassed my abilities because they were putting the work in they weren't, you know, viewing themselves as a natural and eventually I quit. So I mean, I've I can think of so many examples in my own life where I can see my fixed mindset showing up. Because two people with a fixed mindset, the idea of putting effort into something and working really hard and then that not paying off like being cut from the softball team or not getting into that college like that is so unfathomably difficult for people with a fixed mindset, the idea that you could put effort into something and still not be good enough. So we kind of self sabotage ourselves by just like not putting the effort in, and then you have something to blame it on, if it doesn't go your way.
Charelle Griffith
Yeah, and I think like you mentioned earlier about labeling, and I think that's something that I really could resonate with, to like, as a child, I was definitely someone that was like, Oh, you're really good at math, and I wasn't good at English. And that for a very long time, I just internalized that and absolutely, like, it was unquestionable that I'm really good at math. And even now, I'll say a lot. Like, I'm really good at math, I'm really good at numbers. That's why I do like pricing and profit with people and given the numbers all day long. And actually, I just totally internalized that, and probably never, ever questioned it again, where is the label or like not being good at English has been a label that for a very long time, stopped me probably trying to even improve in that area, because I felt like it was pointless. And it has only been like, actually, since I've started a business and having to blog and having to write content for business, that really pushed me to like, be like, this is a label someone else gave you. And you don't need to keep you don't have to believe it. Like, yes, that was you when you were 10. That's not you when you're a 30 year old.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, she makes a great point in the book about stereotypes. For example, I mean, you just use this example of not being good at math, a lot of us grew up with just like the cultural idea that women or girls weren't as good at math and science as boys were. And I think this has shifted, but when I was little, that was definitely the case. And so she shares a bunch of studies in the book about how if you ask someone to fill in their gender, before they take a math test, for example, basically, you're just reminding them of the stereotype. So they're just turning the box to say I am a, I'm a woman or I identify as a female, that actually will affect their test results, because they are reminding them of this, like a stereotype that has been placed on women. Whereas when they gave the same test to people, but did not say anything about their sex, or gender in the beginning, then the results were pretty equal across the board for girls and boys in their math performance.
So I think, obviously, this is a problem of these stereotypes, that can be something that women experience, people of color experience, and a lot of other groups experience. So she talks about how the growth mindset can really help you not be affected by these stereotypes as strongly.
I think for me, another huge takeaway from the book was around how we react to setbacks, and obstacles that we experience. And I feel like until pretty recently, definitely resonated much more with the fixed mindset. I can see so many experiences from my life are about just giving up if it didn't go well, one time, or just believing certain things about myself. So here's an example about setbacks. I took in college, I took an art class, and I'd always been kind of interested in art, but it wasn't really my focus.
Growing up, I was more into sports than just hanging out with my friends. And I really didn't do a lot of art on my own. But I always identified as creative, um, like, artistic and I was like, Oh, um, you know, I'm in college, I went to a liberal arts school. So I was exploring a lot of different topics. I was like, well, maybe I'll take an art class. So I did. And I took an art class. It was at 8:30am, two days a week, which was very, very early for my college career. I got up to this class, it was a longer class than most classes, like, it was two hours or something each one I put so much effort into this drawing class. And at the end of the semester, I basically, the teacher hadn't really graded us throughout, it was just kind of like, submitted your work and you got feedback. And then I had, so I had no idea what to expect. But I was like, oh, you know, I'm creative. I put so much effort into this class, it's gonna be fine. It ended up being my lowest grade of the semester. And I was pretty heartbroken about it. Not so much because it was a low grade like it was fine. It was okay. But it just to me, it told me like, Oh, you did well in these other classes like economics and writing and whatever. You did not do well in this art class. So therefore, you are not creative. You are not an artist. And I didn't take any more because of my fixed mindset. Looking back. I just gave up on it. And I said, Okay, that's not my thing. I labeled myself now as I'm not creative. I'm not an artist. I'm going to move on to the things I am good at.
And so I didn't take any more art classes, I didn't even do it as a hobby really for, like 10 years. And then what's funny is that when I finally kind of found my way back to it, and was willing to try it again and put some effort into practicing, like, it ended up being what has kind of led my career in the direction that it's led, like, I quit my marketing job, I started a stationery business based on my calligraphy and watercolor. So but I mean, that was like 10 years of my life based on a tiny, you know, piece of feedback that basically I just let completely dictate the future of my life. So I mean, that's one example in my life from just.
Charelle Griffith
I mean, that's, that's such a story now given exactly like what you said, what you do in your business, and it's like, thank you for sharing that, can totally be really useful to like all the listeners, because actually, that's really easy to happen that literally someone says one thing, one incident, and all of a sudden, as you said, if you have a fixed mindset, you then put a label and you've basically like, I failed at something, and then you like, okay, fine, that's it, I'm not good at it, I'm never going to be good at it on to the next. And because particularly, I think if you are success driven, there was a lot of other things, people out there. And that sort of literature that will say, you know, focus on what you're good at, like, you know, tap into what your superpower is, focus on the one thing or that type of chore. So then it's easy, if something hasn't been natural, it didn't come to you straight away. For you feel like well, this isn't something I meant to be focusing on. And then just like you did, just walk away from it. So I think actually, it can be a massive issue. And sometimes we do give up way too quickly and has stopped us from probably following some of that would have been amazing for us. But luckily, in your case, he came around to it. So it's all good.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, I mean, I'm glad I did, but it took a while and it, you know it, I do feel like in the beginning of my career, it was just a lot of doing things that other people told me I was good at. And so I was like, oh, that must be the thing I should do, rather than really listening to like what I love to do. And even if it wasn't the thing I was most naturally, quote unquote, naturally gifted at. I guess I yeah, I just always believed that like, there were things that I was good at and there's things that I was not and like that's how to find success is just to follow the things that maybe feel like in the beginning, you're good at? Yeah, absolutely.
Charelle Griffith
One, that's a very natural thing to do. And yeah, I think when you mentioned about like, he failed that class, like that connects back to the books, that whole attitude around failure. And it says like the difference between saying I failed, and I am a failure. So this idea of like failure being an incident, versus making you a failure as your identity. And that was something I really resonated with in the book. And I thought actually, yeah, I can really see how easy it is when you fail to describe yourself as a failure. And therefore once you take on the identity that impacts other parts of your life, because you see yourself as a failure.
Whereas what she says is like people with a growth mindset, are able to keep on moving, because they're just like, I failed at this, I failed once I get back up, or I failed and that's just the reality of trying something new. Like, you know, we all when we're trying to learn to walk or none of us stand up and start walking back, we all fall over and we get back up, that's part of life. And this idea of actually, once you can start to separate it and stop seeing failure as an identity, like yourself as an identity and just seeing it as an incident. And something that's happening. That's what enabled you to start to build that growth mindset and keep on going.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, I love that. And I think another thing I took away from the book with regards to failure is that actually failure is not the opposite of success. It's, it's the path to success, right? So being willing to try things and put it out there. And like the process of failing is how we learn and learning is how we find success. So it like really striving for failure almost, is something that I took away, like just being willing to do things and know that it's not going to go right the first time all always but you have to do at one time to kind of get to the next time where you're a little bit better and a little more capable. So yeah, that's a great thing to bring up. Let's talk about how to apply all of this to small businesses. And the reason that I am transitioning at this exact moment is because as you're talking about failure, and as we're talking about being willing to fail, what that makes me think of is live video.
Charelle Griffith
Of all the things in the world, live video.
Lauren Tilden
Live video, live video, because I think this is something that really holds people back. I mean right now in the marketing world. Video is very important. It's being promoted heavily by all the major platforms, we kind of know that video is something that I don't want to use the word should, but that if we were to be willing to do video, whether it's showing up on your Instagram stories, or reels or whatever it is, that that could have a pretty positive impact on our businesses and in our marketing. But a lot of us are not willing to do that because we don't feel comfortable, we don't feel like we're good at talking on video. And I feel like this is really like a fixed mindset versus growth mindset opportunity. If you can channel the growth, growth mindset and really put yourself into the growth mindset.
Being willing to show up live video, for example, being willing to go, talk to your stories throughout something I know that you do, which like much more than I do, which I am inspired by, you get better after, you know, every day you get a little more comfortable, you get a little less, like awkward, you get a little bit more familiar with what it feels like and how to stay focused and you know, talk in a way that really connects so the only way though to get from I'm uncomfortable with live video, I don't want to be on my video, I don't want to show my face, the only way to get from there to being comfortable and seeing results from it is by doing it. Even if you know you're not going to be awesome at it in the beginning. Like that's the inevitable path to it. So, that's just something that came to my mind immediately was between fixed and growth mindset is, you really have to channel that growth mindset when it comes to putting yourself out there in all marketing ways. But in particular video.
Charelle Griffith
So interesting, because that's definitely not what came to my head. But that's the joy of someone like wow, mine actually was about tech. Because I come across so many people who have such a fixed mindset around around tech just in general that they're like, I'm not techie, I don't understand tech, like how on earth would I ever be able to do a tech talk or reel or edit something like, you know, when they just have such a mind blank just did like this is not going to happen at all, in any way, shape, or form. And it's always one of those things where I feel as if at what point in the past did you make a decision that you aren't good at tech, because I think actually I'm like quite lucky in terms of I did quite a bit when I was in secondary school of like, of IT.
Technology, whatever it was, I think was ICT there like information communication technology. But it meant that actually, I was always willing to try like, I remember trying to learn HTML, and being like you would code stuff, and then you'd press like, refresh or whatever and then like all the websites totally disappeared. Great. So you know, all that type of stuff used to happen. And so I've always been just thrown myself into trying tech. And it's not that I would say I'm good at it. But I've just always given it a go. So I suppose my, when I meet people that just I can tell I just have such a fixed mindset around tech, that they're just like, it's never it's not for me, it's never going to be for me, I'm like, well, actually, things have changed. And, you know, apps are trying to get be like more friendly and more intuitive and all this type of stuff. When was the last time you actually tried to do something rather than just assuming it wasn't for you straight away?
Lauren Tilden
Yeah. And I think another point that she makes in the book is that having a growth mindset doesn't feel it doesn't mean that you're excited about, for in this case tech, it doesn't mean you're like, oh, I'm so excited to jump in and figure out this tech that will help me, whatever, set up a sales page or get my products listed on my website in the way that I want them to be. It doesn't mean that you're excited that you feel comfortable that you feel like it's your thing, having a growth mindset is really just being willing to take an action anyway, right. So you don't have to feel like on top of the world about a particular topic or part of your business or part of your life. But the point that she makes in the book is when you read, when you notice yourself having a fixed mindset about something and that's holding you back.
Part of putting on a growth mindset is just to be willing to do something to put in the effort to practice. And to not just say, Okay, tomorrow, I'm going to figure out this tech thing, but to make a very concrete plan about how you're going to do that. So not tomorrow, I'm going to figure out this tech thing. But tomorrow, I'm going to sit down at my desk at 10am with a cup of coffee and I'm going to go search the Help forums for like the answer to this problem that I have or whatever it is but really getting specific and like granular about what you're going to do, I think is really critical and not something that I can really relate to is just I have a lot of like examples in my background, where I've been like oh, I'm gonna do this tomorrow, like the diet starts tomorrow or this starts tomorrow, whatever it is. But if you don't get really specific about what that plan looks like, then you're just kind of setting yourself up to not do anything.
Charelle Griffith
Yeah, no, that's absolutely true. And I think, like, I mean, I'm all for planning, and I'm all for, like, action taking. So I think I'm been quite lucky that I think was I've decided, it's an area I'm going to push myself into. I think, in that side of things, a growth mindset has been something I have embraced, I suppose a bit more than the last few years, I think I actually read this book like four years ago. And so there has been an impact of reading it, but what I can definitely still see, I think, other people and like when we're talking about like, as a small business, how does the book really apply is both like for you as an individual, and when you start to build a team is this idea around creating an environment where failure is accepted, and non perfection is accepted.
And I think particularly, I found small business owners that have real, like, high expectations, high quality, high standard, which are all amazing things. Like, I'm not telling anyone to put something out as substandard and like, give people a bad service, or like create a subpar quality product. But there is, there is a difference between I suppose strive for perfection, to the point where it stops you because as long as I was saying earlier, there was a learning curve. And so the, if you're just trying something new, you could, it's gonna be a bit not great, the beginner and you're going to have to do it a few times before you get up to a certain acceptable standard. But creating that environment where that is allowed. And whether that means there is the time required for you to be able to actually do the hours to get it to the sound you need to or to develop that skill, I think that's a really important thing to consider.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, yeah. And that just makes me think of the idea of celebrating like the effort that people put in, rather than just always the results that they get. So you know, if you have a team or even just for yourself, like you say, if you've been working really hard at something or someone on your team has, even if they're not there yet, like really making the goal that people are putting an effort to get better and to learn and to progress, like that's as managing yourself or a team, whoever it is, or parenting, like whatever the kind of example is, but really having a focus on effort, like putting in the effort and trying to figure out how to learn and get better, that I think like rewarding that rather than just always the outcome is really important.
It is, it should be rewarded just as much as results. I love it.
Yeah. Another thing that comes to mind, for me in terms of applying this book to small business is the idea of responding to criticism. Yes, when she talks about this in the book, she explains that people with fixed mindset, when they're criticized, they completely shut down. They don't want to hear it, they get defensive, they have excuses, they blame it on other people, or the tech failing or whatever it is, they don't tend to take responsibility. Whereas People with a growth mindset can find a way to look at the criticism and learn from it. And you know, maybe disregard anything that's not relevant. But if it is, like actual useful criticism, view it as like, almost a gift in a way, like, Oh, here's a way that I can get better. I'm excited about this, because I can improve because if it's not, I feel like this is a just like a personal label on me. And I think this relates to small business because we do get criticism, maybe it's someone who disagrees with like things are saying online, maybe it's a customer who is not happy with something or something went wrong. Maybe I'm trying to think of other examples, just you will run up against times where someone's not happy with you and to say that maybe if you have a fixed mindset, your instinct would be to get defensive, but just having this response of like, what can I learn from this, I think is such a beautiful way to reframe that.
Charelle Griffith
Yeah, it's a really good point you brought up because actually you're talking as well about that, I suppose some unsolicited feedback, but actually, like one of the things I had to push myself and because I work with other service based people is to be like actually you need to ask your clients in terms of what you could be doing better because that's the only way you can get better is to actually ask the people you're working with but that means requires a massive growth mindset because you're literally like putting it out there to get criticized but rather like, solicited criticism, you're actually putting yourself out there, and if like a while is a question that I'd like just make self my survey. And then I was like, no sure, oh, you need to put it there you need to do. But it's hard because you know, you are opening yourself up. But that is a real example of a real growth mindset when you're like, actually, I know for me to do the best of my business, I, as part that is one of the things as an offboarding process, you should be truly finding out if there was anything else you could do. So you can keep refining and improving for the future.
Lauren Tilden
Such a great point. And I think for those listening, who are product based business owners, the way that we can apply that is just by asking for feedback on your product. So whether it's like a formal review thing, like you're asking for reviews, or having a follow up email to transactions that says, I really want to know, like, what did you think of this product, and inviting that feedback is, is scary, but But what you hear will only make things better. So yeah, and it just also reminds me of like the whole process of having an ideal customer and really getting to know that person and finding out what what resonates with them what they like, what they don't like, how they feel served, how they don't feel served, like, the more you get to know that person, the more that you can or like a to the point of feedback, the more feedback you get from that person, the more you can make the changes that will make your product or your business even more effective and successful. So that's a great point.
Here's the question I really like thinking about because I'm, I'm very much like a self help, self improvement person. So hopefully, we've convinced people listening. And if they've read the book, they probably are already convinced that the growth mindset is really something to aspire to, like in all aspects of your life. But how do we actually become someone with a growth mindset? Like maybe we've gotten to the point where we can identify a fixed mindset in ourselves or in certain parts of our lives? How do we actually go about shifting that if we notice that we have some room to grow here?
Charelle Griffith
So, Carol wrote down like a four step process in the book, she would called it, like, the journey to a growth mindset. So stage one is all about awareness, which is actually just like, embrace the fixed mindset. And I truly do believe this is the first step, I think we can only change what we're really aware of. And so acknowledging where you have the fixed mindset, because I think as well, that Lauren mentioned earlier, we're not normally fixed in every single aspect of our life. And so it might be that you are like, it might be that personally, you have quite a growth mindset be like you have a fixed mindset around your business, or like vice versa. So just really trying to notice, okay, do I have an fixed mindset? If I do have a mindset? What areas of my life? Is it really starting to come up? Like, where's it coming up for me? So embrace in embracing that and being like, totally aware, and then it's like being aware of your fixed mindset triggers.
So working out what leads you into a fixed mindset, essentially. So that could be you know, I think like we both said, is it a label that when people say something, you totally re embody that, and I'm like, oh, yeah, that's true, rather than actually challenging it. And remember, no, that's who I was XY years ago, or that's just someone's opinion, that isn't a fact. And I think that whole thing about being able to split opinion and fact, particularly when it comes to labels that you're being given, for example, make a massive difference. This one, I thought, this one was a bit of a funny one for me, to just like, name, your fixed mindset persona, I always quite struggle with any book that tells is quite common. Anything to do, like limiting beliefs will always be like, or anything in my mindset, since like, she says, separate it and make it a different person, and give it a persona so that you can identify it as like, part of you, but not the whole of you. And so that's why you get to a point where you can feel as if you can change it, because, or you can remove it because you're not like destroying your whole self in the process. Yeah, so you got to make your fix.
Lauren Tilden
I want to read an example because I'm really glad you brought this up, this example of like giving it a name. When you see the fixed mindset show up. Can I read an example from the book of someone saying her fixed mindset just to kind of make it really clear? So she gives an example of one of her students who named her own fixed mindset. And this is what the student wrote. She said, meet Gertrude, my cagey, histrionic, self aggrandizing fixed mindset persona, she sneaks into my subconscious and undermines me. The name Gertrude means strong spear, which reflects her insistence on unwavering natural strength. She detests hard work, second place and imperfections. Any whiff of failure or imperfection can trigger, can trigger Gertrude's entrance. Three seconds slower in a swim race, no shot at the varsity team didn't draw as good a self portrait as another girl in my class. Art isn't your thing. couldn't use as many big words as my older sister, you'll never be as smart as her. Gertrude convinces me that failure is definitive, one mistake can take away my future success. I think, for a lot of us like this fixed mindset, for me, at least it sounds a lot like my like internal critic. It's like not so nice voice in your head. But if you can learn to notice, and like I do actually like this activity of giving it a name. I personally haven't yet. You know, something to think about.
Charelle Griffith
Well give it a go. Choose a name and write the passage like that one, like Gertrude is so vivid, and I think the more vivid, you make it that the idea is, it just helps you to really identify it. So if anyone's listening, give it a go. See if it helps you. As I said, I find it a little bit weird. But I know it does work for lots of people. So it's not to say don't give it a go. And then once you've actually got your fixed mindset persona, you've identified it, you've written it down, you've given them a name, that's when the whole education process starts. And that's where you can then start to go on this journey to actually develop a growth mindset.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, a couple of times throughout the book, she gave some examples of different reflection questions that you can ask yourself that I love a good prompt, whether it's for journaling, or just thinking about or whatever it is. So throughout the book, I highlighted a few which I'll share, which I think, really yeah, they go into this kind of fourth step of you've identified your growth mindset, you've kind of gotten the hang of what triggers it, you've named it maybe, or at least have found a way to really clearly see when it's showing up? And then how do we practice? So here are some of the questions that I took note of, at the end of the day asking yourself, what did you learn today, rather than what did you accomplish today? asking yourself, what mistake did you make today? Because mistakes are a sign that we're actually doing things? What are the opportunities for learning and growth today? So I love all three of these questions, because I feel like they just give you a chance to reframe what success will look like. And any given day, it's much more about the effort that you put in being willing to make mistakes, being willing to fail, for the sake of like progress.
Charelle Griffith
And it also has a real focus on actually learning. And I think that the questions you shared like one of them definitely, like more like a morning prompt versus the other two like, at the end of the day, it's like, you start your day thinking about like, what can I learn today? And then you actually have the end the day what am I learned? Like, can you just imagine how much you'd be constantly growing and learning and just improving and becoming better in so many different ways? Because you can't, you can't if you have that type of attitude, like that's just inevitable is gonna happen.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, and and that learning, I guess these questions kind of imply that learning is the goal, that through learning, that's how we succeed and get better and achieve more, not through just really fixating on labeling ourselves as smart or natural talents or natural creatives, whatever it is, but by actually putting in the work to learn.
A couple other thing I just wanted to touch on is I really liked how broad in the book, she was able to apply this, this concept of the fixed and growth mindset, like so across so many different parts of your life. As a brand new parent, I'm definitely thinking about this in terms of parenting, because I think she makes a huge effort to convey how important the words that we use are, whether we're talking to ourselves or members of our team, or kids, like constantly calling your kids smart. Like I said before, or talented or unnatural like these actually, they do feel good to hear in the moment as a kid. But when some time has passed, you start to believe it like that's where your value is, as a person is in, you know, this, I'm naturally smart. Therefore, like I can't show that it took me effort to be smart. You know, I have to just have this facade that I keep up and really about presenting an exterior. That's what we can create, through how we teach our kids like what matters basically.
