Podcast appearances and mentions of caroline creates

This weekend marks a double anniversary for my business. Two years of Marketing Magic and one year of hosting this podcast! What a wild ride it's been -- and I'm sure, if you had to start over again there'd be some things you'd do different or wish you knew. That's exactly what this episode is about. It's 10 lessons I've learned in since starting Marketing Magic -- both business, personal and podcasting. Lesson #1 - Trust your gut! Whether you're just starting out, thinking about launching a business, been in business a while or been around forever -- there's something about trusting that you're making the right decisions that change things. As a solo entrepreneur or even small business owner with a small team -- we make SO many decisions day in and day out -- and it can get exhausting to keep at it and make smart choices. But that's the thing. It's our business, our dream and we can build it however we want too. The mistake I know I made and I've seen so many people make in their business that slows them down or derails them is when they ask too many people for advice. I recently read this quote and fell in love: (author unknown) Don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from. Too often we "ask for opinions," unsure if we're doing the right thing -- and it ends up being 100 reasons why we should do something else, which lands like a critique of our judgment over and over. Lesson #2: Be vulnerable If you can't learn to be vulnerable and experience emotions -- your relationship will suffer. It doesn't matter if they're personal, professional, familial -- real relationships take vulnerability to make them work. Although my personality is very bubbly, I am a very private person. It's why if you're a personal friend of mine on social media, you hardly see me post commentary or pictures of my children or family. I tend to keep things to myself, both the good and the bad -- which can make people suspicious or unsure whether to trust you or not. What I'm learning and still working on that's been immensely valuable is to repeat to myself and tell my children -- You can do hard things. You can do hard things.   Lesson #3: Start podcasting today I knew podcasting was a long-range plan for visibility and business success. But man, I'd tell you if you're even toying with the idea of starting a podcast and you can tie it into generating leads, revenue or visibility - I'd say jump in with both feet today. The podcasting platform continues to gain steam and pick up loyal followers each day. (if podcasting isn't your jam but a YouTube channel or FB Live series is -- do that!) Here's why podcasting is amazing to jump into: It forces me to deal with my perfectionism in real-time and let it go. I can't be perfect on a podcast. If I tried, it would never air each week. Podcasting with a growing subscriber base makes me be consistent and show up as myself. If you've been listening for any length of time, you know that what you hear is what you get. I can't possibly be someone different on this podcast than I am in real life. And that has been a hidden blessing to be. myself You find your voice when you talk about what you do, how you do it and the topics passionate to you and your brand each week. Lesson #4: Choose your metrics wisely On episode #005 I did an entire podcast on how and what to track to make sure your business is growing, healthy and so that you feel like you know what to work on each day. When you're growing a business, you can get paralyzed by tracking numbers that don't matter -- and getting sucked into them. I call them vanity metrics. If you're tracking things compulsively, it means you're avoiding doing real work in your business. Ouch! To avoid this, you need to figure out what metrics tell you the health of your business. These metrics show you if you're growing, sustainable and cash positive. Those metrics are the ones that predict if you're growing a viable and sustainable business. Go to episode 005 to learn what these are for YOUR business, and get my free Metrics download. Lesson #5: Relationships are everything. Can I just say that it doesn't matter if you're new, you're local, you're online, you're remote, you have a team or no team -- there are some really amazing people out there, and some people who are totally crappy. If you feel like you're only finding crappy people -- keep looking! They are out there. I know I felt like I was going to be a loner in my business forever and The connections and collaborations and referrals are what's going to make or break your business. Some of you may not want to hear this because you want to go the passive route and sell courses all day -- but you still need relationships to get the ball rolling and people to hold you up on the hard days. Lesson #6: Stick with the thing I'm doing well until I'm doing it awesome. This lesson keeps showing up in my business, so I figure someone else needs to hear it as well. I am a doer -- and I have a million ideas at all times running through my head that I want to try. Plus, I'm a Quickstart on the Kolbe -- which means I start all these ideas often too. This makes things very fun and exciting but doesn't equal a lot of finished projects. So I'm telling all of us, it's OK for you to have one offer you're good at and consistently put it out there over and over and over again. One thing. Just one. I like instant gratification. I think a lot of us do in this fast-paced culture of now, now, now. But there's no way to measure