Podcasts about morningstar media services

[Series Two: Lakeside Conference Speakers] In Episode 24, hear from Esther Littlefield of Morningstar Media Services, as we talk about using strategy and systems to host a successful podcast. How can you save time creating each episode, while still providing an excellent show for your listeners? What step is the most commonly overlooked piece in […] The post 24: Strategy and Systems for a Successful Podcast With Esther Littlefield appeared first on Women's Business Workshop.

It’s difficult to thrive when you feel inefficient and overwhelmed. That’s where systems come in. But what does a system look like? How can it help you grow and scale your business? In this episode, we’re going behind the scenes of my business. My right-hand operations superstar Esther Littlefield shares what systems we have in place, what steps make up those systems, and how systems can fail.  If you consistently perform the same tasks over and over, it’s time to get those tasks into a system. Let’s get started in systemizing your business so you can grow your business and increase your profits.    Esther’s Role within The Ops Authority Business Esther and I have worked together for several years, and she manages and implements many things in my business. She leads Morningstar Media Services, a business that focuses on launching and maintaining podcasts. However, she started as my VA. Esther is my person and is truly an extension of me.   All About Systems What a System Is A system is a group of things that are all working together to accomplish one particular outcome. A system involves multiple people, steps, and processes to get one objective accomplished. We’re not talking about tech tools here; we’re talking about step-by-step workflows, procedures, and processes.  Why You Need Business Systems In Order to Scale Your business started with a passion, and you were likely doing everything. Over time, you may start to feel tired, and you need systems for the repeatable tasks in your business. This also allows you to start delegating some of your processes and focusing on what you do best. Systems allow you to step out of the day-to-day operations and into a leadership role, where you can pursue your vision.   Why CEOs Delay Creating Systems The big drawback is that creating systems takes extra time on the front end. You also may think, “No one can take this over. I’ll always do this thing.” So you don’t create a system. CEOs also fear outsourcing. Handing tasks over to someone else takes trust.   Behind the Scenes of The Ops Authority’s Systems Esther and I chat about the systems that we have within my business. Here are some of the things we have systems for inside The Ops Authority: Content (blog, podcast, social media, sending weekly emails) Lead generation Growing my email list Launch Plans SOPs If your business has an online presence, your business is dependent on content and marketing. Help yourself by creating a system about the way you deliver content.  One of Our Systems: Blog Posts I have a writer, Abby from Write Solutions, who writes my blog posts. She gathers information, writes the content, then attaches the written blog post to our Trello card. Esther creates + uploads. Esther’s team creates the graphics and also uploads, formats, and schedules the post in WordPress. Esther’s team schedules the social media posts. Abby writes the corresponding email about the blog post and gets that content to Esther, who distributes it to my email list. This process seems like a few short steps, but it takes up considerable time. We use Trello, which tracks the entire workflow for every blog post. The blogpost card has a checklist for every phase. We also use Voxer to ask and answer questions and to communicate changes.  Remember that we can create systems, but sometimes people run late or miss a deadline. It’s very important to have a good project manager who you know and trust who can keep the system moving.    Weaknesses in the Process If one early step falls behind, the rest of the process is at risk for missing the pre-established deadlines. People also go on vacation or get sick. One person missing out on their work can cause a breakdown in the plan. The solution? Work ahead by batching the work you do.  Next, we talk about another system that we have in place inside The Ops Authority: this podcast! Esther’s team manages this process, so she shares   Esther’s Podcast Production System This is a high-level overview of the 7-8 phases of a podcast production process. This example is for someone who wants to make podcasting their primary content marketing arm of their business.   Create audio (scheduled, prepped, recorded, edited) Write copy (show notes, blog post or summary, social media) Create graphics Upload recording to the podcast host (example: Libsyn) Upload recording to WordPress Schedule and promote social media content Follow-up with guests (if you have an interview show) Optional: If you have an interview show, you may need an admin to handle a lot of the scheduling pre-interview and to deal with the communication with the guests. Each of these phases in the system have multiple steps within them. Most of Esther’s podcasts that she manages have 60-70 items on the Trello checklist for each episode.   How to Create Your System if You Don’t Have a Team Not everyone has a team, but you can still create a system for the repeatable processes in your business. Spend time writing down what you want your systems to look like.  Also, you can grab this free podcast workflow checklist Esther created for you if you need help getting your podcast process organized.  Start with a checklist of what is involved, and then save up so you can have people support you. You can do hard things, but doing repeatable tasks prevents you from leading your business and reaching your vision. Esther reminded us that if you don’t have someone to manage a process for you, you are the manager of that process. Keep in mind that you need to set aside time to manage whatever systems you have in place.   