So I'm thinking a lot about this concept as a parent. She also has some good examples of using it in relationships. So whether it's like your romantic relationship or friendships, she talks a lot about defensiveness and blame and, you know, being having a growth mindset when it comes to being a good friend or a good partner. Not feeling like not learning how to not take criticism. So personally, basically, I'm being willing to get better at being a partner and a friend and putting the work in and not just thinking that oh, this Is my marriage. So if, if it's hard if it requires any work, that means there's something wrong with it. She's like, her theory is very different that all relationships take work and effort and that's not a sign that there's something wrong, it's a sign that you're taking care of it and the weight that needs to be taken care of.
Charelle Griffith
And I really like it because we've heard talk about relationships, taking effort, and hard work. I think also, I was like, actually, that makes sense as well for like people that have both got a growth mentality, because the more time they're together, you'd expect there's going to be more change. And so actually, if you've got two people that have had like, a fixed mindset, and they're just basically the same person, 10 years later, whereas if you've got two people who are both actively trying to aspire to have a growth mindset and push themselves and learn, there are inevitably going to be some changes, and therefore, both as an individual, and as the two of you, you're going to have to work it to continue to make it work because you're evolving, and you're not staying the same person that they first met.
Lauren Tilden
Such a good point. Such a good point.
And I think that's true with friendships, too. Like, yes, romantic relationships, but also, you know, just friendships, business relationships, Team relationships, whatever it is just yeah, if you're, if you both got a growth mindset, which we hope you both do, that just means more it's gonna change. So I love that point. Let's start to wrap this up with practical takeaways from this book. So when we had our first conversation together, Charelle, where we introduce you to my podcast listeners, and I asked you, like, what, how do we actually take what we learn from the books that we read and make sure that we're doing something about it, like actually implementing something as a result of reading it and not just continuing to read book after book after book and not actually doing anything about what we learn? How do we do something about what we learn.
So what you said that I really loved is to kind of not bite off more than you can chew, pick, write down a few things that are kind of your main takeaways or your main things that you are going to do differently as a result of this book. So we don't need to necessarily prescribe what these have to be for people, but what, what would they be for you? What would they be for? Like, what would you recommend as your top takeaways as a result of reading Mindset?
Charelle Griffith
So my biggest thing I took away was about keep setting goals for growth. And so cuz I'm always I'm already a big goal setter, I was like, actually, this is just about changing my approach to goals. And suppose not always necessarily writing goals that were all about the accomplishment and the end. But also setting goals that were just challenging myself, that would require some learning that would require me to upskill. And to put myself in situations where I'd grow. So that was definitely, personally for me want to take aways because it was something I could do. But it sort of integrated with what I already was doing in my life.
Lauren Tilden
For me, um, I talked about this a little bit already, but I think my biggest takeaway is really around, being willing to put in the effort, even if the outcome is uncertain. So just an example of that concept is I'm launching a pro version of this podcast very soon, like a membership. And this is not something I've ever done before. So I'm noticing all kinds of mindset things showing up for me, but has been really fun to contend with haha. And so the fixed mindset, part of me wants to be like, well, there's no guarantee this is going to be a huge success. So why put any effort into it, it could just be a big waste of your time. And so I'm really challenging myself to be willing to put in the effort, even when the outcome is uncertain. Being willing to put myself out there, being willing to, I don't know, put myself at the risk of failing, which I guess has been a big topic of this conversation. Because that is really what the growth mindset is all about understanding that that willingness is what eventually will get you to success.
Charelle Griffith
I really liked what you mentioned, you said like, about uncertainty. Like you can try it, but you know, you're gonna give it a go, but you're uncertain about the outcome. But the reality is, we're always uncertain. It's just sometimes we feel because of the past that we have a bit more control over what the outcomes gonna be. Like, we feel that okay, this is going to be successful. This is going to work. But actually, everything in life is uncertain. But I think it was for me, I was like, Oh, that would really popped out because I actually that's what it is about sometimes with that. Something that you think isn't going to possibly work. If you've got a growth mindset. It's just like ignoring that and just be like, I'm gonna give it a go. I'm going to try regardless of what I believe is going to happen. Hmm. And knowing that, even if the outcome is not what you hoped that even in that there is something to be learned and to grow from basically viewing, yeah, in everything. Knowing that there's something to learn. And so I guess that would be my other big takeaway is just reminding myself to always ask when things go right when things go wrong, like, what can I learn from this? Because there always is something to learn.
And I was gonna say, the biggest, like, what I tested, probably the easiest way to like start this process is just by accident. If you already have a journaling practice, add in those prompts that Lauren mentioned earlier, because if you truly woke up every day and thought in the morning, what could I learn today, and then the day you reflected to me personally, like the reflecting, and what I've learned is really powerful. And so like actually being able to, like, collate it and see it over time. Because sometimes, well, we forget what we've actually learned. And we sort of take for granted, the change that's happening. So being able to like, document it and be like, Oh, my gosh, actually, I've learned all these things last year. Like that's a really powerful process. And that helps to remind you that growth is possible. And if you've done it once, you can do it again.
Lauren Tilden
Yes, so good. So good. I am really excited that we started with this book, because I think, yeah, it's something I want to just remind myself to read like, once a year or once every couple years, because I've now read it, I read it most of it one time, and now I read it, I read it all the way through just now. And it just sparks so much thought and so much. I just like excitement about what's possible when you really can get a hold of your mindset and have a little bit more of intention around the beliefs that you let guide your decisions and your actions. So really glad we started with this one.
Let's reveal our next book, which is I'm also really excited about this one I think it is the perfect book to start January with. So we'll be having our January book club episode on this book. And this is also one of the books that has been most recommended by my podcast guests. So if you listened to interviews before, you know that I asked every guest for a book recommendation Charelle refused to answer this because she has so many books she loves. But most guests answer it and this is this book has been recommended. Probably the second most I'd have to do the adding. I think it's the second most recommended book. And this book is do you want to announce it Charelle or should I?
Charelle Griffith
This the drumroll! It is Atomic Habits!
Lauren Tilden
Yeah. Atomic habits by James clear. Have you read it yet, Charelle?
Charelle Griffith
I have read it. It is such a good book. So I read it a few years ago and actually made the reading list for my book club. So I 100% agree with you. And probably every single other guests that has recommended it. I'm so so glad that we've chosen it to be to be in the book club, and particularly for January. I think it's a great book for everyone to read at the start of the year like such a good book.
Lauren Tilden
Yeah, I haven't read it yet, actually. So I used to read his blog years ago, but I have not read the book. So this is very exciting for me to have a brand new one to get my hands on and get my head around. So everyone, pick up a copy Audible or hardback, whatever you like. But start reading that one. And we will keep you posted. And again, just to keep in the loop with all things Making Good book club, go to makinggood podcast.com/bookclub and you can just pop your name in there. And we'll make sure that every time we have a new book announcement or the episodes come out that we can notify you about that. So Charelle, thank you so much for this. This is such a blast. I loved this conversation about Mindset. I'm so glad we started here. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks. And yeah, thanks for, thank you so much for co-hosting this with me.
Charelle Griffith
You're absolutely welcome. I really enjoyed it. And yeah, I can't wait to hear what other people think about it as well because I think everyone who reads a book picks up something different and that's one of the beauties of why I always do this. I think I learn just as much from hearing other people's thoughts as like you do your own so I can't wait to hear what people think.
Lauren Tilden
Yes, everyone, if you have something to add to this conversation or just something you agreed with or disagreed with even better, take a shot while you're listening to the episode and tag us both on Instagram. And we would love to hear what you think and what you have to add. So Charelle is @CharelleGriffith Did I get that right?
Charelle Griffith
That's perfect.
Lauren Tilden
And I'm @LaurenTilden, so we can't wait to hear from you. Thank you for listening.
So there you have it. The first edition of Making Good Book Club is officially in the books. See what I did there? Charelle and I both want to hear from you. What did you think of the book and our takeaways, do you agree, disagree or have something to add? Connect with us on Instagram and let us know Charelle is @CharelleGriffith, and I'm @LaurenTilden. Notes from this episode can be found on the show notes page at makinggoodpodcast.com/92. And finally, I would so love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen, my brand new membership kicking off in January. Get all of the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen and to lock in your monthly rate at the lowest price that will ever be available. Be sure to sign up before December 18. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
96: How to Take Your Own Photos of Your Products with Hallie MacPherson
Episode 96: How to Take Your Own Photos of Your Products with Hallie MacPherson
Lauren Tilden:
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden. And this is episode 96. I love hearing from listeners of this podcast for so many reasons, but one of the big ones is that you have such fantastic topic requests. Today's episode is one of those requests. My guest today is my friend, the amazing Hallie McPherson, a super talented photographer and also the owner of Soule Candles. We're talking all about how to take great photos of your products or even yourself all by yourself.
But before we get into the episode, I have one thing to chat with you about first, and that is Making Good Happen. So what is Making Good Happen? One thing I know all too well is that it's one thing to learn the things that will help our businesses thrive. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions we need to take. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about. Making Good Happen is a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business. And more importantly, to take the steps necessary to actually see the results you dream of. Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called Making Good Happen. There'll be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from mini pep talks to journaling prompts to action items. It includes deep work sessions, so these are kind of like co working on Zoom but with no video or audio to minimize distraction, and includes guided monthly marketing plan creation, an online community of other like minded small business owners, accountability tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month and more. And so that we can all kick off 2022 with a bang Making Good Happen as officially launching the first Monday in January, January 3 2022. If you want to start 2022 with an intentional strategic marketing plan that you actually execute, come hang out with me and some other really amazing small business owners in making good happen.
Speaking of other amazing small business owners, I wanna gush a little bit about some of the folks we have signed up already, which includes today's guest Hallie, we have jewelry makers, candle makers, makeup artists, live event services, photography, accessories, paper goods, calligraphy and so much more. If you have a creative business you want to take to the next level by consistently taking marketing action. Join us in Making Good Happen. The doors to Making Good Happen will be open until December 31 and then I'll be closing them for a while so I can focus 100% on the members who sign up in this first round. I have some fun bonuses in store for those of you who get signed up before January, so if you're interested if this is a great time to join. If you know you're ready to join us head to makinggoodpodcastcom/MGH to sign up. And if you want an email sent to you with all the details you can head to makinggoodpodcast.com/happen I can't wait to work with you inside of Making Good Happen.
Okay, so let's talk about today's episode. As I said, My guest today is Hallie McPherson. How he is the photographer behind Hallie Katherine photography, as well as the maker and business owner behind Soule Candles. Both of these businesses are united by Hallie's commitment to empowering women something she does so incredibly well. She also offers branding photography to small businesses to help them create and maintain a cohesive brand through beautiful photography. As both a professional photographer and someone who owns her own product based business, Hallie is the perfect person to have this conversation around product photography with.
In our conversation we discussed why product photography is important. What makes good product photography, what basic tools we need to DIY our own photos, how to optimize your lighting and positioning, Hallie's recommendations for editing your photos, and how to take photos for yourself. We also discussed what it's like to work with a professional photographer and how Hallie approaches running multiple businesses. I loved her answer here. A lot of this conversation is focused on product photography. But if you're a service based business owner, I think there's a lot of good stuff in here for you too. First of all, behind the scenes, photos of your work and your process are super interesting, even if you work behind your computer. Trust me. Hallie's tips about product photography can apply to any physical items you're taking photos of whether it's something you sell or not. Second, we also discuss how to take photos of yourself which might be something you're interested in doing. Hallie really doesn't hold back her expertise in this episode. She shares so many super actionable tips and tricks that you can apply to your business today. I can't wait for you to listen to it. Here it is.
Hallie Welcome to Making good.
Hallie MacPherson:
Thanks, Lauren. I'm so happy to be here.
Lauren Tilden:
I am so so so excited about this episode. This is one of those episodes where I'm kind of practicing what I preach like listen to your ideal customers. Listen to your audience and my audience and listeners of this podcast. And people in my Facebook group have been asking about product photography for a while. And I just haven't gotten around to it until now. And now that I have and I've sort of asked people like, what questions do you have about taking product photos or photos of yourself or whatever it is? There are so many questions, and people are like, this is definitely a pain point for people figuring out how to get good photos of their products at different budget points from like doing it yourself to maybe outsourcing it. So, so excited about this episode. Before we get into all the nitty gritties, though, I would love for you to introduce yourself and your businesses. I know you have two businesses, and just talk a little bit about your path to doing what you do now.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, so my name is Holly, I go by Holly Katherine photography, usually, I have been doing photography for probably seven years. And I studied it in college, but started in high school, just photographing friends, we would just go hang out, bring a camera. And that's, I guess what started my passion for it. I've always just been shooting. And then once I started in college, I realized that there were so many other pathways to go down with it. And I, I still haven't necessarily chosen but what I love to do is photograph women, one on one, and have that like, moment where I like we just work together to empower them in front of the camera, because I've been in a position where it wasn't that empowering.
Lauren Tilden:
Oh my gosh, and I just have to interject into your intro and say, Hallie took photos of me for a conference she put on that I was invited to speak at. And the experience of taking photos with her was so fun. And like I am someone who's like, self conscious in front of the camera. Usually I don't really like having my photo taken. I said this to her recently, it's just such a good example of like, almost like an easy to overlook way of really making a positive impact is like, you know, she's working with a client one on one, like making them feel so comfortable. So awesome. So empowered, like you said, so I just like as on the other end of that, like wanting to reinforce what an amazing job you do. Yeah. Such a magical like skills I have. So anyway, go on.
Hallie MacPherson:
No, thank you. Yeah, I, I guess I kind of harnessed it from interning with a photographer, where I went to high school in Idaho. So she was always about women empowerment and positivity, and just bringing, like a really, really great attitude to the shoot. And that is, honestly what makes the whole difference. So I used to be the most shy girl growing up really, really shy, like, and now I, I probably don't come off that way I come out, come off, as you know, open and bubbly and like wanting to get to know you because I genuinely do now and I think like photography in that way has really shaped me to be who I am today, which is really cool.
Lauren Tilden:
That's awesome. And then, one thing I love about the fact that you have two businesses is that they are both super different. One is a service based business. One is a product based business. But they're so tied together by like, kind of the mission that you're just talking about, about female empowerment. So will you share a little bit about your product, your candle business?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, absolutely. So in 2020, I started making candles as a little quarantine hobby. And I kind of had in mind, I was like, I'm gonna photograph these and I think these are so cool. Like, I was just so jazzed about the idea, I wanted to share them. So candles are the candles of the feminine body, and in all different shapes and sizes, and I hope to continue new sizes and, and shapes to bring more inclusivity to that space. Both of the my businesses overwhelmingly like talk to women and bring in that feminine audience. Which, you know, I think is always a good thing. And we can always be more empowered, especially when like, as a woman myself, you know, I know what it feels like sometimes so.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, so great. And it's kind of hard to put her candles to words. So like we'll link them in the show notes so you can go check them out while you're listening. They're so beautiful. And like, yeah, just all body types there. They just like celebrate women in such a great way. So I love these candles, we carry them on Station Seven. So big fan. Okay, so I feel like the fact that you are both a photographer and a product based business owner makes you the perfect person to talk to about this question and product photography because, you know, like exactly what you use your product photography for, as you know, like on your website, or your socials or whatever it is. And also, you're a pro. So I am just delighted to get to pick your brain about this. So let's start really broad. Why is product photography so important?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, when I was thinking about this, I, I guess I noted down to photography, photography being kind of the baseline of a brand. I mean, considering yeah, there's, you know, fonts and colors, but I think photography, it brings brand awareness to a business or a product that you can't find anywhere else, because it's the real thing, right? It's a photo of the thing that you're selling, or the thing that you make, or that you're trying to like show off to the world. So in my opinion, like if I'm scrolling through Instagram, or a website, and I look at the photos, and they're, they're like, Okay, average, and sure I have a very like nitpicky eye for these kinds of things. But if they're kind of subpar, like I'm gonna think your product is a little subpar. So in that respect, like, I think product photography should match, like your insides to how you made made the product to the outside of it, because I know it takes like, so much time, effort, skill, to like honing your craft and make your make your thing, whatever it is. So it's important to match that to your photography and how you're like showing up in your brand and showing it off to the world.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, yeah. So that's a great answer. And I feel like it's so easy not to take good photos, for example, like I'm sitting in my office, and I'm looking at this beautiful arrangement of dried and preserved flowers. And they're, like, so lovely and warm. And like, I just love having them on my desk. But I know if I were to take a photo of them right now, like it would not, because I don't really know what I'm doing, I like, it would not capture it, you know. And so I think what you're saying, what I'm taking away from what you're saying is like most people listening probably make a really amazing thing. Like they have an amazing product or skill or art. And in the flesh, it is one thing, but it's actually not that easy to like, represent that, you know, as good as it is we're not trying to make things look better than my arts just take photos is like surprisingly challenging. So, right, love this. So let's talk about that a little bit. Like how to good product photos. What's the difference between good product photos, and like you say subpar ones?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, I guess as a whole, like, in building your brand and business. Good photos are like cohesive, you know, like I work with And Darlin a lot and, and I think whatever brand it is, like I want to be scrolling through my feed and be like, Oh, that that looks like a picture from and And Darlin. And I think bring that to your bringing that idea forward is important in this case, because in order to grow or like build brand awareness, like I'm saying is like, people need to recognize you. So, you know, it's like standing out from the crowd a little bit. Good product photos, have good lighting, positioning, framing and balance. Because if people are looking at an image or taking in all this visual stimuli, if we understand it or not, so, for example, if I have a candle and it looks like a very cold, like colored image or it's gonna feel off, like because candles may give off light.
Lauren Tilden:
I think we're gonna spend probably most of our conversation talking about how people can take their own photos and we will talk a little bit about working with a photographer for the end. But starting from the point of I am a maker, I don't have any like, know, how, when it comes to photography, I'm going to be taking my own product photos. Let's start with like, what kind of basic equipment and tools would you suggest that people try to get their hands on? At like a very low budget? Like level?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah. So there's a lot you can do. Low budget, I mean, probably what you're listening on right now your phone probably takes good enough photos. And if you're in a house, you're in an apartment, you have a window. And so that's what I would go, I would go sit by the window with my phone, kind of think about the lighting in the space and look for maybe a little alcove or a little spot that gets more like diffused light. And when the sun you know, like hits directly in a spot, it can be, that's like a whole nother world of lighting and technique, which is important and fun. And especially if you have like a bold brand or something that that makes sense to use, like really harsh shadows and like, harsh light. But what works, the best I think for anything would be more like soft diffused light from the window. Yeah, and this, that's just essentially shade, but like not right on the shade line.
Lauren Tilden:
Mm hmm. Okay, so we have our smartphone, a window and like looking for a spot where the light is more diffuse or softer. Or even like I'm looking or both than this, or we're usually both in the Seattle area here and Idaho right now. But at least in Seattle, it's like a very kind of cloudy, but like bright cloudy day, so I feel like that would be a good light.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, that would. And even even if it's gray in Seattle, that light still works great too, surprisingly.
Lauren Tilden:
Okay, that's good to know, for all the gloomy weather listeners that we might have. So, you know, we hear a lot of people talking about things like light boxes, or like boards and backing boards. What other kind of tripods like, equipment? What about that kind of stuff? Is that just kind of like, we don't need to worry about that when we start out? Or what would you say there?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, so I guess it really depends on like, the size of your objects as well. Light boxes are great, I just did a quick look and they range from probably like $30 to like $130. So I haven't done much look into it, but I'm sure you could find something for a reasonable price. I mean, considering you're going to be using that quite a bit. If your product you know, like fits in the little box.
Um, but what I have found actually, is that what works great for like a little backdrop our floor tiles from Lowe's. They I got, I got marble looking ones. And either probably a foot by a foot or something. And I just got two so I put one down and one against a wall. So it kind of looks like a countertop. And honestly, I've been going to that more than my like white paper setup, classic photographer, like setup. I've been using that a lot more because it's really, it's reliable, it's really quick to set up. And you don't have to like, yeah, you just think about where it is in position to the window. It's not a big, not a big like process because it stores pretty easily too.
Lauren Tilden:
So let's talk about that positioning to the window. So when, if the light sources from the window, what we want like the backdrop you're saying to be like directly opposite?
Hallie MacPherson:
Great question. In photography, we're always looking for the most natural light and if we think of the most natural light source, that's the sun, so if we're inside, directly speaking, I would say put the angle, the setup, that is that the light is coming in from a side angle. Okay, because I have actually tried this with my candles, I put direct facing light right from the window, straight onto the backdrop. And when you're shooting, you get in the middle and you get some funky shadows and you can it's also just light that is not flattering on the body or like a product especially like my products being the body right. So angling it to the side made the shadows fall in different ways that looked more natural even. Because it was kind of acting like the sun, right?
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah. Yeah. And really love the recommendation to get floor tiles from Lowe's or hardware store instead of like, you know, I always get targeted for these like super fancy, like backgrounds and backdrops like.
Hallie MacPherson:
Oh, yeah, me too.
