Podcasts about smallbizlady

In this episode of Time to Thrive, host Bethany Meadows talks with Melinda Emerson, known as the “Small Biz Lady,” about turning passion into profit. Melinda shares her accidental journey to becoming a top small business expert and offers practical advice for entrepreneurs at every stage. From creating a life plan before a business plan to mastering social media and avoiding common business pitfalls, this episode is packed with insights. Tune in to learn how to align your passion with purpose and build a sustainable, profitable business!0:00 Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Journey00:08 Meet Melinda Emerson: The Small Biz Lady02:26 A Journey from Passion to Profit06:53 The Birth of the Small Biz Lady Brand08:59 Essential Steps for New Entrepreneurs13:28 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them16:22 The Importance of Being Coachable16:41 Mastering Social Media for Business Success18:13 Building Trust and Engagement Online20:41 The Power of Consistent Content Creation22:49 Navigating AI in Content Creation26:36 Developing a Personal Brand30:27 Turning Passion into Purpose and Profit32:13 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts33:21 Where to Connect with Melinda Emerson Discover the strategies, systems and skills that lead to success in business. Visit TimeToThriveInBusiness.com to learn more.

Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right in your business, but the results just aren't adding up?  You've put in the hard work, invested countless hours, and followed all the advice, but something is still missing. Well, get ready to unlock the secrets that could transform your entrepreneurial journey. In this conversation, Melinda Emerson, the renowned "Small Biz Lady," shares her hard-won wisdom from over two decades of guiding entrepreneurs to success. With candor and clarity, she exposes the most common pitfalls that can derail even the most promising ventures, from underestimating the challenges to neglecting crucial support systems. But Melinda also reveals the strategies that have propelled her clients to amazing heights, including the Inc Magazine's 500 list. Brace yourself for a masterclass in fiscal discipline, customer retention, and the art of truly listening to your market – because the difference between struggle and soaring success could lie in the profound truths you're about to uncover.     [01:30- 10:09]   Keys to Sustainable Small Business Growth   Recognized the mistake of building a business that could not operate independently Realized the value of learning from experience and seeking better advice for running a business Identified a gap in guidance for turning ideas into successful businesses, unlike advice for finances or retirement Explored the possibility of using personal learnings to help others start businesses the right way     [10:10 -16:53]  Insights for Women Entrepreneurs Developing a customer-focused mindset to understand and meet market needs Embracing strategic planning and readiness as crucial factors for success  Overcoming self-doubt and impostor syndrome through continuous learning Cultivating resilience and adaptability to navigate the entrepreneurial journey     [16:54 - 21:01]    Common Pitfalls in the Transition Understand the diverse skill sets required for successful entrepreneurship Establish emotional boundaries and advocate for yourself with unsupportive partners Avoid the mistake of attempting to appeal to an overly broad customer base Recognize that a lack of financial management can quickly destroy a business   [21:02 - 33:58]    Overcoming Challenges through Personal Growth Develop empathy and avoid repeating expensive mistakes by learning from failures  Prioritize self-leadership through practices like meditation for better decision-making  Be prepared to assess your readiness objectively and seek help when needed Maintain a growth mindset, embracing the need to evolve personally and professionally   Connect with Melinda Emerson Website: Home - https://succeedasyourownboss.com/                              https://smallbizladyuniversity.com/academy/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/SmallBizLady YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/melindaemerson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallbizlady/?hl=en Tik Tok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@thesmallbizla   Go to https://lifeaftercorporatepodcast.com/ for all episodes 168.  The Chris Voss Method for Closing the Deal 144  Overgiving: The Secret Saboteur of Entrepreneurial Success 131 From Self-Sabotage to Success: Practical Strategies to Thrive Tweetable Quotes:  "I had built a business that could not run without me. You know, I was the number one rainmaker in my business. So when I wasn't there, what that meant was there was no rain being made.".... Melinda Emerson on her #1 business mistake "It takes 12 to 18 months to break even, let alone make enough money to replace your corporate salary."...Melinda Emerson on realism of entrepreneurship   **TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST**   SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A FIVE-STAR REVIEW and share this podcast to other growing entrepreneurs!  Get weekly tips on how to create more money and meaning doing work you love and be one of the many growing entrepreneurs in our community. Connect with me on LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12656341/  or on Instagram or our website at www.lifeaftercorporatepodcast.com . 

Steven Pope | Strategies for Your Amazon Business SuccessSTEVEN POPESteven Pope is the founder of My Amazon Guy, a marketing agency managing 300+ active brands. Steven is a best-selling author with his book “Amazon Selling Tips,” which hit the top business books lists on all of Amazon. Steven started his career as a TV reporter in Idaho then was an eCommerce Director for 10 years for brands ranging from Gold & Silver Coins to Women's Plus Size Clothing. Steven then created My Amazon Guy, an agency with 300+ employees on growing traffic and sales on Amazon. Steven not only owns MAG but also My Refund Guy, My Warehouse Guy, 4 Amazon Brands. Steven has​ been viewed by millions of people on YouTube in thousands of videos where he shows how to handle ANY problem faced on Amazon.For more information: www.myamazonguy.comMELINDA EMERSON Melinda Emerson, the SmallBizLady, is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She has been a thriving entrepreneur for nearly 20 years and is a internationally-known keynote speaker and expert on small business development and social media marketing. She publishes a resource blog, https://succeedasyourownboss.com/​Her small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. A pioneer in social media marketing, she is the creator and host of #Smallbizchat​, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.The #SmallBizChat​ program airs LIVE monthly on the Melinda Emerson Facebook, YouTube and Twitter Channels.Broadcast and remotely-produced by Robert Hix with Hixvideo in Gaithersburg, MD.Support the Show.

Small business success isn't just about what you sell today; it's about understanding your clients' future needs and staying ahead of the curve. In this week's power-packed episode, we have special guest Melinda Emerson, the renowned “SmallBizLady” herself and CEO of Quintessence Group—a marketing consulting firm that serves Fortune 500 brands that target small businesses. Join us as we discuss the world of small business success. Melinda shares the 12 P's every small business owner must master, the strategies for prioritizing your marketing efforts, the secrets to keeping your top list for business connections, and more. Tune in now and discover how to make your small business flourish.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.seilertucker.com/podcast

Curtis interviews Melinda Emerson, known as "SmallBizLady," who is America's #1 Small Business Expert and a media spokesperson, influencer, and keynote speaker. She has been the CEO of Quintessence Group for over 24 years and has a marketing consulting firm that serves Fortune 500 brands targeting the small business market. Melinda also has an online school, SmallBizLadyUniversity.com, which teaches small business growth and online marketing skills. She has been a featured speaker in various media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, Fortune, USA Today, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC News, Entrepreneur, Inc., Essence, and Black Enterprise. In 2021, HubSpot named her one of the top business coaches in America, and in 2019, Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. Melinda is the creator and host of The Smallbizchat Podcast and has published over 5000 articles on her blog, SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months. They have discussed some important aspects of marketing and how to build an in-demand brand.   Links and Resources from this Episode https://www.practicalwealthadvisors.com https://www.practicalwealthsolutions.net/ Email Curtis for a free report - curtmay@gmail.com Call his office - 610-622-3121 ERC Tax Credit - https://ercspecialists.com?fpr=curtis75 Schedule a call with Curtis: https://aptwithcurtis.as.me/Strategysession CashFlow Mapping: https://practicalwealth.cashflowmapping.com/lp/PWbudgetsstink Private Reserve Strategy: https://app.agent-crm.com/v2/preview/vWh4TyHnUBXdULimd82i Connect with Melinda Emerson www.succeedasyourownboss.com www.smallbizladyuniversity.com www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson www.twitter.com/smallbizlady www.facebook.com/smallbizlady www.instagram.com/smallbizlady www.smallbizladyuniversity.com https://www.youtube.com/c/melindaemerson Special Listener Gift Schedule a 15-Minute Call with Curtis: https://aptwithcurtis.as.me/Strategysession  Show Notes How Melinda became the small biz lady Demonstrating practical skill over simply claiming expertise The importance of branding and demonstrating expertise as ways to draw ideal clients Solving a need for your client with your business and focusing on purpose rather than passion The importance of understanding profitability ratios, not just gross revenue Defining what you want to be known for in your personal or business branding strategy Targeting the right audience and finding strategic partners in business events Making the decision to invest in oneself and attend such events, pointing out the tax deductibility of such expenses Improving mindset and skill set by attending the event Review, Subscribe and Share If you like what you hear please leave a review by clicking here Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so you get the latest episodes. Click here to subscribe with Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe with Spotify Click here to subscribe with Stitcher Click here to subscribe with RSS

Melinda Emerson, aka The Small Biz Lady, is back this week on The Franchise Woman Podcast. She joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa to talk about her journey to unveiling her true passion and purpose. Like many, Melinda thought she knew what she wanted to do with her life. But once out of college and into the corporate world she found herself miserable and hating her job. A fateful turn of events would have her reassessing everything. Two years later she was on a completely different path – one filled with satisfaction and happiness. Listen in to hear the rest of the story and learn about Melinda's upcoming how to become a Brand in Demand Live event in Philadelphia September 21-23, 2023.

We dive into the world of entrepreneurship with Melinda Emerson aka. SmallBizLady. With a trailblazing career as a former New York Times columnist, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and marketing expert, find out from Melinda the questions every small business owner should be asking themselves.On a mission to put an end to small business failure, Melinda has been recognized by LinkedIn as a top Voice for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, while Forbes magazine hailed her as the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. But that's not all! Melinda's marketing consulting firm has proudly served powerhouse brands such as VISA, American Express, FedEx, Google, and Microsoft.Trust us, this interview is an absolute must-listen for entrepreneurs. Don't miss out!Discussions in the episode:Universal challenges start-ups face and how to solve themThe value of investing in brandingCommon mistakes leaders make when scalingThe cycle of continuous learningClick here to reach out to Peter Rabey direct Like this show? Please leave us a review. Every review helps. 

Today, Melinda shares with us the reality of running her business - including times when she didn't think she would make it through. People see pictures of her online, on TV, and in webinars, and they think everything's rainbows with the phone ringing off the hook. That's true now, but that was not always true. This month marks Melinda's 24th year in business, and she is coming up on her 14th year as your SmallBizLady, America's #1 small business expert. In honor of this anniversary, she shares with listeners three times over the last 24 years that she thought she would go out of business and how turned it all around."One of the things I learned over the years is you have to focus on keeping your customers; keeping your customers is far less expensive than going out there and getting new ones." – Melinda EmersonThis week on SmallBizChat Podcast:3 times Melinda's business nearly failed. Building a company that can run without you.Changing leadership styles over your career.Believing in yourself. Leading with faith, not with worry. Serving in all you do. Resources Mentioned: Website: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/

Are you tired of working a 9 to 5 and wants to focus in creating your DREAM business and becoming your OWN BOSS? Then get ready with us as in today's episode, we will be sharing you a MASTERMIND in how you can become your own boss this 2023!Today, we are joined by Melinda F. Emerson - known as the SmallBizLady. Melinda is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, small business coach and the author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and host of SmallBizChat podcast. SmallBizLady, is America's #1 Small Business Expert. In 2010, Forbes magazine named her as one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter. She has been a thriving entrepreneur for nearly 20 years and is an internationally known keynote speaker and expert on small business development and social media marketing!So if you're struggling how to dive into the business industry then make sure to listen up until the very end as we talked about:- Melinda's Journey in Entrepreneurship- Things You Should Know Before Diving into the Business Industry- Melinda's Advice to her younger self and What she would do differently- How to Overcome Doubt from Yourself and Others- Strategies to Succeed with your Business- How do you distinguish what it is that you should do versus what it is that you shouldn't do?- The Podcasting Industry (SmallBizChat)- What does the Future look like for SmallBizLady?Don't wait, take control of your future and become a successful business owner today!If you're interested in Melinda's services, feel free to reach out to her!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallbizlady/Her Services: https://shor.by/SmallBizLadyDo you want to be a successful entrepreneur like our guest? Do you want to become our next guest?Message Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tolu.owoyemi/Visit Our Website: https://www.mastermindyouragency.com/Stay tuned for our next episode!

