She Talks Business

Human-Centered Marketing in a Tech-Driven World   This week, we're welcoming the queen of Facebook, Mari Smith, to She Talks Business! Known as the premier Facebook marketing expert, Mari has long shared insights on the evolving landscape of social media, human design, and the power of authenticity. For nearly two decades, Mari Smith has been widely recognized as the leading Facebook marketing expert and a top social media thought leader. IBM even named her one of seven women shaping digital marketing.  She is an in-demand keynote speaker, social media strategist, and author of The New Relationship Marketing. Mari also integrates Human Design into her social media courses to help entrepreneurs and Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) grow authentically. In this episode, Mari and I discuss the importance of human connection in an increasingly automated world, including how Mari is weaving human design into her marketing strategies. Discover how to make your content more interesting, leverage emerging trends, and maintain authenticity amidst rapid changes. Whether you're navigating Facebook's new algorithm or contemplating how to integrate AI, this episode offers a roadmap to staying relevant while staying real. If you want to deepen your understanding of social media strategy while preserving your personal touch, this episode is for you!   What's In This Episode How Facebook algorithms are changing and what it means for marketers  Why 'interest-based' content is overtaking follower-based content  Tips for making your social media content more interesting and shareable  The role of human design in marketing and how understanding yourself can improve your strategy  Balancing AI integration with authenticity to maintain audience trust  The impact of social media on mental health and how to stay grounded   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e184 for all resources from this episode. 

AI isn't the enemy. Indifference is.   This week, I'm diving into a topic that's quietly sabotaging a lot of great businesses: trust. More specifically, how we're eroding it every time we let AI pretend to be us. I've seen it too many times lately, where auto-comments go wrong, written DMs and videos sound and look like they've been created by a robot, and marketers admit bots are handling their engagement.  Here's the problem: when your clients think they're talking to you but they're actually talking to AI, you're not saving time. You're actually losing credibility.   In this solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on how AI is being misused in ways that damage relationships and cost you real opportunities. AI can be helpful, but it can't build friendships or remember who it's talking to, and those are things that should never be underestimated when building a business on trust and credibility. I break down the Trust Equation, share personal stories of trust misfires I've witnessed, and offer a better path forward. One where you use AI as a tool, not a stand-in for human connection. If you care about relationships, this episode serves as a reminder to protect them. Because while others are chasing shortcuts, you have a chance to stand out by showing up.   What's In This Episode Why “just automating a little” can still hurt your brand  The one equation every business owner needs to know  Real-life AI fails that made followers say, “Wait… what?”  How to use AI to support, not replace, real connection  One small, tech-free action you can take this week to rebuild trust   What To Do Next  Visit lisalarter.com/e183 for all resources from this episode. 

Why Being Real Beats Being Perfect in the Age of AI   This week, I'm joined by one of the most respected voices in marketing today: Mark Schaefer. With 11 bestselling books under his belt, his latest being Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI-Marketing World, Mark has helped shape how some of the world's biggest brands show up and stay human in an increasingly automated world. In this conversation, Mark and I dig into the very real tension between efficiency and authenticity. You'll hear his thoughts on how AI is reshaping the playing field, what marketers need to stop doing immediately, and why staying human is your greatest competitive edge. Mark doesn't shy away from the complexity of this moment. He acknowledges that AI is here, and it's powerful. In our conversation, we discussed how these tools weren't made to replace you. They're here to support you. It's not the technology that creates connection or builds trust—it's you. So don't let the tools become a barrier. Keep showing up as yourself for your clients, your leads, and your business. Whether you're curious, cautious, or already deep into AI tools, this episode will give you some great perspective on how to move forward implementing AI into your marketing without losing your personal touch.    What's In This Episode  Why “audacity” is the word marketers need now  The overlooked human skill that's now your biggest advantage  What marketing leaders must understand to stay relevant  How AI is creeping into human interactions and causing distrust  How to embrace new tools without distancing yourself from your network and your customers   What To Do Next    Visit lisalarter.com/e182 for all resources from this episode.

Stop selling. Start caring. That's how you win. I opened LinkedIn, saw a connection request, accepted it, and BOOM! Within seconds, I got a sales pitch in my inbox. I just got pitch-slapped. And if you're on social media, I know you've experienced this, too. These messages are everywhere. They're generic, impersonal, and painfully obvious in their intent. The people sending them aren't looking to build a relationship. They just want to make a buck.  But here's the problem: no one wants to be sold to by a stranger. It's disingenuous, it's irritating, and worst of all, it's completely ineffective.  If you're guilty of this, don't worry. There's a better way to do outreach that actually works, and you can start now.  In this episode of She Talks Business, I'm breaking down why these cold pitch tactics are turning people off and what you can do instead to stop repelling potential clients. I'll show you the right way to build genuine connections that naturally lead to business opportunities, without making people feel pitched to. You'll learn how to nurture authentic relationships through trust-based outreach. Don't get pitch slapped, and for the love of business, don't be the one doing it. Listen now to learn how to connect the right way.    What's In This Episode The biggest mistakes business owners make in their outreach and why it's killing their credibility How to shift from pushy sales pitches to relationship-driven conversations that actually convert The power of value-first marketing and how to nurture trust before asking for a sale Practical tips to attract your ideal clients without chasing them down   What To Do Next  Visit lisalarter.com/e181 for all resources from this episode. 

The 5/25 Rule: A Simple Strategy for Massive Success Are you spreading yourself too thin, trying to do it all? Warren Buffett's 5/25 Rule is a game-changer for entrepreneurs who want to stop chasing every idea and start making real progress. In this episode, I'm breaking down how this deceptively simple rule can help you hyper-focus on what truly matters in your business and eliminate distractions that hold you back. You'll learn how to identify your top five priorities and why everything else must go on the ‘avoid at all costs' list. The biggest reason entrepreneurs lose momentum is a lack of focus, and I'll show you how to stay committed even when distractions arise.  Unwavering faith and extraordinary effort are the secret ingredients to long-term success. Listen in as I share a powerful lesson behind Hal Elrod's six-year journey to a million book sales. You'll also hear how Warren Buffett built his fortune using disciplined focus and long-term strategy. If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you're spinning your wheels without making real progress, this episode is for you. It's time to eliminate the distractions that dilute your success, get clear on what really matters, and put your effort where it counts. Grab a pen, write down your 25 goals, and start prioritizing. Listen now and start taking action today.   What's In This Episode Losing focus from too many goals and fragmented attention  Warren Buffett's 5/25 Rule to prioritize your top goals  Hal Elrod's commitment to selling a million copies of his book The Miracle Morning  Persistence for achieving long-term goals  Importance of faith in oneself to achieve success How hard it is to stick to a goal long enough to achieve success What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e180 for all resources from this episode. 

Simple, Actionable Mindset Shifts to Up-Level Your Life and Business   This episode is short, packed with value, and filled with nine simple yet powerful lessons that have fueled my (and can fuel your) personal and professional success. These are the habits, mindset shifts, and investments that keep me moving forward, even when motivation runs low. And they can do the same for you. If you've ever struggled with losing momentum, letting fear hold you back, or measuring success by the wrong metrics, you're not alone. This episode is about how to push past those roadblocks, the three investments that always pay off, and why small, intentional actions can create massive impact, especially when it comes to building strong relationships. Don't underestimate the power of simplicity as you listen in because I can attribute each of these lessons to success in my life. You might be surprised at how quickly things start to shift once you put them into practice! What's In This Episode Build momentum by just starting  Necessity of pushing through fear Importance of resuming after a pause Focus on impacting individuals rather than seeking attention Avoid social media vanity metrics   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e179 for all resources from this episode. 

What It Takes To Achieve Your Vision  Tune in to this episode of She Talks Business to learn my proven formula for achieving exponential growth, including the game-changing fourth element I've recently discovered. Drawing from my experiences over the past year, I am breaking down how these four fundamental pillars work together to create unstoppable momentum in your business. You'll discover: Why your vision needs to be audaciously big—so big that it becomes a lifelong pursuit—while still maintaining the sweet spot between impossible and inspiring How to realistically assess your capabilities, strategically build a dream team to fill your gaps, and embrace continuous learning as you scale The secret to expanding your reach through authentic connections that generate more impact than simple social media metrics My newest success factor: the critical role of daily, intentional effort in achieving exceptional results In this episode, I'm revealing real-world examples from my own journey, including how I've implemented these principles to elevate my own work to new heights. I'm sharing actionable insights on balancing these four elements to stay focused on both the big picture and high-impact daily actions. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, this episode offers practical strategies for assessing and leveraging these four pillars of growth. Learn how to craft your compelling vision, maximize your capabilities, expand your meaningful reach, and apply the right effort in the right places. Don't miss my powerful questions that will help you evaluate and strengthen each pillar in your own business. Start implementing these principles today to unlock the exponential growth you've always dreamed of achieving. Listen now to transform your approach to business growth and turn your boldest aspirations into reality. What's In This Episode Importance of acknowledging sources of inspiration Aligning vision with purpose and values Importance of skills, knowledge, and resources Building networks and authentic relationships to grow your reach Aligning effort with your expected outcome What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e178 for all resources from this episode.

List-Building Tactics For Email Growth So how do Tim Ferriss and James Clear do it? How do they get millions of people on their email lists and, most importantly, how do they keep people subscribed? I believe a small email list of engaged subscribers and active buyers outweighs a large email list any day, but we have a lot to learn from these two men's strategies. Listen to this episode to hear which of their tactics I'm going to be using to grow my own email list this year. A $40M Business Owner Reverts to a $5/hour Strategy for His Success   The truth is, you don't need large numbers of subscribers like Ferriss and Clear to succeed. The lists cultivated with high-touch strategies may be "small" in comparison to millions, but the engagement of the subscribers produces incomparable results. Learn the exact direct sales flywheel strategy of Nathan Barry and how his manual efforts produced undeniable success even in this automated AI world. Let's Talk Tactics Building your email list will not happen overnight, and it certainly does not end with putting a subscribe button on your website. In this episode, I share my plan for growing my email list this year and how I plan to keep my subscribers engaged. You'd be surprised to learn the value you need in order to grow could be something you've already created. Stay to the end for some great ideas for freebies to offer, as well as my favorite way to impact engagement with my top readers. Don't let your email list stay stagnant for another year! Create your lead magnet and make your content so valuable for your subscribers that they never want to leave your list.  What's In This Episode Mailing list maintenance and engagement The $5 an hour strategy inspired by Nathan Barry Personal touch in content creation for stronger relationships Ensuring consistency and reliability in communication List-building strategies    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e177 for all resources from this episode.

Make this year the one you market yourself more than you ever have before with the help of AI  Class is in session - are you ready for your marketing efforts to be graded? This episode is all about creating a thorough marketing strategy with the 2025 landscape in mind. Tune in as I walk you through my 10-question assessment to help you determine where your marketing efforts currently fall and provide clear steps on how to improve them throughout the year.  It's Not Getting Any Easier in 2025. . . But Here's How To Keep Up & Excel The more opportunities we have to market our business (posting daily on social platforms, regular newsletters, automated systems for lead generation, quizzes to collect zero-party data, etc.), the more marketing becomes a complex ecosystem of efforts working together to generate sales. Marketing continues to get more complicated as time goes on, but creating a plan now will allow you to not only keep up, but excel in this ever-evolving marketing world.  AI Is Both The Problem And The Solution  We've reached a point in marketing where people are craving authenticity while consuming content more than ever. How do you remain authentic while keeping up with the volume of content necessary to stand out? AI is a great tool to add to your marketing efforts and multiply your efforts, but it is not the answer to creating content for you. Join me as I discuss real-life examples of how I use AI to create content faster while still maintaining my thought leadership and authenticity. Listen all the way to the end of this episode for an assessment you can actually use to make a plan with the right steps for your business to really grow this year.  If you'd like some guidance on creating your marketing plan, I mention two resources for you to take advantage of: The Ultimate Guide To Planning Your Future, a free download, and the Action Accelerator, where we can sit down one-on-one to make a plan together.  Let's make 2025 the year your business skyrockets with leads, sales, and unstoppable growth!   What's In This Episode Marketing Changes and Required Skills in 2025 Self-Assessment for Marketing Strategies Cohesive marketing ecosystem Content Engagement vs. Business Success Leveraging AI in Marketing Importance of Zero Party Data   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e176 for all resources from this episode.