true success, gain a following that truly understands what you do if you're showing them 100 new projects every quarter. It's like whiplash to those following you. So I would strongly encourage, that thing you've put out into the world 1 or 2 or 3 times.... put it out there 12 times and let's see what happens. Or 100 times. You may have only received lackluster results the first few times and that's why you're moving to something new -- but if you can stay focused on it and just make minor tweaks, you're going to be 100x further than if you start 8 new projects this quarter. If you can stay focused on it and just make minor tweaks, you're going to be 100x further than if you start 8 new projects this quarter. The last piece to this lesson is that to us, when we stick with one thing, one offer, one product, one service -- we sound like a broken record to ourselves. However, you never know who has JUST found you and is hearing this for the first time. It's blowing their mind. Lesson #7: Get help sooner, rather than later. Episode #000 dives into when to hire someone in your business and when it's a waste of money. BUT, the points when I've made the biggest leaps in my business are when I invested with someone for a particular thing. For example, I need help getting from point A to point B, or I need help mastering sales, or marketing, or ads, etc. To be able to do this, you need to know what you need and how you work best with others. I know I don't do courses well. In fact, I buy them and never open them. It's like taking my money and flushing down someone's dirty toilet. Gross, but true. I need someone who's going to kick me in the butt and give me accountability to actually do the things I'm saying I want to accomplish. Lesson #8: Credit cards are the devil. Don't buy that thing that you think is going to take your business to the next level with a credit card. They often are used for wishful thinking and purchases and not purchases grounded in concrete decisions that are going to help you grow a business. Debt feels awful. It drags you down and feel guilty, and makes you get into a weird hustle mindset that it makes it difficult to grow your business. If at all possible, if you don't have to use credit -- don't use it. I LOVE Profit First by Mike M -- if you want a good resource for managing your business accounts and money so you're taking a profit from Day 1 -- so you don't have to freak out and use credit cards. Lesson #9: Hire help if it gets you to your zone of genius faster This lesson is for both personal and business. If you can hire someone to do a task in your life at a much lower rate than it would take for you to do it yourself AND you can afford it (without going into debt) DO IT. It is a tremendous load off of you that are not in your sweet spot. One example for me is podcast editing. I handed mine over to Caroline at Caroline Creates. She and her team are fabulous. I held onto the editing and post-production for 10 months before I finally brought someone in to do their zone of awesomeness. On the flip side, at home, I have a college student that watches my kids on summer break and I decided to UP her hours this year because I know that if only need to sell 1 of THESE things (insert whatever offer you have) a month to pay for her watching them more hours. What's up next for me is someone to do my laundry!! Start small by even just finding out the prices for someone that you want to hand over a task too. Figure out what you actually could hand over, when you do the math. Then do it! Lesson #10: Be intentional on social media I have a love/hate relationship with social media -- we all know this. There is a pull between needing to be public -- and needing to be real without being fake. I need to set boundaries for my own mental space on how and when and where I'm going to show up in a way that's authentic but not soul-sucking. I'm reading a great book called the Tech-Wise Family by XX. (You can get it for free on Kindle Unlimited -- if you don't have this already, it's $10 a month and amazing!) It's in alignment with the thoughts rolling through my mind. How do I be present but not let it control my life? Even more importantly, how do I set healthy boundaries so my kids aren't zombies? What boundaries do I need to put in place and how do they affect my business and family in a positive way? Technology should be used in a way that it brings people together, not in a way where it's putting you in isolation so you can simply consume it. What am I putting out there and how is it fostering community instead of just being out there for attention? So some boundaries I'm setting are: my phone goes to bed before I do and wakes up after I do -- meaning it's not with me at all times and it has a set time when it can be used. So here's permission to back away from social media and still run a viable business. Get off channels. Set timers when you're going to check in. Figure out what healthy boundaries look like and then stick to them. About Marketing Magic: The Marketing Magic podcast is where women entrepreneurs trying to do all the things come to get inspiration, business strategy, and on-air coaching on how to get their business noticed and growing. If you have a business that people need to know about in order for it to grow, you’re in the right place. This is the place to uncomplicate your marketing. Be sure to listen, subscribe, and leave a review! Join the conversation of other unapologetically successful women in her Facebook community, The #girlboss Club.