Lauren Tilden:
I'm like, good. I don't need to buy that. Yeah. What about composition? So this is something that I feel like I struggle with is, you know, you see all these, like, really beautiful flatlays or the way that you take photos, specifically of Miranda's jewelry, it's like so beautifully arranged, and I just feel like I would have no idea where to start when it comes to putting something like that together. So what kind of tips do you have for assembling a photo that is more than just, you know, white backdrop and single products?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, great question. I only started doing flatlays. You know, this year when I started working with Miranda, so there was a lot of trial and error. I think the one of the biggest things I found is that going to Goodwill and grabbing like some fabrics or textiles that go with your brand. So if you're still unsure of like what your brand is, I would say go to the pillowcases, or like find some curtains that are like either beige, white, or cream in that color scheme because that'll always make whatever you're shooting just look like classic and more expensive. Honestly, it'll make it look like this was, like this was intended.
So yeah, what makes a photo? I mean, if you just put a piece of jewelry on a white background, it's a little it. Yeah, sure can look nice. But you can also make it feel a little softer by adding a little cloth or like, you know a little, what did I say? a pillowcase and kind of ruffle it up in the background lay the piece of jewelry on it. Or what I also look for are glass dishes, or like white dishes. I know in the white, beige and cream kind of color palette is where I work a lot. So I just am constantly looking for little pieces, the size or size that's comparable to my product to be in a photo. So when I'm for example, shooting flatlays, for And Arlin the ones you see on the Instagram, like there were probably three, three or more like little setups before that came to be because as I'm shooting I'm like constantly reevaluating the balance of the products in the image image or the little, the little accessories that are kind of like help telling the story of the product image. Mm hmm. Yeah.
Lauren Tilden:
yeah, I'm looking at one right now. I'm just, as you're talking, scrolling through her feed and Miranda owns And Arlen, she's a jewelry company. And so if you want to see these photos that we're talking about, her Instagram account is and dot Arlen A, R L E M. So I feel like one of these is actually, like this, there's this pair of earrings that look like they might be like the studs are going through tissue paper. Is that right?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah.
Lauren Tilden:
So it looks so beautiful. And it's just like, I feel like I'm really glad to be talking to someone who is able to take such amazing like professional photos using really accessible items and materials like so, we've talked about floor tiles from a hardware store, textiles from like Goodwill, and like crumpled up tissue papers and a bunch of these and it looks so great. Yeah, that's so fun. I also see some like crystals and seashells. Okay, so asking for a friend. Just kidding asking for me. What if your brand is like really, really colorful? Like? Yeah, so I think I'm seeing a lot of really great examples for more kind of like earthy organic like natural neutrals. Do you have any ideas for people who, like me, we're more towards like louder, branding?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, absolutely. I don't think of this as too different, I guess because like, for example, the jewelry is very earthy and nature, right. And so I'm just complementing that by adding, you know, like natural elements like crystals or, you know, humble materials like paper, like small textiles, that are like in that, in that beige cream color, color palette. So I think approaching a brand that's like louder in color, I wouldn't necessarily change it up that much. Maybe I might add in more, I think I wouldn't add as much in a different way, because your product is already going to be so much more colorful, and that and that's what we're highlighting. So that would pop even more off of like a lighter or like, creamier background. But if it was like a special, like event that you wanted to really like holidays, right? If you wanted to, like really add in like, like red or like sparkles or like something louder, I say do it and, and just be aware of the balance in the image, like if you're going to add in, you know, like a bright red fabric, for example, as like a little tossed background with, you know, like a candy cane or, I mean, whatever the holidays, or, like glitter. I think that is like that is still so cool. But be aware that like that's gonna read really differently. And the product that you add in for the main like subject of the photo needs to be, like, equally as loud as that background.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, such a good point to like, remember what the point is, which is promote your product and not like whatever else. Someone asked a question in the Facebook group about styling photos. So they were wondering, kind of like, should I style my photos? She also has a jewelry company, the person who asked, should she style them? Or is that just like, distracting? And should it just be like white background with products? What are your thoughts on this? I mean, obviously, we've talked a lot about styling, so I have a little bit of a feeling but what would you have to say to her?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, that's a good question. I think, honestly, if you have the time to do both, is probably worth it. Like product imagery, on their product page, on the Products page. I think it's important to obviously have it like plain background. So we know just the exact product that you're selling, but also in the home or on a person like it's equally as as important to show that because that's how the like customer is going to be using the product. So yeah, I mean, I would start off with, you know, your white background just so you have those shots and then like quickly after either work with a photographer or, like really get into making those flatlays because, surprisingly enough, Miranda does get better engagement when it's a styled flatlay.
Lauren Tilden:
Hmm. That's great to know.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, that helps. Yeah, I think interesting to watch.
Lauren Tilden:
I would actually notice that with mine too. Like I've gotten for Good Sheila, my stationery brand. I will post photos like the professional ecommerce photos that have a completely blank white background. Yeah, I will occasionally post those. And usually they don't perform as well as like something simple that I took with my iPhone. Not that I did that great of a job, but just that it's like a little bit more real life, you know, like, it's like, a big pile of stickers. Total, like the most professional photo that's ever been taken. It's decent, but like it feels it's more interesting and more like, I don't know. Yeah, like life.
Hallie MacPherson:
Exactly. Like people can actually picture that in their home or like in their ear for an earring or whatever it is.
Lauren Tilden:
Mm hmm yes, okay. What other like DIY photography tips do you have?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah. I suggest for doing your own like flatlays or product photos at home, for socials or whatever it is, is including like different levels like of height or have size of things in the image. So if that's like, maybe we're talking about a pillowcase, but we use like a part of the pillowcase, depending on how much that takes up in the image. Adding, you know, something like on top of it, or just adding like, dimension really, really helps and playing around with the angles of the photograph. Like, don't be afraid to just like go out and take a ton. Like, I don't just go and take one picture, you know, like, there are hundreds and hundreds in the background. So you have to to figure out the right focusing and, and the right angle for whatever you're shooting. What I like to think of product photography, as as I'm pretty new to it myself, is that as the photographer, you're telling a story of this product. So any like characters that makes sense to, sense to add into, like, do it, but if it's suggesting that they're becoming the main character, then let's take them out.
Lauren Tilden:
Okay, interesting. Yeah, making sure that your props are like this supporting characters, not the main, the main deal? Yeah, absolutely. Got it, you've given us lots of really good tips for taking product photos in our own space, like in our home, or if we have a studio, apartment, whatever it is, what about like, in the wild, whether it's like parks or your backyard, or whatever it is, what tips would you have for taking or suggestions for taking photos? In a different setting.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, totally. Personally, as I like, in the world, I'm constantly looking for like, little tiles or walls that intrigued me. Or like on the sidewalk, sometimes you find like, really, like cool flowers popping up or, yeah, it's just like be observant of like your surroundings and make lists of what you see. And when you see it because light has a big part of course. So I have like lists everywhere that are just like, you know, like 12 in Pike like at 5pm or whatever it is. So then you can always go back and bring your product and yeah, like if I'm, I'm thinking about candles, right so I'm looking at that size of things. So tiles like cool tiles on buildings that I could hold up a candle to or like a cool little grassy spot outside at a park or like when the leaves are changing, getting outside right as they're changing because you'll lose it if you don't shoot. Does that help?
Lauren Tilden:
No, it does like to be observant and I think the tip on like note what time it is to is such a great point because I've done this where I'm like, oh like I love this Rhododendron brush outside I'm gonna take a photo in front of it and then I go back to do it and have not paid attention to the time of day in the light and I'm like, not what I had in mind. So I think that's a great tip. Do you have favorite? Like I know a lot of photographers will talk about like the golden hour. Do you have favorite times of day to do outdoor photography?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, when I'm photographing people which is what I usually do outside I'm always shooting a golden hour I just, don't give me the middle of the day like that's not my jam. But for product photography and in a space with like buildings like I'm thinking about the city because that's where I live, but you can shoot any time of day because you can find a little like diffuse like shady area or you know just like go for it with the sun I'd say starting out like stick to the shade, but using the sun is like a whole nother like beautiful thing and you know if that's part of your your brand and your colors or your vibe like then you know all for it, I'm so here for using natural light and backlight specifically.
Lauren Tilden:
Awesome. Okay, last kind of product photography question and then we're gonna move on to taking photos of yourself. Someone asked how do you get a great white background without a ton of editing?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, so it's almost impossible to make a white background if it wasn't a white background to start. So start off with your white background. And then you can always adjust the white balance if it's like a little too warm a little too cool, I personally love my photos to be a little bit more warm. So, you know, maybe my white isn't necessarily like stark white, but I think that's okay, if that's continuous throughout. But yeah, start with your white background, because you can never, you can never replicate a white background in editing.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah. And I will just say like, I tend to try to take photos myself a lot of my work, like if I'm painting or something, it tends to be at night, and it's dark. And I'm using like a really bright light. And it's really hard to get good white photos at night. So because it's like so glaring. So if you are trying to take photos or something on a white background, just definitely don't try to do it with like, artificial light, like, inside. Right?
Okay, so let's talk about taking photos of yourself. So I think most people who listen our product based business owners, but there are some who have service based businesses. So all this conversation around like taking photos of their products may not be relevant to them. But there are, of course, other photos that we all need in our businesses, whether it's photos of us, or us working, or I don't know, your computer, your notebook, whatever it is, so, but let's talk up, I think if you're a service provider, and you're taking photos of just like items, you can probably use all the tips that we've already discussed. But if we're talking about taking trying to get good photos of ourselves without having someone else take those photos, what would you advise.
Hallie MacPherson:
So I think everyone should have a tripod. And how I've taken my own in the past is getting a roll of white paper and hanging it from like a classic photographer setup. So c stands or whatever it is. And granted, not everyone has access to this. So if you just have like a cool colored wall that you like, or you know, like a off white or white wall, take note when the light is really good. Set up your tripod, and just start shooting, taking pictures of yourself is literally the hardest thing. I am not a fan. So if you try, don't beat yourself up about it, because it is really, really hard. And yeah, you can consider me a professional photographer, but I could never do professional selfies, or self portraits. It's just, it's a whole different game. So just at that point, hire someone, like let them do the work for you.
Lauren Tilden:
Are any of your kind of like branding photos of you? Did you take any of those?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, I think the picture I sent for you for the podcast, actually, I took.
Lauren Tilden:
It's so good.
Hallie MacPherson:
Oh my gosh, Thanks. It was a struggle, though. You know, there are hundreds, maybe I took maybe 1000 photos that day too. And I have like five good ones. So...
Lauren Tilden:
I think that's just that, like philosophy for photography is really important to communicate, because I feel like a lot of us will like try to take a selfie and it's like, Oh, that's terrible. I looked terrible. I don't like this photo and not going to take anymore. Whereas like you're saying you take hundreds and then out of those hundreds there's like one that you love. Yeah. So, you know, just kind of being willing to continuously play around with that, I think.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, and in the end, like, it's just fun. Like, if you can't find fun with it, then you know, put it aside and do it another day when you feel like you can. I think that's the biggest thing for me too. Like I was in a really good headspace when I was playing with that I had a couple hours to like really set up the tripod and get my other camera out and and do the whole thing. So yeah, you have to be like willing to fail. And, and then find your find your groove.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, so good. Um, okay, let's talk about photo editing. Obviously, you probably use something like Lightroom or Photoshop, which not everyone is going to have access to. So I would love to hear your tips for beginner photographers who are doing their own product photography or selfie photography, whatever it is, how to add, edit them, like do you you know, do you view it like you're doing 95% of the work when you take the photo and then just like final tweaks, when you edit is editing a bigger part of your process? How do you kind of land there and what tips do you have for folks
Hallie MacPherson:
I'd say the majority of my time is calling images just because I have so many. But when I shoot, I shoot, probably like, 85 Yeah, 90% of what I want. And then I take the rest into editing. So, you know, if you're spending more than like, honestly, a minute or two on each picture, that's too much, like, go back and retake the picture, because it'll just make your life so much easier if you get it right. Like in camera. I've always kind of that's been my philosophy after working with some photographers. You know, they're like, if you don't get it right in the camera, like, what do you have? What do you have to work with, it makes it just so much more tough. So I personally, like from my camera, I'll upload to my computer and, and use Adobe Bridge in Photoshop. But what I am really doing is tweaking lighting, so tweaking the exposure, highlights and shadows, and usually taking out a little bit of contrast, to make it a little bit more lifelike, in my opinion. But a great app that I use on my phone is the Tezza app, the it's t e z z a.
Lauren Tilden:
Amazing, how exciting
Hallie MacPherson:
Yes, it's. So it's made by an influencer, who's also a photographer, and she makes like, amazing presets. So that's a whole other game. But for free on the Tezza app, you can do like little tweaks and crops and you know, lighting and colors. And then it's pretty inexpensive. It's pretty affordable for what you get, I think yearly, it's like $40. And so, she has like, she's always coming out with new presets on there. But you know, you can swipe through them and find ones that you like, and then stick in that color scheme or, or editing style. So I maybe have like two or three that I would potentially use on images on my phone, if I'm going to post it to Instagram or like a story because most of my work. I'm just I'm going through the camera. But yeah, for iPhone images, like that's a great place to start and choosing your preset from that app, and then tweaking it to how you like it, I think is a great way to start getting your like cohesive brand, and brand photography, like put together.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, I'm glad that you kind of brought that back up, because I don't think we really emphasized it before. But we spend a lot of time talking about like optimizing each individual photo. But like when it comes to building a brand. Like Hallie said, you want people to be able to scroll through their feed or their phone, whatever it is and recognize your brand just by the photo. So you're suggesting that people kind of whether you're using Tezza, or however you're editing that the kind of editing treatment that you apply to one photo you apply to most of them, but it's like consistent that way.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, absolutely. And every photo is going to edit a little bit differently just because of like lighting changes and backdrop changes. But yeah, staying consistent with your editing style, or like who you work with as a photographer, I think is really, really important.
Lauren Tilden:
So good. I'm, my mind is reeling. I'm like, Okay, I have to go to Goodwill, I have to go to the hardware store, and I have to download this app, so I'm very excited to start taking some photos. When, let's talk a little bit about people who are maybe ready to kind of make the move from taking their own photos to hiring it out. What does it usually look like to work with the photographer, when, like what point in people's business? Should they maybe be thinking about doing that? How how do you approach, how do you suggest that we approach thinking about working with a photographer?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, great question. You know, with my products, I'm almost kind of like I am ready to hire. Because you get so tiring and if it's especially like your own product, like you can only maybe see it like a certain way or you get kind of stuck photographing it the same way over and over again. So if that's you, you're getting tired of it and you've you've tried, but it's becoming like a chore and something that you really really don't like then let it go like, we're gonna delegate that tasks to someone who actually really likes this and, and has the skill, right? So then you can focus on the other aspects of your business that you really love. I'm like a big believer in that even though I'm still working on figuring that out, I think every photographer works so differently, I can tell you what my process is, it usually starts out with an inquiry, you drop me a line, either like a DM on Insta, or even better, like an email, we can hop on a call and, and go through packages.
So right now for branding, I offer a few different packages, which vary. And so one of them is like monthly branding styling. So for example, with Miranda, I, I photograph her jewelry every month, and then she has content that she can push that's relevant to the season and, you know, relevant to her new collections that drop every so often. And then I'll just use her as an example, because that's the easiest, then, you know, every few months, when she has a big collection, for like spring or fall, we'll head in the studio for you know, maybe two or like, three hours, hire models, and get those, get all those pieces photographed in the same light the same space the same time. So it all looks super cohesive. And then she'll, she'll get that in time to put on her website and Instagram for her launch. And then I also just offer another package that is just like an hour in the studio and getting kind of a baseline for what working with me might be like, or look like how I photograph your photos, or how I photograph your product in a flatlay but also on a model. So the owner could either be the model, or we we get a professional, and does that help?
Lauren Tilden:
No, I totally helps. Yeah, for sure. Um, and I guess another question on this topic would be, a lot of times when you go into, like wanting photos taken, you have something in your head like that you want. How do you make sure that you're like effectively communicating, I guess, your vision, and just like you're totally on the same page as a photographer, so that you are, like delighted with what you get and not surprised or you're not like kind of going in different directions.
Hallie MacPherson:
Totally. So definitely stalk the photographer before you work with them and make sure like, this is what they're showing, if you know they're in in the photo game right now, like, on their Instagram, that's what they're going to be shooting like so really, like, make reference with it. Or reference yourself like with their work. And what I do for branding clients, I always make a mood board. So if that's on Pinterest, I, I asked them to like collect just a handful of images that they're coming to me with, with in the back of their head. And then I'll go in and I'll make that board more well rounded, and maybe add into my ideas. But yeah, like being a visual person, and most photographers are like, I think sharing your idea, visually in terms of like, this is a photo I saw and this is what convinced me to hire you or this is what convinced me I needed product photography that is going to help so much in trying to explain like what you saw in the image that you like about it, because we can like a lot of images. But you know, tell your photographer what you like about it. And then I know I could work off of that and figure out a great like, mood board for the shoot.
Lauren Tilden:
Mm hmm. That's great advice. Great advice. Okay, we are I am, I could just keep going. But I want to be respectful of your time. I want to ask one more question before we move into kind of the wrap up questions and that is around managing so many different things. Just kind of getting to know you Hallie, like I know that you have your photography business, you have this candles business, you just hosted a conference. I know there's other things in the works. So with so many different kind of corners to what you do, how do you balance it all? How do you kind of either from like, you can answer this however you want, whether it's like mentally or like, like how do you actually get everything done? Just what is your kind of approach to the fact that your businesses or like just you'd have so many kind have different corners to what you do.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, this is a great question Lauren, because I am I look to you, or like other people in the same situation, I do not feel balanced whatsoever. I am really, really struggling with that this year as a whole, because I started, you know, the second I started making candles, you know, like, within the last year or so. And I just took photography full time, like, a little over maybe a year and a half ago when this comes out. So that's been a huge transition, the candles on top of it. COVID I just like, you know, moving. It's kind of ridiculous.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, um, so I appreciate this answer. I I also, like, have no idea how to approach it. So I'm always asking people who also do like, you know, multiple things with their businesses like, oh, but yeah, answer might just be like, there's no right way. Like, you know, sometimes there's no balance. Like, sometimes you're going hard with one thing. And it means something else is on pause, like, yeah, I don't know.
Hallie MacPherson:
That's, that's what I'm feeling right now, candles have taken this fall like a huge, huge pause, because I just have so much work from the summer for photography that I need to get edited and out the door. So yeah, it's really interesting and kind of sad, because I, I really love both. But it's really time to start thinking of like hiring someone to do the stuff that I just cannot keep up with. I do make a lot of lists, though. So as fun as they are to look at look at I don't know how much is getting done. But, you know, I'm adding like five more things when I get two or three things done. So yeah, I'm not.
Lauren Tilden:
Where are you storing? Like all of your tests? Who's like a tool for that? Or like paper?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, so I actually just got a new planner. It's a 52 list projects by Maria Co. I'm really enjoying it because there's so much room for like lists making and just like thought organizing, that doesn't make sense to other people. But it makes sense to me.
Lauren Tilden:
I've actually didn't know she had a planner.
Hallie MacPherson:
Yes, it's great. But yeah, hand by hand, usually. But if I'm on the go, I'll I have so many like, untitled notes on my phone, it's like stupid.
Lauren Tilden:
Okay, this has been so fun. Let's move into the kind of closing questions that I get to ask all of our guests. Number one is how do you approach doing good through your small businesses?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, so I love this question. I think it's really, I can get really caught up in like, making sure I'm doing good for the whole world. And that stresses me out. So if I take one client at a time, like and make that shoot a really positive experience for them, like I know, I'm doing good in my business, and I'm doing good for the world. In terms of like a product based business, I grew up outside and, and the environment is really important to me the world, right? So I'm, I have carbon offset shipping, and I have, like 100% recycled and recyclable or biodegradable packaging. So that's super important to me. And, you know, it's like the little things you can really get caught up in like, I'm not doing enough, like, you know, everything has to be like sustainable or like, everything has to be like, make sure I touch every single person. It's like, well, in the grand scheme of things. That's impossible. You're not going to but if you can touch one person's life, or like one aspect of the sustainability crisis we have going or the climate crisis we have going on like, then you're doing good. And that's what I believe.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, I love that. Yeah, every small act adds up. So you mentioned a lot of really important ways of doing good there. I love I love what is one small business that you admire?
Hallie MacPherson:
Okay, not to sound like a broken record, but Miranda, And Arlen. Yeah, she really just does it all and coming from like, not a background in entrepreneurship necessarily. Or she just had this thing that she loves to do make jewelry and she's like figuring it out. I am so humbled by how she's figuring it out and watching her and supporting her along that journey is amazing and inspiring to me so.
Lauren Tilden:
Totally and I don't have it handy but she actually was interviewed on this podcast a while back about Tik Tok, she saw a lot of growth in her business through Tik Tok. So if you're interested in learning about that, and hearing from Miranda herself, she's come up a lot on this episode, then definitely I'll link that in the show notes. So, great recommendation. Yeah. What is a book recommendation that you have?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yeah, so being a creative and in mostly a service way, I like to think, you know, I'm, I think I'm majorly a photographer, an artist at heart. So I like I like books that like speak to my soul, or kind of, like, change my perspective on life. So Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert has totally changed how I think about creativity, being a creative and, and like how to move through the world that has like really stuck with me for years and years. And I think, yeah, maybe it's not necessarily a business book. But that's great. It's like a philosophy kind of book. And I think that, you know, relates back into both my businesses.