Another System: Launch Plans I have two programs I launch: A-Team Accelerator and the Director of Operations Certification Program. Instead of re-inventing the wheel every time, Esther and I have a repeatable launch plan process.  Esther sets up a Trello board outlining what is included in each launch. Then she makes a copy of that board for future launches. After a launch, Esther and I reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Esther has the Trello boards organized by what tasks must happen four weeks out, three weeks out, etc. Are You Ready to Scale Your Business? Join the waitlist for the A-Team program, which is perfect for female entrepreneurs who are ready to work with more ease and get systems in place in their own businesses.   Key Quotes from the Episode: “When you’re ready to have a true partner in business, they will feel like family.” - Natalie Gingrich “A ‘system’ in business has multiple steps, multiple people, multiple deadlines that come together to create the final outcome.” - Natalie Gingrich “When you start to see repeatable tasks in your business, that’s the perfect time to start putting systems in place.”  - Natalie Gingrich “For any process in your business, it’s important to take the time to sit down and document the process as you would like it to take place.” - Esther Littlefield “The theme for creating a system is that it’s repeatable and you’re going to outsource pieces of it.”  - Natalie Gingrich “We can dream of a complete book of SOPs but start with the tasks you repetitively do in your business and the processes that have multiple hands in them.” - Natalie Gingrich   Weekly Ops Activity Take a content process and make an itemized system. Bonus points if you put your new system into your favorite project management tool.    Previous Episodes Mentioned Episode 7: Behind the Scenes with Boss Mom with Dana Malstaff and Amy Lockrin Episode 8: Three Productivity Hacks You Haven’t Thought Of  Episode 9: How to Find the Right Project Management Tool with Cadri Cunningham   Connect with Esther Littlefield Website Facebook Instagram   Esther Littlefield is the founder and CEO of Morningstar Media Services. At Morningstar Media, she serves business owners with their content management and marketing, specializing in podcast management. In addition, Esther is also a writer at EstherLittlefield.com and host of the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast. Never satisfied to do just ONE thing, she stays busy as a wife, mom, and entrepreneur. Esther uses her passion for details to help her clients reach their goals and shine online.  Esther combines her background as a social worker, network marketer, and blogger to help others achieve their goals in their business. As a task-oriented perfectionist, she’s able to break down all the little details to accomplish a project. Most importantly, her desire is to help others achieve their dreams, and she will work hard to help make that happen. Connect with Me: Website Private Facebook Community Facebook Page Instagram This episode was originally published on theopsauthority.com/podcast/11

What do 2 friends who start a podcast together learn in their first year? And how might these lessons help you move forward in your leadership? When we asked in our private Facebook group how we should celebrate our podcast anniversary, the majority of votes were for an episode sharing the lessons we’ve learned in the first year. So today, we’re doing just that!  Some lessons are serious, some are funny, and some will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how this podcast gets created. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.   12 Lessons From Our First Year of Podcasting: Lesson 1: Believe God when He tells you who you are Holly shares the first lesson, which is to believe what God says about you. Believe what He says about you in his word and secondly, learn who He created you to be through your life experiences.   Lesson 2: Take imperfect action I share examples of how I’ve learned to take imperfect action both by starting the podcast and starting the Confident Leader Club. Usually I want to have a solid plan for how things are going to go, and in both cases, I wasn’t really sure if they would work.    Lesson 3: Follow God where He is working Holly shares how she has learned to follow God where He is working, specifically in joining me on this podcast adventure.   Lesson 4: Trust your gut This one feels a little strange to say, but I’ve learned the value of trusting your gut over the past year. I sensed that there was a need for this podcast, and it turns out that this was correct.   Lesson 5: Let go of the outcome Holly shares the value in letting go of the outcome, especially when you have no idea what you’re doing. She didn’t know much about podcasting when she said yes, so she had to trust God to bring the results.   Lesson 6:  Follow the joy I believe that God gives us ideas and dreams and passions that will actually bring us a lot of joy if we pursue them. This podcast has been one example of that. Getting to do this along with Holly has been a total joy this past year.   Lesson 7: Podcasting is a lot of work Holly shares that she learned how much podcasting is in the past year. There are 67 tasks on our Trello checklist for each episode. It takes consistency and a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Grab My free Podcast Workflow Checklist   Lesson 8: People’s stories are powerful Doing this podcast has confirmed my love for hearing people’s stories. I especially love stories from people who feel very relatable to my own experience. I have enjoyed sharing the experiences of other women leaders who are living “regular” lives but are using their gifts and skills in powerful ways.   