Our best video cheat codes to capture attention and answer the questions your audience is already asking.    In the final episode of our Strategic Marketing For Your Business series, we're sharing our best advice on creating one of the most powerful types of content today—video.  First things first: You need a content plan  If you want to get the reps in and strengthen your video-making muscle, start by creating a content plan. The only way creating video content is going to get easier is if you continue to do the work of showing up, hitting record, and pushing past the discomfort, so make it easier for yourself to do that by creating a clear direction. This week, Cass and I are walking you through how we recommend creating a list of video content ideas so you never feel lost about what to record. From how to hold the camera to how long your videos should be  So many people get caught up in the technical aspects of video creation. Should they be long-form or short-form? Should you hold the camera portrait or landscape?  We answer these questions and more by starting with the purpose of your video (is it meant to entertain or educate?) and identifying which social platform your audience will respond to best.  Creating video content can be an intimidating process, but don't let that stop you. With the guidance in this episode and our helpful cheat codes at the end, you'll be comfortable and confident in your ability to create great video content in no time! Plan Your 2025 With Me  On December 6th, join me for a full-day virtual workshop where we will dive into money, time, marketing, and mindset with tactical advice, strategies, and resources. Learn more at lisalarter.com/plan-or-perish.  What's In This Episode Emphasis on authenticity over perfection in video creation Informal content with basic quality standards  Matching content type and video orientation to platform use for engagement  How to repurpose video content Determining when professional vs. informal filming is needed  Building camera confidence with smartphone videos What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e175 for all resources from this episode. 

Learn how to plan, commit to, and produce a podcast to promote your thought leadership and expertise.    One of the telling signs someone is an expert in their field is if they are able to confidently chat about their topic of genius with little to no preparation. That's why I love to help my clients create podcast strategies to distribute their expertise through this powerful type of media.  This week, Cass and I are back with the fourth episode of our Strategic Marketing For Your Business series. We identify the five reasons podcasts fail and how to overcome them. You're going to hear some great tactical tips for how to start and sustain your own podcast for the long-term goal of establishing credibility and growing your business.  5 Key Factors Contributing to Pod Fade  We identify the five reasons podcasts rarely extend beyond 5 episodes and how to avoid them. The most common misstep is not having a content strategy. Listen in for guiding questions on how to create a content roadmap for planning your episodes. For a real look behind the scenes at what it's like to have a podcast, listen in to hear our own process for producing She Talks Business and the many hands and skills it takes to create a quality episode.  Harness The Power Of Audio & Video  In this episode, we also give our best advice and tips for creating a podcast meant to be consumed via video or audio, how to capitalize on each distribution type, and which one your audience will enjoy and consume the most.  Are you interested in starting a podcast, or have you tried podcasting in the past? This is a must-listen episode to help you consider the commitment and strategy for a successful podcast. Be part of the 5 percent who make it to episode 100 with our podcasting tips! What's In This Episode Starting and sustaining a podcast  5 reasons podcasts fail and how to overcome them Content roadmap strategy for podcast longevity Importance of unscripted dialogue to appear as an expert Podcast production process  What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e174 for all resources from this episode. 

Thought Leadership vs. Content Marketing: Fueling an audience who knows, likes, & trusts you    Let's answer all of your questions about thought leadership! This week, we are diving into what it is, where it should go for your audience to find it, how to keep it safe, and how to repurpose it for your preferred social media channels. We even address a common misconception: the difference between thought leadership and content marketing. Importance of Thought Leadership  Establishing, growing, and maintaining your business requires a content marketing strategy, but the true strength of your credibility lies in your thought leadership. From picking your topics to establishing a sustainable cadence, this episode will give you the information you need to be confident in establishing your expertise with your audience. Staying Inspired  This week, we also share our favorite thought leader role models who inspire with fresh, impactful content. You'll hear how they keep ideas flowing and manage to incorporate lessons from real-life experiences, which they then use for content on socials or in books. Plus, we'll cover a variety of content formats to bring your ideas to life, from visuals and writing to audio and video. This episode really is jam-packed with useful tips and insights on how to create content and thought leadership. Your business and authority will never be stronger than when you continue to create.    What's In This Episode Definition and importance of thought leadership  Need for consistency and focus  Various formats for thought leadership and content  Building recognition and trust through frequent content publication  Strategies to overcome these challenges with time management and content prompts What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e173 for all resources from this episode.

Take your website from good to Google-worthy.   Welcome back to the second episode of our “Strategic Marketing For Your Business” series where this week, Cass Bald, my Senior Team Manager, and I are talking you through our top 10 recommendations to start having your website work for you. Our discussion ranges from simple, quick fixes to more complex website maintenance, and we even dive into SEO tactics to help your business rank on Google.  Create A 5-Star User Experience  When building a website, your customer should always be the lens through which you view your site. Is it easy to navigate? Can I browse my site for 60 seconds and come away answering the questions, what do I do, and what do I offer? We address how to create a site that guides and informs the user in a way that converts them to customers. In fact, we reveal one simple misstep many businesses make, and you'd be shocked by how obvious it is! Technical Tricks & Savvy SEO Tips  Whether you manage your site yourself or have a team to do it for you, you don't want to miss hearing the horror story of a website disappearing and how to avoid it from ever happening to you. Plus, while you may know SEO is important and links to your Google ranking, we go over how to create an SEO strategy to keep yourself relevant in Google's eyes with regular recurring content.  I hope you enjoy this episode and that it gives you some smart ideas for improving your website. If this was valuable to you, be sure to tune into next week's episode, where we'll talk about thought leadership and content marketing!   What's In This Episode 10 strategies to audit the efficacy of your website  Clear communication of business offerings  Calls to action should be in clear places on relevant pages  Benefits of regular recurring content  Clear and minimal navigation tactics  Create a contact page utopia for inbound leads  SEO guidance for keywords and keyword phrases for the pages and posts of your website What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e172 for all resources from this episode.

Your customer experience starts with your positioning and messaging   Take a peek behind the curtain of what it's like to work with us as your marketing team! I'm here with my Senior Team Manager, Cass Bald. We're starting a new series where we walk you through five of the key elements of creating a marketing strategy for your business using the same strategy we would use. It's called the Strategic Marketing Roadmap, or SMR for short.  In our first episode of this series, we focus on branding, positioning, and messaging. We address misconceptions about brands and dive into what a brand truly is. We discuss how what your brand makes people feel is the real impact you're looking for and the importance of tapping into what people remember most about you and your business.  One key point we make, and you don't want to miss hearing what we have to say, is about alignment. Aligning your brand with your personality builds more trust with clients than any impressive marketing strategy. We even share our own stories of misalignment between brand and business owner to explain why. Lastly, we differentiate between messaging and positioning. Differentiate and leverage these two elements to appeal to your ideal customer. The words you use on your website, in your content, and the way you position yourself within the market set the tone for their expectations.  After listening to this episode, you'll be equipped with tips to assess and adjust your brand to make the best impression. We hope you use these episodes to assess how strong your marketing strategy is as we make our way to the end of the year and prepare for new goals in 2025.    What's In This Episode  Common misconceptions about branding Importance of brand alignment and consistency Distinguishing positioning and messaging Aligning messaging with customer expectations   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e171 for all resources from this episode. 

Navigating Transitions, Pivots, & Retirement of the Modern Entrepreneur     We are back with one of my favorite types of episodes - an Ask Me Anything! This week, Kathleen Mundy is taking over the microphone to guest-host and ask me all the questions she can about how I've approached the many pivots in my business, selling a business, and how to do it all with confidence.  Kathleen, a longtime friend and fellow dachshund mom, transitioned from a successful career as a multi-million dollar entrepreneur to looking for her new passion in life after retiring in 2022 and moving to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Realizing her retirement wasn't as fulfilling as expected, she founded the Retirement Innovation Lab to help others navigate retirement with joy and purpose. Partnering with Yasmin Nguyen, 22 years her junior, they created a platform offering innovative solutions for retirees.  Kathleen's journey from business success to finding her new passion serves as an inspiring example of resilience and optimism. To Pivot Or Not To Pivot? How I decide.  Listen in to hear my thought process about how I decide if a pivot makes sense for my business and my brand and if it aligns with my values. I also touch on how I manage to feel confident when making some pretty big shifts and how I prepare for them.  Check Before You Invest  As an entrepreneur and a quick-start, I'm constantly thinking of new ideas, but I realize not all of them will be viable. Kathleen and I discuss my method of testing ideas before I invest extensive time and money into creating or marketing a project or opportunity. You won't want to miss hearing about my invitation marketing technique, which I've used for years to determine if my new ideas have the potential to be a success. The best part? I'm not risking a large investment or missing out on ideas my clients love.  It's always a pleasure to have my friends on my podcast, and Kathleen came prepared. This episode is beneficial for anyone of any age, so I hope you listen in and get some great advice on how to apply your unique gifts as an entrepreneur.    What's In This Episode   The challenges of entrepreneurship, including addressing self-doubt, resilience, and difficult decision-making  The importance of personality, service delivery, and thought leadership  Transitioning to Entrepreneurship in Retirement  The importance of hiring mentors and investing in your business when transitioning to entrepreneurship  Minimizing risk with financial preparedness, risk assessment, and trusting your own capabilities   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e170 for all resources from this episode. 

Capture Inspired Moments and Finally Finish Your Book    Welcome back Michelle Weger with our second podcast in a row with her! In the previous episode, we celebrated the release of her new book, Don't Snooze Your Dreams: Lessons from Life with Narcolepsy. Now, we're going to talk about how Michelle was able to write her book so quickly and even managed to get it published ahead of schedule.  Michelle is an accomplished entrepreneur, speaker, and now #1 International Best Selling author of Don't Snooze Your Dreams. As the founder of Venture Creative Collective, home of the innovative 'Website in a Day' service, Michelle helps small businesses thrive with innovative automation and web development solutions. Living with narcolepsy, Michelle has transformed personal challenges into powerful lessons, inspiring countless individuals to pursue their dreams despite obstacles. Her engaging keynotes draw from real-life experiences, offering practical strategies and inspiring stories. Michelle is accompanied by her medical alert service dog, Quinn.  Keep Moving Forward  Michelle managed to finish her book in record time of under a year of writing, and it was published five days ahead of schedule. She achieved this feat by disregarding habits we've grown to expect from authors. Instead of continuously sitting at a desk day after day, hoping she'd be inspired until the last word was written, she took a completely different approach. Listen in for the various ways she turned traditional writing on its head and created a book that is so conversational and comfortable that one reader described it as talking with a friend over a latte.  One Book Written With A Much Bigger Picture In Mind Michelle's reasons for writing this book are incredible and inspiring. She wants to help others achieve their dreams with her DREAM method, but she also wants to help others like her be diagnosed as quickly as possible by spreading awareness of her journey from not knowing what was wrong to her diagnosis. You won't believe how big she is thinking when it comes to how she'd like her book distributed and who she would love to help her realize her dream.  I've loved having Michelle on the show for these two episodes! If you're currently stuck writing your book or have always wanted to write a book, then this episode is your inspiration. Maybe something we say will be the tactic that works best for you to finally move forward and finish your book!    What's In This Episode Unconventional methods for writing a book  Natural ways to start collecting stories and advice without spending hours writing at a desk  Set word count goals  Focus on quality over a self-imposed deadline  How to test if your content resonates with your audience   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e169 for all resources from this episode. 