I am so excited to kick off the New Year with an outstanding guest! Shelly Shell Williams, is a Media Consultant affectionately referred to as Philly's Oprah. She climbed the corporate ladder from Intern to Executive Producer of Urban X-pressions, the longest-running video show in the Delaware Valley. When you follow Social Media, you HAVE to know Shelly Shell... especially when Shelly just completed "30 interviews in 30 DAYS!" I am lucky to have previously worked with WGTW-TV in Philadelphia. Shelly Shell Williams is the former Executive Assistant and Mentee of the late Dorothy E. Brunson: the first African American woman to own a Radio and TV Station. Shelly Shell Williams is a multi-award-winning producer and 3X Billboard Award Winning Executive Producer. For me, WGTW-TV 48 allowed me incredible opportunities to experience the BEST of Broadcast Media, and some the most challenging aspects of earning my Broadcast Media chops at a start-up Television Station in Philadelphia. Shelly is one of the most transparent and engaging media personalities that you'll ever encounter. Shelly Shell Williams literally puts all of her personal and professional journeys online for the world to see, to have fun, and to learn. Shelly Williams has interviewed countless celebrities and influential people, including Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, Kirk Franklin, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Boris Kodjoe, Musiq, Mary Mary, Meagan Good, Richard Roundtree, Marlon Wayans, Kangol Kid, DJ Kool, Method Man, Red Man, Steve Harvey, Terry Crews, Vivica A. Fox, Glenn Lundy, Angela Pipersburgh, Melinda Emerson, "SmallBizLady," Dr. Cheryl Wood and so many more. Williams uses her extensive experience as a Producer, Media Consultant, Marketing Coordinator, Speaker, Course Creator, Content/Newspaper Writer, and Social Media Strategist to educate and train entrepreneurs, business owners, and entertainment professionals through group coaching, live workshops, and online courses. Williams teaches her clients how to utilize the power of media to market and grow their businesses. Such a fun episode! When you need to reach out to Shelley, here are just a couple of ways. INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/shellyshellwilliams/ WEBSITE shellyshellwilliams.com https://www.facebook.com/ShellyShellWilliamsPhillysOprah/

This week Melinda Emerson shares how to communicate effectively as a small business owner. Listen in as Laura and Melinda discuss strategies for managing others, making the most of networking events, and how to handle your inner critic. Melinda also reveals key characteristics every entrepreneur needs to create a sustainable business.   Here are a few things you'll learn during this conversation: How to adjust your communication style for different employees Qualities to look for in potential business relationships The most expensive fears that are costing you business deals How to delegate through communication The top questions to ask yourself before starting a business   About Melinda Emerson:   Melinda F. Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and marketing expert. As CEO of Quintessence Group, her marketing consulting firm serves Fortune 500 brands that target small businesses. Her advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs weekly online. She has an online school www.smallbizladyuniversity.com and hosts The Smallbizchat Podcast. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months.   You can connect with Melinda in the following ways: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/melinda-emerson-smallbizlady/ Website: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/   To learn more about Dr. Laura Sicola and how mastering influence can impact your success go to https://www.speakingtoinfluence.com/quickstart and download the quick start guide for mastering the three C's of influence.   You can connect with Laura in the following ways:   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocal-impact-productions/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VocalImpactProductions Facebook: Vocal Impact Productions Twitter: @Laura Sicola  Instagram: @VocalImpactProductionsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melinda Emerson, the SmallBizLady, joins the show to share her journey from leaving her "dream job" to becoming America's #1 Small Business Expert. Hear the top things to keep in mind when launching a new business, the most effective way to scale, how to set up processes and systems without slowing down efficiency, decide what type of exit is best, and the coolest college town Melinda's spoken at. Connect with Melinda on social media @SmallBizLady, SmallBizLadyUniversity.com, and her book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months

Bennie Randall Show (Ep 2406) Small Biz Lady Melinda Emerson - Talks All Things Small Business

After enduring a pandemic and the accompanying economic hardship for two years, many business owners are now scrambling to deal with rapidly rising inflation and the ongoing supply chain problems. So how can you adapt to these conditions that are beyond your control? Melinda Emerson. also known as the Small Biz Lady, offers strategies to cut costs, raise prices, and try to keep your customers patient and loyal.Access our full library of podcasts for small businesseshttps://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/guides/podcasts

In episode 149, the "Small Biz Lady" herself drops biz tips for beginners, featuring Melinda Emerson! Tune in now!Melinda F. Emerson, aka “SmallBizLady”, is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is a media spokesperson, small business influencer, and internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, social selling, and content marketing. A prolific writer, Melinda has published more than 5000 articles on her blog. Her advice is widely read, reaching 3 million entrepreneurs each week. She is a small business educator at heart, and has an online school that teaches people how to start and grow successful small businesses and learn online marketing skills.You can follow Melinda on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & LinkedIn.For Melinda's full bio and episode show notes, visit us here.Loving this episode? Leave us a review if you're listening on Apple podcasts and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube!Until next time, stay empowered, stay inspired & #staypoderosa ✨

A 90 Day Plan to Get Back Your Life. The host for this show is Sharon Thomas Yarbrough. The guest is Melinda F. Emerson. Melinda F. Emerson, "SmallBizLady" is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, social selling, and marketing strategy. As CEO of Quintessence Group, her marketing consulting firm serves Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. She also has an online school, that teaches people online marketing and how to start and grown a successful small business. The ThinkTech YouTube Playlist for this show is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQpkwcNJny6ndiXeS_-66BAvYMYUXKKfx Please visit our ThinkTech website at https://thinktechhawaii.com and see our Think Tech Advisories at https://thinktechadvisories.blogspot.com.

Frankie's guests include attorney Jeffery M. Leving a Dads' Rights advocate, medicare expert Jae Oh, and America's Small Business Expert SmallBizLady Melinda Emerson! Jeffery Leving named one of "America's Best Lawyers" by Forbes Radio, is the author of two ground-breaking books, Fathers' Rights and Divorce Wars. He co-authored the Illinois Joint Custody Law and has made frequent appearances as an expert legal analyst and commentator on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX National News, and ABC News. He is also the Chairman of the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood and President Emeritus of the Fatherhood Educational Institute. https://www.dadsrights.com/Jae W. Oh, MBA, CFP®, CLU® ChFC® is a "common guy [with] uncommon financial insight" and is the Managing Principal of GH2 Benefits, LLC. He is a Certified Financial Planner and author of Maximize Your Medicare. Jae Oh is also author of Maximize Your Medicare. https://jaeoh.substack.com/https://maximizeyourmedicare.com/Melinda Emerson, known as “SmallBizLady,” and bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, joins us today to discuss what's happening right now with American small businesses, some blind spots entrepreneurs may be missing and how one large corporation is offering help. https://succeedasyourownboss.com/verizon.com/digitalready******Frankie Boyer is an award winning talk show host that empowers listeners to live healthy vibrant lives http://www.frankieboyer.com

Melinda Emerson, also known as the SmallBizLady, is a sales expert who has dedicated her career to end small business failure. Using her 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, She has taken all that she's learned to educate people on all things small business. Melinda is also a bestselling author and runs a consulting firm.   In this episode, Melinda talks about the essence of understanding your customers and tailoring your solutions to their needs to create win-win solutions.    Here are the topics covered in this episode: How salespeople should protect their relationship with customers  Focus on existing customers because they're going to keep your retention rate high Sales and marketing should work together in order to build a strong customer base Work to learn and understand your customer's challenges and roadmap    More From the Guest SmallBizLady on social media    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson/    Book: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/products/     Listen to more episodes of the Outside Sales Talk here! https://www.badgermapping.com/podcast       Start Selling More Today with Badger Maps - The #1 Route Planner for Field Sales   See Badger in Action: https://www.badgermapping.com/outside-sales-talk-listener/  If you love the Outside Sales Talk podcast, you'll also love Badger's newsletters!  Our 95,000+ subscribers stay at the top of their game with actionable tips from top sales experts. Are you in? Subscribe to Badger Maps' newsletters now! https://www.badgermapping.com/newsletters/

Melinda F. Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, marketing expert, and business coach. As CEO of Quintessence Group, her marketing consulting firm serves Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. Her advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She has an online school www.smallbizladyuniversity.com and hosts The Smallbizchat Podcast. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded. Every Tuesday evening on Leadership LIVE @ 8:05! - Talking Small Business, your host Andrew Frazier is joined by experienced entrepreneurs and business owners who share their secrets to success via Livestream. You will learn about developing your business leadership skills from our roster of high-performing guest experts. Leadership LIVE is one of the many valuable resources provided through the Small Business Pro University empowering business owners to learn, profit, and grow. www.SBProU.com

Listen as coach Kirsten speaks with The Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson on the importance of media and understanding your target market. You can learn more about Melinda and her work Blog SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com Online school www.smallbizladyuniversity.com Podcast: SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson (itunes)

Shelly Shell Williams, a Media Consultant affectionately yet authoritatively referred to as Philly's Oprah. She climbed the corporate ladder from Intern to Executive Producer of Urban X-pressions, the longest-running video show in the Delaware Valley. Shelly Shell Williams is the former Executive Assistant and Mentee of the late Dorothy E. Brunson: the first African American woman to own a Radio and TV Station. Shelly Shell Williams is a multi-award-winning producer and 3X Billboard Award- Winning Executive Producer. Shelly Williams has interviewed countless celebrities and influential people, including Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, Kirk Franklin, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Boris Kodjoe, Musiq, Mary Mary, Meagan Good, Richard Roundtree, Marlon Wayans, Kangol Kid, DJ Kool, Method Man, Red Man, Steve Harvey, Terry Crews, Vivica A. Fox, Glenn Lundy, Angela Pipersburgh, Melinda Emerson, "SmallBizLady," Dr. Cheryl Wood and so many more. Williams uses her extensive experience as a Producer, Media Consultant, Marketing Coordinator, Speaker, Course Creator, Content/Newspaper Writer, and Social Media Strategist to educate and train entrepreneurs, business owners, and entertainment professionals through group coaching, live workshops, and online courses. Williams teaches her clients how to utilize the power of media to market and grow their businesses. WE DIVING DEEP TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. Check it out now with the P.E.G family on iHeartradio and all platforms. The vibes are set and unmatched. ITs JUST A VIBE TING‼️‼️‼️

Jeffrey Feldberg increased the value of his business by 10x in 2-years before selling. Jeffrey shared, up to 90% of liquidity events fail, and most of the time they fail due to a lack of preparation. However, even for the remaining 10% of events that are “successful” 50% to 100% of the deal value is left on the table. Given that selling your business is generally one of the largest most important transactions it pays to get it right. Listen to the full episode Mike Jesowshek showed us the sexy side of taxes, while sexy and taxes might not sound like they belong together here is what Mike had to say. The biggest mistake most people make when it comes to taxes is failing to plan. Most people only think about taxes during tax season, which means they are missing out on tax strategies they could leverage throughout the year to minimize tax liabilities. Filing returns should be the last step of your tax strategy, not the only step. Listen to the full episode Mike Michalowicz had early success building and selling businesses only to lose it all on a handful of businesses that failed to achieve profitability. Mike shared, 83% of businesses globally are in check to check survival which leads to a cash crisis. That doesn't mean entrepreneurs are incapable of being profitable but rather identifies a problem in the underlying business model we all learned. We're told profit comes last, sales minus expenses equal profit. So we flipped the formula to be sales minus profit equals expenses so that profit is baked into every transaction from the start. Listen to the full episode Chris Miles discussed the “popular” topic of cash flow and how the difference between making and not making in your business hinges on understanding this not-so-popular topic. Here is what Chris had to say, a lot of people think cash flow and revenue are the same but they are not. When you boil it down cash flow is your profit, it is what is remaining after you've covered expenses. The more cash flow your business has the more options you have to invest in and grow your business. Listen to the full episode Jim Johnson built and sold a successful contractor business and then started a coaching business to help other contractors achieve their version of success. Jim shared, the two biggest areas he's seen that cause a business to fail are leadership and financials. If you are leading a business you must be continually honing your leadership skills. The same goes for business acumen, while you don't have to become a finance expert you need to level up your knowledge on the topic. If you want to achieve financial freedom and your business to thrive you cannot ignore these two areas. Listen to the full episode Patrick McFadden was an audience favorite at the Thryv Connect conference and an expert in small business marketing. Here is what Patrick had to say, there is a process for how you should conduct marketing and a strategy for how to implement that process in your business. It starts with understanding who your ideal customer is, what problem you are solving for them, the customer journey they take when looking for a solution, and what makes your business different from the competition. Once you have the answers to these questions you will go from marketing being an expense to marketing being the fuel that grows your business. Listen to the full episode Jeffrey Shaw made a name for himself as a portrait photographer for the rich and famous. Now he coaches other business owners on how to find clients that are willing to pay for the level of service you deliver. Jeffrey shared, dive deep into what your best at and then ask the foundational question, what type of clients see value in that. Any product or service is sellable to someone, your job is to figure out who that person is and then market to them. Listen to the full episode Melinda Emerson, AKA the SmallBizLady, is one of America's leading small business marketing experts. Here is what Melinda had to say, in any business a successful marketing campaign starts with defining who you want to reach. Then you figure out what platforms and media they use, then you target your marketing efforts in the place your ideal customers are already engaged. Once you get a prospect interested you plug those leads into your CRM and automate as much of the follow-up communications as you can. Listen to the full episode Ross Kimbarovsky helps small businesses establish their brand identity and believes it is critical to building credibility and trust with your customers. Ross shared, every business has a brand, and building your brand a little each day will not only help you attract new customers but will lead to more referrals and repeat business. Listen to the full episode Erin Fults guides her clients towards a better brand image by following the Story Brand principles. Here is what Erin had to say, most brand messaging is all centered around the business, they are the hero of the story which is a turn-off for customers. Rather what you should do is talk about the problem your customers have and how you help solve that problem. Listen to the full episode Bernadette Doyle is a small business expert from Ireland that coaches businesses on how to improve their sales pitch, even if they hate selling. Bernadette shared, her primary business model is centered around helping her clients get more clients and make more money. While you might think if you had more clients you would make more money that isn't always the case if you have the wrong pricing model. Listen to the full episode John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker, and best-selling author behind Duct Tape Marketing. Here is what John had to say, a good marketing plan starts with a strategy. You first determine who's in your target market and then you create messaging that speaks to the problem you will help them solve. For marketing tactics to gain traction you need to become known as the best at solving a particular problem. Listen to the full episode Brian Moran launched the Small Business Edge to provide advice and insights that help entrepreneurs manage and grow their companies. Brian talked about the value of having a business GPS plan, especially when things go off course. Brian shared, we often play the “what if” game with clients to help them think about in advance what they would do when things go off plan. While it can be frightening to think about, it is much less frightening when you have a plan in place to overcome those challenges. Listen to the full episode Tim Berry is an advocate for small businesses and a proponent for creating a lean business plan to help businesses run better. Here is what Tim had to say, a lean business plan includes your strategy, tactics, assumptions, and essential business numbers. However, the power of the lean business plan is not that you create one but that you review it regularly. No matter how pretty-sounding or looking your business plan is if it doesn't change your business for the better then it's not a very good plan. Listen to the full episode Mitch Joel has been called a visionary, digital expert, and community leader. Mitch talked about the power of creating great content and how small businesses need to leverage technology even more in a post-COVID era. Mitch shared, COVID pressed upon all businesses to become more localized in their customer offerings. This helps level the playing field for local businesses because they know their local markets best. Listen to the full episode Bill Flynn has spent years studying why businesses fail and how to turn it around by unlocking growth and increasing the odds of success. Here is what Bill had to say, start a business by falling in love with the problem you want to solve and the customer that experiences that problem. Starting a business can be hard and some days suck, but when you can get energy from solving a customer's problem you will get out of bed the next day and try again. Listen to the full episode Roland Frasier made a career out of buying and selling businesses and is convinced most businesses are leaving money on the table by not maximizing existing client value. Roland shared, don't spend all your time getting ready to get ready, and don't take money from other people to get started. Having to be scrappy in the early days to find the business model that works will force you to iterate faster than if you're sitting on a pile of cash. Listen to the full episode Jay Samit is a dynamic entrepreneur and intrapreneur who is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts on disruption and innovation. Jay talks about how one day every business will face disruption and how every business should think about themselves as a high-tech start-up. Here is what Jay had to say, we are living in an era of endless innovation and you can choose to either be terrified by that reality or excited. So why not try to live a life of purpose and fulfillment by pursuing what is meaningful to you. Listen to the full episode Dave Menz grew up in poverty and overcame tremendous obstacles to become a successful entrepreneur, running the multi-store, multi-million dollar chain of laundromats. Dave's rags to riches story is inspiring to say the least but also something he believes is possible for anyone. Even as a young kid Dave found inspiration in the stories of other successful entrepreneurs that started with nothing and built a business from the ground up. So if they can do it why not me and why not you. Listen to the full episode Michael Haynes has worked with companies ranging from micro-businesses to large corporations in Australia and Canada. He talked about the importance of working on your business not just in your business. Michael shared when it comes to product-market fit, the simplest way to think about it is are you offering products or services that customers want to buy. What problems do they have and what types of solutions appeal to them. Listen to the full episode Rieva Lesonsky has been writing small business content for years that help entrepreneursstart and grow their businesses. Rieva shares why small businesses need to leverage software to modernize and automate their client experience. Here is what Rieva had to say if you don't accept digitization you are going to get left behind. What you have to realize is other businesses do what you do and the ones that digitize will be the ones that attract new customers and retain the ones they have. Listen to the full episode Ramon Ray is a leading expert on small business success and a best-selling author. Ramon gives us his take on what it means to build your personal brand and create a foundation of processes. Ray shared, for a business to grow you need to map the right systems on top of great processes. When leveraged correctly technology helps you create a more seamless customer experience and deliver better service. Listen to the full episode Steve Strauss is a best-selling author, small business columnist, and thought leader on small business topics. Steve talked about how implementing systems and processes now will not only help you run the business better but maximize the value when you're ready to sell. Here is what Steve had to say, the most successful small businesses out there have one thing in common, they are leveraging technology to make things faster, better, and more profitable. Listen to the full episode Tommy Mello scaled his business from $50k in debt to a multimillion-dollar company. Tommy shares the secrets he's learned buying and scaling businesses and how you can leverage technology to get your life back and be more successful. Tommy shared, software is the key element behind scaling your business and unlocks exponential growth. When I look at buying a company I want to see they've adopted technology in some way before I'll even consider purchasing them. Listen to the full episode Those were all your favorite episodes from 2021 and we look forward to bringing you more great content and helpful insights in the year ahead. Listen to the full episode