Lauren Tilden:
Totally, and most listeners are creative, would identify as creative in some way. So yeah, I don't think I ever, I think I had it on Kindle. And I don't think I really read very much of it. For whatever reason, so now I feel like I need to go back. So thank you for wanting that. Where can listeners connect with you online? Tell them where to find both of your different brands and just where to get in touch with you?
Hallie MacPherson:
Yes, I'm most active on Instagram. So at Halle, Catherine photography, and soul candles, and that's soul with an E. I'm most active on Instagram, and my emails, so you can find there.
Lauren Tilden:
Amazing. Well, Hallie, thank you so much for this. I have gotten so many ideas from just listening to how you approach your photography. I again have like now I want to go shopping for props and like just turn my little office into a photo studio. Very inspired. Holly, thank you so much. This has been such a blast. Yay.
Hallie MacPherson:
Thank you so much, Lauren. This is so awesome. I'm I love sharing the wealth.
Lauren Tilden:
Okay, did anyone else end up with a full page of notes after listening to this episode? Hallie, thank you so so much for everything you shared today. I am so grateful to you. You can get all the details from this episode at makinggoodpodcastcom/96. I know Hallie and I would both love to hear from you on Instagram. You can find Hallie at HallieKathrynPhotography. Or at Soule Candles. That's s o u l e candles and connect with me at @LaurenTilden. Finally, I would so love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen. My brand new membership kicking off in January. The doors close in just a few days on December 31. So get the details now at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
99: Instagram Stories, Social Media Strategy + Consistency with Emma Tessler
Episode 99: Instagram Stories, Social Media Strategy + Consistency with Emma Tessler
Lauren Tilden:
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden. And this is episode 99. That's right, I said 99. We are almost at 100 episodes of Making Good and I cannot quite believe it. Get ready for a special 100th episode celebration next Tuesday. Today's episode is with Emma Tesslar, CEO and founder of 95 media and today we're talking about all things social media. Before we get into the episode, though, I wanted to tell you about a free resource I have that I think you will love. If you're tired or sitting down to create marketing content for your business and feeling like you have no idea where to start, I have a workbook that will help you come up with a bank of aligned targeted content ideas you can draw from whenever you need to download it head to makinggoodpodcast.com/content And it'll get sent straight over to you.
Okay, so let's dig right into today's episode. My guest as I said is Emma Tesslar, founder and CEO of 95 Media, a new age digital marketing agency. Their mission is to help female founders make more impact and income through social media marketing. 95 Media helps their clients connect with ideal clients build community and convert audience members into paying clients. This episode covers all things social media, including something that I know so many of you have struggled with, and in fact, I have struggled with too, and that is being consistent.
In this episode, we discussed Emma's four step process for creating a social media strategy, how to use Instagram Stories for sales, how to think about each component of Instagram, and what kind of content is best suited for each, the three different purposes of social media content that Emma recommends, how to be consistent, and your social media execution, what it looks like to work with a social media agency and more. Emma is super generous with her knowledge and expertise of all things social media, and I think you'll definitely find yourself taking some notes during this episode. Here's our conversation.
Well, Emma Welcome to Making Good.
Emma Tessler:
Thank you so much for having me, it's so nice to chat with you.
Lauren Tilden:
I am super excited about this conversation. So we are going to be talking all about social media, specifically Instagram and Instagram stories. And the topic that I'm kind of most excited to pick your brain about: consistency, establishing some kind of consistent routine with, you know, our social media presence. That's a challenge for a lot of us. So really, really excited about this interview. Let's start with a bit of an introduction, if you want to introduce yourself and your business, and maybe a little bit about how you came to do what you do now.
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, absolutely. So I'm Emma Tesslar, the founder of 95 Media, we work with scaling brands to help them begin to monetize their digital marketing, with a whole system and method that we've put together called the 95 media method. And we're really passionate about putting more money in the hands of small business owners, primarily women owned businesses, has always been a big passion. And I mean, it's so funny because I think the best things always happen by the weirdest ways. And this business was definitely no different.
I was actually in college, back in 2015, when I was introduced to the world of digital marketing. If anyone was on Instagram or anything back in 2015, you know that not a lot of brands were really using social media to promote their businesses. And I was working at an internship one summer and the person I was working for was starting a new branch of her business. And I was the youngest person on her team. And so naturally I was handed her phone and she basically said, can you just start this new business for me on Instagram, and see if we can build an audience. And it was at that time when I realized this is such an underutilized space for so many businesses and primarily small businesses who really don't have the reach of a bigger brand and don't have the financial means to be running a ton of ads or to, you know, have the connections or network that would help them build a brand faster when social media was sitting there kind of being like, Hey, guys, you know, I can help you do this.
So that was when I was really introduced to the field. But like I said, I was in college and I was actually going to school for interior design. And so I graduated, wanted to put my degree to work and so I worked as an interior designer in Manhattan for four years before leaving that to fully pursue 95 Media, and it was such a scary transition, anyone who's left a nine to five to do your own business, you know what I'm talking about, it's the scariest thing to leave behind a quote unquote stable job. But honestly, I think it's the best thing you can do when you find that passion for yourself, is to really go after it with everything you have, and see if you can make it work. And since I've left my nine to five, we've grown so significantly fast and large. And it's been such a fun journey, even just to this point. Because we've been able to help so many small businesses with growing their brands through digital marketing. And it's, it's truly what I love, and I'm so passionate about.
Lauren Tilden:
It totally agree with that, like when you find what lights you up, just kind of go Go for it. And I can totally hear your passion for what you do in your voice. So that's really fun to witness. I was curious, you, I just heard you mentioned the 95 Medium method. What is that?
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, so it's our four part system of just kind of breaking down our clients goals when they come to us. So understanding their long term goals, figuring out a strategy, implementing, and then doing an analysis on the results that have come in from what we've implemented. And it's the system that we put together, because so many times so often, I'm seeing people like our clients will come to us, and they'll have worked with social media managers in the past or digital marketing team. And it wasn't successful for them. And so we tried to sit and analyze, what was the reason that this didn't work for our clients in the past. And usually what it's come down to is that their team either wasn't, you know, fully integrated into their big picture vision, or they just weren't utilizing the correct strategies for their brand. And so what we like to do is, with our method, look at their long term vision, and then work backwards from that by creating a strategy with specific steps that need to be taken in order for them to hit that end goal, and then consistently look at the numbers behind the scenes to make sure that that's really working for them.
Lauren Tilden:
I love that. Yeah, and I think you're focused on the long term vision is, it just reminds me of something that comes up on this podcast all the time, which is intention. I think a lot of times with marketing in particular, it's really easy to get overwhelmed with what everyone's telling you you need to be doing and the strategies and the tactics and reels and you know, like, whatever is new, and not spend the really important time and energy that it takes to invest in what what do I want out of this? Like, what am I hoping that all of these marketing efforts I'm doing will result in so applying that intention up front, I think is so so critical. And it seems really simple. But it's it's actually something that I would say most people kind of overlook, and they just jump right in.
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, yeah. Because if you don't know your end goal, then how do you know where to begin? You know?
Lauren Tilden:
Right, right. Yeah. So let's dig into Instagram stories. This is something that when you mentioned was a talking point of yours, I was excited to hear more about because you talk specifically about using Instagram Stories for sales and generating real business results. So let's talk a little bit about stories. Why is this a good place to make sales?
Emma Tessler:
I think the foundation of stories is that this is the best place to go and connect with your audience. Because when we go to stories, we're looking for that real life view into into what is really happening behind the scenes. You know, when we look at someone's feed, we know that this is curated, we know that there's filters and there's editing, and you've written that caption and gone back and change it a few times. But when you go on to stories, you are expecting more of that raw, real and authentic version of this person that you're following. And when we think about marketing in a with a bigger lens, it is all about human to human connection, and people buy from people and so at the end of the day, when someone goes to your story, they're much more likely going to build trust and connection with you here rather than looking at your feed content. And so that is really why we turn to stories to meet sales, rather than our feed, our feed really lives is that evergreen version of our brand. But when we look at stories, it's more of let me give you a glimpse into my life and build a deeper connection with you just as a human connecting with another human
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And you answered my next question a little bit already, but maybe just to back up a little bit Instagram, a lot of people describe it as like many platforms. I don't know if it's five or six by now in one. So you've talked about stories is a place to make sales to really have that human to human connection, which is, I agree the basis of good marketing. How would you describe the other places on Instagram and like what their function is? So if we're thinking about stories as a place to, you know, build that connection, and then have a relationship and build some trust with our audience, and ultimately sell? How would you approach things like the feed, reels, live video, different platforms are different than other different sort of elements of Instagram?
Emma Tessler:
I think it has to go back to how are people consuming that content. So when we approach reels, we're approaching them with a very different lens than you would approach going live with. So with reels in particular, people are looking for entertainment, and entertainment has to be a pillar of all of our content in at this point in time, with the way that consumer trends are moving, because we go to social to be entertained more than anything. And the way that that converts to sales is when we have that trust as an underlying factor to our content. But if we're creating reels that would be strictly entertainment. So that's, you know, your quick short format content gets a point across, and is more so funny than anything.
When we look at our feed that is, like I said, kind of our evergreen, evergreen brand view, right. That's what we want people to go and learn about what our brand stands for the offers that we have, our unique positioning, etc. And then when we go live, that is our long form content. And typically, you're going to save your live into an IGTV, which would live on your feed. And so you want to approach your live in terms of what is longer, bigger picture that I want to dive into and provide a piece of content that is something that would be watched over time, rather than like a quick hit, as someone would watch a real and consume and in that way. Lives of course, you're also answering people, so it's more interactive.
So I think it's, it's really interesting when we look at all of the features that Instagram and again, we're looking at one app in particular here, which is so funny, because you know, there's all these different features on every app. But if you look at Instagram, specifically, they've given you so many options and ways to connect with your audience. And the app and the algorithm really want you utilizing all of them. Because they know that when a user is has the option to consume content in multiple ways, they're going to stay on the app longer. And so rather than like putting all of your energy into reels, I would definitely suggest testing out all of the different ways of creating content on each app, because they're always going to favor content, or they're always going to favor accounts, who are creating content in multiple ways and using all the features that they have available.
Lauren Tilden:
So good yes, and I want to get back to stories, but my my, my brain is spinning because I know a lot of my listeners, myself included are a little bit hesitant to do live like lives live video, like Facebook Live or Instagram Live or whatever it is, even showing their face on Instagram Stories can sometimes feel like out of their comfort zone. Much I know that we are definitely recommending people make an attempt to do that. But beyond that, like what tips do you have for people in terms of going live on Instagram? Both in terms of like, how do you create an Instagram Live video that is engaging and that gets people interested and really serves the purpose? But also, how do we, I don't know build the confidence? Or do you have any mindset tips or tricks to help people kind of get over that? Maybe nervousness or apprehension that they might have?
Emma Tessler:
For sure. I think going live is scary for everyone at first, that is definitely a common experience. Even for someone who utilizes lives all the time, it's always going to feel a bit more vulnerable than any other type of content. I would definitely suggest getting on stories a ton before you get on a live. Because just getting comfortable seeing your face on camera I think is number one obstacle for most people. So I would get on stories get comfortable seeing yourself there and then do a short live to begin. You can pick a topic and write out notes for yourself, you know, make this easy as possible. And pick something that you know you want to talk through, don't bank on people showing up and asking questions. The very first time that I went live, I shared it was my audience. And I said, Hey, do you have any questions for me to answer during this live? And I got a few questions before I went live. And that really helped kind of outline the conversation that I was going to walk through. So that I had talking points to go through, I knew that they were answering questions that would be valuable to my audience. And then I was able to answer more as they came in while I was live. But I think what people get tripped up on the most with alive is that they're expecting all of these people to show up and all these people to be super engaged and ask all these questions. And unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. And so I think as entrepreneurs, we just have to be prepared for all scenarios was included.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, and I think it's important to remember that you're not just talking to the people who show up live like, particularly if you repurpose it as an Instagram TV or an IGTV, or it just lives on your profile little like, I don't know how long live videos stay around. I should know that's probably but
Emma Tessler:
they stay like in your circle for 24 hours. But if you save it as an IG TV, then it's on your feed for forever.
Lauren Tilden:
Okay, right. So 24 hours, or, or more, if it's an IGFT. But yeah, so your recording, when you're talking live, most of the people who watch it are not going to be there live, but they'll gonna see it later. So, you know, show up for them to not just the people who do or don't show up to the live recording.
Emma Tessler:
Exactly. Great point.
Lauren Tilden:
Okay, let's jump back into stories. So most of my listeners, I would say, two thirds to three quarters of my listeners are product based business owners, so a lot of makers, like people who make ceramics or jewelry or stationery, who are looking to scale a product based business. So what tips would you have specifically for product based business owners to use their stories to generate sales.
Emma Tessler:
There's so many ways to go about this. And it's so interesting, because the way you approach your marketing for product based businesses is so different than service based. So I love that your audience is mainly in this one industry, I think the first thing we always have to recognize as business owners is that it might feel like your story as the founder, isn't that interesting. I think we all kind of have this imposter syndrome about our own story. But the reality is that your audience is going to connect most deeply with your story as the founder, more so than any product you will ever put out. And I can say this with confidence, because many of our clients are in the product based world. And the common that consistently performs well across all industries is that founder story, and really just the story of the company. So number one, I would highly encourage talking about your story. Again, going back to humans buy from humans, that is what's going to build really deep connection.
Number two, of course, we have to show your products. And the best way to do so is in action. And so what I mean by this is if it is something that is usable, which most products are I would show it being used. So if it's a tea, drinking the tea, making the tea, if it's ceramics, making the ceramics, putting it in the oven, painting it, etc. Show how you make it and then how it's used once it's complete. And if you have any user generated content, UGC, integrate that into your content plan and your feed, because what this does is it shows the consumer, hey, other people are buying this product, they're using it, they're loving it, that tells me that I might love it if I buy it as well. It's really powerful to see other people using a product that we're considering. It helps us subconsciously want to buy into this product as well. And even if you don't have this comp as UGC content coming in, I wouldn't make it yourself. You know, have someone on your team, show the product somewhere, I'm doing something with it, and build up your content in that way rather than just using shots or a photo shoot for something that's super, super professional. Because seeing that product being used by someone else is going to be a really big driving factor to your content performing super well.
Lauren Tilden:
I love that. Do you have any recommendations for generating? Like user generated content? Obviously, we hope that people will just do it on their own. But how can we kind of encourage people to create content about our products?
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, I think giveaways or contests are great way to encourage people to submit content like this. Where you could say, you know, take a shot, if of the of the product in the store that you see it in or show us say, it's like a bath bomb or something. That's the product, you know, show us your favorite bath bomb, like you dropping it into the water or something like that, and then submit the video for to enter the contest. People love winning things. And so whether that's a free product, or it's a discount code, I think that's a really great way to incentivize people to submit UGC.
Lauren Tilden:
Fun, fun, fun. Anything else you want to say about using stories to generate sales?
Emma Tessler:
I think the biggest thing that I see is everyone is so hesitant about coming across as salesy. And that holds back a lot of business owners from getting on stories and really promoting their offer. And it's so hard to watch, because I've been there myself. But I think the it's a really big mindset shift when you start getting on stories and really utilizing them to sell your product. Because you start talking about your product day in day out, it's feels like you're saying it a million times. But we have to remember that people are not consuming every piece of content that we create, we are the only ones consuming every single piece of content that we create. And that saying your messaging over and over again is part of that sales process. So I would just encourage anyone who hasn't gotten on stories before to sell or if you are starting to enter that process, to not be afraid to say the same thing over and over again, and to not be afraid about coming across as salesy, because at the end of the day, if someone is following your business account, they should expect to be sold to. And we assume that they're there to buy into whatever we are selling. And it's it's a significant and powerful mindset shift once we realize that.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, that's a really great point. Awesome, awesome. Awesome, I'm inspired. Let's move on to the next thing I wanted to chat with you about, which is you recommend three content pillars for creating connection and selling your products. Before we jump into what they are, could you first describe what a content pillar is for anyone who may be new to the podcast and hasn't heard that before? And then then let us know what your three top recommended ones are for connection and felling?
Emma Tessler:
Absolutely. So content pillars are essentially the driving factor behind each piece of content. And oftentimes, when we feel stuck around creating content, it's because we don't have a pillar behind it. It's because we're just trying to create content to create it. And so we use three content pillars behind, but you choose one of the three content pillars by every piece of content. And it truly makes content creation so easy. A very seamless process, because you always have these three pillars to fall back on. Some people recommend every brand picks different content pillars. So for my brand, which is a digital marketing agency, I might pick, you know, Instagram tips, content creation, and, you know, business development type of like entrepreneurship. However, I don't think that that's broad enough, I think you're really kind of pigeon holing yourself when you do that. So what I suggest is using the three content, pillars of education, validation and vulnerability, to guide all of your content. So what that means is, if you're posting three times a week, you essentially post one educational piece of content, one piece that's validating, and one piece that's vulnerable. And these three factors, these three pillars really come together and build a deep connection with your audience. Encourage them to buy into your offer, and build your online brand presence, because they're really kind of just hitting home for audience members, all the things that we're looking for us consumers. You know, as consumers, we're looking to be educated about a brand and a product. We're looking to be validated in our own experience. And we're looking for the vulnerability that humanize aspect of the brand to shine through as well. And so when we pick one of these brand pillars, content pillars behind each piece that we're putting out, you really can do no wrong.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, I love the just, I guess again, intentionality around like, what? What purpose? Is this post achieving? Is it educating? Is it validating? Or is it, you know, creating that human connection by being a little bit vulnerable? How do you come up with so I guess, let's dig into each of these a tiny bit. Education is is pretty clear to me. So you know, whatever your ideal customer needs to know about using your product or styling tips, or you know, how to how you make it, story of the brand, whatever it is, I do want to dig a little bit will correct me if I'm wrong there, and then dig a little bit more into the what are the validation and vulnerable type posts? What do those look like?
Emma Tessler :
Yeah, so you know, education, I think there's so many different ways you can go about it, there really are a lot of different angles, right? You could do education about the product itself, or education about how it's made or education on how to use it, you know, there's a lot of different angles. When it comes to validation. I think this is one of the most interesting types of content, because we don't always think to create content like this. But when we're creating validating content, it's like I said before validating the experience that our consumer is having. So say, my product is tea and a piece of validating content for a tea brand might be saying, Hey, listen, I know you love your morning coffee, it's the best thing you wake up to every day, you go to bed, excited to make your cup of coffee in the morning, I get it. It's like an amazing part of every single day of the week. But what if you tried having green tea instead of your coffee, here are some benefits about green tea that you might not know about. It has a similar amount of caffeine. So you're still going to get your morning fix. But it will help you alleviate that adrenal fatigue that you're having, because of all this coffee that you're consuming. So that is almost combining educational and validating content together. But it's mainly validating, because we're saying I understand your experience, but what if you tried this instead, and we're providing them with a solution and that solution is our product.
Now vulnerable content is kind of a different angle, where we are getting vulnerable ourselves. So this is where you would tell your brand story, this is where you are really showing up as a human, you talk about yourself building the brand, maybe some struggles that you've had along the way, how you've overcome them. Maybe vulnerability about creating your products. And that tells a bit about the story of the brand. Vulnerable content is really there to build a deep connection with our audience. More than anything, and so it's really important to kind of strip away the layers when you're creating vulnerable content. And just hit post because it's going to feel a little bit uncomfortable, especially at the beginning. But this vulnerable content I guarantee is going to perform very very well. Because people connect to other people's stories.
Lauren Tilden:
Love, yeah, so good. Um, okay, this is this is the meat for me of this of this conversation, which is all about consistency. Social media, there's so much information out there about how much we should be posting or what we should, quote unquote, should be doing that it's really easy to kind of I think bite off more than you can chew set up this like whole elaborate plan of what you're going to be committing to in terms of your social media. And then you might do it for a few days and kind of fall off the bandwagon. I know that for me in particular consistency is a big struggle. Candidly, with social media more than any other marketing platform. What would you say about this? I think um, I know that a lot of my listeners relate to this problem of just wanting to be consistent and show up frequently and reliably on social media but not always doing it. So how, how do we tackle this problem?
Emma Tessler:
Absolutely. You are definitely not alone in that whatsoever. I also struggle with that too. In terms of creating content for my own brand. It can feel really overwhelming if you're the only person creating content because there is a lot of content that's needed. You know, we were talking about like all the different features on just Instagram before, there's so many ways you could be creating content, so many platforms you could be creating content for. And I think the most important thing is to create a plan for yourself. I know you mentioned, like creating a plan, but not really sticking to it. And I think it has to be realistic for each of us. And that's going to look different for everyone too, but if you can only create three posts per week, and you know, we're like, okay, I three posts, I can do, but when you may get four, it's an absolute hard no, then just start with three, start with one or whatever you can commit to, and then just build from there.