Deconstruct the Fears Holding You Back    Welcome back for a very special episode! We're celebrating the release of Michelle Weger's book, Don't Snooze Your Dreams. Michelle and I have been working together for 7 years now, and I've seen her do some really hard things. I'm so proud of her for writing this book and sharing how she reframes fear to accomplish her dreams and helping you all do the same.   Michelle Weger is an accomplished entrepreneur, speaker, and now #1 International Best Selling author. As the founder of Venture Creative Collective, Michelle helps small businesses thrive with innovative automation and web development solutions. Living with narcolepsy, Michelle has transformed personal challenges into powerful lessons, inspiring countless individuals to pursue their dreams despite obstacles.  Consequences of Advocacy  As someone with an invisible disability, Michelle discusses how she's grown in her advocacy. She's faced a lot of tough pushback and consequences because her service dog is "too big," or people don't believe she's a service dog and don't believe Michelle even has a disability. After seeing how her mother, friends, and colleagues stood up for her, Michelle realized if she stood up for herself now, she would also be helping others.  Only Two Types of Fear  In her book, Michelle identifies only two types of fear we all suffer from. We have a social fear, which, boiled down, is the fear of embarrassment, and physical fear, which is fear of something that could actually kill or harm us. The metaphors she uses in the book are brilliant in reframing how you feel about fear. Keep your ears open for when we talk about the paper dinosaur and the terrorist in our heads.  Fear and adversity are ever present throughout our lives and our careers. Whether we're facing a promotion at work or an autoimmune disease diagnosis, we will always be battling our paper dinosaurs and terrorists in our heads. Listen in to hear about Michelle's DREAM method, which anyone can use to overcome whatever obstacles they're facing in life and achieve their dreams.    What's In This Episode Facing adversity for a non-apparent disability like narcolepsy  Role models help bolster advocacy for yourself and, eventually others  Metaphors for fears holding us back from our dreams  Tactics for doing hard things  DREAM method for overcoming fears and achieving dreams   What To Do Next   Visit lisalarter.com/e168 for all resources from this episode.

Add value to your user experience without alienating clients and prospects    It's time for the finale of the Leveraging AI series with Mary Fearon! We're wrapping up with a final discussion on improving customer service with AI. When to Start & Stop with AI Automation Chatbots and automated messaging systems are the most common AI solutions for customer service and prospecting. These solutions certainly have their place, but at what point do they become harmful to your brand?  In this episode, we discuss the harm of over-relying on AI to be the solution to your (or your customer's) problem and how to avoid this mistake in your business. Behind-the-Scene Uses of AI to Benefit Your Customers & Clients   When you think about customer service, the goal is to provide a valuable experience. Tune in as Mary and I discuss how AI can enhance this by acting as a personal assistant, quickly handling labor-intensive tasks like writing customer-facing documents and accelerating research to understand new clients. Want all of our suggestions on how to save yourself time while building a deeper connection with your clients? This is the episode for you. Interested in attending our AI workshop? Sign up for our waitlist at lisalarter.com/ai to be the first to know about the investment, format, and details. Mary and I can't wait to help you start experimenting with AI in your business. We had a lot of fun recording this series together, and we hope you're inspired to jump into this next phase of business operation with the help of your AI personal assistant!   What's In This Episode Experimenting with AI for business improvement  Personal and business relationships AI cannot replace AI-generated user guides, onboarding documents, etc. Importance of inspection to ensure AI tools maintain brand integrity   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e167 for all resources from this episode. 

The Perks & Risks of AI for Content Creation      Welcome to the fourth episode of our Leveraging AI series! Mary Fearon and I are back to share our perspectives and experiences using AI in our businesses. Missed the introduction to this series? Go back and listen to episodes 163, 164, and 165! In today's episode, we talk about one of AI's most common uses—content creation.    Valuable Content is Never 100% AI   Anyone using AI will usually input the same prompt and receive the same generic response. To turn that response into something that is actually valuable, you must inject your opinion, perspective, and wisdom. Stand out from the massive amount of AI-generated content that is currently saturating digital spaces by using it as a tool to brainstorm and develop strong content faster instead of letting it do all your thinking for you. Using AI should speed up the process but never replace your voice.    AI Is Not An Easy Button—Here Are Smart Ways To Use It     Mary and I discuss how we use AI as a springboard to come up with ideas to write about. We ask AI to condense writing into social media posts, bios, or website copy with a set character limit. Sometimes, we ask it to provide different versions of already-written copy using more persuasive or pithy language. Listen in to hear how we even use AI for more effective SEO when writing blogs or web pages!   We'd love for you to join us for the AI in Business workshop Mary and I plan to host. For more information, sign up for our waitlist here: lisalarter.com/ai.   What's In This Episode Strategies for optimizing content length using AI AI for creating website starter copy and headlines Finding the balance between AI and personal voice Warning against overreliance on AI Adding personal value and perspective to AI-generated content    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e166 for all resources from this episode.  

Cut Out the Heavy Lifting—Use AI To Gain Momentum For Your Ideas       Welcome back to week 3 of our 5-week series, Leveraging AI: Proven, Practical, & Tactical Approaches to Using AI in Your Business. Today, we're diving into how we use AI for idea generation and our top tips for writing powerful, time-saving prompts. This series is in collaboration with my friend and colleague, Mary Fearon.  Mary, if you have yet to hear in the previous two episodes, is a fellow marketing agency owner. She is the Founder and CEO of OnPrPose, a company that helps entrepreneurs and businesses tell their stories effectively, both internally and externally. If you just found this series, go back to our introduction episode, AI: Introducing Your New Unpaid Team Member.  Today, we are focusing on how to be the best “creative director” so that whatever AI tool you are using can give you usable, valuable ideas as a brainstorming partner. The magic all lies in your prompts. How to Talk to AI  When using AI, you have to shift your mindset around how you request information. With a search engine, you would input strings of keywords and find pretty relevant search results. When using AI, you have to expand your prompt to give context and background for the work you're producing, just like you would to a member of your team. By taking the time to craft thorough prompts, you're limiting the amount of back-and-forth and getting hyper-relevant copy or ideas in response. Listen in for our top tips on how to frame a thorough prompt for AI! What Do We Use AI For? As marketing agency owners, Mary and I use AI to do a lot of the heavy lifting that once took hours for our team to do. For example, Mary uses AI for competitive analysis. Instead of having to comb through several websites and social media pages, AI can give you an overview.  In this episode, we go over many more ways we use AI in marketing, including creating and writing in our clients' voices, creating client avatars, and even ideas for increasing engagement on social media. AI allows you to take an idea, cuts down the drafting time, and gets you to a place where you can apply your expertise, style, and perspective in just a few minutes. Mary and I have had so much fun finding different ways to use AI in our businesses, and we hope you're getting inspired on how to start using it in yours! If you'd like more information about the AI in Business workshop Mary and I plan to host, sign up for our waitlist here: lisalarter.com/ai.   What's In This Episode Shift from traditional search queries to conversational prompts for AI usage  Mary and Lisa's experiences using AI to generate fresh ideas for podcasts, newsletters, and workshops Viewing AI as a tool to deliver more value without replacing individual perspective and expertise Using AI for competitive analysis, establishing a client's voice, and creating avatars or personas for targeting content to appropriate audiences   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e165 for all resources from this episode.

Our favorite AI tools, user tips, and privacy considerations    Mary Fearon and I are back with the second episode of our AI series! In this series of conversations, we deep-dive into how we use AI in our businesses, and today's episode is all about how we use AI in meetings.  If you missed it from last week, Mary is the founder and CEO of On Prpose, a company helping entrepreneurs and businesses tell their stories effectively. With a keen eye for uncovering hidden narratives, Mary and her team excel at distilling complex information into compelling, relatable content.  Mary and I both run marketing agencies, and it goes without saying we attend a lot of meetings every single week. There are lots of meeting notes to keep up with and action items to implement, so it is imperative we have reliable meeting notes. Having AI take those notes and summarize our action items has been a huge time saver, but there has been a learning curve as we get used to using this tool and find our favorite AI notetakers for our needs.  Let's Compare & Contrast  Mary and I go over the AI tools we started with, got rid of, and our overall favorites for making our meetings more productive and our implementation even faster. We hope our experience and advice help you decide which one to try for yourself in your next meeting.  We Cover Privacy & Productivity  Mary and I also go over our thoughts on privacy within our businesses and with our clients when using AI for meeting notes, before we end the episode with a great time-management AI tool suggestion that has helped alleviate stress in Mary's company. We hope this was useful for you to begin seeing the value of using AI in your business!  Next week, we will discuss how AI helps us with idea generation and even how to craft effective prompts. Stay tuned for the rest of the series, which will cover using AI for content creation, customer service, and more!  If you'd like more information about the AI in Business workshop Mary and I plan to host, sign up for our waitlist here: lisalarter.com/ai.  What's In This Episode Overview of AI tools for recording, transcribing, and summarizing meetings Translating meeting information into implementation effectively Establishing protocols for using AI in meetings and respecting privacy and confidentiality agreements What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e164 for all resources from this episode. 

Turns Hours of Work Into Minutes with AI    Welcome to the first episode of a new season in collaboration with Mary Fearon!  For this series of conversations, Mary Fearon and I will be talking all about AI. Mary and I both run marketing agencies, and we've started introducing AI into our team workflows and personal lives. If you're a small business looking to learn how AI can help you save time and effort, this is a great introduction. With AI, we've been able to streamline our processes, freeing up more time for what we do best!  Mary is the founder and CEO of On Prpose, a company helping entrepreneurs and businesses tell their stories effectively. With a keen eye for uncovering hidden narratives, Mary and her team excel at distilling complex information into compelling, relatable content.  Mary has helped hundreds of companies in complex industrial and technical businesses, including agriculture, manufacturing, mining, construction, engineering, and more. Varied experience has honed her ability to find and communicate the essence of a business or industry, no matter how technical or nuanced. She believes in the power of storytelling to capture complexity while making it interesting and relevant to the audience.  The Number 1 Way We Use AI   AI has saved us from blank-page syndrome—it's an amazing brainstorming partner. When starting a new project or wanting to create something from scratch, we both have noticed how quickly AI can take us from an abstract idea to something to work with. It eliminates five hours of coming up with a rough draft and instead gives us that time to focus on refining the copy, adding a brand voice, and focusing on the end result.  Where to start with AI?  There are many AI options to choose from and each one has its own benefits and drawbacks. Pick one, get to know it really well, and then you're more able to make a judgement on how you like using AI in your business and what features you may be looking for in other AI options.  In this episode, we also discuss increasing the quality of your prompts. The better your prompts, the better and more effective your results will be. Instead of thinking about how to search for a result, picture how you would give context and instructions to a coworker.  Tune in to hear all about some fun ways we've used AI outside of work! It has helped us come up with dinner ideas, gift ideas, or even how to track macros. There are so many ways to use AI and save valuable time.  The biggest takeaway for business owners who are hesitant to begin working with AI is that it is a tool. While AI helps us do our work faster and more efficiently, it will never be able to replace the wisdom, culture, and perspective humans bring to our work. The relationships, inspiration, and ideas fueling our business will never start with AI but can be developed and come to fruition much faster with its help.  If you'd like more information about the potential AI in business workshop Mary and I would host, or if you have questions you'd like us to address in an upcoming episode, email me at lisa@lisalarter.com.    What's In This Episode  How marketing agencies use AI  Enabling speed and reducing refining time Resistance to AI and “AI snobbery” Fun ways to use AI in your personal life  What To Do Next  Visit lisalarter.com/e163 for all resources from this episode. 

Dial into your employees' superpowers to help them on their journey   Adan was formerly the Marketing Team Manager and Marketing Strategist for the Lisa Larter Group and once served as a special guest host for six episodes of "She Talks Business" with our current Team Manager, Cass Bald. In this episode, Adan puts me in the hot seat for one of my favorite types of episodes where she gets to ask me anything!  Adan co-owns The Small Business Marketers and serves a few businesses as a Fractional Sales Manager. Her mission is to bring corporate-style marketing and sales teams to small businesses. In 2020, Adan began her marketing career by helping brick-and-mortar stores go digital during the pandemic. Over the past four years, she has helped over 75 small businesses implement effective marketing and sales strategies. Outside of her professional life, Adan is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and ADHD in the workplace. Navigating Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace  In this episode, Adan and I discuss how an employer should approach working with an employee with ADHD, anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions.  Adan thinks of her ADHD as her superpower—she loves talking to clients, and that's what she does best. We agree that open communication is a must for deciding where an employee can excel based on their individual superpowers. What do you think? Cultivate a Winning Environment for Your Employees  Do you view your role as an employer as being part of your employees' journeys? When you give your people an environment where they can be honest about their goals to move on to entrepreneurship, or whatever the next step is in their journey, you will foster a relationship of trust and empowerment.   In this episode, we also cover the importance of marketing, whether it's for lead generation or credibility, and focus on sales skills. We end off with a fun discussion on which designer bag means you've “made it.” Thanks for listening in!      What's In This Episode  How to accommodate employees with ADHD or other mental health conditions  Sale skills for small businesses  Best way to view employer/employee relationship  The role of marketing in your business  Which designer bag means you've "made it?"    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e162 for all resources from this episode. 