Join us for our Season 2 Episode 2 as we speak with the Founder & Owner of the SmallBizLady Melinda Emerson! The SmallBizLady discusses her journey as a media spokesperson, small business influencer, internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, social selling, and content marketing! Learn how she became a prolific writer, who has published more than 5000 articles on her blog SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

‘Attitude, behaviour, and commitment.' ‘Small Biz Lady,' Melinda Emerson is America's #1 small business expert and has been the CEO of Quintessence Group for more than 20 years. They consult with Fortune 500 brands that target small businesses. Learn about how she turned failure into wisdom and success, helping other entrepreneurs along the way. ‘We do not live to work. We work so that we can live our dream life.' Melinda took the long road toward being an empowered entrepreneur. She understands success doesn't come overnight. Having nurtured an entrepreneur mindset over many years, she now shares her business knowledge and helps other entrepreneurs succeed in business through her book, online school, blog, and more.   Find more about Melinda's work here: Personal website: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/about/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson/ Online Courses: http://www.smallbizladyuniversity.com/  

 Find out what really is the source of all your problems as a small business and it's not what you thought it is Learn why nurturing existing customers is better than constantly starting up a new business Practice recession-proofing you and your business and how this magic of action could help you a ton Resources/Links: Wanting to Step Up Your Business but Always Seem to be Failing? Learn more about the promising advantages of recession-proofing you and your business and how you can do it: succeedasyourownboss.com Summary Have you been finding yourself struggling on holding up a business online? Do you always wonder what's the problem in your business that you just can't seem to be solved right? Are you ready to find out how you can leverage your business to become the best there is, get more paying customers, and gain the profits you deserve with little-to-no failure? Melinda F. Emerson, the SmallBizLady, is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development and social selling. She hosts The SmallBizChat Podcast. She is the author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revides, and Expanded (Simon and Schuster, Sept. 2021). In this episode, Melinda talks about how you can really and truly be your own boss in your business, whether big or small, in the online setting. She also shares her insights on recession-proofing yourself and your business and why you should be doing it as soon as possible. Check out these episode highlights: 01:22 – Melinda's ideal client: “I work with two audiences. I work with small business owners directly who want to start and grow successful small businesses. And on the consulting side, we work with Fortune 500 companies that target small business customers.” 01:56 – Problem Melinda helps solve: “When it comes to small business owners, it's really about marketing. People think they have a revenue problem. No, they have a marketing problem. Their message is not clear. Their call to action isn't clear.” 03:19 – Typical symptoms that clients do before reaching out to Melinda: “Number one, they're too focused on new business as opposed to nurturing existing customers. And big businesses and little businesses have this problem. Everyone's really struggling to sell online now.” 03:56 – Common mistakes that people make before they find Melinda's solution: “They're not clear enough on their buyer persona. Who are they targeting with their message in their ads? That's the number one thing and then they don't test up. They throw all their money behind one idea.” 05:05 – Melinda's Valuable Free Action (VFA): “You got to focus on how to recession-proof yourself. You got to make sure that something about your business is not easily duplicatable by your competition. You've got to focus on user experience.” 05:47 – Melinda's Valuable Free Resource (VFR): Check out Melinda's eBook: succeedasyourownboss.com 06:30 – Q: What is your new book about, when is it coming out and where can people get it? A: My new book is called Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded. It is actually the third edition of my very first book. It's coming out from Simon and Schuster. Tweetable Takeaways from this Episode: “It's super clear to focus on who your customer is and what their pain is. Not what you think their pain is, you got to talk to them. You got to test. You got to find out.” -Melinda EmersonClick To TweetTranscript (Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) Tom Poland 00:10 Greetings, everyone, and a warm welcome to another edition of Marketing the Invisible. I'm Tom Poland, joined today by Melinda Emerson. Melinda, good day from Down Under. A very warm welcome! Where are you hanging out? Melinda Emerson 00:22 I am based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Tom Poland 00:25 Philly, the city of brotherly love, is it right? Melinda Emerson 00:28 And sisterhood fashion- Tom Poland 00:29 Hopefully right. And I love to. For those of you who may not know Melinda, she's known as the SmallBizLady, widely regarded as North America's top small business expert. What she has created is nothing short of extraordinary because I've stalked around the universe, and its exceptional quality and its exceptional branding. So we have a lot to learn! You have a lot to learn, frankly, just by going to any one of her numerous websites. But today we're talking about “How to Leverage #1 Sales Channel”. And also, by the way, if being one of North America's top small business experts is not a must, she hosts the SmallBizChat Podcast. She's the author of Become Your Own Boss in Just 12 Months. And soon there's another book coming out, which we- hopefully we can touch on soon. Yeah, so let's get rock and rolling. Melinda, our seven minutes is going to start now. Question number one is who is your ideal client? Melinda Emerson 01:22 Well, I work with two audiences. I work with small business owners directly who want to start and grow successful small businesses. And on the consulting side, we work with Fortune 500 companies that target small business customers. So people who want to reach are more than 3 million entrepreneurs. They touch some of my content every week online. Tom Poland 01:41 Holy cow! Yeah, well, that'll place you something of an authority. Only 3 million? Well, good luck with growth. That's amazing! And so what's the problem you solve if you want to touch on both markets or one market? Six and a half minutes left. Melinda Emerson 01:56 Well, you know what, when it comes to small business owners, it's really about marketing. People think they have a revenue problem. No, they have a marketing problem. Their message is not clear. Their call to action isn't clear. They've got sales funnels that leak. They got all kinds of problems and the pandemic really shows that you know, all these people had to rush and do their digital pivot online. Well, there are some people that are still pivoting. They don't know how to do that! And when it comes to corporations, they have absolutely no idea what it's like to be a small business which is why they develop marketing programs that are silly, irrelevant, and completely taught over small business owners' heads. And they got salespeople out there trying to call them on the phone and get a busy, small business on the phone. Please stop doing that. Right? So I help them build authentic content and relationships and social media engagement strategies to target small business owners in a real way. I also work with them on their product development, like develop something I actually want and am actually willing to pay for. So those are what I do for major corporations. And I'm very proud to say we've been in business for 22 years. Tom Poland 03:00 Wow! What? Did you start when you're like eight? Melinda Emerson 03:03 I did! In front of my mother's house with a lemonade stand. Tom Poland 03:06 An early entrepreneur! Thank you for that. Question three, and we've got five minutes left, what are some of the typical symptoms that your ideal clients will be experiencing? Kind of gives them a heads up, they should be finding more about what you do? Melinda Emerson 03:19 Well, number one, they just are not- they're too focused on new business as opposed to nurturing existing customers. And big businesses and little businesses have this problem. Everyone's really struggling to sell online now. It's complicated to sell online. “Do I focus on SEO? Content? Do I need to buy ads? What do I need to do?” You know, people don't know what to do. And so I try to simplify that for small businesses. And I work on those kinds of things for big businesses, too, because the content is a hard game, whether you're a big business or a little business. So we work with both sides of the house to try to help them be more effective in actually reaching their customers. Tom Poland 03:54 So I guess one of the big symptoms is the sales aren't coming in, and perhaps existing clients aren't staying as long as they'd like. But we're talking about people that, by and large, are pretty smart, and they're hard-working, and they're ambitious! They're going to try stuff. So question four, four minutes left. What are some of the common mistakes that these folks are making that you see that, kind of, you know, almost makes you want to cry before they start working with you? Melinda Emerson 03:56 They're not clear enough on their buyer persona. Who are they targeting with their message in their ads? That's the number one thing and then they don't test up. They throw all their money behind one idea. It's like, “Oh, my gosh, no!” Or big companies, they'll throw a lot of money into an initiative that they didn't research and didn't have a go-to-market strategy before they started it. And then they end up with this $5 million thing and they don't really know how to market and maybe it isn't something people wanted anyway. I've seen it so many times! So I really think it's super clear to focus on who your customer is and what their pain is. Not what you think their pain is, you got to talk to them. You got to test. You got to find out. Tom Poland 04:53 Well, that might- thank you. That might lead us nicely to question five, three minutes left. What's one valuable free action that someone listening to this could take the may not solve the whole problem, but it might take them a step in the right direction? Melinda Emerson 05:05 Well, for one, you have to focus on how to recession-proof yourself. You have to make sure that something about your business is not easily duplicatable by your competition. You've got to focus on user experience. And that could be something as small as, who answers your phone? Or do you always put three pieces of candy in the box when you ship whatever you're shipping? Like “surprise and delight” still works and I want more people to focus on that. Tom Poland 05:30 Figure out one thing that's going to surprise and delight, that would be a great step in the right direction. A very large one, probably! So let's go to question number six. We got two and a half minutes left, quite a lot of time. May not sound like it, but it is. One valuable free resource, where can we direct folks to that's going to help them more? Melinda Emerson 05:47 Oh, if you go to my website succeedasyourownboss.com, right in the header, we have a free eBook, “How to Recession-Proof Your Small Business”. If you head over to succeedasyourownboss.com/recession, you can download it and get it for free. And hopefully, it puts you on the right track to thinking about how you can make yourself invaluable to your target customer. Tom Poland 06:09 Actually, folks, there is just a wealth of content and information here at succeedasyourownboss.com. That should kick off with “How to Recession-Proof Your Small Businesses”. It's an eBook so you get instant access. Thank you for that, Melinda. Question seven, and we've got one and a half minutes left, just a little more. What's the one question I should have asked you, but didn't? Melinda Emerson 06:30 You should have asked me about my new book and when it's coming out, and where people can get it! Tom Poland 06:34 Where the heck is your new business book coming out? And what's it all about? Melinda Emerson 06:38 So my new book is called Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded. It is actually the third edition of my very first book. It's coming out from Simon and Schuster. I'm really proud of it because don't let the title fool you, it's not just a startup book. I've got all the online selling stuff in it. Do you want to know how to sell online? Do you want to know how to build a sales process? Do you want to know how to sell on Amazon? How about how to buy ads on Amazon? I got all of that stuff in this new book. And I've got a great new chapter on leadership as well. So I'm going to set you up not only to start a business but to stay in business and I'm really really excited about it. Tom Poland 07:15 So folks, as of the time of recording, you cannot get that book. It hasn't been released yet. But if you go to www.succeedasyourownboss.com, subscribe, I'm pretty sure you're going to get a notification for that. Melinda Emerson, thank you so much for your insights, your wisdom, and your generosity! Melinda Emerson 07:32 Thank you so much for having me, Tom. It's been great. Tom Poland 07:35 Been a pleasure. Tom Poland 07:37 Thanks for checking out our Marketing The Invisible podcast. If you like what we're doing here please head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate us, and leave us a review. It's very much appreciated. And if you want to generate five fresh leads in just five hours then check out www.fivehourchallenge.com.