Lesson 9: Be careful what you say when you’re recording Holly shares about how much blackmail I have on her from the podcast recordings we’ve done and the sections we’ve never published. We also talk about how much fun we have, and that we think we are funny, but we want to know if you agree (tell us inside our Facebook group).   Lesson 10: Podcasting will teach you to be a better speaker Podcasting has taught me how many annoying things I say. When you have to edit your own words every week for almost a year, you become very aware of your crutch words and annoying habits.   Lesson 11: Podcasting will test your friendship If you’re going to start a podcast with someone, make sure your relationship is strong enough for this experience! You will have to have some difficult conversations and will be working closely together, so it’s sure to test your relationship.   Lesson 12: Holly’s hair is too big for podcasting We share how Holly’s big hair affects our podcasting efforts.   Conclusion: We want to say thank you to all of you who have been a part of the first year. We are grateful for your part in this past year, and we are also thankful to God for allowing us to go on this adventure. On the week of our official anniversary, we’ll be sharing about our favorite episodes from the past year, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss that conversation.   If you are interested in starting your own podcast, I have a free resource for you from Morningstar Media Services.    Click here to grab the FREE Podcast Launch Resource Guide. Stay Connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app. Click here to find all the options where you can find the podcast. Join our Purposeful Leadership Facebook group! In the Facebook group, we can chat about what you need as a leader, what your challenges are, as well as celebrate the wins. This is a great community to learn and grow together. We want to get to know YOU.   Other Ways to Connect with Esther and the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast: Esther’s Instagram Holly’s Instagram Holly’s Website Facebook Page   Episode Sponsor: Morningstar Media Services   Morningstar Media Services is the agency that I own and run, and we provide 1:1 podcast launch and management services. I also have a group program, Podcast Propel, for those who want to launch a podcast that will help them connect with and grow their business. Go to morningstarmediaservices.com to learn more.   Key Quotes from the Episode: “The core of leading with confidence is actually believing what God says about you and resting in the truth of His love for you.” - Esther Littlefield   “When you can control the outcome, you don’t have to trust in God. When you have no idea what you’re doing, you have to trust Him.” - Holly Cain   “We all have something to give, no matter how big or small the stage is. It doesn’t matter if you’re reaching one person or one million people.” - Holly Cain   Connect with Esther and Holly: Esther’s Website Holly’s Website Instagram Facebook Group Facebook Page This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode55.

Esther Littlefield is the founder and CEO of Morningstar Media Services and she creates amazing podcast services for entrepreneurs and influencers   In this podcast, she shares her story of what has led her up to this point: the people who helped guide they way, and how her heroine journey had some unexpected turns.   Above everything, Esther's desire is to help others achieve their dreams.   Let's take a look at how she's making this possible while guiding the way for female leaders.   If you're struggling with telling your own story or brand story to drive sales and solidify your brand... you'll probably want to check out this program... https://www.originstoryvideo.com/go

Whatever your leadership role, this conversation with Esther Littlefield will teach you about fulfilling your God-given purpose despite the fear that threatens to cripple you or halt your dream altogether. Esther's example of leading a bible study when she didn't feel ready teaches us that you can use your gifts anywhere, whether in motherhood, a full-time job, or serving in your church or community. You don't have to wait. Just start small, be obedient, and let Him bring the results. When God calls you to something bigger than yourself, you might question whether you're the right person for the job. You might think someone else could do it better. Fear is normal—we all feel it to some extent—but fear is not from God. If fear is creeping up on you, the next step is to trust God's character, believe He is good, and know that He is for you and the dreams He's given you! Listen as Esther Littlefield explains what this has been for her and then, find the courage you need to take the next step, regardless of how ready you feel. Writer and host of the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast, Esther Littlefield encourages and equips women to embrace their God-given gifts, skills, and passions in order to lead with confidence. Esther is also the founder of Morningstar Media Services, a podcast production agency, helping entrepreneurs launch and manage their podcast so that they can focus on what they love the most. Never satisfied to do just ONE thing, Esther is a busy wife, mom, leader, friend, and entrepreneur. She combines her background as a social worker, network marketer, and blogger to help others achieve their goals in their life and business. You'll find the show notes and all the ways to connect with Esther, here: http://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/118