Gut Instincts and Common Sense Over an MBA Any Day   We are so lucky to have an amazing woman who also happens to be an incredible businesswoman join us on the show this week! Amber Vilhauer and I started our businesses only one year apart in 2007 and 2008, so I wanted to ask her some questions focused on longevity and what she believes are the reasons she's stayed in business for 17 years and counting.  Amber is a Books & Business strategist, multi-bestselling author, speaker, and Founder of NGNG Enterprises (No Guts No Glory), an Inc. 5000 top marketing agency. She is the author of Infinite Impact and co-author of The Long Forest Trail with her son, Clay. Since starting NGNG in 2007, Amber has helped thousands of entrepreneurs align their businesses with their core talents and desires, empowering them to build the business and life of their dreams while naturally scaling revenue and impact.  Among her clients, Amber has a reputation for getting quality work done quickly. She and her team routinely get in the trenches, implementing custom marketing strategies that attract qualified leads, launching bestselling books, and growing engaged followings that convert. Her strategies are comprehensive, deep, and built to align every aspect of her clients' businesses with their ultimate visions. No MBA? No Problem.  Amber and I do not have MBAs and we didn't plan to have our own businesses when we first entered the workforce. We learned the skills necessary to keep our business growing and profitable, but it's not finance, marketing, or other technical skills keeping us in business. Amber believes consistency and her non-negotiables around how she treats clients and the quality of her work truly make a difference.  Get Over Perfectionism & Get Scrappy  Amber has great advice on how to shift your perspective on getting work done. By letting go of perfectionism, we can better help people in need of our services.  Don't underestimate the value of being scrappy as an entrepreneur. When we live in an age where we can learn about anything with just a few searches and countless resources, there is no excuse to let, "I haven't done that before" or "I don't know how to do that," stand in your way.   Find A Balance and the Right Fit  As a single mom, Amber lets us in on how she's able to be a present mom AND a successful businesswoman. Her priorities are always top of mind. She even lets us in on her process of deciding if a client is still in alignment with her values and if they still light her up when working with them. If they don't, she lets them go in a gentle but straightforward way.  As you'll hear in our discussion, Amber and I agree that treating your clients well, prioritizing your energy as a business owner, and confronting your perfectionism will help you go the distance. Happy Listening!  What's In This Episode  Non-negotiables and consistency lead to longevity in business  Prioritize effort, energy, and intention over perfectionism  How to let a client go  Running a business as a single mother  Word of mouth is the most powerful piece of marketing  What To Do Next  Visit lisalarter.com/e161 for all resources from this episode. 

Business, Legacy, & Bucket Lists—We Cover It All    I am beyond thrilled to have my long-time friend, colleague, client, and co-conspirator, Samantha Moonsammy, acting as our guest host in this edition of Ask Me Anything!  If you remember the Oprah in Ottawa event I referenced a few episodes back, Samantha is the woman who I worked with to bring that event about. She is a great person with an amazing heart, and since we've worked together on many events and used to live only 20 minutes from each other, she came up with some great personal and professional questions. She even asked me a really big question about why I left Canada. That's something I've never talked about before, so I'm glad she asked!  Samantha works with authors through Lucky Book Publishing's signature VIP programs that include writing, publishing, and marketing. She provides strategic coaching to authors and helps them craft the best-selling title, subtitle, book outlines, story-telling, and wow-factor branding that makes you stand out from the crowd. Before running Lucky Book Publishing, Samantha was an award-winning celebrity event planner, television host, media personality, and public servant. She has been on book marketing event teams for many award-winning thought leaders including Elizabeth Gilbert, Deepak Chopra, the late Wayne Dyer, Caroline Myss, Marianne Williamson, and Eckhart Tolle. In this episode, we go from morning routines, habits, professional tools, and favorite books to bucket-list items. We even discuss some memorable Lisa Larter quotes, including, “Free is too expensive,” and “You can't ride two horses with one ass.” This was so much fun to record with Samantha, and I'm so glad she was able to take the mic and guest host for us this week!    What's In This Episode  Lisa's professional and personal habits Why Lisa left Canada and moved to the United States Professional tools for productivity with a remote team Legacy and impact    What To Do Next  Visit lisalarter.com/e160 for all resources from this episode. 

Not all business owners are.    This episode of She Talks Business is out of the ordinary because it's not for the average person. In fact, I'm going to tell you right now—this episode isn't for 99.9% of you. Today, our guest, Justin Breen, is only talking to true visionaries—a special group that makes up only 0.1% of the population.  Justin's purpose in life is to connect visionaries for the benefit of humanity, and he founded his business, BrEpic Network, to do precisely that.  We talk about what it means to be a true visionary and even if I am a true visionary. Talking with Justin, I found out there are three qualities a true visionary will always have, with no exceptions.  Quality #1: Prioritize serving others even after their lifetime. Business, profit, and money are never the focus of a visionary. Instead, those things are a by-product of their primary focus as they create a service and system that will outlive even the visionary who created it.  Quality #2: Live without limits in full abundance. Visionaries don't have a scarcity mindset, and because of that, they don't worry about whether they will achieve their goals but instead dive into the third quality, taking action toward how they will achieve their goal.  Quality #3: Take action to implement their plan to serve others. Because they have an abundance mindset, they focus on investment, not cost. The faith they have in their idea of helping others will propel them to move forward with their plan without hesitating or second-guessing.  Do you have these qualities, and do you relate to Justin and his worldview? If so, you're a visionary! Listen to this episode as we explore each of these traits. We even get Justin's opinion on famous entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson and Elon Musk. This was a fascinating conversation—I hope you enjoy it!    What's In This Episode  Conversation with Founder and CEO of BrEpic network Qualities of true visionaries  Visionaries make up only 0.1% of the population  Find your gift in life  What To Do Next  Visit lisalarter.com/e159 for all resources from this episode. 

Exponentially Increase Your Impact with Genuine Connections   Welcome back to She Talks Business! Today, we are sitting down with someone I look up to so much, Giovanni Marsico.  I've been attending his event, Archangel Summit, since 2016, and I'm so glad he is joining me today. We have so much to learn from someone who values relationships more than anything, and it's with this mindset that he has achieved all of his success.    Giovanni is a two-time Emmy award-winning producer and the CEO and founder of Archangel, a global community of entrepreneurs on a mission to impact millions of people together. As a producer, he's creating a new genre he calls real-life superhero movies with films like Dreamer and Hero to inspire millions of people to dream bigger, unleash their gifts, and change the world.    The Secret to a Devoted Community  Giovanni has cultivated a network of high-profile connections who show up for him at his events as speakers and who are loyal to him when he may need to ask a favor in the future.  The success of these connections never starts with a transaction or with business in mind, but instead, Giovanni views his role with a new individual as,  "How can I help you on your journey?"  This selfless commitment to their betterment instead of his own results in much deeper connections than a business transaction ever could.    Mitigate Risk Like a Pro  When Giovanni thinks about his events and working with clients, he doesn't focus on selling but on a long-term investment in a relationship. He views his events as a journey he takes the audience on, and he aims to create an experience so awesome and valuable that people can't wait to come to the next one. When working with clients, he wants the experience to be so amazing his clients continue to work with him.    We cover a lot of different topics from identity, confidence, mitigating risks, and how to culitvate deep relationships. Giovanni offers such valuable insights, so I can't wait to hear what you get out of this episode.  If you're interested in attending Giovanni's event, Archangel, with me in September, 2024, and want to amplify your learning, reach out by emailing lisa@lisalarter.com. I can't wait to get back to this event and see what Giovanni has planned for this year!    What's In This Episode Network by investing in relationships without keeping score Importance of surrounding oneself with the right people Focus on creating an experience with your event, not traditional hard-sell tactics Overcoming Criticism and Embracing New Roles   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e158 for all resources from this episode.  

From Wiener Dogs to Dropping Out of High School to Going into Business 100% for Myself   This edition of Ask Me Anything was such a blast to do with my new podcasting BFF, Richard Citrin.   Richard, if you don't remember from my previous episode with him, helps people successfully navigate the inevitable happenings of life. Whether they are wins or failures, he helps his clients learn essential lessons and see opportunities for growth.    Richard's study of resilience and leadership, along with his many years as a psychologist, business entrepreneur, and corporate healthcare leader, prepared him to advise and support global and local corporate and nonprofit organizations, educators, medical professionals, and individuals to find their most extraordinary talents and use them for their success and to better the world.    Richard did an excellent job preparing a balance of personal and business questions for this Ask Me Anything. This episode is sure to be as much fun to listen to as it was to record!    It starts off with a bang as we discuss how I discovered my love for weiner dogs, why I dropped out of high school, and how I decided to fully bet on myself and go all-in with my own business.   Resilient from the Very Start    I have no idea why my kindergarten teacher said this to my mom, but she said, "You could put Lisa out in the world by herself right now, and she would survive." I have this innate resilience to just figure stuff out when I want to do something or don't want to do something. That trait was present when I was 5, and it really showed itself again when I needed to start working at 18. Another example was when I wanted to open my first Telus dealership and further my career. That figure-it-out-no-matter-what attitude is really what makes or breaks an entrepreneur.    Art: The 1 Credit Keeping Me from a High School Diploma    For the longest time, I thought I wasn't creative because the one credit I never took to finish high school was art. It's not that I'm not creative. I call creativity strategy. Strategy is about figuring out the best way to shorten the distance to help somebody get to where they want to be. I see how to position and package someone's potential and bring it to life for them.    Is AI a Threat to Creative Businesses?    Richard asks about how I expect AI to affect business and entrepreneurs. As someone who has adopted a few AI programs already into my business, I believe that AI is not going away, but it will not replace human connection or human creativity. AI is only as useful as the prompts and guidance someone gives the program. Plus, just as we all got Zoom fatigue during and after the pandemic, we're still going to crave human connection, creativity, and guidance that AI will never replace.    This was such a fun and valuable episode! Give it a listen, and be sure to subscribe and share.    What's In This Episode How Lisa came to be obsessed with dachshunds  Why Lisa dropped out of school and her start in retail Lisa's successful career in business, including owning a Telus dealership Creativity as strategy and its value in entrepreneurship Why Lisa started She Talks Business    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e157 for all resources from this episode.

Be the Best You Can Be   Joining us this week on She Talks Business is a very special guest, Phil Holberton. He is an incredible example of how mental agility can help you overcome some of the biggest physical and mental challenges you face in life.    With many decades of specialized expertise in strategic planning, business development, operations, and executive coaching for senior executives, business owners, and CEOs, he has consistently stayed at the forefront of his field. He has successfully guided and developed senior management teams in various companies, a testament to his ability to drive organizational growth and success through effective leadership.   Stop Comparing Yourself After suffering from a massive seizure, Phil shares with us how he grew the most in his own mental agility. He went from doing basic stretches and needing help getting up and down from the floor in the gym to doing 90-pound weighted goblet squats in just five years.  His physical shape now is in the top one-half of 1% of people his age, but the way Phil achieved that is not by aiming to be in the top 1% but by focusing on being the healthiest version of himself he can be.    3 Steps to Better Mental Agility  Phil believes mental agility is preparing yourself to be the best you can be. You're setting yourself up to live your life well and handle whatever is thrown at you.  There are 3 things he does to be on his A-game: get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise.    Be Who You Want To Be  Habits and routines set you up for success and get you ready to face the day, but they also help you become who you want to be.  Mental agility is about mindset and how you react to different challenges and situations. Prepare yourself by adopting healthy habits for your body, and you'll achieve the mental agility you want in your mind.    We have a great discussion where we focus on continuing to learn and being open and vulnerable to grow as a leader and as a person. I know you'll find some great inspiration and takeaways from this episode, so be sure to share it on social media or with a friend!    What's In This Episode Managing sleep, diet, and exercise for mental agility Commitment to continuous learning and personal development Benefits of openness and vulnerability in peer groups Impact of personal attributes on leadership and performance Promotion of Positive Company Culture   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e156 for all resources from this episode.