 Find out what really is the source of all your problems as a small business and it's not what you thought it is Learn why nurturing existing customers is better than constantly starting up a new business Practice recession-proofing you and your business and how this magic of action could help you a ton Resources/Links: Wanting to Step Up Your Business but Always Seem to be Failing? Learn more about the promising advantages of recession-proofing you and your business and how you can do it: succeedasyourownboss.com Summary Have you been finding yourself struggling on holding up a business online? Do you always wonder what's the problem in your business that you just can't seem to be solved right? Are you ready to find out how you can leverage your business to become the best there is, get more paying customers, and gain the profits you deserve with little-to-no failure? Melinda F. Emerson, the SmallBizLady, is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development and social selling. She hosts The SmallBizChat Podcast. She is the author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revides, and Expanded (Simon and Schuster, Sept. 2021). In this episode, Melinda talks about how you can really and truly be your own boss in your business, whether big or small, in the online setting. She also shares her insights on recession-proofing yourself and your business and why you should be doing it as soon as possible. Check out these episode highlights: 01:22 - Melinda's ideal client: “I work with two audiences. I work with small business owners directly who want to start and grow successful small businesses. And on the consulting side, we work with Fortune 500 companies that target small business customers.” 01:56 - Problem Melinda helps solve: “When it comes to small business owners, it's really about marketing. People think they have a revenue problem. No, they have a marketing problem. Their message is not clear. Their call to action isn't clear.” 03:19 - Typical symptoms that clients do before reaching out to Melinda: “Number one, they're too focused on new business as opposed to nurturing existing customers. And big businesses and little businesses have this problem. Everyone's really struggling to sell online now.” 03:56 - Common mistakes that people make before they find Melinda's solution: “They're not clear enough on their buyer persona. Who are they targeting with their message in their ads? That's the number one thing and then they don't test up. They throw all their money behind one idea.” 05:05 - Melinda's Valuable Free Action (VFA): “You got to focus on how to recession-proof yourself. You got to make sure that something about your business is not easily duplicatable by your competition. You've got to focus on user experience.” 05:47 - Melinda's Valuable Free Resource (VFR): Check out Melinda's eBook: succeedasyourownboss.com 06:30 - Q: What is your new book about, when is it coming out and where can people get it? A: My new book is called Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded. It is actually the third edition of my very first book. It's coming out from Simon and Schuster. Tweetable Takeaways from this Episode: “It's super clear to focus on who your customer is and what their pain is. Not what you think their pain is, you got to talk to them. You got to test. You got to find out.” -Melinda EmersonClick To Tweet Transcript (Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) Tom Poland 00:10 Greetings, everyone, and a warm welcome to another edition of Marketing the Invisible. I'm Tom Poland, joined today by Melinda Emerson. Melinda, good day from Down Under. A very warm welcome!

Melinda F. Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, marketing expert, and business coach. As CEO of Quintessence Group, her marketing consulting firm serves Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. She has an online school www.smallbizladyuniversity.com and hosts The Smallbizchat Podcast. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded. Websites and Handles:www.smallbizladyuniversity.com

On this episode, I am joined by Small Business Expert Melinda Emerson – aka: “SmallBizLady,” - Bestselling Author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months- to offer insight into the way the pandemic has changed the way we prioritize time, as well as practical steps to maximize productivity during work hours while avoiding work burnout. Please subscribe and rate our show!

If you have an author business or a small business that's trying to stay in business, then you can't miss this info-rich talk with Melinda Emerson, known worldwide as the SmallBizLady. Listen in to our talk about the past, present, and future of small business, especially: the 2 problems every small business has, how the pandemic revived (and revised!) Melinda's world-famous book, why you need to know about SEO, how long it takes to bring a dream to life (and a book to your readers) … and more! Continue Reading

If you have an author business or a small business that's trying to stay in business, then you can't miss this info-rich talk with Melinda Emerson, known worldwide as the SmallBizLady. Listen in to our talk about the past, present, and future of small business, especially: the 2 problems every small business has, how the pandemic revived (and revised!) Melinda's world-famous book, why you need to know about SEO, how long it takes to bring a dream to life (and a book to your readers) … and more! Continue Reading

Small business advocate Melinda Emerson (aka Small Biz Lady) joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.   Melinda shares many takeaways including:   Why she is so passionate about defending and advocating for the small business owner   How to take ‘a lemonade story' and turn it into a learning experience to grow your business  The importance of putting together a group of 5 Kitchen Cabinet Advisors along your entrepreneurial journey   What to do when you are having a ‘chicken salad' day  Hear all about her upcoming projects and new book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, to be released September 14, 2021.  

SEGMENT 1 and 2 with Melinda F. Emerson, the “SmallBizLady”, starting at 0:00: It's eighteen months after the pandemic has started and many small business experts think that now is a great time to start a new business. Why now? What do you need to know before you actually get a business off the ground?SEGMENT 3 with Kelly Knight, starting at 37:45: In a post-pandemic economy, how do you get everyone in your organization on the same page and moving in the same direction?

As the SmallBizLady, one of the saddest things in the world to me is to see a small business go out of business. To drive down the road and see small businesses with “For Rent” or “Everything Must Go!” signs in the windows of their establishment. My mission is about empowering you - giving you the valuable information you need to avoid small business failure. So, in today's episode, I share why so many small businesses fail and what you need to do to avoid this fate. I explain why it's critical to remain flexible and coachable throughout your business journey and how it impacts your ability to stay in business as well as lead your team. I discuss the importance of identifying your target customer and why your existing customers are often the best way to increase your revenue. I also discuss the importance of knowing your numbers, hiring the right support team, and learning how to sell your products or services to ensure you're building a successful business. “At the end of the day - small businesses fail because people fail to plan.” - Melinda Emerson This week on the SmallBizChat Podcast: Your SmallBizChat Action Point for the Week: Enter for Your Chance to WIN! Do you love winning amazing prices? In celebration of launching the SmallBizChat Podcast, for the next 30 days, I'm giving away some amazing prizes! Enter for your chance to win! To enter: Each week, one lucky winner will win one of the following prizes: What are you waiting for? Enter for your chance to win today! Fix Your Business in 90 Days Does your small business need a tune-up? Are you ready to reinvent your business, increase your profits, and finally live the lifestyle you want? Enroll for the Fix Your Business Masterclass to learn how you can turn your business around and get back on the path to true freedom and success. The Fix Your Business Masterclass is a 12-week course that includes 12 video lessons and over 20 hours of actionable content. You'll learn everything from how to set your initial goals and how to build the systems you need to delegate and scale to how to brand your business online and offline and how to grow to seven figures and beyond. So if you're ready to unlock the true power and freedom of entrepreneurship - enroll today for the Fix Your Business Masterclass and start your journey to true business success. Let's End Small Business Failure - Together! Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the SmallBizChat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business. SmallBizChat Podcast is produced by Auxbus. You can create your own great podcast - faster and easier - at Auxbus.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, we are joined by the world-renowned keynote speaker and America's #1 Small Business Expert, Melinda Emerson, aka SmallBizLady.Melinda is a bestselling author, podcast host, and blogger who reaches an audience of over 3 million entrepreneurs weekly, and consults with Fortune 500 brands who want to target the small business market.There are 32 million small businesses in the US. They comprise 99.9% of all US businesses and Melinda knows the market inside and out. She is on the show this week to share insights that will not only help your small business survive, but thrive, including: Identifying the 5 common reasons businesses fail (before it's too late) Discovering the #1 sales channel now and for the future How to hack the content game (and boost the reach of your business online) And so much more So many businesses are trying to find their ground in our rapidly shifting economy. You don't have to be one of them. Listen and learn how to navigate the digital content in the B2B and B2C marketplaces and become intentional about the content your business creates. Don't just do it to do it, do it to succeed!

My next guest of Scale Your Sales Podcast is Melinda Emerson. She is known as Small Biz Lady. She helps fortune 500 companies effectively target, and retain small business customers as the CEO of a quintessential group, she is America's number one small business expert. Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcast Melinda Emerson  00:00 Automation is Great but Companies Must Focus on Human Elements?  6:19 Focus on the End Users Experience Helps Companies to Sell More  11:32 Melinda says, There're Problems that Chat Bot can't Fix, But Humans Can!  16: 04 Why it's Difficult to Change Vendors, unless they have a Catastrophic Customer Service Experience?  19:08 One of the Biggest Failures the Large Corporations Have Is the Follow-up After the Sale  21:47 Melinda Says, Look for Sales Trainers of Color and Women, people Have Different Perspectives and One Size Fits All Oriented Training Doesn't Really Work.  24:28 Why Melinda says, B2B Selling is Never Going to be an Impulse Buy.  27:30 End    linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson  Succeedasyourownboss.com  Smallbizladyuniversity.com     Janice B Gordon, the awarding-winning Customer Growth Expert and founder of Scale Your Sales, listed 25 of the Top 100 Global Business Influencers in 2017. Janice helps companies around the world adopt the Scale Your Sales framework to develop their leading-edge capabilities in securing, maintaining, and growing their most valued customer relationships for long-term value and partnership.   Book Janice to speak virtually at your next event https://janicebgordon.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-b-gordon-customer-growth-expert   Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceBGordon Scale Your Sales Podcast: http://scaleyoursales.libsyn.com   More on the blog https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/blog   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicebgordon   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScaleYourSalesJBG 

Welcome ya'll to Sales Intersection Season 2 Episode 4. I'm over the top excited today to have a legendary woman that has more followers than certain religions, named #1 by Forbes as entrepreneur and small business expert to follow on Twitter, the “SmallBizLady”, author of “Become your own boss in 12 months”, I could go on and on, my guest this episode Melinda Emerson.

Are you struggling to keep your small business afloat? Is the pandemic affecting your business growth? Do you feel like you're drowning and can't keep up? If you answered yes, you DON'T want to miss out on this podcast! Melinda Emerson, President of SmallBizLady Enterprises is talking with Hosts Bob Lambert & Jennifer Reyes Topics & Tips... *The 12 P's of running a successful business *How to build a business that can run without you *How to Pivot during these times Get your complimentary gift from our guest speaker! Text Faith Marketplace Radio Show ANYTIME to receive your gift. 224-404-1988 (use the keyword "SUCCEED") Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2TbuUrG Google Play - http://bit.ly/FMRpodcast #faithmarketplace #salesfromtheheart #SmallBizLady

Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. MELINDA’S TIP TO SALES LEADERS: “Focus on what you can control and right now there’s not a lot people can control except for their attitude. You can control your response to your customer. So whether or not your customer had budget last week and all of a sudden their budget got snatched back, you can’t control that. Be pleasant to deal – make sure that they can hear the smile on the other end of the phone or they can actually see your smile and face on the Zoom call. It’s important that you embrace as opposed to react.”

In this episode we talk with the SmallBizLady, Melinda Emerson.  Melinda is a small business expert, author, speaker, blogger and content creator (among many other things). From an early age, Melinda knew she wanted to be a journalist.  After she earned her undergraduate degree in journalism and worked in television production, Melinda took many opportunities that helped her evolve into the SmallBizLady she is today.   We discuss how knowing your customer, and loyalty in a constantly changing economic landscape is important more than ever, for the survival of small businesses today.   Melinda’s energy and enthusiasm for helping small businesses succeed is infectious and her understanding of the nature of small business development in times of change are something we can all learn from. CONNECT WITH MELINDA America's #1 Small Business Expert   Twitter E-mail Melinda Podcast Instagram LinkedIn CONNECT WITH NINE DOTS E-mail Geoffrey nine dots Media Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Facebook

This episode is serious fun with Melinda Emerson, The Small Biz Lady!!!! Yes... FUN through all the Resets Melinda has had to go through to reveal her Brilliance! Melinda tells her stories of epic fails in BRILLIANT ways! And oh my... the Rise part of her journey... you are just going to love love LOVE her. And then y'all are gonna want to open a new window and go get her ebook so you can Reset and plan for your own business Rise RIGHT NOW! In her e-book, HOW TO RECESSION PROOF YOUR SMALL BUSINESS, Melinda Emerson will teach you tools and tips you how to recession proof your business, get the money you need and plan for life beyond the crisis. Get that and so much more at succeedasyourownboss.com!