I will say, every single client that 95 Media works with has this exact same problem, they come to us and they say, I'm just so overwhelmed. Marketing is the thing that falls off, I know this has to be happening, I know that this could be helping us so much. And so my suggestion, once you have a plan for yourself, and you're you're starting to get in the groove of things, is to consider outsourcing if you have the financial means to, because the reality is that we're not all good at content creation, you know, you didn't start a brand to create content every single day. And I truly don't believe everyone should be creating content every day. And to have the option to outsource is a wonderful investment. I think I personally have someone on our team helped me with our content, because it's just not possible for me to do everything every single day, just like every business owner out there.
So if you can't outsource, I definitely suggest doing that. But if you're doing it yourself, the best way to do it would be to batch your content. If you're creating content currently, every single day, I'm so sorry. Because I would never want to be doing that myself. And I am a content creator. So what I mean when I say batching your content is to sit down at the beginning of the month and look at the upcoming month calendar. Say, you know, if you're creating, you can commit to creating three posts a week, map out your calendar is that Monday, Wednesday, Friday is that Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, what does that look like for you, and then pop in content ideas, three posts a week for a month is 12 pieces of content. If that's all you can make them do that. But consistency really is so important, especially when it comes to the algorithm and building an audience that's super engaged. So if you can only create 12 posts per month, get them on the calendar and batch them out. I think I would definitely just suggest starting there if you're doing it all yourself.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, great recommendation. And I love the point, I just want to reiterate that consistency, it sounds like you're saying consistency is more important when it comes to the algorithm then like posting a flood of five posts every day in a row and then disappearing for a week. So yeah, you know, if you can only post once a week, or let's say four posts in a month, like that, hopefully would be the minimum. Do it once per week, not four days in a row and then silent for 26 days, you know, so I love the the reminder that the yeah, the consistency part is more important than the frequency part.
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, I definitely would suggest more than four posts per month. Right. That being said, if that's what you can do, then get it done, you know, however you need to. But just remember, I mean social media and your digital marketing as a whole is there to support you. And so I really would try and figure out what that looks like for you in order to become more consistent and more frequent with that content. Because it truly is how you're going to connect with the future customers of your brand. And so we want to do everything we can to give that as much of a focus as you are to your current customers as well.
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, so let's talk about you mentioned, for some people, it might be the right move to consider outsourcing. I bet that sounds great to a lot of people, but I think it also sounds expensive. So what'd I just in terms of outsourcing social media? What does that landscape look like? Like? What does it normally mean? Are people creating all the content for you? Are they setting the strategy? Are you kind of handing them a strategy? What would the general like cost range be for people considering that? Do you just any kind of like overall, like what does it look like to outsource your social media? Maybe not with your agency in particular if you don't want to share that, but just overall, like what does that landscape look like?
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, I mean, I can only speak to you specifically to what our agency does, but I would think that what we do is fairly commonplace, we probably take it to another level, not everyone takes it too because we've been in business for six years. But generally, if you are hiring a social media manager or digital marketer to come on to your team, and just support you with your marketing efforts in a product based business, and there's kind of two options in terms of content creation, I know that that was one of your questions. So either you would provide them with photography and video that you would have from a shoot that you've done. Or you would send them your product in order to shoot the content themselves, it might be a bit of a mix, for a lot of our product companies that we work with, we do a mix of both because we are creating so much content for them specifically, short form content like reels or Tik Toks. We're making that for our clients, ourselves. But I would assume that you would share everything that you have with whoever you've hired.
Typically, when we sign someone a new client, we're asking you to send us all of your assets. And we'll just kind of go through pick the things that we know are going to perform best on each platform. From there, your social media manager should be writing your captions and sending it to you for review. Part of our onboarding process with any client is a is a brand voice questionnaire as well as a an ideal client questionnaire. Because getting this information from you, as the business owner is really, really important for anyone who's going to be creating content for you, in order to capture the essence of the brand. And oftentimes, I hear that people are scared to outsource this, because they're worried that their brand voice won't be picked up in the same way that they currently emulate it. And so it's really important to provide whoever you've hired with as much information as possible about your brand voice and about the audience that you're really trying to target in order to set them up for success as much as possible, and have them do their best work.
In terms of strategy, we create custom strategies for every single client. Because like we touched on in the beginning of the call, if if your end goal is different than someone else's, which is very likely that it will be, your strategy should be very different because you're working towards different goals. So we use the 95 Media method to really curate a custom strategy for each client, and then begin to create content based on that strategy, get it out there. And then the most important piece, in my opinion about management is the engagement. And this is something that typically falls to the wayside for every brand who's running social media themselves. And if they remember to get up the content, they do it and they're so happy. But then you forget to stay in the account and actually engage with the audience that you built. And it's so crucial to be engaging with your audience and really nurturing the people who are currently there was replying back to comments, replying to DMS, reaching out and connecting via DMS with past customers checking in with them, doing outreach to new potential audience members and customers as well. And so that engagement is included in all of our packages, because it is such an essential piece to building your brand presence and online visibility.
And the last big piece of our packages is a weekly Analytics report. And if you're just posting a post, you're probably not looking at your analytics. But it is such a crucial piece to understand how your content is actually performing. So we review and go through the analytics for our clients accounts every single week, so that they don't have to we send this report with a quick breakdown. So every clients in the know. And I would expect that from any agency that you work with that they're providing you with the numbers to just show you, hey, you know this is working. This isn't. And here's how we're adjusting for next week, because you want to make sure that whoever you're working with is not just creating content, but really on top of how is this content doing and is it working for you?
Lauren Tilden:
Amazing. It sounds amazing. Like that sounds pretty comprehensive. Do you have any rough range of like pricing what people could expect to like if they were to be doing outsourcing their social to the extent that you just described where there's the strategy, there's the engagement, there's a creating the content, like really kind of soup to nuts, everything. What kind of range, maybe I don't know if it's a monthly would people be looking at.
Emma Tessler:
So honestly, every price point is custom based on the platforms and the number of posts per week, right. So it's difficult to give like a pinpoint. But I would suggest or say that you can expect probably a four figure price point at a minimum for everything I just described. And truthfully, it depends on who you go with, you know, if you go with someone newer, it's going to be a lower price point, but you might not get the support and the results that you might ultimately be looking for when it could be a jumping off point for you. Our price points are four figure, and they range wildly based on the deliverables. And I would just suggest, you know, if you've been doing your content yourself for a while, and you're saying yourself, I am really ready to start seeing results, I would go with someone who has more experience and might be a bit of a higher price point because they're going to deliver those results for you, rather than kind of spinning your wheels at someone who might need more guidance on your end might never feel like you've fully handed it off, because that person might be a little bit newer, and you might with them, because they're just a lower price point. You know what I mean?
Lauren Tilden:
Yeah, I hear you that is helpful, though, just the general sense of pricing. Well, I think that's a great option for people who have the resources. But I think we've also talked about a lot of amazing strategy if you are still doing it yourself. One last question on outsourcing. Let's say you've outsourced it completely to an agency like 95 Media, what is your level of involvement on your social accounts? At that point? Like, are you still doing stories or like, responding to comments? Or is it usually like you just kind of completely let go?
Emma Tessler:
It really looks different for everyone and every business owner, you know, some business owners just want nothing to do with their social. And so that's why they come to us or may decide to outsource. But I would highly suggest, and I suggest this and guide our clients through this process, that you as the business owner, do still get on stories, it is so crucial to see a human face on stories. And, you know, as I said, a million times, building that human connection is everything when you're marketing. So as a business owner, definitely continue getting on stories, even when you outsource your content creation, and make as many reels as you possibly can. But turn to the person that you've outsourced to and say what should I be doing, you know, sometimes they the person you've outsourced to might say, you know, we've got it this week, we have all of our stories planned out, we've got it taken care of, and other weeks, or if you just are newly launching something, there's going to be different periods when your involvement will be more important. So I would just turn to the person that you've outsourced to, and ask for their guidance on that because they would be the best person to tell you when to pop on and when to pop off. But I would think that your involvement in your overall marketing would decrease by probably 80%.
Lauren Tilden:
Nice. Sounds great. Okay, well, I'm sure we have a lot of listeners considering outsourcing after this point, because social media is just a lot. And I agree with you that it's not probably everyone's the best use of their time and emotional energy, I think it can, it can be heavy and weigh us down and make us feel like we're not doing everything we'd like to be doing. So I love all the conversation we had here about how to use social and also getting like some tips on getting more consistent. But I think there are going to be a lot of people who outsourcing is a great option for so thank you for walking us through what that might look like. What I would love to know for you, how do you approach doing good through your small business?
Emma Tessler:
Honestly, doing good as outlined and being conscious of what we do as a small business has always been really important to us. And I think the biggest way we do this is by working with other female entrepreneurs and being so passionate about working with other female entrepreneurs in particular is helping them make more money because even with this humongous wave of entrepreneurship that we're currently writing, and so many entrepreneurs being women at this point, I think there's just never enough female entrepreneurs who are making a huge splash with your business and you have humongous companies. I think it's 2% of all female business that female owned businesses are making over a million dollars, which is wild. So I think helping more female owned brands hit that number is just like a guiding pillar for us. And thankfully, the work that we do helps them accomplish that goal.
Lauren Tilden:
What is one small business that you admire?
Emma Tessler:
So there's this one company that's actually local to me called Organic Olivia, um, she is an herbalist and I'm one of those people who when I get sick, I hate taking medicine. I will take every herb in the book akinesia, goldenseal, elderberry, all the things. And she is just such a great resource for herbal medicine. And she has products that she sells on her website and her social is just prime, I highly suggest following, it's beautiful.
Lauren Tilden:
Awesome, great. So that is new to me, I'm excited to explore what is one business book or more than one, if you have it that you would recommend?
Emma Tessler:
I was actually just reading, rereading, Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk. I read it a couple of years ago when I was considering building 95 Media a bit more. And it was so it was such a kick in the butt in terms of just start doing it, it has amazing tips in it for small businesses. And rereading it just like this past week has was such a great experience because it really drove home how important it is to put all you have into your brand show up every single day. And it talks a lot about content and how to build a brand. It's just a fantastic book, I highly recommend it.
Lauren Tilden:
Awesome. That has not been recommended yet. So glad to add that to our list of book recommendations. Finally, I know you have a awesome free resource if you want to mention that a little bit and then share also a little bit about where if people want to learn more about you or connect with you further, where can people kind of continue the relationship with you online?
Emma Tessler:
Yeah, definitely. So we have a free resource that is all about creating Authority building content, something we didn't talk about on today's podcast, but the whole other category in and of itself. Essentially, authority building content helps you emerge as a leader in your niche. And so this free resource provides you with six done for you ideas, done for you posts that you can make that really help drive home, the authority that you have, and the leadership that your brand has in your specific industry. So it's an awesome download, I am sure we will have a link in the show notes. But that's a great resource to turn to. We have our website ninetyfivemedia.co. It's just 95 spelt out, not the numbers, which I know can get confusing. And then our Instagram is ninety.five.media, spelled out. And that is where I'm at every single day. And I'd love to connect on that platform. Amazing.
Lauren Tilden:
Well, thank you Emma so much. You have been such a wealth of information. And I'm I'm looking forward to re listening to this as I added it and take some notes. So thank you for everything you've shared and for just being so generous, generous with your knowledge. It's really great to have you here and yeah, I'm sure the listeners are going to absolutely love this episode.
Emma Tessler:
My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me on.
Lauren Tilden:
Emma, thank you so much for all of the actionable takeaways and guidance I think this episode is going to be a huge help to so many listeners.
You can get all of the details from this episode including the link to Emma's Authority building free resource at makinggoodpodcast.com/99. I know Emma and I would both love to hear from you on Instagram. You can find Emma at ninety.five.media on Instagram. That's all spelled out. And I'm at @LaurenTilden. La u r e n t i l d e n. If you enjoyed this episode, I would so love for you to leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player and or share it with a friend who would benefit from listening. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
89: 15 Holiday + End-of-Year Content Ideas
Episode 89: 15 Holiday + End-of-Year Content Ideas
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 89. This episode comes out on Tuesday, November 23 2021. In the US, Thanksgiving is just two days away, which means Black Friday is three days away. Small Business Saturday is four days away, and the holiday rush is about to reach its peak in the coming weeks. Most product based small businesses see their highest sales numbers in the latter part of November and December. This is exciting and rewarding. But it can also be stressful and leave us feeling like we don't possibly have time for everything. For a lot of people when things start to get super busy, one of the things that finds itself dropping off our list is marketing and creating content. But marketing and creating content is super important. The more effectively we market our businesses, the higher our sales numbers will be. So it's important that we don't totally drop the ball. And that's where today's episode comes in.
Today I'm sharing 15 content ideas that I'm going to be using for the end of the year to drive sales and build community for my businesses. So I thought I would share them with you today. And then at the end of the episode, I'm going to finally spill the beans on Making Good Happen. My new membership is designed to help you make sure you're actually taking the actions in your business to really drive results. So stay tuned for more on that.
Okay, so before I get into the content ideas, I wanted to let you know that these content ideas are all good to be used anywhere you want to use them. They are not platform specific. This means you can use them on Instagram, in your email list, on TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, whatever platform you know, your ideal customer hangs out on. Use these ideas there. And also along the same lines don't feel like you have to just pick one platform for each thing. For example, one idea on this list could show up as all of the following if those are part of your marketing strategy. The same idea could be an Instagram carousel later or an Instagram reel, which could be repurposed to be a TikTok. It could be a series of Instagram stories on the same topic, you could design an email on the same topic, Pinterest pins, a blog post and more, you get the idea. Make the most of your content by repurposing it across multiple platforms and types of content.
Okay, so let's get into the content ideas. Number one behind the scenes, step by step on how your product is made. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that your customers buy from you because they love your product, of course, but they also love the fact that it's made by hand. For anyone who isn't skilled and whatever it is you do. The process of watching you create it behind the scenes is straight up magical, even if that's hard for you to believe. For me, I have a stationery brand called Good Sheila, and I design all of my products and watercolor. People love to watch the process of watercolor. Just like I love to watch a hyperlapse process of a jewelry artist putting a necklace together or a ceramicist creating a bowl on the wheel, or a candle maker pouring candles. No matter how boring and mundane your process might seem to you. I assure you that it isn't to your audience. I've done Hyperlapse videos of my screen like my computer screen while I type up podcast notes or edit podcast episodes is so boring to me. But people have enjoyed having a peek into my process. So I share it.
Now ideally, when you're sharing this process, whether it's a video or a series of images, you're making something that's actually for sale. So at the end of the caption or the carousel or whatever piece of content it is, you can say something like do you love how this turned out? It's available in the shop, and then link it up if you can. And bonus points here if you share details about your process. How does it work step by step what materials you use. How did you learn how to do what you do. This is just one item on the list but it doesn't mean that you should only create this kind of content ones. Process behind the scenes content is a beautiful way of reminding your ideal customer that your product is unique and special because it's handmade, and that's something worth reminding them over and over again.
My second idea on this list is packaging order with me. When you get an order simply film the process of packaging it up. This is another handmade is magic type of posts. Because I think we can all agree that there is a huge difference between buying something from a big corporation, unwrapping the box and from buying something from a small business and then unwrapping that box. When you're documenting this include every piece that goes with packaging it up from your packing slips to printing out the label, any pretty packaging materials you use, your business card, tissue paper, I think you know, anything that goes into packaging your product into a package that is beautiful experience to receive. Show this in your piece of content. Ideally video content like a reel, but you could also get some pretty photos of the final package item before you close the lid. Just like in the last tip, I'm hoping that whatever you're packing up is something that's available for sale online. Mention it as the PS or at the end of your caption to let people know how they can get it if it caught their eye when you were packing it up for someone else. Also, just a quick note here, hopefully it goes without saying, but when you film or document this kind of process video, make sure not to show a mailing address or a name or any other identifying information about the person who ordered.
Content idea number three is tips for using your products. How can you educate your audience on using your products, the key here is not to make it brand specific. So for example, don't say how to write a thank you card using Good Sheila's stationery, you would just simply leave it at how to write a thank you card. This makes it clear that it's intended to be helpful educational information related to the category of products that you sell, versus a straight up sales pitch. That's only useful if the person buys your product. We want this educational content to be helpful to our ideal customer, whether or not they buy from us. But the process of sharing this information and building trust with your audience will make them more likely to buy from you.
To give some concrete examples of what this kind of educational content looks like. Let's look at a few different maker categories. So greeting cards, that's me, a few how to type educational content ideas are, like I mentioned, how to write a thank you note, or eight people you can write to today, or how to make sure you never get behind on sending cards, or how to stay on top of all of your loved ones birthdays. For jewelry, you could write posts on how to take care of brass jewelry, or gold jewelry or silver jewelry, whatever you make, you could do a post on how to layer necklaces or test stack rings, how to mix different metals in a way that makes sense, how to dress up or dress down your jewelry, cute ideas for storing and displaying your jewelry in your bedroom. If you're in the ceramics category, you could do how to take care of your handmade ceramic mugs, how to safely store ceramics, 10 different ways to display a ceramic tray. If you're in the candles category, you could say how to style your candles on a coffee table or a mantel, how to prolong the length of your candles life, how to make sure that you're buying clean and safe candles. And hopefully you get the picture. And this goes on and on and on.
Idea number four is the story of how your business got started. We all have a story and we tend to undervalue the power of it. I know I do. But the fact is not very many people decide to go start their own businesses and those of us who do, we usually have a reason. Maybe we love the art form. Maybe we hate working for someone else. Maybe we want more time with our kids. Maybe we want financial freedom. Was there a moment that you decided to take the leap into doing your business? What did the process of starting your business look like? Is there a before and after you could describe from your early days in business until now? Where do you dream of your business going someday? There are so many stories in here and thus so many possible pieces of content you could create. But hopefully these questions have gotten your wheels turning a little bit.
Content idea number five, what impact do you want your business to make on the world? We all want to make money with our businesses. That is pretty much the definition of what a business is. But let's take it a step further. How do you want the world to be different as a result of your business? Maybe you donate to causes you believe in? Maybe you want to inspire your daughters to follow their dreams. Maybe you want to fill the world with a product that is kinder to the environment than what the mainstream products in your categories look like? There's no right answer here. But one thing I know from hearing from so many listeners is that most of you are looking to do something more than just making money. Share that with your audience.
Content idea number six, a roundup of best sellers, knowing what your best sellers are is powerful for so many reasons. And we can go into more of them in a future episode. But one of the most obvious reasons that I think is easy to overlook is simply to share these bestsellers with your audience, showing your audience which of your products are your bestsellers is helpful at all times of year. But particularly in the holiday gifting season. Most of us are going to be buying gifts for people in our lives and buying gifts is hard. But you know it makes it easier. When the brand can show you exactly which products people tend to like the best. It's just a probability thing. If these are the products that most people like the best odds are whoever you're buying for, will probably like it too.
People are social creatures and no matter how much we might try to be unique and individual, we tend to go with the flow. I can't remember the last time I picked a restaurant to go to dinner at without first checking the Yelp reviews to see what everyone else thought of the restaurant. And if they liked it what dishes seem to be most popular. I use this information to help me feel more comfortable giving it a try and the same goes for your product based business.
Content idea number seven, customer testimonials. Along the same lines speaking of what other people have to say about your business, consider sharing in your content, some social proof in the form of customer testimonials. And by this I mean a quoted customer review or testimonial, where they describe how much they love your products and why seeing someone else's super positive experience with your brand will help someone feel less risk in making a purchase from you themselves. If you don't have any reviews or testimonials, it's pretty easy to get them, you simply have to ask for them. You could reach out to people who have ordered from you in the past and say, Hey, I'm collecting customer feedback to share and if you're open to it, I would love to share your review. This is what I would like to know from you. And some people can even incentivize reviews with a discount in the future. Most people probably won't take you up on it, but you don't need everyone to respond. You just need a few powerful glowing testimonials that you're allowed to use with permission and then you can share them everywhere. Social media, your website, email, the list goes on.
Content idea number eight is user generated content. Here's one final suggestion on this social proof section of this list. And that is to share user generated content, sometimes referred to by marketers as UGC, user generated content is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, marketing content, usually social media posts where the user posts about your product. Maybe you make candles and someone tags your brand and a beautiful photo in a cozy corner of their room. Maybe you make jewelry and someone tags you in a photo of themselves wearing your pieces. Simply ask them for permission to repost this content. Most of the time, they will say yes, showing that other people are buying your products lends you credibility and helps people especially new customers, trust you more. Idea number nine is a gift guide or multiple gift guides. Tis the season for gift guides seriously, there's a lot of them floating around right now. But for good reason gift guides solve a real problem people have and that is the problem that buying gifts is hard. to design an effective gift guide think about who your ideal customer is, and who they might be buying for.