It's Hardwired Into You.   If you've ever felt defeated, like you shouldn't have even started your business or taken on that project, or maybe you just can't get over grief in your personal life, then you need to listen to this week's special guest, Richard Citrin, an expert on resilience. Richard views and talks about resilience in a way I hadn't considered before, where resilience isn't a skill to acquire but rather a muscle all of us already possess. We discuss how to practice growing this resilience muscle and how to overcome and prepare for those challenging situations life inevitably throws at us.  Richard Citron is a psychologist, business entrepreneur, and corporate healthcare leader with a PhD and an MBA. He helps people successfully navigate challenging seasons in their lives. Richard helps his clients learn the essential lessons and opportunities for growth in wins or failures in their lives. Richard's study of resilience and leadership prepared him to advise and support global and local, corporate and nonprofit organizations, educators, medical professionals, and individuals to find their most extraordinary talents and use them for their success and to better the world.  The 4 Components of Resilience  When considering resilience in terms of human behavior and how we address stressful situations,  Richard considers it our ability to effectively plan for, navigate successfully in real-time, and bounce forward from challenging and difficult events, so we learn and grow from them.  Practical Tips to Do More Than Survive   Richard and his wife lost two adult children in a relatively short timeframe, so they know personally what it's like to face grief and embrace resilience. Richard's advice when it comes to feeling like you're only surviving is to embrace your community and get professional help. Let your friends, family, and everyone else in your support system help you and don't isolate yourself. Getting professional help, such as therapy, will also help you understand your mental state more and help you move toward a healthier, manageable balance of emotions.  The silver bullet for resilience and overcoming extreme emotions is mindset, Richard says. Prepare for adversity by having a positive mindset and intentionally spending time doing what makes you happy.  I am so grateful to Richard and his wife for overcoming their tragedy and finding ways to help others deal with tragedies and challenges in their own lives. If this episode was insightful and eye-opening to you, please leave us a review and share it with those who may need it right now.    What's In This Episode Anticipating and preparing for triggers  Handling overwhelming life changes  Surviving as a critical aspect of resilience Community and professional support  Importance of mindset    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e155 for all resources from this episode.

From Directionless to Navigating Deserts & Frozen Tundra   This might be the best episode we've ever done of She Talks Business. I'm stoked to have special guest and old friend Ray Zahab on the show to talk about his incredible transformation from a pack-a-day smoker to an ultra-distance runner and explorer. We even dive into how he applied the same mindset he had around transforming his life the first time to how he approached battling cancer.  Who is Ray Zahab?  Let me tell you a little bit about Ray. He is a Canadian explorer, an ultra-distance runner, and the founder of the nonprofit Impossible to Possible. In addition to being an adventurer, author, youth advocate, and runner, Ray speaks around the world. He has appeared on several talk and news programs and in print media globally. He continues today with life as an adventurer and as a volunteer. With Impossible to Possible, his first race would begin a lifelong journey of discovery and learning that some of the greatest barriers to achieving our goals are the ones we put upon ourselves. By breaking these down, Ray has learned that we are all capable of achieving truly extraordinary things. The Catalyst  On the show, I ask Ray what the spark was that inspired him to go from sitting on his couch day after day to believing he could run across the Sahara Desert. Like most of us, Ray saw someone, his brother, who seemed happier and doing well in his life, and Ray wanted to feel good, confident, and passionate just like his brother. He started doing what his brother was doing. He got in shape. He started racing mountain bikes and running, and then, after a few years of trying new things, he started doing and winning ultramarathons. And that's how he found his sport.  This idea of wanting what someone else has is something I see all the time with business owners who align themselves with coaches and advisors. The hardest thing to do once you've found your role model is to commit to doing what needs to be done to accomplish the same goals.  Explorer Mindset = Entrepreneurial Mindset You will be so inspired by our conversations about motivation, resilience, the importance of continuing to learn, and Ray's views on mindset and limitations. This episode is really, really interesting because we go from Ray overcoming dissatisfaction in his everyday life to learning how to navigate life with cancer and undergoing cancer treatments to the mindset needed to undergo and keep going on an expedition. It's just really fascinating, inspiring stuff!  I know you'll find this episode as incredible as I did, so please give it a listen and then share it with your people!     What's In This Episode Ray's journey from being a pack-a-day smoker to an adventurous ultra-marathon runner Redefining human potential and limitations Ray's approach to staying active during chemotherapy Importance of remaining humble and open-minded for personal growth The entrepreneurial spirit is believing that with enough time and effort, you will succeed    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e154 for all resources from this episode.

Women Lead Differently In the Best Way Possible    Our special guest on She Talks Business this week has had a profound impact on some of the most accomplished female entrepreneurs of our time, guiding them to reach new heights in their businesses.  We are incredibly lucky to have Kris Plachy on the show,  as she is busy doing so many amazing things and is in such high demand. She does so many great things, including being the founder of The Visionary CEO and the host of the "Leadership is Feminine" podcast.  Kris has supported powerful women in generating millions of dollars by hiring, leading, and firing hundreds of team members and navigating countless difficult moments, circumstances, and conversations.    Which Qualities Make the Best Leaders?  To start the show, we discuss which traits women have that make them exceptional leaders. If you think about it, leaders are usually described as powerful and authoritative with a lot of gravitas, but I want you to think about the leader you've admired most in your own experience.  More than likely, they weren't the stern, demanding, and commanding figures we picture when we think of leaders. The best leaders cultivate culture; they listen to us, support our efforts, and make us feel motivated and excited to do well. And do you know who excels at creating that kind of environment? Women.    Define Your Mission, Vision, & Values  Hiring, firing, and running your team will get infinitely easier once you clearly define your expectations—your mission, vision, and values—within your business. Identifying your values then helps you define each team member's roles and expected performance. By aligning your team with those qualities and goals, you are aligning yourself and your team for success in achieving your next milestone.    Your Team Members Are Not Your Allies  In this episode, we also dive into the challenges women must overcome to lead their teams effectively and to keep their goals in focus.  These challenges include having difficult conversations with team members who may be underperforming or are no longer the right fit. Another common struggle is women finding allies on their team.  Discussing your roadblocks with someone for their perspective is important, but your allies are not your employees. Your allies will be mentors and third parties with an outside perspective of your business who, more than likely, have already done what you're aiming to do.  I think you're really going to enjoy this episode! Kris gives you great, actionable tips on how to be more comfortable with difficult conversations and how to approach them with confidence.  Be sure to subscribe and share this episode if it is valuable to you!    What's In This Episode Common challenges faced by women leaders  How to have difficult conversations  The importance of defining your business's mission, vision, & values  Monetize intellectual property   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e153 for all resources from this episode.

Heal Your Mind to Heal Your Business   This week, we're talking with special guest Annie Wright, LMFT, a psychotherapist, about relational trauma and mental wellness and how it affects your business.   Annie founded and runs Evergreen Counseling, a boutique trauma-informed therapy center in Berkeley, California, where she practices therapy and oversees a staff of 20 trauma therapists. In addition to her direct clinical work, she runs an online course called Hard Families Good Boundaries. This transformative video-based program helps folks deal more effectively with the difficult family members who may be in their lives—I'm sure we all have some of those.  She is also a published mental health author, with her opinions appearing in Business Insider, Forbes, NBC, the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and more.  Every bit of Annie's work in the world, her clinical work, the center she founded, the courses she runs, and every article she writes is designed to support ambitious, upwardly mobile women from relational trauma backgrounds. We talk about mental health, emotional dysregulation, the importance of business owners having a healthy mental perspective, and how to recognize when they might need additional support.  In this episode, Annie and I have a great conversation about relational trauma and how two people can experience the same relational trauma and have two very different experiences and outcomes. We then discuss resilience and what you can do to create more resilience in your life.  Finally, we wrap up the show by talking about the impact of mobile devices on your mental health.  I hope you enjoy this episode—I think it's really important because one of the best things you can do for yourself as a business owner is to really understand your own mental health.  The more healthy and well you are from a mental health perspective, the better equipped you are to serve your customers, support your team, and take care of yourself.   What's In This Episode How to identify when you should try therapy  Defining relational trauma and identifying its effects  How to become more resilient  The importance of sleep, limited screen time, and exercise to our mental wellness   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e152 for all resources from this episode.

Sharpen Your Business Systems for Success   This week on She Talks Business, I'll be recording the second “My Take” series where I will give you my opinion and what I took away from my most recent read. We'll be talking about Nick Sonnenberg's Come Up for Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work.    The short version: This is excellent. It's a fantastic, super smart book. I highly recommend you read it and apply its principles to your team.    Essentially, this whole book is about doing more efficient work so you can literally come up for air. This includes taking your communication and separating it between internal and external, taking your planning for projects and ensuring that you have the right work management tools, and then taking your resources and making sure you have an efficient knowledge base and the right process management tools.    Your Business is Only as Effective as Your Systems  I open the episode with Dr. W. Edward Deming's 94% Rule, which basically says 94% of the results you experience in your business all stem from your processes and systems, not the individuals making up your team.  When operating in your business and setting up systems for your team, there is a tendency to outgrow your system or identify how a system isn't working the way you'd hoped. Instead of reassessing and starting from scratch with a new system, we tend to put bandaids and make exceptions so we can continue using this already established but not very effective system.  What really needs to happen, and Nick really sheds light on this, is we need to assess all of our systems in their entirety to ensure that they are serving their purpose and making your life and your team's life easier.    CPR: Communication, Planning, Resources Nick Sonnenberg's CPR framework lays the foundation for categorizing and optimizing business processes. Breaking down internal and external communication, streamlining planning tools, and effectively managing resources can prevent your team from "drowning in work." This method strategically simplifies processes, enabling teams to focus on what they do best: driving the business forward.   Effective Systems Improve Your Culture  I even argue that good systems not only increase efficiency and your team's bandwidth but they can also enhance your company's culture. Clear guidelines can reduce frustration and allow employees to focus on their work without unnecessary interruptions or too much time trying to find what they need to do their work. Effective systems show your team that you value their time and well-being and that you want to make it as easy as possible for them to succeed.    Nick's book, Come Up For Air, helps you figure out your communication processes,  your project management system, and how to manage your resources. It even goes into how to better your onboarding and shows you how to buy back time with more efficient systems. It's an excellent book that will have you setting your team and your business up for success.    I hope this take was useful for you and that you grab your own copy. If you do, be sure to tag me and Nick on social media so we know you were inspired by this episode.    What's In This Episode The 94% Rule by W. Edwards Deming states most workplace results are due to systems and processes, not individual efforts. Defaulting to temporary solutions rather than evaluating the system as a whole cuts down on efficiency. CPR stands for Communication, Planning, and Resources. “Stop the scavenger hunt" for information by implementing effective systems that cut down on time and increase productivity.    What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e151 for all resources from this episode.