In this episode we take a deep dive into starting a business with Innovation Rodeo keynote speaker and best selling author Melinda Emerson and Bow Valley College's Chiu School of Business Entrepreneur-in-Residence Craig Elias.Melinda and Craig will share their insights on business: how to start one, pitch one, build networks/supports and move toward success. BiosMelinda F. Emerson twitter.com/SmallBizLadyMelinda, “SmallBizLady” is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, social media and content marketing. Melinda is also the president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA, serving Fortune 500 brands who target small business market. LinkedIn named her a Top Voice for 2019 in Small Business and Entrepreneurship.  In addition to being a former NY Times columnist, she is frequently quoted by media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News. She is the host of #Smallbizchat LIVE and The SmallBizChat Podcast. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. A prolific writer, Melinda has published more than 5000 articles on her blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Her small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2nd Edition, the ebook How to Become a Social Media Ninja and her latest book is Fix Your Business, a 90 Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos in Your Business.  She is graduate of Virginia Tech and received her Executive MBA from Drexel University.Melinda is speaking at this year's Innovation Rodeo, Monday, July 6 at 3:15. Buy your ticket now!Craig Eliasca.linkedin.com/in/craigeliasCraig's first startup won a global billion-dollar pitch idea competition and was twice chosen by Dow Jones as one of the 50 most promising startups in North America. Craig is now a Startup Mentor for the, B2B focused, Alchemist Accelerator, a Scaleup Mentor for the GrowthX Academy, on an advisory board for SXSW and is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Bow Valley College in downtown Calgary.Craig is also the lead organizer for the Innovation Rodeo, a five day (mornings) entrepreneurial extravaganza featuring an array of speakers and presenters running July 6-10, 2020. Alberta Innovates is proud to be a founding partner of the Innovation Rodeo. Register now!

In this episode, Melinda Emerson chats with digital marketing expert, Neil Patel. They discuss strategies to enhance website conversions, the future of digital marketing, and tips for new entrepreneurs. They also touch on the importance of long blog posts, podcasting for business promotion, recognizing when to quit non-working strategies, and the limitations of social media in marketing. Melinda reflects on her journey as the SmallBizLady.

Hello Holistic Helper… I'm Mary Rose “Wildfire” Maguire, Founder of Star Maker Marketing. I help business owners and thought leaders the opportunity to share their expertise with ghostwriting services and book promotion marketing strategies through multiple channels. Today, I would like to help empower you by sharing a few misunderstandings around marketing and money. Question #1: What are 3 common misunderstandings that helpers have around marketing and money? 1) Making money with my gifts and talents is “greedy” or “dirty.” 2) Sales is “slimy” or “yucky.” It makes people dislike me and I don't like doing it. 3) If I'm really good at what I do and my heart is in the right place, I should attract great clients who will be happy to pay me. Question #2: What's a strategy you use to help people shift these misunderstandings? Recognize that money is a transaction of energy. The business owner has worked hard to create a service or product that will solve a problem. That problem drains the prospective buyer's energy. The business owner replaces that energy and sometimes increases it. That is worth a lot to the customer/client and deserves a fair trade. Question #3: How do you reframe marketing and money in your own life? Attitudes about money first must be addressed in the mind. How did a person understand money in their life? Was it treated as a limited resource? Or was the person raised in a home where abundant thinking reigned? It's first important to understand that many people -- and especially women -- undercharge for their services or products. It's important to know your worth, the value you bring to your customers and clients, and then position your marketing as a clear way to address the problem a customer/client has and why you are uniquely qualified to solve it. Question #4: Share a story where you or someone you worked with became empowered around marketing and money and how that impacted their success. I'll use myself as an example. When I first started out as a professional copywriter, I asked a colleague what was a fair price for writing a press release. She said, “I wouldn't write a press release for anything less than $250.” Fast forward to today. I just recently gave a quote to a prospect for a project that could be between $7K - $15K, depending upon how many “extras” he wanted. I didn't bat an eye when I quoted him that amount and did it confidently. Question #5: What are 3 tips or tools you would recommend to continue to work on money mindset so you can actualize a higher calling through a career or business? Every business owner and especially every woman business owner should read the book, Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff. He explains his system for selling high-ticket opportunities to investors but it's a huge mindshift. He repeats this frequently throughout the book: YOU ARE THE PRIZE. More books revealed in the podcast... Mary Rose “Wildfire” Maguire Bio: Mary Rose is the Founder of Star Maker Marketing (formerly Maguire Copywriting). Star Maker Marketing offers business owners and thought leaders the opportunity to share their expertise with ghostwriting services and book promotion marketing strategies through multiple channels. She has written copy for Tripwire, a leader in cybersecurity (acquired by Belden for $710MM), Trainz (national leader in buying and selling collectible trains), My Patriot Supply, Cylance, an AI-based cybersecurity company (acquired by Blackberry for $1.4 billion), information marketers such as The Healthy Back Institute and Small Biz Lady, and dozens of mid-size companies and small businesses. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/spreconnect/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/spreconnect/support

Growing a small business is challenging. Most entrepreneurs struggle with time and/or money in the early years. When Melinda Emerson launched her business, she realized there were no resources available to aid her on her journey.Eventually, she decided to change this for others and wrote her first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months. The book went on to become an international #1 bestseller. Melinda, also known as the Small Biz Lady has amassed over 300,000 followers on Twitter for her willingness to assist others with the tips she has learned along the way. In this episode, Melinda shares lessons from her journey, why every small business owner needs a “kitchen cabinet” of advisors, and how to grow and cultivate a following on social media.   Partner: Join me at the Best Ever Conference plus 15% discount with 15DEAL   Key Insights Launched first business at 26 and could not find anyone giving entrepreneurial advice Joined national speaker convention and was told to write a good book to be taken seriously FedEx’d first four chapters to a publisher, which became, “Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months” Book was delayed due to the economic downturn in 2008, so she turned to Twitter The Twitter handle for Melinda Emerson was taken so she ended up going with SmallBizLady As a business owner, your two most important jobs are sales and collections Business owners need to know how their business is doing each month All small business owners should have a kitchen cabinet of 5 advisors: someone in the business, a customer, a mentor who really knows you, a lawyer, and an accountant Before focusing on social media, you need to ensure your website is optimized for mobile with 3 ways for customers to engage Focus on 1-2 social media platforms only where your niche target customer is spending their time 4 Keys to Social Media Success: 1. Share things that are helpful, 2. Listen, 3. Engage with people and 4. Promote yourself with care Share other people’s content at a 4 to 1 ratio - be more interested than interesting Key to Success: Sharing relevant content consistently   Partner: Download a Free Sample Apartment Deal Package     Bull’s Eye Tips:    Resources: Become Your Own Boss by Melinda Emerson Fix Your Business by Melinda Emerson SmallBizChat Podcast   Apparent Failure: Don’t believe in failure, people believe if their business fails that they are a failure. You lose or you learn.   Most Recommended Book: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber   Profit First by Mike Michalowicz   Most Recommended Digital/Mobile Resource: Zoom  Daily Habit: Pray over her business each day   Wish I Knew Starting Out: Niche marketing   Wish I Knew 12 Months Ago: More astute on the new advertising options on Instagram   Advice for Smart, Driven College Students: Start saving your money   Current Curiosity: The next decade   Best Place to Grab a Bite in Philadelphia: Tequila’s Restaurant   Connect with Melinda: Website: SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com Twitter: @SmallBizLady    Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Be sure to check out more info at TargetMarketInsights.com.

On today’s show, we’re pleased to welcome back Melinda Emerson aka the “Small Biz Lady”. Melinda is the Founder and CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, and best-selling author of “Fix Your Business: 90-Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos In Your Business.” According to the latest data from American Express, women continue to make huge strides in the entrepreneurial space. In fact, there are now 13 million female entrepreneurs nationwide which now makes up 50 percent of the market. Half of that 50 percent is now comprised of women of color as well, and they are starting businesses at four and a half times the rate of any other group.

As the SmallBizLady, the founder of Succeed As Your Own Boss blog and the CEO of Quintessence Group, I spend a lot of time advising entrepreneurs on business strategy. I've been an entrepreneur, author, and speaker for over 20 years and I love sharing my expertise and strategies with small business owners. Over those years, I've learned a lot about you, but I rarely share personal details about myself. In today's episode, I share who I am and how I started my journey to becoming America's #1 SmallBiz Expert. I share what inspired me to become an entrepreneur and why I chose to major in Journalism at Virginia Tech. I explain why I've decided to go back to graduate school and the secrets of my daily routine. I also share why I swore off coffee in favor of green and herbal teas, my all-time favorite books, movies, and music, and my deep connection to family and religion. “You can continue sharpening your knife. It is something that all of us should be doing.” - Melinda Emerson This week on the SmallBizChat Podcast: Resources Mentioned: Your SmallBizChat Action Point for the Week: Fix Your Business! Are you ready to run your business with intention? Ready to create a business that allows you to live your dream life and take those dream vacations you deserve? Then you need a copy of my latest book: Fix Your Business: A 90-Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Remove Chaos From Your Business. Fix Your Business gives you concrete advice on the problem areas many small business owners face as well as the step-by-step process to find solutions so you can live the life of your dreams. It's time to take back control of your business and change how your business is run. Order your copy of Fix Your Business and design your business - and life - with intention. Let's End Small Business Failure - Together! Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the SmallBizChat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business. SmallBizChat Podcast is produced by Auxbus. You can create your own great podcast - faster and easier - at Auxbus.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting your business can be an exciting, exhilarating adventure. In the beginning, you spend your time networking, building rapport, learning new skills, and creating your products or services that customers will love. But over time, as your business begins to evolve and grow and your responsibilities begin to increase - so does your levels of stress and anxiety.This stress and anxiety can often lead to burnout and feelings of resentment. And that, my friend, can cause you to begin to hate your business eventually.In today's episode, I share the revolutionary moment that I realized I hated my business and the lessons I learned throughout this experience. I share how being a workaholic can impact your health and happiness. I also share the formula you need to evaluate the way you're running your business and explain how to use this formula to fall back in love with your business again.“At the end of the day, you've got to persevere. You've got to stay strong enough, long enough, to win in business.” - Melinda EmersonThis week on the SmallBizChat Podcast:The revolutionary moment I realized I hated my businessHow being a workaholic impacts your health and happiness as an entrepreneurHow developing strong support systems can help you fall in love with your business againIdentifying the pain points that are causing you to hate your businessReconnecting with your ‘why' and identifying why you want to continue your businessEvaluating issues with your staff and how you may have contributed to those problemsThe importance of establishing a nurturing cultureThe importance of treating your family the way you would treat your best customerEvaluating your numbers and profit marginsHow outdated or dysfunctional business processes can drive you to hate your businessUsing technology and automation to make your business run smoothlyReviewing and analyzing KPI'sDeveloping an organized sales process and identifying how you generate leadsDeveloping and updating your strategic planYour SmallBizChat Action Point for the Week:Make the decision that you are finally ready to fix what is going wrong in your business. It's not like you don't know what's wrong.Related Content:Fix Your BusinessEnter for Your Chance to WIN!Do you love winning amazing prices?In celebration of launching the SmallBizChat Podcast, for the next 30 days, I'm giving away some amazing prizes! Enter for your chance to win! To enter:Subscribe to the SmallBizChat Podcast on your favorite podcast platformTake a screenshot after you've subscribedShare your screenshot on Twitter or Instagram (Don't forget to tag @SmallBizLady so we can enter your name into the drawing!)Each week, one lucky winner will win one of the following prizes:One autographed copy of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, or…One autographed copy of Fix Your Business, or…A limited-edition The #SmallBizChat Podcast t-shirt!What are you waiting for? Enter for your chance to win today!Let's End Small Business Failure - Together!Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the SmallBizChat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business.SmallBizChat Podcast is produced by Auxbus Media. You can create your own great podcast - faster and easier - at Auxbus.com

Shep Hyken is a Customer Service and Experience Expert and the Chief Amazement Officer at Shepard Presentations. He has presented keynote speeches and organization presentations for dozens of well-known companies including Energizer, Applebee's, American Express, American Red Cross, and Georgia Oilman's Association to help them build loyal relationships with their customers as well as their employees. Additionally, Shep is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has been inducted into the National Speaker's Association Hall of Fame for his outstanding performance as a professional speaker.Shep joins me today to share how to improve your business and disrupt your competition through customer service, convenience, and amazing experiences. He explains the difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal one and how great customer service can make the price of your products or services irrelevant to your loyal customers. He also explains the concept of Customer Amazement and how to use customer surveys to measure your customer's experience. “Nobody is going to leave the business that they can count on day in and day out.” - Shep Hyken This week on the Small Biz Chat Podcast:How to disrupt your industry through great customer service and customer convenienceThe difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal customerHow excellent customer service makes prices irrelevantThe difference between customer service for eCommerce businesses versus retail businessesHow to enhance your customer service even before the saleHow to successfully use surveys to measure customer experienceConnect with Shep Hyken:Shepard PresentationsLinkedInEnter for Your Chance to WIN!Do you love winning amazing prices?In celebration of launching the SmallBizChat Podcast, for the next 30 days, I'm giving away some amazing prizes! Enter for your chance to win!To enter:Subscribe to the SmallBizChat Podcast on your favorite podcast platformTake a screenshot after you've subscribedShare your screenshot on Twitter or Instagram (Don't forget to tag @SmallBizLady so we can enter your name into the drawing!)Each week, one lucky winner will win one of the following prizes:One autographed copy of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, or…One autographed copy of Fix Your Business, or…A limited-edition The #SmallBizChat Podcast t-shirt!What are you waiting for? Enter for your chance to win today!Fix Your Business!Are you ready to run your business with intention? Ready to create a business that allows you to live your dream life and take those dream vacations you deserve? Then you need a copy of my latest book: Fix Your Business: A 90-Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Remove Chaos From Your Business.Fix Your Business gives you concrete advice on the problem areas many small business owners face as well as the step-by-step process to find solutions so you can live the life of your dreams. It's time to take back control of your business and change how your business is run.Order your copy of Fix Your Business and design your business - and life - with intention.Let's End Small Business Failure - Together!Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the Small Biz Chat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business.Small Biz Chat Podcast is produced by Auxbus Media. You can create your own great podcast - faster and easier - at Auxbus.com