Now think about the type of products you offer and look for a good fit between who your customer is buying for and the products that you sell. There are a couple different ways to do gift guides. Sometimes the gift guide will contain simply a list of products that you sell only products you sell, or your gift guide will be a roundup of some of your products, maybe one or maybe more, along with other products from other businesses that would also be a good fit for that target group. I prefer the second option because I think it's more useful, but you can do it however you want. One note on gift guides is that the best gift guides are specific. A gift guide for a woman or a gift guide for kids are simply not specific enough to really call out to people. Here are some ideas for specific gift guides that will instantly call to someone buying for a person that meets that description. Gift Guide for the artist, gift guide for hikers, gift guide for nature lovers, gift guide for people who love Seattle, gift guide for dog parents, gift guide for a minimalist, a body positive gift guide, a feminist gift guide, gift guides for new moms, gift guides for foodies. The list goes on and on and on. But the important thing is to be specific. Your gift guide can be simply an Instagram post that mentions products. It can be an email with links, it could be an actual guide using Instagram guides. Or it could be a blog post whatever it looks like don't overcomplicate it, just put some ideas out there.
Idea number seven is behind the scenes, your mess. Okay, so here's one I really don't want to do. But I know it's one that will connect with people, share your mess. Unless you're one of those unicorns super neat makers and artists. Most likely when you make your product things get messy. For me, this looks like paint everywhere and a disaster of a desk. Maybe you're a fiber artist and there's little clippings of yarn everywhere. Or maybe you're a jewelry designer and there's little metal pieces strewn all across your desk. Let people see the unglamorous side of making. One of the reasons that people love buying handmade is the human element. Our products aren't made by machines that are perfectly clean and systematic. They're made by people who make messes share that idea.
Eleven is a day in the life. One of my most popular posts I've ever done on Instagram was a simple hour by hour of a day in my life as a small business owner. I'm talking as simple as 7am woke up and had peanut butter toast and coffee, 7:30am walks Puff around the neighborhood, 8am started painting for my new collection etc. The holidays are an especially interesting time to do this because most of our plates are really full. Maybe you're zipping around town running errands with your kids then spending several hours making your products, then dropping stuff off at the post office, then having dinner with your family, then jumping on your computer to catch up on emails and orders. Again, this seems really mundane to you, but people love buying from people and giving your audience the peek into your life to help them feel more connected to you.
Idea 12 is the story of a product. Do your products have stories? When you look at a specific product, what made you design it? Where did this product come from? Were you inspired by something or someone to create it? Here are a couple examples from my business. The first example is that I have a whole line of greeting cards called floral sentiments. In this collection, I painted a specific flower that symbolized whatever the meaning of that card was. So for example, there's a thank you card, and it's covered in the agrimony flower and the agrimony represents gratitude. So gratitude, thank you card. It's fun for me to tell the story of these different plants and what they symbolize as I present each of the products. Or I could tell a different kind of story about one of my products that has become a best seller, this product I created and literally five minutes, it is probably the least thoughtful product I've ever created. And that I whipped it up really fast, just because I had a deadline, and I needed a birthday card before an event. Well, it turns out people love to this one. And this taught me a lot about my tendency to think that only things that I deem as perfect should be released into the world. That's just not true. And in fact, many of the products that I think are much closer to quote unquote, perfect, have not sold nearly as well as that card that took me five minutes.
These stories offer a deeper look into the mind and life of an artist or maker who creates the products that your customers buy and enjoy in their lives. And again, of course, this is a great opportunity to link whichever product you're talking about and let people know where they can pick it up for themselves.
Idea 13, what your ideal customer needs to hear right now. This time of year is stressful for everyone, whether you're a business owner or not. What is your ideal customer needing to hear right now? I would guess that for most of our audiences, messages that helps to take some of the pressure off of the holidays would be a relief, but you know your customer best. Think about what life looks like for them right now, what's stressing them out? What do they have on their plate, and then deliver whatever message you think would be most helpful for them to hear. Maybe it's a quote or a mantra, maybe it's a reminder of what matters most maybe it's permission to just delete a bunch of things off their to do list. Whatever your ideal customer needs to hear, be the person that can say that to them.
Idea 14 is to support other small businesses. Here's a fun one. Create a social media post encouraging your followers to tag their favorite small businesses in the comments. This is such a simple type of post, but it really does a lot of different great things. For example, this post will remind people to support small businesses, it will train your audience to engage with your posts, it will get your audience to celebrate and lift up their favorite small businesses, it will generate a lot of engagement on your account, which tells the social media platform that people are interested in your content. And it will introduce a bunch of new people to you. Because everyone who gets tagged on your posts will most likely go check out your profile and see what you're all about. This is really a win win that will get more eyes on your business, as well as other people's businesses. And it's super, super easy to do.
Finally, idea 15 is to share a reflection on this year in your business and what's next. This is the time of year for reflecting on the year we're just wrapping up and making plans for the year ahead, both personally and also with our businesses. But a lot of these reflections and plans aren't things that we necessarily need to keep to ourselves. You can involve your community in your business journey by sharing these reflections with them. Now, I'm not saying you need to share your numbers or your tactical marketing plans, but big picture share things like what did you learn this year?
What went well? what didn't go well? What are you excited about in 2022? And what can your audience look forward to? Okay, so that's what I have for you friends, What do you think? are going to use some of these ideas over the next few weeks? I would love to hear from you tag me in your posts or just take a screenshot while you're listening to this episode, and tag me on instagram so I can cheer you on.
Now, I've been hinting at this for many weeks now and I'm finally ready to tell you more about making good happen. Something I know all too well is that it's one thing to learn the things we need to know to help our businesses thrive. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions we need to take to help our businesses thrive. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about. Making Good Happen is a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business. And more importantly, to actually take the steps necessary to see the results you dream mouth. Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called you guessed it Making Good Happen. There'll be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from mini pep talks to journaling prompts to action items. It also includes deep work sessions. This is kind of like co working on Zoom, but there will be no video or audio to minimize distractions. Here we'll sit down together and get stuff done.
Making Good Happen also includes a guided process for creating a monthly marketing plan. An online community of other like minded small business owners accountability tracking of your most important deadlines that I will hold you accountable to, guest expert presentations each month, and more stuff that I don't want to share because I like surprises. And so we can all kick off 2022 with a bang, Making Good Happen is officially launching the first Monday in January. That's January 3rd 2022. If you're interested in joining or just learning more head to makinggoodpodcast.com/happen and sign up for an email with all the juicy details. I really hope you'll join me for Making Good Happen. Thank you for being here and we're focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
91: How to Increase Your End-of-Year Sales
Episode 91: How to Increase Your End-of-Year Sales
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden, and this is episode 91. It's December and I have a holiday gift for you. If you've been listening to Making Good for a while you might know what's coming. My holiday gift to you last year was double the episodes in December and it was such a hit last year, I've decided to bring it back. That means that instead of releasing four episodes in December, I will be releasing eight. This is my way of saying thank you and that I so so appreciate you for being a part of my community and supporting this podcast. And of course, happy holidays.
And speaking of holidays, today's episode is about making the most of your last few weeks of the year to finish 2021 on a high note, this is an updated and expanded version of Episode 33, which I will also link to in the show notes. That was an episode I released last December about increasing your holiday sales. So before we get into all the good stuff, one more big update for me. The doors to Making Good Happen are officially open. And I am so excited. I've had such amazing business owners sign up from all kinds of business categories. And I absolutely cannot wait to work with those of you who have signed up already. If you haven't, and you're wondering what is Making Good Happen? Well, let me tell you. One thing that I know all too well is that it's one thing to learn the things that will help our businesses thrive and it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions we need to take to make that happen. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about.
Making Good Happen is a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business and more importantly take the actions you plan to take month in and month out. Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called you guessed it Making Good Happen. There will be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from mini pep talks to journaling prompts to action items. It also includes deep work sessions. So these are kind of like co working on Zoom but with no video or audio to minimize distractions, guided monthly marketing plan creation and online community of other like minded small business owners. Accountability, tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month and more stuff that is a surprise and so that we can all kick off 2022 with a bang. Making Good Happen is officially launching the first Monday in January, January 3rd 2022. If you want to start 2022 with an intentional strategic marketing plan that you actually execute, join us in Making Good Happen. If you're interested in joining, head to makinggoodpodcast.com/happen and sign up for an email with all of the juicy details. Because this is the first time this program has ever been offered, you can join and get this monthly price for as long as you remember at the lowest rate it will ever be available at if you sign up by December 18. This is a ridiculously good deal. And I would so love to have you join. Again, you can get all of the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen.
Okay, so let's talk about the holidays. This is a super important time of year for a lot of small businesses, especially product based small businesses. At Station Seven, my retail shop in Seattle, we do about 25 to 30% of our annual sales in a single month of December. So if you're anything like me, the holiday season is an important time for your business. So how can we make sure that we see the best results possible in these final few weeks of the year? Well, I'm so glad you asked. And I am so excited to share some tips that I hope will help you close 2021 on a high note. I want to suggest that you view this list as simply a list of ideas to pick and choose from and do whatever makes most sense for you in your business given the time you have available and your marketing style overall.
This is definitely not a checklist and to suggest that you have to do everything. So let's get into these ideas for upping our end of year sales. Here are the holiday and end of your marketing ideas we're going to talk about today. Number one is to talk about shipping. Number two is to tap into your network, number three is to consistently show up, number four is to put together gift guides or gift suggestions. Number five is to be social, number six is to get festive. Number seven is to give your audience a gift, number eight is don't forget email. Number nine is to offer solutions for last minute shoppers. Number 10 is to send a holiday card and number 11 is to not disappear after December 25.
Okay, so let's jump into the first suggestion here which is to talk about shipping. If you sell physical products, it's time to be talking about shipping right now. There's a lot of conversation about expected shipping delays and shipping deadlines are earlier this year than ever before. Make sure that you're communicating very frequently with your audience about the fact that the earlier the better when it comes to any gifts that need to be shipped. One message that I think will be very effective when it comes to incentivizing people to place their order soon, rather than waiting until it's too late, is to remind them of all of the good things that come out of shopping small, shopping small is for all year round, especially over the holidays. But sometimes shopping small could be a little bit less convenient than to shop at the big box stores are open and available until the very last minute. All in all, make sure that you're talking about your holiday shipping recommendations and deadlines early and often and everywhere. You might even consider changing your social media profiles to include the shipping deadline, it's that important to err on the side of over communicating about this, don't assume that people saw it the first time or processed it fully, talk about it until you feel annoying.
Tip number two is to tap into your network. This can be uncomfortable, but Invite your family and friends to support your business. You can send out an email to your nearest and dearest letting them know how much you appreciate their support, and to let them know about any holiday bestsellers or gift recommendations you might have. And if you like to offer a friends and family discount, if they'd like to make a purchase. I would also recommend that you include a PS in your email that is a request to share your email with any of their friends or family who might enjoy your work. Our friends and family generally want to support us but life gets busy and our business isn't necessarily top of mind for them the way that it is for us every day. So finding a way to pop into their inbox with a personal note rather than quote unquote marketing is a great way to invite them to consider your business for their gifting needs.
Tip number three is to show up consistently. So this isn't the most exciting suggestion on the list. And it's definitely not a suggestion that I personally like the most. But it may be the most important. Showing up consistently reminding your audience that you're there and putting your products top of mind is important all of the time. But it's especially important this time of year when there is so much marketing that everyone's getting hit with. This time of year people are receiving advertisements and seeing promotional posts and opening an inbox full of marketing emails every single day. This is not the time of year to take your foot off the gas pedal if you can avoid it, because we need to stay top of mind. However, you're thoughtful and intentional about your marketing. This is also a great time to stand out. Think about your ideal customer and what they're experiencing right now and find ways to show up with your brand and products, but also offer some value to the people on the other end of your marketing. Maybe you share a mantra for self care in a super busy time. Maybe you share a tutorial about wrapping a beautiful present. Maybe you offer tips on how to choose the right piece of jewelry for your partner. Whatever it is, if you focus on adding value, you'll stand out amongst everyone else.
Tip number four is to round up gift suggestions or recommend bestsellers. We talked about this a little bit in Episode 89, where we discussed holiday and end of year marketing. But the truth is that buying gifts is super hard. Whatever you can do to make this easier, the better. You can make it easier for your customers because you know your customers and you know your products better than anyone. There are a couple of great ways to do this, one is with a gift guide. So for example gifts for the busy parent, self care gifts or gifts for your favorite feminist. This gift guide could be a list of your products that are relevant, or it could include some of your products and also some other makers products. Another way you can make it easier for your customers to choose gifts is to share what your best sellers are indicating what your best sellers are is a good way of sending the message to your audience that says lots of people like this item. So there's a good chance that whoever you're buying it for will too. And finally, you could do a roundup of your personal favorites or if you have a team, your staff favorites.
Tip number five is to be social, prioritize showing up to be social on your social media platforms. Don't just post your content and then disappear to move on for the rest of your day. actually engage with your followers. So what does this mean? It means having one on one conversations in your DMS, your direct messages as much as possible. But how do you get these conversations started? Well, one great way if you're not getting them automatically is to use engagement tools offered on platforms like Instagram. You can include a poll and your stories. Ask people to vote on topics large and small. You can invite your audience to ask you questions, you can ask them for suggestions, tips, etc. Anyway that you can start a conversation is a good thing. And then the important thing is that when someone responds to your content, you can use that as an invitation to start a longer conversation. Even when someone does something as simple as vote on a poll, you can go look at who voted and send a direct message to every single person. This is really an extension of my third tip about showing up consistently. And both of these are about staying top of mind, but also humanizing your brand and products by actually engaging one on one with your audience members. If you let it, this could take over your life, so you might want to allot 20 minutes once or twice a day to do this. But trust me it pays off to build these relationships.
Tip number six is to get festive. There is most definitely a feeling to this time of year, many of us have memories, feelings, traditions, and a whole lifetime associated with a winter holidays. You can tap into this in your marketing, and I like to try to do it as inclusively as I can. So rather than talking about any religious beliefs or specific holidays, I like to tap into the more universal things about this time of year that more people can relate to. Things like snow and fuzzy blankets and sipping cocoa by that fire will resonate with anyone in the northern hemisphere. And I'm sure there's other holiday type messaging that you could share. If you're not infusing some winter and holiday spirit into your marketing on things like your website, email marketing, social media is just one more way to connect with your customers who likely have the holidays on their mind.
Tip number seven is to give a gift. This is the season of gift giving, and we give gifts to the people we care about. So surely your audience counts as that. A gift doesn't have to be something that costs you money, you can offer a gift of a discount or a free item with purchase. But you can also get creative when you think about what to give as a gift. Think about what your ideal customer wants and means and figure out what you could do to give them to that for free. Maybe it's a mini ebook or a workbook, maybe it's a tutorial of some kind or resource. As an example, my gift to you My community is that I'm doubling up on my good episodes for all of December to help you finish 2021 with a bang and start the new year strong. This is when really knowing your ideal customer well comes in handy because you'll be able to answer this question. What is something that my ideal customer would benefit from right now that I could easily provide them? Do you spend 10 or 20 minutes thinking about this question, I really believe that you'll come up with something great. Or if you want some help send me a DM over on Instagram at @LaurenTilden. I love a great brainstorm session.
Tip number eight. Don't forget email. This time of year is busy. You're running your business trying to end the year on a high note fulfilling orders trying to keep your business marketing going. Thinking about the year that's about to come. Not to mention all of the stuff you probably have going on in your life outside of work. It's understandable that this is a time of year when sometimes we have to let something slip we can't get to everything. And that totally makes sense. Even though this episode is full of ideas, I know that most everyone is not going to be able to do everything. This is more a list of ideas, not a checklist as I mentioned up front. However, if you do need to ease up on some of your marketing activities or platforms, I have one request for you. Don't drop the ball on your email marketing. I love email marketing because I know how powerful it is. And that's not an opinion that's heavily supported by the data. Time and money invested into email marketing is more effective by several times than the same money and time invested in other platforms.
Make sure you prioritize your email marketing this time of year because emails generate sales. If you're newer to email marketing, I've done a bunch of episodes on this that I think would be a great resource for you. They're linked in the show notes. Tip number nine is to offer solutions for last minute shoppers. We kicked off this episode by talking about how important it is to emphasize your shipping recommendations to encourage your community to place their orders in time to receive them. But it's inevitable a lot of people won't get around to their holiday shopping until way past your shipping deadline. However, this doesn't mean that you can't still be a great option for their gift giving means. After your shipping deadline for December 25 arrival has passed, I will shift your focus in your marketing to start talking about things that don't need to be physically shipped in time. The most obvious solution is a gift card or gift certificate that can be digitally delivered. Just about every website platform has a way that you can do this. In addition to gift cards, there are other products and services that lend themselves very well to this last minute gifting category. If you sell a subscription box you can make it possible for people to give to subscription if you sell a service anything from photography to facials to teaching cooking classes, you can make it easy for someone to purchase this experience for someone else in their life. An extra credit is if you can help them to deliver the gift in a nice way. For example, maybe they can print out a cute little certificate that they can include in their card as a gift. You can get creative here.
Tip 10 is to Send a holiday card. Whether it's handwritten or digital, why not send your customers or community a holiday card. And I don't mean something overly branded that looks like a flyer or an advertisement, I mean, an honest genuine holiday card, the kind you get in the mail from someone important to you. This is a great way to further connect with your customers and audience on a personal human level.
And tip number 11 is don't disappear after December 25. It can be tempting to totally disappear after December 25. But I think you'll really stand out if you don't. First of all, people still buy things after December 25. Whether it's the last minute or belated gift, or something unrelated to the holidays, continuing to show up when many brands are going totally quiet will help you stand out. Now, I'm not suggesting that you need to work every single day in the month of December. No, I think you should take some time off to rest and take care of yourself. And I'm going to try to do the same. But the beauty of technology is that even if you take half of the month of December off with enough planning and preparation, you can absolutely still be showing up with scheduled emails, social content and more.
This is another great opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level. Think about what life might be like for them after the holidays, how they're feeling about the new year and find a way to deliver marketing content that's helpful, valuable and or uplifting about the year to come. Okay, so that is my roundup of ideas to help you have the best end of year sales you possibly can. I hope you've got an idea or two from this episode. And if you did, I would love to hear what you're going to try. Send me a message on Instagram at @LaurenTilden. That's La u r e n t i l d e n. Details from this episode can be found on the show notes page at makinggoodpodcast.com/91. And finally, I would so love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen, my brand new membership kicking off in January to reserve your spot and lock in the lowest monthly rate that will ever be available. You can get the details at makinggoodpodcasts.com/happen to lock those prices. Be sure to sign up before December 18. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
93: My Wish for You in 2022 (+ What Might Be Holding You Back)
Episode 93: My Wish for You in 2022 (+ What Might Be Holding You Back)
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden. And this is episode 93. Some of you might be thinking what? an episode of Making Good already came out this week. What is this doing here? Well, in Episode 91, I announced that my holiday gift to my amazing Making Good community is double the episodes in December. Instead of the regularly scheduled for Tuesday episodes, there will be eight coming out this month at random times. Yay, happy holidays.
Okay, so today's episode is a bit of a heart to heart, I want to share the number one thing that I want for you in 2022. And if I'm honest, I want this for me too. And if you're on board, I share some ways to move toward it. But before we get into the good stuff, this episode, one more big update from me. The doors to Making Good Happen are officially open. And I am so excited. I've had such amazing business owners sign up from all kinds of different business categories. And I cannot wait to work with those of you who have already signed up. If you haven't, and you're wondering what is Making Good Happen? Well, let me tell you.
One thing that I know all too well is that it's one thing to learn the things that will help our businesses thrive. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions that we need to take, the action that changes things for us not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about, Making Good Happen as a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business and more importantly, actually take the steps necessary to see the results you dream of.
Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called you guessed it Making Good Happen. There will be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from many pep talks to journaling prompts to action item. It includes deep work sessions. So these are kind of like co working on Zoom but with no video or audio to minimize distractions. It includes guided monthly marketing plan creation, an online community of other like minded small business owners, accountability tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month and more that is a surprise and bonus.
And so that we can all kick off 2022 with a bang Making Good Happen is officially launching the first Monday in January, January 3 2022. If you want to start 2022 with an intentional strategic marketing plan that you actually execute, come hang out with me and some other really amazing small business owners in Making Good Happen. Now because this is the first time I'm ever opening the doors to Making Good Happen, I am celebrating by offering a ridiculously low monthly price you can lock in for good if you sign up before the end of Day on December 18. So this episode comes out December 17. That's tomorrow, at the end of the day. If you're sure that you want to be a part of it then head to makinggoodpodcast.com/MGH. If you're listening after December 18. No problem, the doors will still be open through December 31. And I've got some fun bonuses for everyone who signs up in this first round. You can get all the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen. Or if you know you're ready to sign up, you can go straight to the checkout page at makinggoodpodcast.com/MGH.
Let's get into today's episode.
So one of my favorite things about hosting this podcast is hearing from listeners. And I've gotten to know a lot of you pretty well. Here's what I know about you. You are big hearted, passionate, talented people. You love what you do. You want to market your business, but you don't want to feel like you're pushing it on people. So you often tend to hold back. You struggle to be as consistent as you want to be in your marketing and your business overall, because you don't want to put things out into the world that aren't perfect. But you have so much heart, so much talent and you make such an important impact on the world around you. And I want to help you expand that impact by continuing to get better and better.