Energy & Emotional Wellness in Your Business    Let's sit down with Tracy Litt, a renowned teacher of science and spirituality and the founder of The School of Becoming. In this episode, we're talking about science and spirituality on a business podcast because I believe the more connected to yourself you become, the more work you do on yourself, and the better you become as an entrepreneur, business owner, and leader. Tracy is an international bestselling author, podcast host, and emotional healing healer. She holds her license in professional coaching, neurology, somatics, and hypnotherapy. Her institute, the School of Becoming, integrates consciousness, neuroscience, healing, and energetics to help students evolve into the next-level version of themselves.   From Victim to Victor Tracy describes her journey as going from completely asleep as a single mother on food stamps to completely awake as the CEO of her own personal growth company, which helps individuals along the same journey.  Tracy evolved significantly—from perceiving herself as a victim of her circumstances to fully embracing personal responsibility. This shift played a pivotal role in changing her life trajectory and shaping her methodology, which she now shares with countless individuals seeking personal and professional growth. Shift Your Mindset & Feel Your Emotions  Tracy presents four tactical recommendations to nurture professional growth, which can help individuals shift states and foster personal development. These include engaging in regular breathing exercises, creating space for processing emotions, embracing gratitude and mindfulness, and relying on spiritual support.  Her advice is actionable and grounded in a pragmatic understanding of the challenges faced by professionals today. Remove "Woo" from Your Vernacular  We discuss the often-derogatory label of "woo," and Tracy urges for a more inclusive understanding that brings together scientific evidence and spiritual practices. This merger is not about esoteric beliefs but about understanding the role of energy and the universe in our everyday lives—redefining the essence of existence as spirit in human form. Feel, Process, and Evolve Tracy stresses the importance of acknowledging and truly feeling your emotions in order for them to guide us through our personal evolution. This emotional processing is critical to dealing with the increasing rates of anxiety and depression in society.  The Power of Intentional Evolution  Tracy emphasized the concept of intentional evolution—the idea that we can rewire our brains to influence our future, countering the belief that past performance predicts future outcomes. This empowering perspective gives us the agency to evolve our habits and practices to change the trajectory of our lives. Tracy is a light in this world. You can feel her passion and her knowledge come through in this episode. The journey towards personal and professional growth is complex but attainable. I really enjoyed having her on my show this week, and I can't wait to see how you like this show!  Be sure to listen, subscribe, and share this episode!   What's In This Episode Tracy Litt's personal journey from victimhood to empowerment The significance of tuning into the body's signals over mental chatter Four tactical approaches to improve growth and handle anxiety, depression, and burnout Exploring the integration of emotions in achieving personal growth The negative impact of technology and distractions on mental well-being   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e150 for all resources from this episode.

Strategies for Powerful Communication   This week's special guest, Kathryn Janicek, helps people overcome something many of us fear more than death - public speaking. I loved this conversation because she shared so many valuable tips to improve in so many speaking scenarios, including presentations, interviews, and meetings - so much more than just speaking on a stage.  After being laid off by a network when she was working as their VP of News, Kathryn leveraged her expertise in coaching news personnel and pivoted to create a niche for herself. Today, she has found great success in media training and public speaking coaching for professionals.  Kathryn is a three-time Emmy award-winning media and public speaking trainer with over 25 years of experience. She has shaped the communication and presentation skills of executives across diverse industries, from small businesses to a hundred billion dollar companies. Kathryn's company, Janicek Performance Group, specializes in media interactions, board presentations, high-stakes communications, stage presence, and impactful messaging.  In this episode, we talk a lot about what it takes to overcome your fear of speaking, how to eliminate filler words, and how to self-coach yourself to show up and present better on stage or Zoom. We learn that professionalism is about more than the substance of our work. It's also about how we present our ideas, negotiate at the table, and build supportive networks.  Kathryn believes in the power of a compelling narrative, whether you're in front of a camera or addressing a boardroom. Her personalized coaching sessions help clients master the art of storytelling and the nuances of effective communication that resonate with their audience.    Feel Your Best to Perform Your Best  Something as simple as ensuring you wear comfortable clothes and shoes can make a dramatic difference in your performance and presentation. When you feel good and confident in clothes that fit or know your makeup or hair was done by a professional, it is worth the extra money or effort because it will show in your delivery and presentation.    Scaling Your Business with Sustainable Growth  Scaling a service-based company isn't just about increasing client numbers; it's about creating a business model that generates a steady source of income, even in the owner's absence.  Kathryn shares her wisdom on structuring services, ensuring client retention, and focusing on monthly recurring revenue.    Enhancing Communication Skills  Kathryn insists that self-awareness, pausing effectively, and eliminating unnecessary filler words can significantly improve one's public speaking endeavors. This was a fun episode to record, and I can't wait to have Kathryn back! She left us with incredible, actionable advice that any of us can implement to improve our presence when addressing audiences in a one-on-one or one-to-many setting. Thanks for listening!   What's In This Episode Tips for improving stage presence and effective messaging The impact of societal expectations on women's stage appearance Strategies for addressing common speaking issues like posture and filler words Scaling a service-based business through diverse service offerings   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e149 for all resources from this episode.

Your Business Doesn't Have to Suck the Energy Out of You   Exhausted from running your business? You're not alone. Successful entrepreneur Jamie Palmer discovered Human Design and transformed her work. Curious how? This week, you'll explore human design, a tool that can help you build a fulfilling business based on your unique design. Learn how human design empowers strategic decisions and builds a business that truly works for you. Ready to ditch burnout? Let's go!   What Is Human Design? Ever heard someone ask if you've "done your HD"? Human Design is a system for understanding yourself. It uses your birth date to create a chart that reveals your type (how you interact with the world), profile (the persona you project), strengths (centers), and energy levels (gates and channels). This can help you discover ideal work environments, who you collaborate best with, and even if you're wired for multitasking or methodical work. You only need your birth date, time, and location to get your free chart and insights into your unique human design.   How Does Human Design Help You? Human Design can help you break societal expectations and live a more fulfilling life. By understanding your unique energy type through a Human Design chart, you can discover what you're naturally here to do. This can be especially helpful in business, where you're often bombarded with advice on how to be successful. Human Design can help you identify your most effective strategies based on your strengths and weaknesses. The key is to take action on the insights you gain from your Human Design chart.   Approaching Human Design in Business Human Design is often used as a basic personality test, but it goes much deeper than that. Jamie's approach focuses on practical applications. She uses real-life examples to educate people on how Human Design can inform business decisions. This includes business models, offers, launch strategies, and marketing. By understanding your Human Design type, you can discover what strategies actually work best for you. Ultimately, the goal is to empower people to make their own business decisions and not blindly follow generic advice. Human Design isn't about generic advice—it's about understanding YOU and what works best for your natural design. Ready to stop hustling and start thriving? Check out Jamie's website to grab your free Human Design chart and explore more resources to help you design the business of your dreams. You can also get a copy of Jamie's book Human Design For Business free by using the code SHETALKSBUSINESS.   What's In This Episode Embracing change in business Human design for business owners Building a business with a purpose   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e148 for all resources from this episode.  

Building Brand Credibility in the Digital Age   This week's episode on She Talks Business is a thought-provoking and insightful conversation with Debbie Lu, where you'll hear about the evolving landscape of business, the impact of AI on marketing, the significance of public relations, and the power of strategic relationships.   Driven by a passion for media, Debbie immigrated to Canada from China to pursue journalism. Despite facing a language barrier, she hustled throughout her twenties, building a network through internships and mentors. This relentless drive led her from Ottawa to Toronto's PR scene, proving hard work and a “never-give-up” attitude can open doors.   The Power of Public Relations Public relations is about managing a brand's reputation through the media. PR specialists like Debbie handle negative press and craft positive stories to get media coverage, like interviews with CEOs or experts. Unlike marketing, which focuses on sales, PR builds consumer credibility and trust. For small businesses, a PR professional can package your expertise into stories for relevant media outlets, positioning you as a regional business expert.   Traditional vs. Modern Marketing Strategies Marketing has exploded online, with social media replacing traditional channels. Influencer marketing is especially huge, allowing brands to partner with trusted online personalities to reach their target audiences. Small businesses can leverage this by directly contacting influencers or collaborating with local micro-influencers with engaged followers. The key is building relationships and understanding what resonates with that influencer's audience. Follower count isn't everything—look for influencers who can connect with potential customers and drive sales.   Revolutionizing Marketing and Making it Accessible While traditional media fades, accessible online tools like AI are putting the power of marketing directly in businesses' hands. This translates to potentially lower costs, with some companies managing marketing in-house. However, the efficiency and expertise agencies bring are still a draw, especially for larger corporations.  By automating tasks and streamlining workflows, AI has the potential to reduce marketing costs significantly. Agencies can complete their tasks faster, allowing them to charge lower retainer fees. This democratization of marketing, fueled by AI, could make sophisticated strategies more accessible to businesses of all sizes.   Don't miss out on this inspiring episode of She Talks Business! Learn from Debbie's journey and gain valuable insights on navigating the future of media and marketing for your own business. Head to your favorite streaming platform and subscribe to She Talks Business for more thought leadership discussions.   What's In This Episode Harnessing the power of influencer marketing The rise of AI in marketing Navigating public relations for small businesses Embracing the art of selling     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e147 for all resources from this episode.  

What To Focus On So Your Business Succeeds Something new is starting for She Talks Business this week, and I'm excited to share it with you. I recently did a season with my niece, Mackenzie, and I had so much fun answering her questions about owning and running a business. So, I called out on Facebook and asked if anyone else would be interested in sitting in the host seat, picking my brain, and asking me anything. Today's guest, Ali Marks, is the first to volunteer. Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is a vibrant force in Sarasota, Florida's real estate scene.  Ali is a dedicated realtor and a passionate small business owner of Loyd Robbins Co., a boutique brokerage specializing in residential, commercial, and business brokerage. Her work is deeply rooted in a rich tradition of honesty, integrity, dedication, loyalty, and customer service. Business Results over Vanity Metrics Social media engagement metrics, including likes, comments, and shares, can be easily inflated. The true measure of success is if your business is actually generating outcomes.  Focusing on vanity metrics like engagement can be misleading. The ultimate goal is growth; the most important indicator is whether your customers find your business through social media channels.  Companies should prioritize real-world outcomes over chasing social media engagement metrics. Change in Entrepreneurship "Pivoting" in business is nothing new. As an entrepreneur, you should understand it as a continuous process of growth and adaptation. The key is embracing change and experimentation and constantly seeking new and improved operating methods.  Don't be afraid to let go of things that no longer serve you, even your successful ventures, to avoid stagnation and maintain your creative spark.  Make responsible decisions, though, by considering the financial impact and potential consequences before making any drastic changes. Calculated pivots and calculated risks are critical for long-term success. Encouragement for Young Entrepreneurs The foundation of any successful business is generating profit. Your profit is what fuels your personal income, reinvestment, and growth.  The big mistake many entrepreneurs make is overspending, causing them financial stress and the pressure to constantly sell just to make ends meet.  Strategically playing with your numbers can clarify your pricing and financial goals. If you underestimate your costs and pricing solely, that hinders your profitability. Don't be afraid to use aggressive pricing strategies, like tripling your costs, to establish a healthy profit margin so that you have room for negotiation.  When Things Aren't Going How You Expect You're going to have unexpected challenges as an entrepreneur. When this happens, try to step back and diagnose the situation, analyzing what's causing the issue.  Then, practice gratitude, focusing on the positive aspects and resources you possess. This helps to counter the negative self-talk that can amplify your problems.  Finally, invest in yourself through attending events, connecting with like-minded individuals, and building your professional network. This network is a valuable support system.  The fear of starting a business is universal, regardless of your age.  What's In This Episode Focus on Actual Business Results Permission to Pursue Opportunities Financial Viability and Pricing for Profit What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e146 for all resources from this episode.

Build Your Own or Franchise Your Dreams?   This week on She Talks Business, we have a new guest, Ashley Gundlach, president of British Swim School, a North American Learn to Swim franchise.  Unsure if you should build your business from scratch or use the support of a franchise? This episode will help you discover the pros and cons of owning a franchise, the flexibility and limitations, and understand the dynamic between franchisors and individual owners. This information is crucial for aspiring business owners, whether you crave the freedom of building something new or the fast track offered by a proven franchise model. The 80/20 Rule There is a popular principle called the Pareto principle, which is about understanding what 20% is driving the other 80%. When you focus on this in your business, you can see what is being done differently by that 20%. As certain businesses grow and scale in a franchise, the company must also develop and scale its processes as well. The support and processes helps to build a runway for all the franchisees that will grow after them. Managing Relationships When you have 150+ entrepreneurs with every personality type, it's a unique working relationship between the franchise and franchisees. By being transparent, franchises can have honest conversations about where their limitations are when it comes to supporting them. Whether it's a legal or structural limitation, there's always a way to compromise because the franchise doesn't succeed if its franchisees don't. Exploring A Franchise Any good franchise brand will follow a diligent process to educate a potential franchise owner about their brand. The process should be risk-free for anybody interested in exploring franchise brands. Throughout the process, you'll get a sense of what it will be like to be a franchisee of that brand and be exposed to the business's operations. If you're exploring a franchise process that doesn't feel like this, take it as a warning sign.  Signs A Franchise Isn't For You Connecting with others. If you have difficulty empathizing with others, you'll most likely have a challenging time inspiring your team and connecting with your customers.  Continuous learning. You must be open to learning from other owners and the brand to run a profitable business.  Grit and resiliency. Every entrepreneur knows you must be resilient when owning a business. A franchise is no different. Problems are going to come up that you will have to solve.  Pros and Cons of Franchising Pros You're not starting from scratch. You have a support team and mentorship. You have access to marketing professionals. You have a network of peers, so you're not in it alone.  Cons Franchises have proven processes, so you can't do whatever you want overnight; it has to be a collaboration. There is a lot of legal involvement to protect both sides, which can slow some things down. If you are considering franchise ownership, talk with people who are doing it, whether they are people who love what they're doing or feel dissatisfied. By speaking with them, you get to see the complete picture of what it's like and whether you can see yourself in those individuals. This gives you further validation of how to move forward after seeing both sides and multiple personalities.   What's In This Episode  The Guardrails of Franchise Ownership Traits of Successful Franchise Owners Benefits of Franchise Ownership   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e145 for all resources from this episode.