Welcome to the first episode of the SmallBizChat Podcast - the show that's on a mission to help you improve your small business and avoid small business failure. I'm your host, Melinda Emerson “SmallBizLady,” America's #1 Small Business Expert. I'm the CEO of the blog Succeed As Your Own Boss, where I've published more than 5,000 articles about how to start and grow a business. I'm also CEO of Quintessence Group and the author of multiple bestselling business books including Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, How To Become a Social Media Ninja, and my latest book: Fix Your Business. I've been a thriving entrepreneur for over two decades by developing marketing strategies and influencer marketing programs for Fortune 500 brands who target small business owners such as VISA, Chase, FedEx, American Express, and Staples. On today's episode, I share who I am, how I became known as the SmallBizLady, and the challenges I've faced throughout my entrepreneurial journey. I share how being on bedrest while pregnant with my son forced me to slow down and allowed me to discover the mistakes I've made as an entrepreneur. I share how I found inspiration and motivation from these mistakes and how it led me to help other entrepreneurs. I also share how the SmallBizChat Twitter talk show got started and what you can expect from each episode of the SmallBizChat podcast. “Figure out what your calling is. Then, be ready to do the work.” - Melinda Emerson This week on the SmallBizChat Podcas:t Your SmallBizChat Action Point for the Week: Figure out your calling and be ready to do the work. If you want fame, well fame costs. You will pay, but the reward is worth it. Enter for Your Chance to WIN! Do you love winning amazing prices? In celebration of launching the SmallBizChat Podcast, for the next 30 days, I'm giving away some amazing prizes! Enter for your chance to win! To enter: Each week, one lucky winner will win one of the following prizes: What are you waiting for? Enter for your chance to win today! Fix Your Business in 90 Days Does your small business need a tune-up? Are you ready to reinvent your business, increase your profits, and finally live the lifestyle you want? Enroll for the Fix Your Business Masterclass to learn how you can turn your business around and get back on the path to true freedom and success. The Fix Your Business Masterclass is a 12-week course that includes 12 video lessons and over 20 hours of actionable content. You'll learn everything from how to set your initial goals and how to build the systems you need to delegate and scale to how to brand your business online and offline and how to grow to seven figures and beyond. So if you're ready to unlock the true power and freedom of entrepreneurship - enroll today for the Fix Your Business Masterclass and start your journey to true business success. Let's End Small Business Failure - Together! Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the Small Biz Chat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business. Small Biz Chat Podcast is produced by Auxbus Media. You can create your own great podcast - faster and easier - at Auxbus.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melinda F. Emerson Show Notes Melinda F. Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an international expert on small business development and social media marketing. Melinda is also the president of the Quintessence Group, a marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA serving Fortune 500 clients who target small businesses. She has published over 5000 articles on small business on her blog. Her advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is a former columnist for The New York Times and Entrepreneur. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2nd Edition, and her latest book is Fix Your Business.   Most passionate about  The thing that I’m most passionate about is to stop small businesses failures. That what keeps me up at night and keeps me going every day. I love entrepreneurs; we are the bravest, strongest, most committed people in the world. But a lot of us struggle to run a business. So my mission, my magical power, is fixing businesses. That’s what I do. It’s my special gift, and everything I do is about that mission. What I’m most passionate about at the moment: For ten years, I’ve been running The Small Business Twitter Chat, every week. On this September we are launching The Small Business Chat Podcast. How do I fix businesses? One business at a time. Melinda’s 12 Ps of running a successful business 12 P’s of Running a Successful Business: Preparation, Purpose, People, Profit, Processes, Productivity, Performance, Product, Promotion, Prospects, Planning, and Perseverance. On my website, I lay out some of the tools that I like. To help any small business owner to find some help while implementing the 12 Ps. Biggest failure with a customer I had so many… My first business about 15 years ago was a video production company. I worked there with who was then my husband. We use to do a ton of work in the pharmaceutical and healthcare space. One of our biggest clients then was GSK; they hired us to do a video in a very important health fair with a well-known speaker. We shot the video, they didn’t want any editing, and we gave it to them. Six months later, they were looking to consolidate their entire video production projects, and they invited us among the three agencies they considered. We were very excited, but once we got in, I felt something was wrong. They head of video started the meeting by showing the video that we shoot six months earlier at that health fair – and it was all blue. So not only that we had to do another video for them for free, we never got any order from them again. Biggest success due to the right customer approach I have a lot of amazing customers. One of my favorite projects was when I worked with Wells Fargo Bank (prior to the huge scandal of course). They hired me to show up basically unannounced, and they had a special project at one of their small business customers. We had to do a surprising ambush makeover, and at the end of the project, they surprised them and gave them a 10 thousand dollars makeover to the retail store of their business. It was so awesome I got to be somebody’s fairy godmother. It was a pet grooming business, and they had no idea why I was there. I showed up with this camera crew, and we had told them a story about they were going to be featured on Wells Fargo website. We interviewed them about how they started their business and their money management. It was a husband and wife business with a unique story, and they created a great business. It was so awesome to surprise them at the end of these two days with this fantastic gift. It was absolutely fabulous. To this day I don’t know if I ever had such a fun couching an entrepreneur. Melinda’s key success factor I think that my key success factor is consistency. When I made the decision that I want to be

Melinda Emerson is more popularly known as the ‘Small Business Lady’ and has been helping small and mid-sized companies and entrepreneurs succeed and grow for more than fifteen years. Known as America's number one small business expert, Melinda pivoted from a solid corporate job to starting and running her own successful production company. She eventually began advising and coaching other entrepreneurs—a calling that has since exploded into a hugely successful brand. Today, Melinda is a best selling author and internationally lauded keynote speaker whose advice is read online each week by more than 3 million entrepreneurs. A Social Media Marketing pioneer, Melinda is the creator and host of #smallbizchat—the longest-running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. 

In this episode, Melinda Emerson shares her personal journey to becoming America's number one small business expert. She discusses the birth of her idea for small business advice, the struggle to publish her book "Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months", and the creation of the Small Biz Chat Podcast. There's also a focus on work-life balance and discovering your calling.

085 | Melinda Emerson Shares What the Small Biz Lady Knows About Failure Melinda Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an international expert on small business development and social media marketing. Melinda is also the president of the Quintessence Group, a marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA serving Fortune 500 clients who target small businesses. She has published over 5000 articles on small business on her blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Her advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is a former columnist for The New York Times and Entrepreneur. She is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2nd  Edition, and her latest book is Fix Your Business. Who are the five people that you surround yourself with? Are they individuals who lift you up & help you brainstorm your way through a difficult situation? Hopefully, you said YES, that some of the people who surround you are good people who support your work. Being an entrepreneur can be really tough, so having a tight circle of people available to lean on, is very important. This week’s guest on Success Unfiltered, Melinda Emerson, believes that we all need a “kitchen cabinet” (as she calls it) full of trusted advisors. She even shares the top five people we need in our kitchen cabinet. Melinda is one of America’s number one small business experts, but she didn’t get there without her fair share of failures. Her most devastating NO actually occurred because of her husband, one of her most trusted advisors, at the time. If you’re ready to build relationships with people you can trust to help lift you up and help you muddle through the tough times, then this episode of Success Unfiltered is a MUST LISTEN! Enjoy, and thank you for listening and tuning into Success Unfiltered! To share your thoughts: Email The Pitch Queen @ hello@thepitchqueen.com Ask a question over at www.ThePitchQueen.com Share Success Unfiltered on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, & LinkedIn To help the show out: Please leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe to the show on iTunes. Special thanks go out to Melinda Emerson for taking the time to chat with Michelle. Be sure to join us next week for our next new episode! P.S. The Online Business World Can Be Information Overload. How Do You Stand Out? There’s unrelenting noise in the online space these days. How do you show up as you, authentically connect with prospects, and create a connection that lasts? It’s the same way you make friends “IRL.” By reaching out, being of service, and just being YOU. Sound impossible? It’s NOT! You can be an exception in a world of samezies, and my new guide “How To Build Relationships Online: Your Checklist For TRUE Connections (And REAL Sales),” will show you how! Grab it right HERE! Here are a few key secrets we talked about in this episode: Michelle introduces Melinda Emerson. Melinda shares a brief introduction to who she is and what she does. The first crushing NO that Melinda experienced occurred while she was working for an NBC station in her hometown of Pittsburgh. “Your brand cannot be what’s on your business card. It also can’t be what’s in your pocket. Your brand has to be that you are a good person.” ~ Melinda Emerson It took Melinda a few years but she eventually created her own company. She realized that in order to grow her business she’d have to grow herself. She shared some of how she did that in this episode. The number one lesson that Melinda learned is that you need a kitchen cabinet full of 5 people who fully support you and what you want to do. In 2005, Melinda had successfully created a business that was thriving, her husband was even able to leave his full-time job. During that time Melinda was also pregnant, and it turned into a high-risk pregnancy where the doctor kept her home on bedrest. (This was before wifi was common in the home.) Melinda had built a business that couldn’t run without her and now she couldn’t run it, so her first business ended up failing. After having her baby, and praying to God, Melinda had a vision of what she wanted to do with her business. Her husband’s reaction actually led to her most devastating NO. You’ll have to listen to this episode to hear what happened! Melinda followed her dreams and by 2010 she was America’s most sought-after business expert. We all suffer from negative self-talk, Melinda shares how she remembers who she is and what she is capable of. “At the end of the day, none of us sell anything that’s incredibly unique. The difference is our service. The difference is how much we care.” ~ Melinda Emerson Melinda shares that listening to her gut is the number one way that she knows whether she should work with a brand or not. There’s more that goes into the final decision, but if it doesn’t feel right in the gut, she (or rather her team) will turn people away. There are three things that Melinda recommends you look for when deciding if you should work with someone. She shares them in this episode. Melinda shares what she would tell her younger self. Connect with Melinda Emerson: Melinda’s Website Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn P.S. The Online Business World Can Be Information Overload. How Do You Stand Out? There’s unrelenting noise in the online space these days. How do you show up as you, authentically connect with prospects, and create a connection that lasts? It’s the same way you make friends “IRL.” By reaching out, being of service, and just being YOU. Sound impossible? It’s NOT! You can be an exception in a world of samezies, and my new guide “How To Build Relationships Online: Your Checklist For TRUE Connections (And REAL Sales),” will show you how! Grab it right HERE! Music produced by Deejay-O  www.iamdeejayo.com  

Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is America's #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. In addition to being a former columnist for The New York Times, she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fortune, MSNBC and Fox News.    Emerson's small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the host of #Smallbizchat, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. She publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.    Emerson is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja. She is the founder and president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. Notable Clients Include: FedEx, ADP, Pitney Bowes, American Express, Dell, Staples, Sam's Club, Chase Bank, Facebook, IKEA, Verizon, Wells Fargo, and Xerox.   Website: www.succeedasyourownboss.com Facebook facebook.com/smallbizlady LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson Twitter @SmallBizLady Google+ google.com/+MelindaEmerson   Fix Your Business: 90-Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Remove Chaos From Your Business can be pre-ordered from www.succeedasyourownboss.com and on www.amazon.com

Melinda Emerson (@smallbizlady) is an incredible woman no doubt! Her small business advice reaches more than 3 million individuals each week online. Forbes named her the number one woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She is a former columnist for the New York Times and Entrepreneur. She is frequently quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, CNBC, and Fox. 2:27 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career?” 5:04 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 8:55 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 10:12 – “What would be your single biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 11:34 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: Pick up that book that you know you should be reading and actually read it. You will become better because of it. Melinda’s Books:  Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and Fix Your Business

"Fix Your Business Author" Melinda Emerson, also known as the Small Biz Lady, walks us through the year-end priorities business owners should be thinking about now. Emerson tells us why you should be meeting with your tax experts in October, evaluating personnel, and doing everything you can to maximize existing business while on the lookout for new clients.Access our full library of podcasts for small businesses: https://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/guides/podcasts

Does your midlife reinvention include starting your dream business? Or do you already have a business that could use a mini-makeover? Then you need to hear from The Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson. She’s joining Annmarie Kelly at this week’s Friday Happy Hour and she has lots of ideas for you.Melinda Emerson "SmallBizLady" is America's #1 Small Business Expert. Her brand reaches 3 million entrepreneurs a week online. Her mission is to End Small Business Failure. Forbes named her the #1 women for small business owners to follow on twitter.