I read two amazing books recently both for the Making Good book club that have given me a totally new perspective on how people do incredible things. Whether it's business people who lead great companies, record breaking athletes, artists, whoever they are the world's highest achievers have one thing in common. These two books Mindset by Carol Dweck and Atomic Habits by James Clear have led me to my number one wish for you in 2022. And again, if I'm honest, this is my wish for me too in 2022. And that is this, to take action every day. And by taking action I mean the tasks that actually directly move us in the direction of our goals and dreams. I want you to take action no matter how good you think you are at it, no matter how much you feel like it in the moment.
No matter if you feel like you're ready, I want you to take consistent action every day. This sounds really very simple, but it's not. So few people take action consistently. And as I learned from the two books, I just mentioned, Mindset and Atomic Habits, both books that are backed by data and science, those that do take action consistently see the best results. And it's not just data, when I asked folks who have joined to Making Good Happen already about their biggest marketing challenges, the answer that I see over and over again, is consistency. We all take action sometimes. But how many of us do it every day, most of us probably know, on some level that putting in the work day in and day out is what we need to be doing to move toward the results we want to see in our businesses. So what holds us back? Well, I've put together our list of six things I've noticed holding me and other small business owners back from taking action consistently. And after I share this list, I'll share some ways that we can move past these blocks.
So the first thing I've noticed that holds us back is fake work. And kicking this list off with a doozy because fake work is a trap that I fall into all the time. And I know a lot of you do as well. Fake work is when we spend our time doing things that feel like work, but they're actually not directly moving us toward our goals. The number one culprit on the fake work list, at least for me is ''researching''. And I put that in quotes. So that searching on Google, taking a course or otherwise, believing that someone else has the answers and can just tell me what to do. I also throw in this category, the tasks that simply aren't top priority. For example, I can fall into the trap of sorting through my emails instead of creating content, because it feels easier and more doable in the moment.
Then second thing that holds us back is a lack of a concrete plan. We can get held back from taking action when we don't really know what we need to be doing specifically, oftentimes, we'll make a plan but it's not concrete or specific enough to be useful to us. And when the time comes to actually sit down and do the work. For example, let's talk about creating a content calendar. Maybe you're good at looking at the month ahead, picking out the days are going to post on social and send your marketing emails. But then you sit down to actually create the content and you find yourself staring at a blank screen with no idea what to say or where to start. It might all of a sudden feel really important to go do something we talked about in the first example, to go research and look at what someone else tells you to do.
The third thing that holds us back is perfectionism. Perfectionism is my personal Achilles heel. I've been working on this hard the last few years because I've so clearly seen how being a perfectionist has held me back. When you aren't willing to do things until they feel perfect, you tend to have a really hard time putting anything at all out there. I've struggled with this when it comes to art and making things that I released into the world. I've struggled with perfectionism when it comes to this podcast and the content I release. I've struggled with perfectionism when it comes to decorating my house for the holidays and wrapping presents, just about anything you can think of I have seen perfectionism show up for me. And you know what it normally does, when it shows up, it stops me from taking action and moving forward.
The fourth thing that holds us back from taking action is the fear of putting ourselves out there. This shows up for a lot of business owners when it comes to putting their work out into the world, but especially when it comes to marketing their work. Not to mention the kind of marketing that we talked about here on the podcast a lot, which is to show the person behind the business. Have you ever have those thoughts like oh, what are all these people? I went to high school to think about this? Or what would my family think if I posted this, then fear of putting yourself out there might be showing up for you.
The fifth thing that holds us back from taking action is believing that only huge efforts make a difference? Well, hello, you're listening to the queen of all or nothing, go big or go home thinking. But guess what the huge efforts we make occasionally are not what determined the results that we see in our lives. And my early 20s, I decided that the only way to get healthy was to not eat solid food for three weeks. But over 10 years later, I don't think that these three weeks I spent drinking juice and blended soup had any long term impact on my health. What does have a long term impact on my health is the everyday things that I do every day, for better or for worse. The small actions we take every day, Atomic Habits as James Clear calls them are what mean the most in the long run and determine the reality that we live in. And the last thing on this list that holds us back from taking action is simply not feeling like it. Sometimes you have something you know you quote unquote, should be doing but you just don't feel like it. And because you work for yourself, you say I'll do something else right now. And I'll say that for Monday, when I'm more inspired, less tired, in the mood, whatever it is, and then Monday comes and you probably still don't feel like it.
So we've talked about some things that hold us back from taking action. Now I want to address each of these roadblocks and provide some suggestions that have helped me and that I hope will inspire you to approach taking action a little bit differently next year. So let's talk about fake work. If this holds you back, listen up, I think a lot of fake work comes down to the fact that we're not convinced we know enough or are enough as it is, without doing a bunch of learning or having someone else tell us what to do. If you're struggling with this, I can relate and here are a couple of things that have helped me move through this. First, I've started to notice and be aware when I'm doing what I call fake work, researching things, I don't really need to research looking for answers outside of my own brain when I really know what I need to do. So I would suggest that you try to create some awareness to when you find yourself doing this, do some thinking and reflecting for yourself on this topic and start to notice, what kind of fake work do you do? Where are you looking for answers instead of taking action. And then if you're open to mantras, or affirmations, you could try a sticky note on your desk that says something like ''I have what I need'' Just to remind you that taking action doesn't require you looking outside of yourself. It just requires you to take the next step.
Let's address the second roadblock, which is a lack of concrete plan. Having a vague plan or no plan at all can also stop us from taking action. But this is one that is really, really easy to remedy. When you're planning out what you're going to do, especially for things that you notice yourself resisting, make the plan as specific and concrete as you possibly can. I use the example before of creating a content calendar and then you sit down and have no idea what to write. Well, let's go back to this example and say that you're creating a content calendar. But instead of leaving it at setting dates and actions for posts in your emails, you detail out what each piece of content will look like. So instead of saying I'm going to post on Monday and Thursday and send an email on Friday, you will get super specific about what each of these pieces of content looks like. So on Monday, I'll post a carousel tutorial of how to clean brass jewelry. On Thursday, I'll post a behind the scenes reel of me creating my best selling necklace. And on Friday, my email will include details on cleaning brass with links to my favorite brass jewelry pieces. When we can sit down to work and take action and we already know exactly what we need to do. A lot of that resistance will fall away.
So let's talk about addressing perfectionism. Perfectionism has started to lose its appeal to me, mostly because I've done so much reflecting on my life and seeing how many times I've been held back or stopped from doing something because I didn't think I could do it perfectly. Here are a few of the tools that I use to fight perfectionism. First, I tried to keep in mind my why, why am I trying to do this anyway? What impact am I trying to make? How does this relate to my business making an impact? If I let myself be stopped by perfectionism, I'm not only holding myself back, but I'm stopping myself from making the impact and helping those that I want to help. Let's use this podcast as an example. There have been so many times where I've been trying to put together an episode on something I felt was really important. And I just felt like I wasn't up to the task of making the episode as great as it should be. But then I bring myself back to why I'm doing it. I do this podcast because I believe that it can help people do better marketing, have a more successful business and therefore make the world a better place. If I let my own mental stuff, hold me back, I'm stopping myself from possibly helping someone. And the ripple effects of helping just one person are huge. So when I can get out of my own hand and focus less on me and more on who I'm serving, the perfectionism feels a little bit easier to set aside. The other big tool I use for perfectionism are a couple of simple affirmations and mantras that I find myself repeating. They are number one, start before you're ready. Number two, perfect is the enemy of the great. And number three, Done is better than perfect.
So let's talk about the fourth roadblock that stops us from taking action. That is the fear of putting ourselves out there. It's hard to put yourself out there. But this is another one where it can be so helpful to focus on who you're serving, or creating your products for rather than getting stuck in your head about some random person from your past and how they might respond. I hate to admit this, but here we go. I often have specific people in my mind that I think are going to be judging the things I put out into the world. So let's give one a fictional name of Sheila which is part of the name of my stationery business, Good Sheila. Something that really helps me with this idea of avoiding judgment and fear putting myself out there is to make it a real question and choice that I can make. Is it more important to me to avoid being judged by Sheila or to promote my new line of skincare that will help my customers detoxify their skin and heal breakouts? I find that when I actually spell out the question and make it a choice. It's a lot easier to move forward and be willing to put myself out there and possibly be judged.
The fifth roadblock is believing that only huge efforts make a difference. Well, here's the absolute data backs truth. It's not what we do occasionally that matters. It's what we do consistently. Occasional spurts of energy and massive action are great. But if they aren't followed by a consistent action, they're not going to change our world. Showing up every day, or every workday is what changes things for us. The best way to convince you of this is to assign you a book to read. And that book is Atomic Habits by James clear, I promise you will walk away from reading this book, absolutely convinced in the power of the small, everyday action. And as a bonus Atomic Habits is the book we're reading next month in Making Good book club. So there will be an episode coming out in mid January all about it.
And the sixth thing that stops us back from taking action is simply not feeling like it. Okay, is this a big one for anyone else? Many of us have spent a lot of our working lives working for other people, and having to spend our time according to other people's priorities. When we start our own businesses, we are thrilled to be doing what we want to be doing. Unfortunately, for me, sometimes what I feel like doing is not the same thing as the consistent action that will drive results for me. And this can be a real sticking point. However, the truth is that you don't need to feel like doing something in order to do it. What matters isn't that you feel like doing it, it's that you do it. So a couple of things that helped me follow through when I don't feel like it. The first is that I remind myself that just because I'm not in the mood doesn't mean it's not a good thing to do. Being willing to be uncomfortable is one of the most powerful things we can do when it comes to growth. And sometimes being uncomfortable looks like doing the thing that feels hard and less pleasant in the moment, because we know it will lead us in the right direction. The other thing that helps me do things even when I don't feel like it is accountability. Having someone else who knows that I said I was going to finish XYZ task this week makes me so much more likely to do the task, especially if I know they're going to be checking in accountability is a hugely motivating force for a lot of people, myself included and if you are looking for some accountability, I would love for you to check out Making Good Happen, my brand new membership program designed to help you keep accountable and take the actions you want to be taking to move the needle in your business. More details can be found at making goodpodcast.com/happen.
Okay, so to sum up my tips for taking action consistently. Number one, know that you have what you need to take action. Number two, create a specific concrete plan before you sit down to work. Number three, stay focused on why you do what you do and who you're serving in your business. Number four, repeat affirmations like start before you're ready, done is better than perfect, and perfect is the enemy of the great. Number Five Ask yourself if it's more important to avoid judgment by a specific person or to make an impact. Number six, remind yourself of the power of the small everyday action and read Atomic Habits by James clear. Number seven, know that you don't have to be excited about it to take action anyway. Number eight, built in accountability. So there you have it. My number one biggest wish for you in 2022 is that you take action consistently. I truly believe that more consistently taking the right actions can revolutionize your business in the next year. And I hope that you are on board.
If this episode connected or resonated with you, I would love Love, love, love to hear from you. Take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram @LaurenTilden. That's L a u r e n t i l d e n. Notes from this episode can be found on the show notes page at makinggoodpodcast.com/93 And finally, I would so love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen. My brand new membership kicking off in January to reserve your spot and lock in the lowest monthly rate that will ever be available. Get the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen And to lock this pricing for good be sure to sign up before December 18. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
98: 5 Marketing Shortcuts for 2022
Episode 98: 5 Marketing Shortcuts for 2022
Welcome back to Making Good, podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden. And this is episode 98. Today is the final episode of the year. And in fact, it's coming out on the final day of 2021. Like all of us, I've been thinking a lot about the year ahead of us. And I've come up with a list of five marketing shortcuts that I want to encourage you to use, and that I'll be using too in 2022.
One of the tough things about marketing is that you're never done, you never feel like you've done everything you could, there's always a long list of things that you could also be doing. Many times we find ourselves scrambling and overwhelmed and adding everything we possibly can think of to our to do list in hopes that something will work. But let me tell you friends, I am done with trying to do it at all. I own three businesses now, my paper goods line, Good Sheila, retail store Station Seven, and now Making Good Happen, which is my new membership program.
As of 2021. I'm also now a parent. I spent hours in the car everyday driving our baby to his nanny. While we're still temporarily living in a coma during our remodel, doing everything is not only not even possible, but it no longer sounds like something to strive for. So instead of everything I want to be doing the right things, and for me, the right things are the things that helped me make an impact, something I know motivates so many of you listeners as well. I believe that I can make an impact in two main ways. Through this podcast and my work with my new membership Making Good Happen. I help small business owners see more success and therefore help them impact the world positively. And two, through my own small businesses Good Sheila and Station Seven. The more revenue I make, the more I can donate. Serving your community and generating revenue are two goals that I know many of you share with me. So I wanted to share five marketing shortcuts that will help you spend your time and energy on the right things in your business, rather than trying in vain to do it all.
The first marketing shortcut for 2022 that I wanted to share with you is to keep your ideal customer close to your heart. The most important person in your business Far and Away is your ideal customer. The person who loves what you create who excitedly buys what you have to offer, who tells their friends about your business without even being asked. Your ideal customer is who you create everything for and who you should be speaking to and all of your marketing. One of the best ways to stay off marketing overwhelm is to have your ideal customer front and center in your mind. When it comes to new platforms, new strategies, social media, all the marketing things that everyone is telling us we quote unquote, should do, there's really a pretty easy way to figure out if it's for us or not. And that is by looking to our ideal customer. Where she's spending her time, where does she shop? What are her needs and desires? What keeps her up at night? What problems does she have that needs solving? If the answers to these questions involve new strategies, tactics, platforms, etc? Then maybe they're worth considering. But if not, you can skip it and move straight on.
So practically speaking, what does it look like to keep your ideal customer close? It means offering value to them 80% of the time or more and then directly asking them to buy things just occasionally. I mean, surveying your audience now and then to get to know them better. It means polls on your social media to find out what problems and questions they have that you can answer. It means paying really close attention to them, the things they say, the way they talk and the questions they're asking. It means having conversations with them, building relationships with them and creating trust. It means continuously working to create products that they love and taking their feedback seriously. It means showing up for them consistently. And it means keeping them very, very close to mind whenever you make product or marketing decisions.
The second marketing shortcut for 2022 that I wanted to share is to apply your energy where you see results, essentially double down on what works. There are a lot of ways to apply this concept. So let's start with the most obvious what drives your sales. Where are the people who buy from you coming from how did they learn about you? Maybe most people find you on Instagram, that would be evidence that Instagram is a platform that converts sales for you and is worth investing in. Maybe all your sales come from your emails. And that tells me that investing in continuing to grow your list would be a really great way to grow your sales. Maybe you've been featured in local publications for gift guides and that has led to some big jumps in your sales numbers. Well, that would tell me that actively pursuing some PR features in the future would be a good thing to work on.
I'm not saying that we should put all of our eggs in one basket. For example, if you see that your sales come from Instagram and nowhere else. That doesn't mean you should completely write off an email list, SEO or other platforms. But if you see that you're putting equal effort into your Instagram strategy, Facebook, Clubhouse and Tik Tok all social media platforms, but the only one that's really generating sales is Instagram. To me, that's an indicator that that's where you should be focusing most of your effort when it comes to social media because it works. If you don't know what drives your sales, that's a really great place to start find out.
Most website platforms have tracking so that you can see where your sales are coming from. You can also use unique discount codes for different platforms to see what works best. For example, you can have a free shipping discount code on Instagram and one on your email list. But make the specific code different so you can see which is used more often.
Finally, don't underestimate the power of directly asking your customers how did you hear about us. The second way to apply this double down on what works concept is in your marketing content. So broadly speaking, let's create more of the marketing content that works, more of the marketing content that generates engagement, audience growth and sales. One of the best things about modern day marketing is the level of data that we have access to. On Instagram, we can see what people liked the most, what they engaged with the most, what they shared or saved the most. In our emails, we can see what subject lines got people opening what links people clicked, and what type and format of emails were most effective. In paid advertising, we can see which messages and imagery generated the most conversions.
Most of us don't pay enough attention to what we can learn from our data. So here are some questions I'd love for you to consider. On your email, what subject lines got opened, what emails led to the most sales? What emails have the highest engagement? In terms of click rates and responses? What topics are people that most interested in? And what was the visual look of the emails that performed the best? For example, were there more images? Or were they more text heavy? on growing your email list? What incentives like a coupon or a lead magnet lead to the most people opting in to sign up for your email? On social media, what format generated the most engagement, what format generated the most likes and audience growth and by format, I mean, things like carousels, photo posts, video, reels. What subjects of content are people most interested in? What of your content is the most share worthy and had people sharing it with others, what of your content was the most likely to be saved? When things work, it's usually not random. It's for a reason. So when we take the time to actually identify what's working, let's try to make more of that happen.
The third marketing shortcut for 2022 I wanted to share with you is to pay attention to what energizes you. Enthusiasm is contagious. When you're excited by something when you're genuinely lit up by what you're doing. It comes through in a way that you can't fake. This excitement and enthusiasm is an energy that people want to be around. Looking back, the things that have always performed the best for me are the things I'm super excited about. When I create a product collection that I'm super excited about. First, it's super easy to market it, because I'm proud of it, and I want to share. And second, people can feel that passion around what I'm doing. And if they're my ideal customer, they connect with it. In your marketing, let yourself have fun, play and genuinely be yourself. That energy comes through loud and clear and it's magnetic. The fourth marketing shortcut for 2022 I wanted to share with you is to share what you're working on.
This one has been a real eye opener for me and one of my biggest takeaways from 2021. My instinct is to wait until things are totally perfect and ready to go as polished as they're ever going to be. And then pull back the curtain and show it off and say Tada. And sometimes that works. But this year in a couple of different ways, I tried a different approach, instead of working hard behind the scenes, not telling anyone anything until everything was done, and then revealing it to the world. This year, I decided to let people in on the whole process to let them see the messy middle the works in progress, in fact, to include them in the process. This is totally against my nature. But what's interesting is that when people watch the behind the scenes of something they see you working on it, they get to even be included in decisions, they get a lot more invested in thinking of two specific examples.
The first is the launch of Making Good Happen, my membership, which I've been talking about a couple of months here on the podcast. Even before there was a website to sign up for any information available, I still started planting the seeds that it was coming. I talked about the process of building it. I shared sneak peeks and photos and my emails and social media and I allowed myself to build anticipation for it for a couple of months before there's even a place to sign up, before there's even somewhere to buy the product. When the doors finally opened people had really learned about the membership and what was included, and they were excited to join if it was a good fit for them.
Another example is with my holiday launch for Good Sheila, my stationery brand. For the holidays this year, I introduced two new product categories for the first time, hand painted ornaments and wrapping paper. I was super excited about this, and I shared a lot of the behind the scenes process of creating and launching these products way before they are available to buy. I even invited my followers to vote on their favorite designs to help determine the final product collection. Normally, when I've had a launch coming, I like to hold back the final products and reveal them on the launch day. But this time, by the time the launch day came around, I'd already showed off everything in the collection. I also had set up a waitlist for people interested in the hand painted ornaments, and I gave them 24 hours early access to shop the collection. I was surprised by how many people signed up and were incentivized by the exclusive access.
All of this to say let people in on the process of creating your goods. Don't hold back for a final reveal, when people are involved in the creation process. and they get to see the behind the scenes, they feel so much more invested, which makes them more likely to want to purchase.
My fifth and final marketing shortcut for 2022 that I wanted to share with you is to execute, even when you don't feel like it, I'm going to be honest and tell you that I really hate this one. But for me, it really matters. For some reason, it's a bit of an epiphany for me that it's possible for me to do things in my business, even when I don't feel like it. After I quit my corporate marketing job, I think I expected that I'd get to always do the things I enjoyed in my business. So if I didn't feel like doing something I had committed to doing unless it was related to a customer or a client, I would just put it off to the next day. But consistently executing your plan is so so powerful, massive results come from consistent action. And that is action even when you don't feel like it.
The best way that I'm able to get things done, even when I don't feel like it, is by building accountability. I do this by telling other people like you what my plans are so they can hold me accountable. For example, my podcast audience knows that every Tuesday, there's a podcast episode that will be released. I know that if I miss a day, people will be asking about it and I don't want to let them down. So even the nights where I don't feel like podcast editing, I do it because I've made that public commitment. One way you could apply this to your marketing execution is by telling people what they can expect from you. For example, tell your email list that your emails are going to arrive every Tuesday.
So to review my five marketing shortcuts for 2022 that I hope you'll consider borrowing are one: keep your ideal customer close to your heart, two, apply your energy where you see results. So double down on what works. Three, pay attention to what energizes you, four, share what you're working on and five, execute even when you don't feel like it.
So, what do you think of my 2022 marketing shortcuts? Do you want to steal any? Let me know on Instagram at @LaurenTilden. That's L a u r e n t i l d e n, you can find the show notes from today's episode at makinggoodpodcast.com/98 . Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Happy New Year and talk to you in 2022.
97: Let's Make a Plan for 2022
Episode 97: Let's Make a Plan for 2022
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcasts for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden. And this is episode 97. Two Making Good episodes are out today, why? Because this is December, and my holiday gift to my amazing Making Good community is doubled the podcast episodes all month of December. So instead of the regularly scheduled for Tuesday episodes this month, there are eight so happy holidays.
In episode 95 I walked you through my process of doing a year in review for your business. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, I would really suggest that you start with that one linked in the show notes before you move on to today's episode about planning for 2022. The best place to start and creating a plan for the year to come is to really take stock of where we've been and what we've learned. Episode 95 is all about that process. So if you haven't go have a listen to that one before coming back to today's episode about planning for 2022.