How does a social worker with no formal business training end up owning and running a business that supports her family? And what are some of the challenges and the benefits along this journey? You’ve heard from other business owners and women in leadership, but today, Holly interviews me about my own business journey. We’re kicking off a few episodes focused on leadership in business, so we thought it would be fun for you to hear a bit of my backstory, how I ended up where I am today, and the lessons I've learned along the way.   Direct Sales: My first business was with a direct sales company shortly after graduating college and beginning my social work career. I was invited to a scrapbooking party and ended up becoming a consultant. I continued this business for about 3 years. After this, I joined a different company which focused on wellness, and quickly found that it had a more profitable business model. I was able to work with that company for over 9 years and earned consistent income. That business allowed me to go from working full-time as a social worker to eventually being at home full-time. My Passion: One of my passions has always been writing. I started my blog in 2006 and continued it, though sporadically, over the next 9 years. However, at the end of 2015, I started to feel burnt out from direct sales, and the desire to write and reach women became stronger. I felt that God was putting it on my heart to pursue the writing again. So I stepped back from my business at the time and began focusing on my blog. I learned everything I could about online business, growing an email list, gaining traffic to my blog, and creating income from a blog. I became a podcast listener and took in as much as I could to help me with my blog. I also took courses to grow my understanding and skills as well. Over the next year, I implemented a lot of what I was learning and began seeing results. I loved writing and connecting with the women I was reaching. Most of all, I loved helping others.   Starting My Own Business: As much as  I loved working on my blog and connecting with the women there, we got to a point where I was going to either have to go get a job, resume my direct sales business, or start something new. It was then that I realized that I had a lot of skills and natural strengths that I had used and/or learned by working on my own blog. Not only that, but other people would actually pay me to do a lot of those things for them as a virtual assistant. So in January 2017, I officially began my business Morningstar Media Services as a virtual assistant. Soon I transitioned into being on online business manager, as I was offering support in a variety of ways as well as strategic input into my clients’ businesses. Later, I niched down to focusing on working with business owners who have (or want to have) a podcast to help grow their business. Business Lessons Learned: I could not have gotten to where I am today without the impact of mentors. I learned a lot from various mentors during my business journey, and I share about 3 of them: Sheila, Kindel, and Julie. Business Challenges: Learning how to promote my business without being obnoxious Learning how to hear the word “no” and be okay with it Managing my time and schedule Business Wins: Hitting my first advancement Being able to provide a consistent income for my family Reaching my goals more quickly than expected when I began Morningstar Biggest Business Lessons: Business is all about relationships. The reason that my business took off as quickly as it did is due to the relationships I had developed online during the previous year and a half--with no agenda. I’ve learned the importance of taking your wiring into account when deciding what business or opportunity to pursue. As an introvert, there are certain things that come much easier for me than others. When I shifted to doing work that was more in line with how God had designed me, I felt better and was able to make a bigger impact. Through all of my business ventures, the goal has always been to help people. But the vehicle I’ve used has been different in different seasons. Don’t hold back what you know--your skills, passions, and natural strengths that God has given you. To not use these things is actually dishonoring to God. None of it is luck. Business is a journey, and there are times when things will go really well, and other times when you want to give up and throw in the towel. You have to be willing to follow God’s leading, even when it doesn’t make sense to you. Always continue learning and developing your skills.   Leaders Are Learners: I share my favorite resources for learning and growing a business, most of which are podcasts. Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast with Amy Porterfield Storybrand Podcast & Storybrand Book with Donald Miller* BizChix Podcast with Natalie Eckdahl Business Boutique with Christy Wright Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn   We hope this conversation has been helpful for you to hear the background of my business journey. Thanks to Holly for interviewing me! We would love to continue this conversation in our Facebook Group so that you can share your business tips or questions. Join our Facebook Group   Key Quotes from this episode: "There’s nothing that has been more powerful in my business than the relationships I’ve developed." - Esther Littlefield “The end result has been wanting to help people; it’s just been a different vehicle that I’ve used to achieve that goal.” - Esther Littlefield Other Episodes Mentioned: Episode 23: Using Your Voice & Telling Your Story as a Leader with Abbey Jo Bailey Other Ways to Connect with Esther & Holly and the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast: Website Esther’s Instagram Holly’s Instagram Podcast Instagram Facebook Page   Episode Sponsor: Confident Leader Club Today’s show is brought to you by the Confident Leader Club. If you’re a Christian woman leading in ministry or business, and you have a desire for deeper community with other leaders, accountability towards reaching your goals, access to ALL the downloads I’ve created, monthly bonus content including workshops and trainings on specific topics, and much more, I want to invite you to check it out. Visit confidentleaderclub.com to learn more.   This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode38. *Affiliate link which means if you choose to make a purchase, we will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to support the costs of running the podcast and blog.