Melinda Emerson is commonly referred to as the "Small Biz Lady".  She's been a thriving entrepreneur for nearly 20 years & is regarded as America's #1 small business expert!  Melinda's small business advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. In episode 15 of "Liberty", Patrick talks with Melinda about her 12 "P's" of running a business.  Are you exhausted?  Do hate the your own company?  Do you feel trapped by your own creation?  It's ok...  It happens to more people than you think.  Melinda Emerson is here to help!  

Melinda  F.  Emerson,  SmallBizLady,  is  Americas  #1  Small  Business  Expert.  She  has been  a  thriving  entrepreneur  for  nearly  20  years  and  is  an  internationally  known  keynote speaker  and  expert  on  small  business  development  and  social  media  marketing.  She publishes  a  resource  blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com   Her  small  business advice  is  widely  read  reaching  more  than  3  million  entrepreneurs  each  week  online.  A pioneer  in  social  media  marketing,  she  is  the  creator  and  host  of  #Smallbizchat,  the longest  running  live  chat  on  Twitter  for  small  business  owners.  Forbes  magazine  named her  the  #1  woman  for  entrepreneurs  to  follow  on  Twitter.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Melinda Emerson? Melinda is a dedicated single mom, dragonslayer, and entrepreneur. Early on Melinda looked around and saw there wasn’t a lot resources available for small business owners so she decided to take charge of the situation. After creating one of the fastest growing small businesses in America, Melinda realized she had made a mistake and built a business that couldn’t run without her. After being put on bed rest for six months when she became pregnant, Melinda had to make some drastic changes to her business and she learned a lot of lessons along the way.   Starting A Small Business You have to plan for success, success will not just happen to you. Melinda has a six step system for planning your small business and the first step is figuring out what you really want. Not liking your current job is not enough, you need to have a plan or you may just destroy your entire life. You have to think about the money component, most businesses don’t make a profit until 18 to 24 months in. Things come up and you need money to take care of them. You need to understand how much the business is going to cost and where the money is going to come from. The great thing about being in America is you can reinvent yourself. If you want to start a business, work part time in the industry you want to start a business in and get some experience first. Personal Growth You have to grow yourself to grow your small business. You have to learn the skills necessary to create a successful business. Just because you are entrepreneur, that doesn’t mean you are a good manager. You have to figure out what is your most high value business activity. You should not be spending your time doing $15 and $20 per hour work. As an entrepreneur, you need to figure out what you don’t know and go fill the gaps in your knowledge. People know what is wrong with their businesses, they just aren’t willing to confront and deal with the problems. If you’re having trouble with people, try looking at yourself first. Take one day a week to work on what you want your business to be. Hiring If you want a real business, you need to hire people and have some help. In the beginning you have to hire the people you know, but you need to create a process to hire the right people and also be willing to fire someone. Reference: Fix Your Business, Melinda Emerson Melinda’s Takeaway   Buy Become Your Own Boss In 12 Months, then find an existing entrepreneur and go have lunch with them, then ask what the three biggest mistakes they made in their business are.   Links: succeedasyourownboss.com T

Meet Melinda F. Emerson, also known as SMALLBIZLADY, America’s #1 Small Business Expert! She will not only tell you the top reasons why your business is failing, but she will also drop some valuable knowledge on how to make the changes necessary to take your profits to the bank! Just starting out? Find out what to do (and what not to do) with this powerful author of BECOME YOUR OWN BOSS IN 12 MONTHS!And if you want to make sure you never miss an episode of OUT OF THE BOX WITH CHRISTINE please subscribe to this podcast channel TODAY!#smallbizlady #business #entrepreneur

Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. In addition to being a former columnist for The New York Times, she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fortune, MSNBC and Fox News. Emersons small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the host of #Smallbizchat, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. She publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Emerson is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja. She is the founder and president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. Notable Clients Include: FedEx, ADP, Pitney Bowes, American Express, Dell, Staples, Sams Club, Chase Bank, Facebook, IKEA, Verizon, Wells Fargo, and Xerox. ----- Shortly after graduating from Virginia Tech, Melinda Emerson landed at her dream job. A journalism student, she was hired as a producer at the age of 23. Soon, after going from the frying pan to the skillet, she realized that she wanted more than that dream, a better career. She saw Oprah Winfrey as a model, another journalist who went on to start successful businesses. In this episode, Melinda Emerson talks about how she set out on her own business adventure with a laptop, fax machine, and a dream. She tapped her skills as an investigative journalist to research her strategy, build networks, and won an opportunity from a business incubator. Within a couple of years, her firm became the largest female-owned production company in Philadelphia. Awards followed, along with lucrative contracts. She compiled every “expensive mistake” she made along the way and these helpful notes became the basis for her first major book. Her goal is to boost small business entrepreneurs everywhere so they experience success and learn the lessons she shares with them. We need to build our personal leadership in order to bring success to our business activities. Melinda Emerson reminds listeners that they never lose in business: They either win or they learn of mistakes that need to be corrected. This is a very inspiring interview! Ways to contact Melinda: Website: succeedasyourownboss.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/smallbizlady LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson Twitter: @SmallBizLady YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/melindaemerson

Segment 1: Sally Helgesen is the author of How Women Rise. Her work is widely regarded as the gold standard when it comes to women's leadership. Since the publication of The Female Advantage in 1990 (still in print), she has written five more books in the field and speaks to audiences all around the world about these issues.Segment 2: Melinda Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is an American Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned speaker on small business development and social media marketing. Her latest book is “Fix Your Business”. Segment 3: Mike Milan is Finagraph's Vice President, Customer Success with over 20 years of sales and entrepreneurship experience. Prior to joining Finagraph, Mike built several successful ventures from the ground up. He built and sold Blazing Star Staffing, a Midwest regional hotel staffing company and Bottoms Up Brewhouse. Segment 4: Thomas Sugar is a co-founder and CEO of Pinstriped. His career has spanned several industries and companies, from finance, digital marketing to start-ups. After thousands of hours wasted in unproductive meetings, he's on a mission to change meeting culture.Segment 5: Sharon Rowe is the founder and CEO of Eco-Bags Products, which grew to become a $2.2 million business. Her first book is “The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don't Need to Go Big to Make a Great Living”.Sponsored by Nextiva and Finagraph

Don’t miss the aftershow here! http://2questions.tv/the-2questions-t...In today’s episode, Susan talks with Melinda Emerson, also known as SmallBizLady, America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. She’s also the author of, “Fix Your Business,”A 90 Day Plan to Ge Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos In Your Business.”Susan and Melinda talk about what most entrepreneurs get wrong when running their businesses, and transforming your thinking so you build a business, not create a job.Links:Melinda’s website: http://www.succeedasyourownboss.comMelinda’s book: https://amzn.to/2FtKeGyWatch the After Show here: http://2questions.tv/the-2questions-t...Susan’s websites:Everything Susan: http://suebmoe.com2Questions.TV: http://2Questions.TVBaroncini-Moe Executive Coaching: http://susanbaroncini-moe.comBusiness in Blue Jeans: http://businessinbluejeans.comShare your thoughts in the comments below!Equipment used for this video:- Zoom.us- Blue Yeti Microphone- MacBook Pro Subscribe to 2QuestionsTV for more interviews and behind the scenes footage! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Steps to boost your income by maximizing your side-hustle and part 2 with the smart biz lady, Melinda F. Emerson, the nation's number 1 champion of success for small business owners and author of the now classic small business start-up book, "Becoming your own boss in 12 months". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flashpoint: Host and KYW Community Affairs reporter Cherri Gregg asks the burning questions about what it takes to break from the bystander mentality to stand up and intervene when needed. James Shaw became a hero when his quick action stopped a gunman who claimed four lives at a Nashville Waffle House. Security Expert, Ed Iannucci, Bystander Intenention Strategist Lucy Duncan and neighborhood hero Ella Best talk about what it takes to stand up for others at a moment's notice. Also, Nicolle Rochelle appeared on four episodes of Cosby Show in the early 1990s, but made headlines in Philadelphia when she ran topless in front of onlookers outside of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. Her message for the newly convicted serial predator. Finally, it's National Small Business Week and Melinda Emerson a.k.a. Small Biz Lady had advice for those looking to make their small business booms. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flashpoint airs every Saturday at 9:30pm and Sunday at 8:30am on KYW Newsradio 1060AM. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is America's #1 Small Business Expert and author of Fix Your Business: 90-Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Remove Chaos From Your Business. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing.

The dream and realities of becoming your own boss. You'll also hear from my guest today, one of America's top experts on starting and running a business, Melinda F. Emerson, also known as Small Biz Lady. Plus, I'll have another great recommendation for your Wealthy Thinking Reading List. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’re chatting with Melinda Emerson, a consultant, author, and speaker otherwise known as “SmallBizLady”. Melinda is America’s #1 Small Business Expert and was selected by Forbes as the #1 Most Influential Woman for Entrepreneurs. Melinda is full of anecdotes, tips, and tricks from her 17-year career working with small businesses, and she’s here to share her expertise on connecting with entrepreneurs and having meaningful conversations.   Episode Highlights: The top challenges that Melinda solves for her clients 3 reasons why small businesses fail “Servicing the market” : Customer service for big corporations and small businesses Melinda’s strategies for improving retention How big corporations can best connect with small business owners Marketing and Sales for small businesses   More From Melinda: Follow her on Twitter @SmallBizLady Read her book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months Visit her on the web for consulting and speaking bookings, blog posts, and her store Connect with Melinda on Linkedin Want to speak with Melinda direct? Email her at melinda@melindaemerson.com   Favorite Quotes: “Anyone will buy something once, but the goal is to get them to buy over and over again” “The best way to build a trusting relationship is through communication, especially online” “There’s 23 million small businesses. There’s only 1800 large ones” “I believe your business should be working for you”

In un famoso articolo di qualche anno fa l'imprenditrice statunitense Melinda Emerson, nota in rete con il nome di SmallBizLady, affronta l'argomento del Social Media Marketing e delinea i tre passaggi principali per avere successo con una strategia di marketing sui social.I tre passaggi sono indicati da 3 C.Oggi io voglio riprendere l'articolo della Emerson e ampliarlo con un quarto passaggio.Leggi l'articolo completo:http://libroza.com/le-3-c-del-social-media-marketing/

Shortly after graduating college with a degree in broadcast journalism, Melinda Emerson landed her dream job as a television producer in Philadelphia -- and, she hated it. Mean people and countless hours pushed her to eventually make a move. And that move was to become an entrepreneur. Melinda studied as much as she could about business, going to events and joining organizations that would provide her with business insight, and then she used her experience to start a video production company called Quintessence Group with just a laptop, a fax machine and a dream in 1999. The company, and Melinda, became very successful -- topping many of the who's who in business lists -- then everything changed, again, and she made a change to figure out her next chapter. She hasn't looked back.   On this episode, Melinda talks about how she became THE small biz lady, taking heed when "the voice" tells you where to go next, key ways to avoid small business failure and how to build a megabrand that reaches three million people weekly in spite of the curve balls in business and life.   On this episode you'll learn: The biggest mistake she made in business.What happens when you fall out of love with the business you've created.Why writing a book -- a good book -- helps position you as an expert.What to do when life and business throw you a curve ball.How to market yourself and build your brand effectively on social media.The importance of repurposing content.Why quality content always rises to the top.Smart reasons to separate your brand from your name.Top 5 reasons small business fail.And why I'm pushing her to start her own podcast. :)Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio!   Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at http://supportissexypodcast.com   [Music: "Someone Else’s Memories" by Revolution Void]

There's never been a better time to launch a startup. Become your own boss in 12 months with these tips from the Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson. ThinkLikeAJournalist.com See the show notes.

More folks than ever before are trading in their corporate gig for entrepreneurship. Do you want to be your own boss? Do you have start-up fever? But, are you unsure where to begin to smoothly move from paycheck to your own payroll? Join host Hanna Hasl-Kelchner as she welcomes Melinda Emerson, also known as the Small Biz Lady and America's #1 Small Business Expert, who provides a plan to help your move forward. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER ABOUT HOW TO BE YOUR OWN BOSS: The 3 things anyone wanting to be your own boss must do well. The 6-step system to transition from employee to entrepreneur. Why a good transition process to be your own boss take 12 months. How to accelerate the transition process if you don't have 12 months. How your business plan dovetails with your life plan. And much MORE. GUEST: Melinda Emerson, is the founder and president of the http://succeedasyourownboss.com/about-old/about-quintessence/ (Quintessence Group), an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. Her clients include household names like American Express, Sam's Club, Facebook, FedEx and a whole lot more. As an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start-ups, business development, and social media marketing, Melinda is also widely known as the Small Biz Lady. Her small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. In addition to being a former social media columnist for the New York Times, she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News. Melinda is the host of the #Smallbizchat, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on http://twitter.com/SmallBizlady (Twitter). She publishes a small business resource blog which is syndicated by the Huffington Post. She is also the author of http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440584354/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1440584354&linkCode=as2&tag=businconfinow-20&linkId=YZLRVU4JZDLACMNF">Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business that Works (Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months), now in its 2nd Edition, plus the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja. RELATED RESOURCES:Check out Melinda's book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440584354/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1440584354&linkCode=as2&tag=businconfinow-20&linkId=YZLRVU4JZDLACMNF">Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business that Works (Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months) and corresponding http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0979983916/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0979983916&linkCode=as2&tag=businconfinow-20&linkId=6EG33633J25GHAEX">Are You Ready to Become Your Own Boss? (Are You Ready to Become Your Own Boss Workbook) as well as her website http://succeedasyourownboss.com (Succeed As Your Own Boss).