Today we are talking about the choices we make as moms relating to the education of our children. We have invited Caroline Hull to the podcast.  Caroline is a podcast host herself, a podcast editor, and still manages to find time to homeschool her two daughters in Colorado. What’s In This Episode:   Caroline shares the path that led her to homeschool her two girls What is the definition of homeschooling Caroline explains how she decides what to teach and when Discussion on homeschooling laws and options for meeting state requirements Establishing boundaries as a work-from-home homeschooling mama The process of managing homeschooling more than one child Homeschooling through high school What children ask and understand about being homeschooled The importance of community as a homeschooling family Socialization in the homeschooling world Homeschooling as an option for families seeking geographic flexibility What support is available for homeschooling parents What prep time and lesson planning looks like as a homeschooling mom Bringing in outside help

This is the last episode for the first season of the podcast! One lesson I keep learning is the power and possibility of saying a simple, “No.” I’m talking about saying NO to things that don’t serve you or bring you joy. Sometimes we psych ourselves out, and get suck into FOMO, right? But your authentic, empowered NO will always move you in the right direction. Be sure to join the email list at www.amyyoungcoaching.com to find out when season 2 begins!   Links Cycle of Growth Video My podcast producer Caroline Hull of Caroline Creates   Let’s Connect Learn more about me at www.amyyoungcoaching.com Instagram @amyyoungco Twitter @AMYoungster   Rate, Review, Subscribe   If you have questions about working with me, a burning podcast request, or want to share something personal that’s intended for my eyes only, you can email me at amy@amyyoungcoaching.com. I will always respond when I can!

TSBC alum Caroline Hull is the founder of Caroline Creates.  A designer and owner, Caroline has a background in music and was actually a ballet dancer at the University of Oklahoma before finding her niche in design and podcasting. Caroline has a passion for helping other small business owners like herself through her podcast, Creative Biz Rebellion.   On today's episode, we're talking about switching gears in business, the benefit of taking a break to really reassess how you're feeling about things and she also shares how past experiences shaped who she is and what she's doing today.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Caroline’s career path and what motivated her to start Caroline Creates Her custom wedding invitation designs and how the word got out about her Etsy shop Making the transition from working Caroline Creates part-time to full-time How her move to Nashville impacted her business and her decision to transition to the wholesale market The pain points that made her realize she needed to make some changes in her business Her decision to homeschool her children and how that impacted her decision to pivot in her business Taking a break in her business to evaluate how she felt and what she wanted to change Transitioning her Etsy shop to all downloadable products or drop ship The start of her podcast, Creative Biz Rebellion and how she met her co-host, Kelly How community and professional development have impacted her business How Caroline became a podcast producer and editor The growth of her podcast business Caroline’s advice to anyone just starting a product-based business KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “The business itself started to feel more like a chore and a burden and it felt very hard and it felt like I was constantly having to fight to get to where I wanted to go.” - Caroline Hull “It's hard to make changes sometimes in our business unless we're forced to.” - Katie Hunt “I would not have that podcast [Creative Biz Rebellion] and the success of that podcast is having and the joy that it brings to me if I hadn't have had the business in a way that I had it.” - Caroline Hull “I think that is super important is to be able to say, ‘You know what, things aren't working. I need to take a step back and see how I feel.’” - Caroline Hull “These print-on-demand services and the drop shipping options, they're really great especially for people that work at home and are still at the beginning stages of their business or scaling back and don't want to have a whole manufacturing