A Valuable Resource for All Business Owners This week on She Talks Business, you'll hear a new type of episode called My Take. These episodes are my opinion on things I am reading and find interesting. You'll listen to what I liked about what I was reading, and then I'll give you my take on it. This first episode is fascinating because it features Noah Kagan's new book, Million Dollar Weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into reading it with curiosity and walked away feeling excited. In this episode, I discuss my take on 14 different things from the book, and the topics below are the top ones. Frequent Excuses At the beginning of this book, I liked that Noah shared a list of frequently made-up excuses. When you read this list of excuses, you'll see at least one in yourself, if not multiple. What Noah does, however, is he lays out a clear path for you on how to overcome those excuses. This was an intelligent way to start this book because he then links the excuse to where he would overcome it later, giving you the specific chapter where he would do that. The Simple Start The second thing I liked about this book is that Noah shares "The Simple Start." This is when you 1. Find a problem, 2. Solve the problem, and 3. Validate your idea without spending any money. Why I liked this so much... Because people usually think about an idea that they believe will make them money rather than thinking about their buyer and the problem that they can solve. I've also seen people spend thousands on an idea, perfecting something before they even know if they have a buyer. If you can validate your idea, meaning someone will buy it, you know whether it is viable for a business. Noah helps you put this into action by giving you shortcuts to sell through emails, messages, and simple ways to get your idea out there and get someone to spend money without you needing to. You don't have a business if you don't have a customer. FREE Stuff—At The Start In Million Dollar Weekend, Noah gives you a free journal, scripts, templates, and more, all at milliondollarweekend.com. You're getting this additional value, and it's being offered to you at the very start of the book. This isn't a new concept; most people do this with their books, but they're not intentional about it and put it at the end of the book. Did you know that most people don't read past chapter two? Having these resources at the beginning and referring to them throughout the book makes the experience more fun and interesting because it's interactive. The Challenges Throughout this book, you're given challenges that make you uncomfortable. Gradually, they become more and more challenging, putting you outside your comfort zone. Noah is doing this because when you have a business, there are things you need to do to have something worth growing and paying you how you want to be paid. You have to get used to rejection. You have to build your courage and resilience because then you can pretty much do anything.  Proof Of Concept This was discussed above, but it's crucial to understand:  If you can't get the first dollar, you might not have a viable business idea.  If you're unwilling to ask people to be your customer to get the first $1,000 in 48 hours, you might not have the courage to be an entrepreneur.  If you're spending a ton of money at the start before you even have any customers, chances are you're a perfectionist and are stuck in insecurity. Your great idea is dying a slow death because you're afraid. Stop being scared of what people think because the worst thing that could happen is someone saying no.  The One Minute Business Plan Noah does this thing called "The One Minute Business Plan," where you can determine if your idea is a million-dollar opportunity. He gets you to look at Google Trends, market size, product cost, and total value and gives you the formula to calculate whether it is a million-dollar idea. Then, he gets you to calculate $1,000,000 by your profit per unit sold so that you know how many customers you need. When you simplify your pricing, you know exactly what you need from a sales and profit perspective.  I Made It, and I Still Feel Like Shit. Anyone who has reached feeling like they've "made it" has probably experienced this. You started your business to have more freedom and ended up creating a job for yourself; you've put yourself in a box. That will kill your spirit. Make a list of what you want for every aspect of your life and put it somewhere you can see to keep sight of what will make you happy. There is no point in growing a successful business if it isn't bringing you joy. That's my take, folks! I highly recommend reading Million Dollar Weekend. If you enjoyed this episode, let me know. If you purchase this book, tag me and Noah to share that you bought it because you heard me talk about it. What's In This Episode Retaining existing customers and gaining referrals is crucial for business growth. Asking for help and embracing generosity in business relationships to foster success. Aligning your life goals and using visual reminders for personal and professional growth. What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e144 for all resources from this episode

A Conversation that Will Change Your Leadership   This episode of She Talks Business is with the respected Colonel Chris Kolenda, a retired army colonel with an extensive background in leadership and advisory roles. Throughout this, you'll learn about Chris' background, experiences, and transition to a leadership consulting business aimed at making a meaningful impact.   Establishing Boundaries and Priorities in Leadership When discussing setting boundaries, Chris shares an impactful story that underscored a vital truth: respecting individuals' time and priorities isn't simply polite; it's a cornerstone of effective leadership. Establishing clear boundaries creates a balanced and productive environment where everyone flourishes.   Aligning with Your Natural Strengths Tapping into your natural strengths and talents isn't just burnout prevention; it's motivation for engagement and success. Aligning with your inherent gifts fosters a fulfilling and impactful leadership journey.   Clarity and Engagement in Leadership Leadership extends beyond personal boundaries and strengths. Operationalizing your company values and co-creating priorities with your teams is critical. His insightful "x so that y" formula delivers the clarity needed for disciplined execution, a crucial element for individuals and organizations striving to reach their full potential.   Upgrade Your Leadership Skills Self-awareness is a central theme throughout this episode. Understanding your emotional triggers, acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, and surrounding yourself with supportive individuals are all vital in sharpening your leadership skills and fostering a positive and productive work environment. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned executive, this episode offers plenty of leadership wisdom. Becoming a great leader isn't about reaching a fixed destination but embracing continuous growth, resilience, and the passion to inspire others.     What's In This Episode The importance of establishing boundaries and priorities in leadership, emphasizing the significance of clarity and self-awareness. Strategies for aligning team members with their natural strengths, thus preventing burnout and enhancing engagement. The significance of surrounding oneself with the right people and the impact of mentors and support networks on personal growth and leadership development. Insights into managing emotional triggers, the impact of miscommunication in the workplace, and strategies for engaging and retaining team members.     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e143 for all resources from this episode.

Flow, Energy Audits, and Business Alignment   Feeling the familiar tug of work draining your energy? Buckle up because, in this episode of She Talks Business, the limitations that you have in your mind are about to shatter. This episode's special guest, Makhosi, is a 7-figure entrepreneur, leader, and spiritual high-performance coach.  After listening to this episode, you'll feel empowered and equipped with unconventional wisdom to align your energy with your business ventures.   Embrace Unconventional Learning Challenge yourself to reimagine learning beyond the traditional education that you may have experienced. Makoshi carved her path in her learning, prioritizing self-discovery over the traditional college route. She even broke the norms for her son with the decision to homeschool when she noticed he thrived from a learning style different from hers. This challenge created a path of exploration and growth for her and her business.   Owning Your Worth Let's talk about self-worth and pricing. Do you ever feel the insidious connection between the two holding you back from charging what you're truly worth? This is a common yet harmful mindset. In this conversation, you'll learn to uncouple your value from the price tag and embrace a mindset shift that empowers you to charge confidently based on the impact you deliver.   Energy Alignment Ignore the generic "one-size-fits-all" success formulas and the comparison trap. There's power in aligning your business with your energy. With practical strategies like energy audits and human design—tools that help you tap into your unique flow and navigate business with intention.   The journey toward a business that aligns with you starts with tuning in now. Dive into the full episode of She Talks Business with Makhosi, and you'll discover the untapped power within you.     What's In This Episode Strategies to align your work with your well-being and create a business that energizes, not drains you. Inspire to explore alternative learning paths and discover approaches that resonate with your unique nature. Empowerment to define success on your terms, breaking free from limitations, and embracing your authentic vision.     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e142 for all resources from this episode.

Is Your Store Stuck in the Stone Age?   In this episode of She Talks Business, you'll learn about the dynamics of retail and business innovation with Liza Amlani, the principal and co-founder of Retail Strategy Group. Explore retail, technology, and consumer behavior, and gain valuable advice.   Building Relationships in Marketing Liza Amlani, with her background in teaching fashion marketing at FIT, shares how important it is to build relationships in marketing. Her approach includes discussions on daily retail headlines and the encouragement of networking, providing a holistic understanding of the industry. Adapting to social media and influencer marketing to enhance customer engagement is a critical consideration in the constant change of retail.   Navigating the Retail Industry The in-store customer experience for retail has changed because of the impact of technology and social media. Effectively managing your inventory and strategic merchandising are pivotal for success in retail businesses. Adapting to the evolving demands of retail and understanding the role of customer engagement strategies are crucial.   Empowering Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners For small retail business owners, leveraging data and utilizing affordable cloud-based tools for your sales and inventory management is a vital consideration. When disciplined, you can take bold steps toward success, push boundaries, and think big in your business endeavors.   This episode is packed with a wealth of wisdom. If you embrace change, innovate, and stay true to your beliefs in your business endeavors, you'll be able to stay determined and push toward success.   What's In This Episode Impact of social media and influencer marketing on customer engagement Importance of managing inventory effectively Importance of not thinking small as a small retail business owner The significance of planning, leveraging data, and affordable cloud-based tools for small businesses   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e141 for all resources from this episode.

Understanding Your Cycle, Managing Symptoms, and Thriving   Welcome to another episode of She Talks Business. In this episode, my special guest, Mackenzie St. Laurent, a menstrual wellness counselor and young entrepreneur, joins in to share how she helps women understand and manage their menstrual health from a holistic perspective.   Shifting the Narrative   Historically, there has been a lack of options when addressing menstrual issues. In our world today, having a holistic approach and an alternative view allows you to have a deeper understanding of the menstrual cycle as an integral part of your overall health.   Understanding the Cycle and Symptom Management   There are different mechanics of the menstrual cycle, which has four distinct phases. These four phases are the menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal phase. You may have heard of a practice called "cycle syncing" that informs your self-care, movement, and nutrition choices. This gives you signs to indicate your need for cycle support and management. Severe cramping, emotional disruption, and changes in your bleeding patterns will be some of those signs.   Self-Care and Emotional Well-Being   There's so much significance in balancing, reflecting, and fully understanding your body. Unpack your feelings and explore them. Regulating your emotions is a huge part of the holistic approach to menstrual wellness.    Seeking Support and Advocacy   If you've ever been diagnosed with menstrual cycle issues, you know the challenges that you face in getting that diagnosis. It takes an average of seven medical practitioners and a decade to receive that diagnosis.  Practitioners who remain curious, willing to listen, and advocate for their patients and their menstrual health and overall well-being can significantly impact someone's life.    If you haven't yet, listen to the episode to learn how to benefit from a holistic approach to your menstrual health. Understanding and managing your menstrual health is crucial to your overall well-being.   What's In This Episode Understanding the menstrual cycle and support The significance of balance and allowing others to care for you. Practical approach to cycle syncing and education Understanding one's body, making informed decisions, and seeking support through coaching programs     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e140 for all resources from this episode.