Before we get into today's episode, though, I wanted to let you know that the doors to Making Good happen are closing in just a few days on December 31. So what is Making Good Happen? Well, something that I know all too well is that it's one thing to learn the things that will help our businesses thrive. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions we need to take. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about. Making Good Happen is a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business and more importantly, to actually take the steps necessary to see the results you dream of. Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast called Making Good Happen. There'll be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from mini pep talks to journaling prompts to action items, deep work sessions, so kind of like co working on Zoom but with no video or audio to minimize distraction, guided monthly marketing plan creation, an online community of other like minded small business owners, accountability tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month and more. And so that we can all kick off 2022 with a bang, Making Good Happen is officially launching the first Monday in January, January 3 2022.
If you want to start 2022 with an intentional strategic marketing plan that you actually execute, coming out with me and some other really amazing small business owners in Making Good Happen. And speaking of other amazing small business owners, I want to gush a little bit about the folks we have signed up already. We have jewelry makers, candle makers, makeup artists, Live Event Services, photography, apparel, accessories, paper goods, calligraphy and so much more. Do you have a creative business that you want to take to the next level by consistently taking marketing action? Join us in Making Good Happen. The doors to Making Good Happen will be open until December 31 And then I'll be closing them for a while so I can focus 100% on the members who sign up in this first round. I've got some fun bonuses in store for those of you who get signed up before January. So if you're interested, this is a great time. If you know you're ready to join us head to making good podcast com slash MGH to sign up. And if you want an email sent to you with all the details you can go to making good podcast.com/happen I can't wait to work with you inside of Making Good Happen.
Okay, so let's get into today's episode, which is all about planning for 2022. You'll notice that this episode isn't titled goal setting for 2022 and that's because as powerful motivators as goals can be. In my book, they aren't nearly as powerful as the part of the process where we figure out how we're going to make things happen. Antoine de Saint Exupery, which I'm sure I mispronounced the French author who wrote The Little Prince said, a goal without a plan is just a wish. If you're reading Atomic Habits, which is the January book for Making Good book club, or if you've already read it, you know that the author James clear points to a lot of science and data supporting this idea. He believes the goals aren't nearly as important as the system as he calls it, the plan of consistent action that we take. He says in the book, winners and losers have the same goals. And this is so true. It's not the goals that generate results. It's the actions that we take. So today's episode is all about Yes, setting a goal but then more importantly creating the plan that will take us toward that goal. So let's get into the planning process.
Step one is to do your year end review. The first step in planning for the year to come is to review the past year. What went well, what didn't go well. What did you learn? What do you definitely want to do differently next year. Investing the time and energy to review your past year really pays off when it comes to making an informed and strategic plan for the year to come. So I would really encourage you to do your year review. If you'd like to reference my process for this check out episode 95 of Making Good which is all about the interview, the link is in the show notes.
Step two in this process is the destination postcard exercise. So this is where things get fun. Take out a favorite notebook, pen, a warm beverage, even light a candle if you want to really go wild. I recently learned about this exercise, which was introduced by Dan and Chip Heath in the book Switched. The term destination postcard probably bring something to mind for you. I know for me, I imagine a beautiful photo on the front of a postcard with writing overtop that says, sending love from the tropics or something, a photo of where I want to be. And that's exactly what this exercise is all about where we want to be. Imagine it's December 31 2022, just about exactly a year from now, you're writing a postcard and you want to vividly describe where you are both physically and in terms of your business. What does it feel like what has changed? In the author's words, a destination postcard is a vivid picture from the near term future that shows what could be possible. There's no right way to do this. But the idea is to clearly articulate where you want to be in a year's time, we'll worry about the how to get there part and the next step. For now just do some dreaming. Maybe your destination has to do with having more income. So your lifestyle can be different. Maybe it has to do with having hired some help. So you don't have to work as much I can literally go on vacation. Maybe it has to do with the impact that you're able to make. This is the part of the exercise that I would really let yourself dream in.
We'll get to the practical stuff very soon. Step three in this process is to identify a Northstar goal. My friend Mariah Tomkinson of Bloom Hustle Grow is a genius when it comes to planning and I really like her approach to set a single Northstar goal for the year. When you look at your destination postcard what big single goal would make that possible. When Mariah was telling me about this approach in Episode 39 of this podcast, which is linked in the show notes, I could not believe she only wanted me to choose one goal. She reminded me that there aren't really rules here. But the more singularly we can direct our focus, the better. So because I like to do things my own way, I chose to have one Northstar goal for each of my businesses. Good Sheila, Station Seven and Making Good. Now this episode isn't about smart goals. But one thing to keep in mind is that this goal should be specific and measurable, the S and the M and smart goals. On December 31 2022, we want to be able to look at the goal and easily know whether or not we've accomplished it, our Norstar goal might be a number of wholesale accounts, it might be a revenue number, it might be an amount donated or a number of trees planted, it might be a number of clients or a number of sales on Etsy, it's up to you.
Now one thing about goals is I want to give you permission to adjust this goal throughout the year if you need to. If after a few months, it looks like your goal was too much of a stretch or not enough of a stretch, you have permission to adjust it. Our goal should be motivating and excite us to take action not make us feel like they're so improbable and impossible that what's the point of even trying. So do your best here to make a goal that makes sense, but know that nothing is set in stone. And if we need to adjust as we go, we can always do that.
Step four is to identify the three to five strategies that will get us to our goal. This is the part of the process where a lot of the work that we did in the year in review really comes in handy. Hopefully from that review, we learned a lot about what works, what doesn't and what we know we want to do differently this year. And this stage, we're looking at our Northstar goal and we're coming up with three to five strategies that will be most important and moving us toward that goal. I'd recommend a bit of a brainstorm to start out with, let yourself free write about all the possible things you could do to make your North Star goal happen. Then based on what you know from your experience, or possibly by doing some research externally, narrow down these strategies to three to five main strategies that will help you accomplish your North Star goal. I think some examples here would be helpful. So for Making Good, this podcast, let's say my North Star goal in 2022 is to reach 100,000 downloads. My strategies might include implementing a Pinterest strategy to increase my reach, repurposing my content to give more life to what I've already created. Consistently hosts Clubhouse rooms to broaden my audience. Increase my guest appearances on other people's podcasts to broaden my audience. For Good Sheila, my paper goods brand, let's say my North star goal in 2022 is to hit 50 wholesale accounts. My strategies might include engaging with ideal stockists regularly on Instagram to build relationships, reaching out and following up with ideal stockist by email, sending samples to my ideal stockists to show them my product, wanting to new collections and promotions in 2022. For Station Seven, my retail store, let's say the North star goal in 22 is to increase our revenue from 2021 by 20%. My strategies might include revamping the website to optimize it for online shopping, planning consistent in store events to increase foot traffic, increasing the focus on further growing our email list and extending our email marketing plan and consistent retargeting ads for people who visit our site.
Your strategies don't have to be super, super specific as we'll be converting each strategy into specific actions and the next step. In this process, we're really thinking broadly about what kind of activities in our business would move us toward that North star goal.
Step five is to get clear on what consistent actions are aligned with each strategy. Here's where the rubber hits the road. Big results are the result of what we do on a consistent basis. So for each of your strategies, we want to break them down into actions you can take each and every week, if not day. We don't want to do occasional grand gestures, but rather consistent work day in and day out that moves us toward our goals. Let's look at a few of these strategies I listed before and then look at what breaking those down into concrete consistent actions might look like. For Good Sheila, one of my strategies was to reach out and follow up with ideal stockist by email. To make this specific and actionable on a consistent basis, I would identify actions as something like the below. Maybe every week, I commit to reaching out to 20 ideal stockists, and following up with 10 ideal stockists that we've previously reached out to. For Making Good, one of my strategies was repurposing my existing content more effectively. The actions associated with this strategy might be each week to highlight a previous episode on my Instagram and a carousel or reel, and promote a previous episode in my email. Sometimes, some of the strategies on your list might be concrete, finite tasks that have a start and finish point. For example, revamping the Station Seven website is not something that needs to happen every day all year long. It's a finite project. So for tasks like that, this is where you'd want to break it down into the smallest step by step actions. For me, it might look like selecting a new Shopify theme, choosing an any additional Shopify apps I need, redesigning each page, doing an audit of all product descriptions and improving them, figuring out what additional photos I need, etc. Now that we have our actions, it's time to plan your annual calendar, I find it helpful to physically print out some blank calendars with each month on its own piece of paper. Then I use a pencil to schedule things around and adjust as needed. The first step I recommend you take care of is to block out any personal time vacation time off birthdays, whatever time when you don't want to or can't be working.
The next step is to put in any big projects and launches in your calendar. For example, I just mentioned relaunching Station Seven's website, so I would assign that to a specific month. If I'm releasing new product collections, I would schedule those in so I can work back from there in terms of marketing and product creation. And this is also a great time to think broadly about your marketing focus throughout the year. There's a lot of seasonality to this specifically in the product based world. So you'll want to be promoting holiday items at a certain time period, then Valentine's Day items, etc. And if you do wholesale, those timelines will be earlier than for your retail promo. If you know you're going to be doing some big specific promotions or sales, you could include those into your calendar now. But it's not necessary to flush out every single detail for the full year at this time. It's also important to view this as a fluid evolving plan, planning that will help you but things change, deadlines shift, and being flexible with that is super important. Don't feel like anything is set in stone, but rather a starting point to get you going.
Step seven in this process is to plan month one. Now it's time to plan up January. Looking at your strategies and your actions for your Northstar goal, create a list of tasks that needs to get done each week of the month. And keep this list of Top of Mind maybe even physically in front of you on your desk. You may also choose to schedule out your marketing and plan for each piece of content now so you know exactly what you're doing. I go into specifics of how to build this monthly marketing plan in my program Making Good Happen. More details are available at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen. You also want to schedule some time into your calendar at some point in January to do this process all over again to create the detailed plan for February.
And step eight is to set yourself up for success. So now we've created your specific plan. How do we make sure that we actually stick to it?
I have a couple of strategies that I really like. Number one is accountability. This is the number one factor that keeps me taking action. When I've told someone else that I'm going to do something. I use the strategy in a couple of ways. First, I often say to my community on social media or by email, what my commitment is, for example, that I'm going to release an episode of this podcast every Tuesday. Because I know people expect it I make sure to make it happen. You can also use accountability with your close friends or business community. You can get an accountability partner or join a group like Making Good Happen, where you commit to what you're going to do and then this community of people is there to check in and hold you accountable to make sure it happens. Another strategy for this that I like is tracking, It's super satisfying to check your habits consistently. I find that having some kind of tracker where I get to x out each box that I complete something to be so motivating. If I've consistently reached out to wholesale prospects every single week for 20 weeks, I'm going to pull out all the stops to make sure I don't miss it on my 21st week. Finally, I would suggest that you be flexible. There's no room here for all or nothing thinking plans change, things don't go as planned, surprises come up. If you set a goal in the beginning of the year, and things don't end up panning out the way you expect. It doesn't mean that all is lost. And what's the point in trying change your goal if you need to, I recommend checking in every month with your goals, strategies and plans to see what needs to be adjusted, what plans have changed, and to make sure that you're always motivated and excited about what's ahead of you instead of overwhelmed and discouraged. Okay, so that's the planning process overall.
To review. Here are the steps in this process. Number one, do your year in review, you can reference episode 95 for a guide on this number to complete the destination postcard exercise. Where do you want to be December 31 2022. Number three, create one North star goal, number four, identify three to five primary strategies to get you there. Number five, get clear on what consistent actions are aligned with those strategies and build that into your schedule. Number six, create your annual calendar, number seven create a detailed plan for month one. Number eight, set yourself up for success.
So did you complete your 2022 year plan? Let me know on Instagram at @LaurenTilden. I'd love to hear what you have ahead of you. You can find the overview of this process on the show notes page at makinggoodpodcast.com/97. Finally, I would so love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen, my brand new membership kicking off in January, to reserve your spot before the doors close for a couple of months, make sure you're signed up by December 31. You can find the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen or if you're ready to sign up now, head to makinggoodpodcast.com/mgh. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Talk to you next time.
95: How to Do a Year in Review (2.0!)
Episode 95: How to Do a Year in Review (2.0!)
Welcome back to Making Good, the podcast for small businesses who want to make a big impact. I'm your host, Lauren Tilden. And this is episode 95.
Are you surprised to see another Making Good episode pop up in your podcast player just a couple of days after our last episode? Well in Episode 91, I announced my holiday gift to my amazing Making Good community, and that is double the episodes in December. Instead of the regularly scheduled for Tuesday episodes, there will be eight episodes coming out this month.
So yay, happy holidays. Today's episode is all about doing a year in review for your business. Taking a close look at 2021 before we close that chapter and move into 2022. This is a super important exercise that I want to encourage every single person listening to do. And in fact, I'll be doing one of my own that I'll share in a later episode.
But before we get into the episode, I have one thing to chat with you about first, and that is Making Good Happen.
What is Making Good Happen? Well, one thing that I know all too well, is that it's one thing to learn the things that will help our businesses thrive. And it's another thing entirely to actually take the actions we need to take. It's the action that changes things for us, not the learning by itself. And that's what Making Good Happen is all about.
Making Good Happen is a monthly membership designed to help you custom build a marketing plan for your business. And more importantly, actually take the steps necessary to see the results you dream of. Making Good Happen includes a private members only podcast, there will be short and sweet episodes every weekday ranging from many pep talks to journaling prompts to action items. It includes deep work sessions. So these are kind of like co working on Zoom but with no video or audio to minimize distractions. It includes monthly marketing plan creation, an online community of other like minded small business owners, accountability tracking of your most important deadlines, guest expert presentations each month, and more that is a surprise. So that we can all pick off 2022 at the bang Making Good Happen officially launches the first Monday in January and that's January 3 of 2022.
So if you want to start 2022 with an intentional strategic marketing plan that you actually execute, coming out with me and some other really amazing small business owners inside of Making Good Happen. And speaking of amazing other small business owners, I want to gush a little bit about the folks we have signed up already. We have jewelry, candles, makeup artists, live events services, photography, apparel, accessories, paper goods, calligraphy, and so much more. If you have a creative business you want to take to the next level by consistently taking marketing action join us in Making Good Happen.
The doors to Making Good Happen will be open until December 31. And after that, I'll be closing them for a while so I can focus 100% on the members who sign up in this first round. I have some fun bonuses in store for those of you who get signed up before January. So if you're interested, this is a great time to join. If you're new, you're ready to be a part of Making Good Happen head to makinggoodpodcast.com/mgh to sign up. Or if you want an email sent to you with all of the details you can go to makinggoodpodcast.com/happen I cannot wait to work with you inside of Making Good Happen.
Okay, so let's talk about today's episode, which is all about doing a year in review. There's a quote that doesn't seem to have a clear attribution, but I love the sentiment, so I'm going to share it anyway. The quote is this. We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year. This is so so true for a small business, it might feel like you never really get through your to do list. And as a result, it's hard for us to really step back and look at all that we've accomplished in a year. A year in review takes us through a process of really looking at what happened here and celebrating everything we did accomplish. More importantly though, doing a year in review helps bring some attention to our businesses. And that will help us make decisions for the future. That helps us look at what we've done, the way we've spent our time and energy and then decide what's right for us moving forward. So as eager as you might be to run straight into the arms of 2022 with a New Year's resolution and leave this year behind, I hope you'll consider first joining me in doing a year interview. Last year, I did an episode on my year in review process. And I think it's so important that I decided to update it and improve it and release it again this year. So before we jump into the process for those of you that this is a new concept for what is a year interview.
Well a year in review is exactly what it sounds like. It's an exercise of really looking at your last year in business and reviewing how it went. The good, the not so good and most importantly, what you learned. When you do a year in review, you're giving your business the time and attention and thought that it deserves. So you can celebrate the highs, learn from the lows, and figure out how to make things even better moving forward. I'm keeping this episode super short and sweet. So you can use the time you would normally spend listening to this episode actually doing the review. Remember, while this exercise might seem simple and straight forward, the important thing isn't that you listen to the episode, the important thing is that you take action and actually do this exercise. So get your favorite pen, a blank sheet of paper or a notebook and start reflecting.
So let's talk about my process for doing a year in review of your business. The first step is to make a quick timeline of the major events of 2021 that relate even tangentially to your business. Before we start asking ourselves the big broad questions about our year, it's really helpful to first have a bit of a bird's eye view of what actually happened this year. If we're not careful, we can put a lot of weight on the events in the last couple months, and then kind of forget about what happened in the earlier parts of the year.
When I do this process of outlining major events, I find it really helpful to actually look at my calendar to see what I did and what happened last year, then make a quick bullet point list of events in my business and life that will help inform my year in review responses. I'd have a really hard time doing this process without first making some notes for myself. A lot can happen in a year, which is why before you go into the questions that I use for year in review, definitely make this quick outline of events to create an overview that you can work from. Don't overthink it, just write some stuff down.
So as an example, here's what my outline for 2021 might look like. I tend to view life and work as one big category that are very connected rather than two distinct ones. So I've included some big personal family life stuff as well. But you can choose to approach this however you like. So my major events this year were that first our baby Casey James was born in April, and I started contending with being both a parent and a business owner simultaneously. I delegated most of the operations of Station Seven and Good Sheila to the amazing Mary. I got the COVID vaccine, two doses and a booster and continue dealing with COVID and retail shop. We experienced two big losses in our family. We have some major drama with our home remodel, which is still not done even that was supposed to be done in April, or all day long daily commutes for childcare. We dealt with a team member at the store getting COVID and figuring out how to handle that and communicate it to our community. We teamed up with a couple of other small businesses to host a community maker market to celebrate small businesses over the holidays. I continued with this podcast and I will hit 50,000 downloads before the end of the year, I explored a new platform social audio in the form of Clubhouse, I launched a new holiday collection for Good Sheila and had my biggest product launch ever. We ramped up for the holidays at Station Seven and we are aiming to beat last year's holiday season numbers TBD on that and I launched Making Good Happen, my new membership for people who want to take things to the next level in 2022.
When you refresh your memory and create this at a glance view of your year, it's time to get into the year in review questions. As you're answering these questions, try to think as comprehensively as possible. Yes, think about your business revenue and other quantitative measures of your business's performance. But if I were to guess, I would say that you probably started your business for reasons beyond just making money. So let's look at how our business affected those things to how did you feel in your business this year? What was your overall satisfaction with your work? What kind of impact do you think you're able to make? How is your personal life, or balance of time between your home life and your business, what about your mental health? The point of our year in review is to assess how things went in our business so we can celebrate and make tweaks for future but also to understand how our business is fitting into our lives overall, which is why it's important to think as comprehensively as possible about these questions.
Okay, so without further ado, here are the questions that I suggest you answer for your year in review. There are eight, number one, what went well. Number two, what didn't go well. Number three, what do I want more of next year? Number four, what do I want less of next year? Number five, what did I consistently take action on this year? Number six, where did I struggle with consistently taking action this year? Number seven, what am I proud of? And number eight, what did I learn?
If you happen to do this exercise with me last year, you may have noticed that there are a couple of new questions this year and those are what did I consistently take action on this year and where did I struggle with consistently taking action this year? If you've been listening to my podcast episodes this year, you probably heard me talking about action. I believe that taking action is the number one factor related to the results we see. So I've added these two questions in to reflect on where we consistently took action and where we lacked the consistency that may have led to us seeing different results.
So to recap, here are my suggested questions for your year in review. One, what went well, two, what didn't go well? Three, what do I want more of next year? Four, What do I want less of next year? Five, What did I consistently take action on this year? Six, where did I struggle with consistently taking action this year? Seven, what am I proud of, and eight what did I learn? I think you will find going through this process to be super powerful. If you're like me, you'll come out of it feeling really proud of yourself in a way that we can forget to be when we don't take this time to intentionally reflect and think about our year.
This is the time of year for planning, but I really don't think we can make a fully informed plan for the year to come without the information about the current state of things. This exercise helps us have a really good sense of what this year looks like. So we can make the best, most intentional plan for the year to come. So now if you're thinking okay, I did my year in review. What's next? Well, you might choose to share this content with your audience or save it for posterity so that you can reflect on it in the future and see just how far you've come. The year in review is designed for you, but if you do want to share it, I think your audience would definitely love to hear it. And then if you're ready to use what you learned in your year in review to plan for next year, I have some good news. Next week I'll be releasing an episode about creating a plan for the year to come. Make sure you're subscribed to making good so that that episode pops up for you in your feed.
So did you do your your year in review? Let me know on Instagram at @LaurenTilden. I would seriously so love to hear from you, read it and see what you learned.
You can find the year in review questions on the show notes page at makinggoodpodcast.com/95. Finally I would so love to work with you inside of Making Good Happen my brand new membership kicking off in January to reserve your spot before the doors closed for a couple of months. Make sure you're signed up by December 31. You can find the details at makinggoodpodcast.com/happen, or if you're ready to sign up head to makinggoodpodcast.com/mgh. Thank you for being here and for focusing on making a difference with your small business. Happy Holidays and talk to you next time.