warehouse.” - Katie Hunt “When I could feel like my business was hitting a point where I needed to grow but I wasn't sure how to do it, that was when I knew that I needed to go do something and be around people who knew more than I do.” - Caroline Hull “I've become like this mini podcast launch cheerleader and helping people figure out all the pieces that they need to get going.” - Caroline Hull “Podcasting was a hobby and now it's my business and doing the shop and the design was my business and now it's gone back to being my hobby.” - Caroline Hull “It is so just amazing that by opening myself up and being open to new possibility that I've ended up with this business that I love that to me is so similar to the original thing I had set out to do when I was a young 18-year-old.” - Caroline Hull   LINKSWebsite: www.carolinecreates.com Website: http://creativebizrebellion.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinecreates/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/carolinecreates   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY:   Do you want to scale your business and add new revenue streams?  Are you ready to get a handle on your cash flow and tuck money away for retirement?     Maybe you are interested in increasing your visibility and fine-tuning your marketing outreach?  Perhaps you have a team that you want to nurture or need help building your team?   Our newest on demand program, Paper Camp+ can help you with all of these things and more.  The program includes 5 keynote presentations and 2 panels from a wide range of business experts.  You can watch what you need, when you need it most and revisit the videos as often as you’d like.     This course was built for anyone running a product based business, and extends way beyond the paper industry.  Enroll at www.tradeshowcamp.com/pcplus! ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Today on the Podcast, Guest Caroline Hull: If you've ever been guilty of doing #AllTheThings than you know what it's like to be running on empty. Maybe you find yourself taking on too many projects, doing tasks you have zero skill or interest in, and chasing goals that aren't actually aligned with your values or longterm vision. But, like too many, you pound more coffee and pull more late nights. Why? Because you're a hard worker; maybe even a "helper."  You want the best for everyone and you have a hard time saying, "No." Still, deep down, something's screaming at you: "STOP this train! I want to get off."  The workload isn't sustainable; the lifestyle isn't satisfying; the support isn't there. You think, "What am I doing wrong?" Beat Burnout Before Burnout Beats YOU: You, me, WE can all get overloaded at times. Especially in those first 1-3 years of creative entrepreneurship where there's not, yet, enough cashflow or hands on deck to do all the jobs. Once the excitement and novelty of "launching" wears off, and the banal day-to-day operations kick in (if you've even mapped out what those are), it's easy to lose steam. No wonder you find yourself wearing 3,000 different hats, with 25 half completed projects, jumping from course to course, trying to DIY your marketing + your design + your website + your social media + your sales + your offerings. Of course, you feel "behind."Anyone would. You've forgotten who you are, what you want, why you started. Truth? Until you get clearer — clearer with your time, your money, and your energy — this spinning of the wheels won't quit. AND, without realizing it, you'll bury your business right into the ground. Ooh, ouch. I know. Designing Your Year Helps: That's why, last spring, when I started pre-production on the Dreamcatchers District Podcast I knew better than to do it myself. In the Fall/Winter of 2016, I had already mapped out project goals for Q2 and Q3 of 2017. I knew what I wanted more of, what I wanted less of, why, and what my role(s) would be in creatively directing that vision. I designed a plan and it felt goooood. Did it all go exactly without a hitch? That's adorable. Of course not! That's why systems, structures, strategies and emotional support are so dang important. Then, at least 70-80% of the time, things can go pretty smooth sailing. You know where you're going, you know how to get there, and you know why it's worth it. When the wind changes? You can steer that baby back to shore. While I "technically" could have done many of the tasks associated with editing, publishing, distributing and marketing a podcast — it was clear to me where my