Sales Strategies for Service-Based Businesses   This episode of She Talks Business is anything but ordinary. With Mackenzie St. Laurent, you'll learn about sales strategies, mindsets, and invaluable tips that are highly insightful. Forget stale pitches and forced smiles—you'll learn what it truly means to excel in sales and service-based businesses.   Agility in Sales Agility became our watchword. There's power in adaptability, meeting your clients where they are, and tailoring your approach to their specific needs. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all plans. “Underpromise and overdeliver” should be your core mantra. Give your clients realistic expectations so that you can leave them speechless with your results.   Building Trust Through Understanding Time spent understanding your client's needs is always well-spent; it's the foundation for building trust and lasting relationships. Think of it as a pre-pitch prep session, laying the groundwork for a mutually beneficial collaboration. Speaking of pitches, ditch the pressure of closing deals and embrace "selling as a service." You will then go from a salesperson into a trusted advisor who goes above and beyond to solve problems and exceed expectations. It's a mindset shift that fosters genuine connections and will make your customers happy.   Rejection is a Stepping Stone Rejection? It's inevitable but not debilitating. Detach yourself from the outcomes and embrace the learning opportunities within each "no." Every interaction, positive or negative, hones your skills and shapes your approach, propelling you forward.   Your Sales Process This means that you'll need structure. Outline your sales process, creating clear steps that flex with each of your clients. It's about understanding their needs at every turn, ensuring that every interaction moves them closer to their desired outcome.   Asking for the Sale Ultimately, you'll have to ask for the sale. You've built trust and established expertise to pave the way for confidently closing deals. It's not about pressure but creating a win-win scenario where everyone walks away feeling empowered and satisfied.   This episode isn't just about sales; it's about business, relationships, and the power of understanding and exceeding expectations. So, tune in, share your thoughts, and start making those sales!     What's In This Episode - The importance of adaptability and overdelivering - Handling rejection and building rapport - Increasing sales conversion rates - Structuring service offerings for sales     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e139 for all resources from this episode.  

Planning, Structure, and Success Metrics   This week on She Talks Business, I'm joined by Mackenzie St Laurant again to talk about The Beginner Mind Essentials for Business. This episode is all about sharing the secrets to building a thriving business. This episode covers essential aspects such as structuring business activities, goal setting, and sustaining your momentum. Riding the Wave of New Beginnings With the new year starting, you have this fresh and energizing energy that you should harness because it can kick-start your business success. There's a transformative power in setting goals and planning meticulously for the upcoming year. Take the time and harness this energy to create structured planning and effective time management to propel your business forward. Business Goal Setting For guaranteed success, reverse engineer your business goals. Break down your revenue targets, establish monthly milestones, and consistently evaluate your progress. I can't emphasize enough the importance of setting realistic and achievable goals to lay the groundwork for sustainable growth. Structuring Business Operations Structure and organize your business operations for optimal functionality. You'll see positive business interaction by establishing robust business structures, fully understanding your business model, and creating systems to enhance client engagement. Winning the Customer Game and Sustaining Momentum Prioritize customer acquisition and steer clear of operational analysis paralysis. In order to acquire and retain clients, nurture your business relationships, and monitor progress toward your sales goals, you must understand the cyclical nature of sales and develop an adaptive mindset needed to overcome challenges. Marketing and Personal Connections Allocating time for networking events, leveraging various strategies to maintain business visibility, and articulating your business vision is crucial. There's nothing more significant than networking and building personal connections. However, remember to establish boundaries for yourself to prevent burnout. With these insights, you can seize the opportunity to implement strategies and pave the way for a year of unprecedented success and fulfillment in your business endeavors. Here's to conquering the world of business with a Beginner Mindset!   What's In This Episode Reverse engineering business goals for the year The importance of business structure and understanding the business model Prioritizing acquiring customers when starting a business Structuring time and regularly attending networking events   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e138 for all resources from this episode.

Mastering a Money Mindset   Welcome to She Talks Business, where my guest for this season, Mackenzie St. Laurent, and I discuss the beginner essentials you need in business. In this episode, you'll learn how to develop your money mindset, refine your sales strategies, and perfect your financial planning. Tune in to explore the power of understanding your worth, reshaping your relationship with money, and mastering financial management for business success.   Defining Your Worth and Pricing Strategies When you have your own business, you must understand the value you offer and align your pricing with your worth. Things like calculating your minimum hourly rate, justifying pricing, and gamifying your sales process will have a massive impact on your business. The art of selling, in particular, is profoundly intertwined with emotional intelligence and skill development.   Shifting Your Money Mindset Adapting a new perspective on money is critical to making rewarding financial progress. Celebrate your wins and detach the thought of success from outcomes in financial decisions. As you navigate developing your mindset, take some time to read books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Millionaire Maker, or The Ultimate Blueprint for an Insanely Successful Business which will help to reshape your understanding of wealth and abundance.   Financial Planning and Tax Obligations Practical steps for managing cash flow and taxes are a cornerstone of business success. Learn how to identify your tax obligations, understand your profit margins, and fulfill your fiduciary responsibilities as a business owner.    New Year Reflections and Practices for Abundance As you approach the end of the year, consider adopting some practices and a New Year outlook. Take inventory concepts of what you've invested a lot of time and money into throughout the year. One book that will profoundly impact you in creating an environment of abundance and financial prosperity is Die With 0.   With these insights and practical tips, you have the full ability to master a money mindset and achieve abundance in both your business and life. Take advantage of the opportunity to unlock your own financial potential and reshape your relationship with wealth. Happy listening, and here's to a prosperous 2024!     What's In This Episode Importance of increasing fees to align pricing with value Gamifying selling and providing customer options Managing cash flow for business success Disrupting money patterns for more abundance and wealth     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e137 for all resources from this episode.

Successful Social Media Marketing for Entrepreneurs   In the second episode of our season on “The Beginner Mind for Business Essentials,” I am being joined, once again, by my niece, a young entrepreneur with a fresh perspective on business. Tune in to hear Mackenzie St. Laurent, a wellness counselor specializing in the menstrual cycle, discuss social media marketing from a business perspective, quality content, and effective strategies for new businesses venturing into the digital landscape.   Setting the Foundation Three critical points for social media success include relationships, “done is better than perfect,” and frequency and consistency. The imperfection of your posts shows the importance of not obsessing over perfection. Instead, focus on meaningful numbers in your business rather than vanity metrics to drive success.   Crafting Engaging Content Using videos is a great way to engage your audience on Instagram. You have an opportunity to connect with new audiences by being social on social media (that's what it's for, right?!). That means commenting, sharing, and tagging others on your platforms and theirs as well. When creating content, you want it to be dynamic and visually appealing, which includes your videos, swipeable carousel posts, and accessible captions.   Navigating Personal and Professional Content Incorporating your personal stories into your business content is crucial, however, you have to maintain a balance between personal and professional content on social media. Adding context through metaphors and personal stories is also a strong strategy for enhancing business content.    Negotiating Emotional Sensitivity and Building Boundaries Social media's impact and ability to expand your reach is impressive. There's a shift in audiences and communities as they age and begin to go through new phases of life. You also have to be responsible when handling emotional sensitivity and trauma associated with social media and advocate for setting boundaries and routines for your social media usage.   This episode is a fantastic guide for those of you who are looking to learn social media from a business perspective and practical strategies for marketing your business. You'll gain knowledge and inspiration for navigating the ever-evolving social media and business world. Remember to follow She Talks Business on Instagram to be the first to know when a new episode of Beginner Mind Essentials for Business comes on this season.     What's In This Episode The importance of incorporating personal stories into business content Using video to engage audiences on Instagram Creating visually appealing and accessible content Maximizing engagement by recycling and resharing content Managing expectations regarding the time it takes to see results     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e136 for all resources from this episode.

A Guide to Business Growth and Self-Worth   Today marks the beginning of a new season for She Talks Business—the Beginner Mind Essentials for Business. In this episode, you'll learn about the transformative shift from perfectionism to embracing imperfect action and recognizing the intrinsic value of self-worth in business. Our special guest, Mackenzie St. Laurent, shares invaluable insights from the early stages of launching her own business, offering profound wisdom applicable even to seasoned entrepreneurs.   Overcoming Perfectionism Perfectionism, a significant barrier to business growth, can be conquered by seeking support and feedback. To detach your self-worth from your work, consider enlisting the help of a coach or peer group, fostering accountability and overcoming the pitfalls of perfectionism. Focus on comparing your current self to past achievements rather than fixating on an idealized future.   Shifting Mindset: The "Gap" vs. "Gain" Philosophy The "Gap" vs. "Gain" concept encourages focusing on the progress made, diverting attention from future aspirations. This mindset shift proves crucial for personal and professional growth, fostering the acknowledgment of achievements and appreciation for the journey rather than fixating solely on the destination.   Creating Accountability and Support Investing in coaching generates the necessary tension for behavioral change and maintaining focus on progress. Practical strategies for accountability include preserving a collection of thank-you cards and letters to serve as reminders of the positive impact made. Regularly reviewing the past year's accomplishments aids in reflecting on progress too.   Energy Management and Seeking Validation Conscious awareness of the impact of positive and negative energy on success is essential. Seek advice and validation from experienced individuals, aligning with those who provide support, encouragement, and expert guidance for sustained business growth.   Embrace imperfection, conquer perfectionism, and adopt the mindset of progress over perfection. This season is meant for every entrepreneur to help you get back to the basics so that you can continue to grow and succeed. Be sure to follow along on Instagram so that you get updated every time a new episode comes out!   What's In This Episode Overcoming perfectionism and separating self-worth from work Putting work out for others to see and interact with to receive feedback and improve Finding support and creating accountability to overcome perfectionism   What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e135 for all resources from this episode.  

Business Wisdom and Strategies from Advisors   Today is the last episode of the Advisor series. We had a great, dynamic lineup of industry experts, each providing their own unique perspectives and guidance for business success. When you own a business, it's vital to seek different advisors for various business aspects. There's so much value in having a board of advisors, whether formally or informally, so you can gain expertise and insights from seasoned professionals. If you can't afford advisors, leverage your online resources and learn what you can on your own.    Our various guests shared their expertise across diverse areas, including finance, law, immigration, and business growth. Here are the highlights from each of their episodes:   Insights from Business Advisors Jackie Porter: In this episode with Jackie Porter, you'll learn insights on strategic tax planning and the importance of finding the perfect financial advisor to build generational wealth that stands the test of time.   Eleanor Beaton: Eleanor Beaton, an experienced coach and advisor, shared the necessity of a business coach, the value of coaching relationships, and the significance of setting clear goals for success.   Steve Parker: With Steve Parker, he shared the importance of finding a well-staffed accounting firm with a hands-on partner, especially tailored to your needs as a small business owner.   Mo Syed: Mo Syed, an expert in immigration law, shares practical advice for ensuring a smooth and successful immigration process. This episode will give you valuable strategies to navigate the complexities of immigration options for a worry-free immigration experience.   Sunita Doobay: With Sunita Doobay, you'll learn the importance of tax planning for your growing business as it expands. Her insights highlight the critical role of a knowledgeable tax advisor in avoiding common mistakes to legally save your business money and ensure compliance with ever-evolving tax laws.   Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harvey: Business consultant Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon, shares her story of persevering through adversity in this series, sharing her journey as the award-winner of a multi-million-dollar coaching and consulting brand and a best-selling author with eight books to her credit.   Kristen Herwitz: In this episode, you'll hear from Kristen Herwitz, a business attorney and strategist who shares her expertise on contracts and the importance of protecting client relationships. Kristen assists marginalized groups, and her values-based approach to legal services has made her a sought-after advocate for fair and equitable business practices.   Suzanne Mariga: Susanne Mariga, a fractional CFO and profit-first expert, shares her insight on the role of a fractional CFO at various stages of business growth, underlining the significance of specialized advisors. You'll dive into important financial topics that can help your business improve its profitability and make informed decisions.   Matthew Asbell: From Matthew Asbell, you'll hear expert guidance on intellectual property and its essential nature of protection and rights associated with it. He is a well-versed attorney in the complexities of intellectual property law, with a background in information technology, entertainment, and medicine.   Within this series, you'll learn a broad spectrum of financial, legal, immigration, and business growth matters. From investing in financial knowledge to finding the right legal and financial support, their guidance was invaluable.     What's In This Episode The value of continuous learning and gaining insights from others Financial advice and wealth-building Copyright and trademark law Legal and immigration advisory     What To Do Next Visit lisalarter.com/e134 for all resources from this episode.