Esther Littlefield is the writer at EstherLittlefield.com and host of the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast where she encourages and equips women to embrace their God-given gifts, skills, and passions in order to lead with confidence. She is also the founder of Morningstar Media Services, an content management agency which helps entrepreneurs increase their visibility and shine online. Never satisfied to do just ONE thing, Esther stays busy as a wife, mom, leader, friend, and entrepreneur. Esther combines her background as a social worker, network marketer, and blogger to help others achieve their goals in their life and business. When she’s not running her agency, writing, or dreaming up a new idea, you can find Esther heading out for a hike with her family, sipping a cup of coffee, or enjoying the occasional Netflix binge. Her 5 top tips:Assess yourself and assess your personality. To work out what type of business to pursue. What are your passions and what do you love and can do long term. What kind of life do you want? Make sure you set up your boundaries from the start, how you want to work with your clients and how you want your life to look. Build relationships with people. 95% of services based businesses are built on through relationships that are built. This will turn over new clients and have a ripple effect. You can do this on Skype or Zoom and be helpful. Just start. Take action. Learn from even the smallest projects even if they don’t work out. Find a business mentor or someone you can learn from whose doing something similar to what you want to do. Her Bible verse for this season: Philippians 1:6 New International Version (NIV)6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.Esther LittlefieldWhere to find EstherHER WEBSITEHER FACEBOOKHER INSTAGRAMHER PODCAST See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today on the Working Christian Mom Podcast, I chat with my friend and fellow multi-passionate entrepreneur Esther Littlefield. Esther is a pastor's wife, a mama and the host of The Christian Women Leadership Podcast where she women in leadership to lead well and with confidence. Esther never expected to become a pastor’s wife and in our conversation, she shares about her journey to finding safe people to confide in, what it’s like to be a Working Christian Mom pastor’s wife and how she got over the guilt about not being a stay at home mom. Two Big Takeaways from my conversation with Esther: We all need to find safe people to confide in. Esther and I both believe that we need close relationships with trusted friends. When Esther was experiencing marriage troubles, she couldn’t confide in just anyone at her church. She found safe people who she knew would keep her trust. We all need these people in our lives. And when someone trusts us with their hurts and worries, we need to hold sacred space with that instead of gossiping. If you’re seeking something and don’t see it out there, perhaps you’re being called to create it. Both Esther and I created spaces for women online through our podcasts because we were craving the community we were looking for. Esther also created a Bible Study at her church because she didn’t see what she was looking for. Often times, we have the tendency to stay on the sidelines, wait and wish someone else would just hurry up and create something for us. But often times, that stirring in  your heart is the Lord prompting YOU to start!   Links Mentioned [affiliate links] Create Your Laptop Life Tick Remover UMass Amherst Tick Service About Our Guest: Esther Littlefield is the writer at EstherLittlefield.com and host of The Christian Woman Leadership Podcast, where she encourages and equips women to embrace their God-given gifts, skills, and passions in order to lead with confidence. She is also the founder and CEO of Morningstar Media Services, a digital marketing agency which helps female entrepreneurs run and grow their businesses. Never satisfied to do just ONE thing, Esther stays busy as a pastor's wife, mom, leader, friend, and entrepreneur. Esther combines her background as a social worker, network marketer, and blogger to help others achieve their goals in their life and business. When she’s not running her agency, writing, or dreaming up a new idea, you can find Esther heading out for a hike with her family, sipping a cup of coffee, or enjoying the occasional Netflix binge. Connect with Esther: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

How can stacking your team with an Online Business Manager (OBM) add immediate value to your business? Adding an OBM to your team at the right time can help you take your business to new heights. Esther Littlefield of Morningstar Media Services and Shelli dive into all aspects of hiring and inspiring an OBM to join your team and help you grow your online business. Esther shares some insights about some of the key components of an online business that an OBM can help you with, as well as how to attract, onboard and retain the best talents in your business. Connect With Esther Littlefield: Blog post: How to Hire an Online Business Manager Morningstar Media Services Facebook Instagram Books or Tools or Events Mentioned: BAM Success Summit 2018 Other Links Mentioned: Trello Asana Google Drive Voxer Google Calendar Create Your Laptop Life Hiring Form Work with Shelli: One Day Mastermind EliteChix Mastermind Strategy Session Work With Natalie: One Day Mastermind CEOCHIX Mastermind Strategy Session This episode was first published at BizChix.com/team11. Listen to our sister podcast, BizChix, on your app or at http://bizchix.com. Join the BixChix Community here.