time, money, and energy was best spent. Given my stage of business, I knew exactly where to focus my strengths and how to produce revenue generating activities. And learning audio editing? That sure wasn't it. Enter My Podcast Producing Partner in Crime ... Caroline Hull of Caroline Creates. Now, if you’re running an online products based business, you're most certainly familiar with Creative Biz Rebellion; the podcast she co-hosts with Kelly Parker Smith of Hello World Paper Co. But what you might not know is the behind-the-scenes story of how this mamapreneur transitioned from ballet dancer to designer to dedicated podcast producer. Down the road we'll be hosting a future episode on How to Launch a Podcast, confessing all the mistakes we made along the way. But today's conversation is all about changing careers and discovering who you want to be. May we all be as warm, funny, and resilient as this woman. My producer, my friend, my Sweet Caroline. In this Episode We Talk About: • Why worshipping the Ballet God had become her whole identity • How she healed poor body image and a full blown eating disorder • The permission she gave herself and how she pivoted from dance to design • What it really felt like to chase something that wasn't working • When she was finally done with licking envelopes at 4am • The myth of Time Management (side note: this will be a future episode) • The Naptime Hustle vs the Pinterest mamapreneur fantasy • Why she chose to homeschool and the costs that had on her business • The 2 titles that are most important to her • Why doing #AllTheThings is the fast track to burnout • The truth about why most creative entrepreneurs procrastinate • What makes her joint venture with Kelly Parker Smith so fun • What she believes the Universe is trying to tell you • When she shifted priorities and hit up against values conflicts • Why podcast editing is the perfect fit for her introverted heart • How Flow and Grit are opposite sides of the same coin • The way she came to see failure and the lessons she's learned Get Ready to Hear All The Behind-The-Scenes Stories & Insights from Caroline Hull Mentioned in this Podcast: • Follow Caroline Hull: Twitter , Instagram , Facebook  • Podcast: Creative Biz Rebellion • Quote: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." ~ Einstein • Past Episodes: Listen to Episode #006 to hear when is the right vs wrong time to take on a creative project • The Dreamcatchers District Creative Direction: For Your Beliefs and Business, Ask Me How   This is Not a Monologue, Chime In! Rate, Review and Subscribe. Share this with your friends. Listen with your team. Send it to yo mama! • Got a question you want answered on the podcast?  • A guest you want interviewed? • Email your biggest challenges, aha’s, and guest nominations to info @ DreamcatchersDistrict.com . (I read 'em all, ya'll!) • Or if you're on the Anchor App, "Call In" to our Anchor Radio Station and ask your question there!

Join Dorothy as she chats with Kelly Parker Smith and Caroline Hull about their new podcast, Creative Biz Rebellion.  They dive into various topics for product based businesses in their weekly episodes, from having an Etsy Action Plan to goals and resolutions.  Listen in on how Kelly and Caroline run the podcast and their respective creative companies from their homes, Hello World Paper Co. and Caroline Creates, all while being moms!   "We want to have, not balance, but harmony in our lives." - Kelly Parker Smith   Follow along for more Creative Biz Rebellion:   www.creativebizrebellion.com www.instagram.com/creativebizrebellion https://www.facebook.com/groups/creativebizrebellion/     Follow along and join the Positively Creative Community:   www.positivelycreative.net www.instagram.com/positivelycreativepodcast www.facebook.com/groups/positivelycreativepodcast   On Today's Show: (4:00) Caroline Creates (5:00) Hello World Paper Co. (6:00) How Caroline & Kelly met - Creative Founders (7:00) The start of the podcast (9:00) On just starting the work (10:45) Dana Malstaff's Trello Course (14:30) Etsy Action Plan (17:45) On having a positive attitude (18:45) Rock Your Shop Summer Challenge Free Course (21:00) Easy Shop Calendar (21:00) Rock Your Shipping Mini Course (22:00) Resources (23:00) Creative Biz Rebellion's Guests (27:00) Work from home Mom life (45:00) On podcast advertisers (53:30) Paige Poppe (54:00) Lara Casey (55:00) On trying to simplify (1:00:00) Inkwell Press (1:05:00) Jessica Swift Pattern Camp (1:06:00) Kelly's Patterns