Melinda Emerson, "The Small Biz Lady" shares some golden ideas to help aspiring entrepreneurs and experienced ones.  Pat Council interviews Melinda to find out how to really thrive in business.  Great opportunities are born out of necessity and ingenuity and Melinda is a great example of what can happen when you find your niche and take action.  She is now Forbes' number one influential woman for today's entrepreneur.  You will be inspired and educated as to how to thrive in business as you listen to this interview with "The Small Biz Lady". Books Mentioned: Become Your Own Boss in 12.  Click here. Get our free infographic that has simple steps for Goal Achievement Success. Click. 

Learn from your mistakes. How many times have you heard that tired old phrase? But the truth is that it's a very true phrase that describes why those who succeed in business DO succeed. They make mistakes. Nothing wrong with that. But they learn from them, they grow from them, and they don't make them again. That's the message you'll hear loud and clear from Melinda Emerson, the Small Biz Lady who has made million dollar business hum along on the back of her own mistakes. She's turned those mistakes into lessons that she now uses to help other women entrepreneurs start the business that will give them happiness and freedom. Join Rosetta on this episode as she and Melinda chat about business, life, regrets, and the will to succeed.   Trusting yourself when nobody else will.   If you want to start a business that can create the lifestyle you want, you have to have thick skin at times. Not everyone is going to support you. Sometimes the ones who should be cheering you on the most will be the ones who are the most negative about your dreams. Are you ready for that? Are you able to trust yourself, your ability, and your desire to make yourself succeed to the point that you can keep going when everyone says you're crazy? That's what Melinda Emerson had to do and her persistence has paid off with a million dollar business. Hear her story of pain and triumph, on this episode of Happy Black Woman.   Don't start a business by quitting your job!   Your dream is not enough to justify you quitting your day job. That's one of the messages Melinda Emerson shouts from the rooftops. You've got to take care of yourself and your family while you build that business dream. It's typically going to be a side hustle you do in your spare time while you keep on working at the job you want to leave. It's how you do things wisely, securely, and in a way that enables you to learn your lessons and make your mistakes while you have something secure to fall back on. Hear more of Melinda's practical advice for starting your own business on this episode.   You don't have to be everywhere on social media.   You just have to be in the right places. What ARE the right places? The social media sites that are right for you are the social media sites where your ideal customers hang out. It doesn't matter if it's your favorite or the one you hate. If it's where your ideal customers are, you've got to be there. In this episode, the small biz lady, Melinda Emerson shares how she learned that principle and how it's leveraged her business into a million dollar brand that has become well known and very successful. You'll love her practical approach.   You never lose in business. You either win, or you learn.   That's Melinda Emerson's favorite mantra for her business and that attitude of learning from mistakes has carried her to the heights of success. She's made all kinds of mistakes, which she's outlined in her book, “Becoming Your Own Boss in 12 Months,” and it's those mistakes that have given her the expertise and education to turn the corner toward success and help others build their businesses without making the same mistakes. If you take the time to listen to this episode you'll see why Melinda is The Small Biz Lady, so be sure you do it.   Outline of this great episode:   [0:29] Rosetta's welcome to this episode and her introduction of her guest, Melinda Emerson. [1:22] The work Melinda does and the mission she's about. [3:39] The turning point that got Melinda into helping other business people. [11:00] Trusting yourself when nobody else will. [14:05] Why you have to be steadfast and determined. [16:44] Advice to those who are looking to launch a business this year. [20:44] How Melinda runs a productive business. [26:26] Why “team” is one of the most important words in Melinda's business. [31:00] A favorite book or two from Melinda. [34:40] A personal mantra or motto. [35:47] The #1 tip for the Happy Black Women community. Resources mentioned in this episode:   www.SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com - Melinda's blog   Becoming Your Own Boss In 12 Months,- Melinda's book   Quintessence Group   Small Business Lady   BOOK: The E-Myth Revisited   BOOK: The Salt Eaters   The Color Purple on Broadway   Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, rate and review… Thanks so much for joining us on the podcast this week! Be sure to leave me a note in the comments below with your #1 takeaway from the show. Don't forget to subscribe to the show to get FREE automatic notifications when each new episode goes live! Subscribe via iTunes (for iPhone) Subscribe via Stitcher (for Android) Finally, please consider leaving an honest rating and review for The Happy Black Woman Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher to help spread the word about the show and help more black women find our tribe! Join the Happy Black Woman Facebook Tribe: Join our Happy Black Woman Facebook Tribe to connect and network with like-minded women from around the world! Click here to request access to our private Facebook group.  

Melinda Emerson is known as the Small Biz Lady — and is Americas #1 Small Business Expert and the author of “Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Work.” She is an internationally known keynote speaker and expert on small business start-up, business development, and social media marketing. Melinda’s advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. And Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.   Secret -- timesaving technique Melinda always creates a list of five vital priorities the day before she sets out to complete each individual task. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Melinda wakes up early -- gets her vital priorities done by 11:00 am -- and even finds a way to budget time for herself. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Melinda built a business that could not run without her -- and Melinda tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to learn to plan for long-term success -- and focus on identifying the characteristics of their perfect customer.” Most influential lesson learned from a mentor “You have to maintain your reputation -- your brand is an extension of your personal self.”     Final Round -- “Breaking Down the Recipe for Success”   What systems would you go back and put into place sooner? I would have gone back and put a system in place to help define our niche -- you have to niche to get rich. What one strategy or “recipe” would compound into big wins for business owners? Develop a niche target customer -- you have to pick a marketing target that you can actually reach. How to exceed expectations and add the most value? An individual who seeks to add value to our company and looks at their occupation as a career, not a job. What strategy would you recommend new business owners focus on to best ensure success? You win or you learn in business Don’t make a hire that you can’t fire How best to connect with Melinda: http://succeedasyourownboss.com/     You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is Americas #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com, which is syndicated by the Huffington Post. Melinda is the author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2nd ed. See her beautiful infographic show notes, plus her top tips and advice for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs at www.TodaysLeadingWomen.com or by clicking here!

Episode 8 turns our attention to the challenge of developing an uncommon interest in the commonplace. During this episode we will revisit some ideas that Melinda Emerson, aka the SmallBizLady (@smallbizlady), has related to this topic. Its time to smell the roses, drop your vision and look whats at your feet. Its time to look at your environs in new ways.

Leading business expert Melinda Emerson kicks her shoes off with Lisa for a candid, funny, and inspiring conversation about her path to becoming the "Small Biz Lady" and successfully building a life and career she loves.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 10 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this tenth episode of our Women, Wealth and Wow! series, I introduce you to my friend and your Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson. Melinda is the author of Become Your Own Boss in Twelve Months, and the host of the weekly Twitter talk […] The post Season 2, Episode 10: “Women, Wealth and Wow” with Melinda Emerson [Podcast] appeared first on Indie Business Network.

Join us for the Best of Your15Minutes Radio Network as we speak with Small Biz Lady Melinda Emerson.  Follow the conversation @your15minradio.

Loretta McNary Live, The Radio Show is the internationally syndicated "go-to" show bringing together some of the world’s greatest visionaries, change agents: best-selling authors, empowerment speakers, leading-edge technology influencers, eco- friendly advocates and educators, world-renowned spiritual leaders, gospel performers, filmmakers, artists, and professionals and lay persons that encourage and support individual and community growth, and want to make a meaningful difference. Our guest today is America's #1 Small Business Expert Melinda Emerson. Melinda F. Emerson, @SmallBizLady, America’s #1 Small Business Expert, creator of the Huffington Post syndicated blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com, international speaker and bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by Month Guide to a Business That Works (just released January 2nd in its second edition) is making it her life’s work to end small business failure as she is helping millions of small business owners across the United States each week (3 million to be exact). In addition to being a regular columnist for the NY Times she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, MSNBC and Fox News. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She is an expert on what it takes the start a successful small business, marketing pitfalls to avoid, and how to become a brand in demand using social media. She is also a regular contributor to Essence magazine. We will discuss: The Importance of your website and content strategy Why social media is so critical and how to become a social media ninjaHow to become a brand in demandHow to get 300K followers on twitter

Mr. John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi, is on the show to share advice for small business owners, including his lessons learned from a very successful career. Next, the small biz lady shares how to transition from a job to becoming your own boss. With Charles Archer we talk about how to get a team working together. Finally, we tell you about the solution to buying something & then seeing it for less somewhere else.John Sculley is the former CEO of Apple Computer and Pepsi-Cola. He is one of America's best-known business leaders and is the author of the newly released book MOONSHOT! Game Changing Strategies on How to Build a Billion Dollar Business. Melinda F. Emerson, the SmallBizLady, is one of the leading small business experts in America. A new edition of her bestselling book Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works is now available.Charles Archer has inspired people, teams, and companies to build better consensus through empowerment & effective communication for over 20 years. He is the author of the book Everybody Paddles.Robert Rich is co-founder of the internet startup MySaleSpy.com, an online community for price-sensitive shoppers.Sponsored by Sage and Nextiva.

From the feedback I’ve been receiving from all of you, there are a lot of you that want to earn a living by having impact and influence on the lives of other people. There’s only one problem: Many of you just don’t know where to start. No sweat. Here comes #MoversAndShakers to the rescue. Enter [...]

Melinda Emerson - Small Biz Lady by Brent Leary and Small Business Trends

“The Small Biz Lady” Melinda Emerson joins us to talk to us about how she built a national reputation using social media, her book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, and her role in the new CNBC show “Crowd Rules,” debuting on April 30. Melinda is one of America’s leading small business experts. She is a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and social media strategist whose mission is to end small business failure. Her blog Succeed As Your Own Boss is syndicated by the Huffington Post. She also hosts #Smallbizchat, a weekly live talk show on Twitter. She also writes a regular column on social media for the New York Times You’re The Boss Blog. Melinda is the author of the bestselling book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works, a workbook and curriculum Are You Ready To Become Your Own Boss? and an audio CD 10 Things You Must Never Forget in Business.  Melinda has been featured on MSNBC, Fox News, NBC Nightly News and in The Washington Post, Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise and Essence Magazines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melinda F. Emerson, SmallBizLady, is one of America’s leading small business experts. Sheis an author, speaker and small business coach whose areas of expertise include small business start-up, business development and social media marketing.As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda develops audio, video and written contentto fulfill her mission to End Small Business Failure. She publishes a resource blog, www.succeedasyourownboss.com and hosts a weekly talk show on Twitter called #Smallbizchat for small business owners. As a brand, she reaches 1.5 million entrepreneurs a week on the internet. Forbes Magazine named Melinda Emerson one of the #1 Woman for Entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. Melinda has been featured on MSNBC, Fox News, NBC Nightly News and in the New York Times,USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Black Enterprise. She is the bestselling author of “Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works,”and a proud graduate of Virginia Tech.

  Our guest this week is Melinda F. Emerson, SmallBizLady. Melinda is America's #1 small business expert. She is an author, speaker and small business coach whose areas of expertise include small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda develops audio, video and written content to help her Fortune 500 clients engage small business customers.  She publishes a resource blog, www.succeedasyourownboss.com and hosts a weekly talk show on Twitter called #SmallBizChat for today's entrepreneurs.  She reaches 1.5 million small business owners each week on the internet. Forbes Magazine named Melinda Emerson #1 Woman for Entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. Melinda has been featured on MSNBC, Fox News, NBC Nightly News and in The Washington Post, New York Times,Fortune, Essence and Black Enterprise.She is also the author of the bestselling book “Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.”. Melinda is a graduate of Virginia Tech. http://succeedasyourownboss.com/ http://twitter.com/smallbizladyhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson

Join host Dr. Ulwyn and guest Melinda F. Emerson, known as the “SmallBizLady,” who will share secrets of starting and operating a profitable business. Discover what you must know before you start a business as well as strategies to develop and sustain your business for financial success. She’s also the founder and CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, a full service … Read more about this episode...

Join host Dr. Ulwyn and guest Melinda F. Emerson, known as the “SmallBizLady,” who will share secrets of starting and operating a profitable business. Discover what you must know before you start a business as well as strategies to develop and sustain your business for financial success. She’s also the founder and CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, a full service … Read more about this episode...

Consider turning your interests, hobby or talents into an income that can propel your passions into profits. If you are business minded, like to write,  tutor neighborhood children or make your own clothes or jewelry you can become your own boss and grow your income. Proper planning and strategizing CAN propel you a higher level of financial success. We discuss tools and tips to get started. Also, Melinda Emerson, "Small Biz Lady", author of "Become Your Own Boss In 12 Months" stops by to offer sound advice on making great decisions.

This week’s podcast episode is entitled “The Adventures of Inspiration: SmallBizLady’s 11 Bible Verses Small Business Owners Need in 2011”.One of my favorite blogs is that of Melinda Emerson (Twitter’s SmallBizLady and host of #SmallBizChat, Wednesdays at 8PM ET on Twitter).  It’s located at succeedasyourownboss.com, and each day of the week it provides an informative blog post for small business owners and solo-entrepreneurs with the goal of ending small business failures.Last week, Melinda shared her “11 Bible Verses Small Business Owners Need in 2011” (CLICK HERE for the printable copy) and today I’m going to share them with you, because they were very inspirational to me, and spoke to me at a time when I needed inspiration and something more to keep me going.The post starts with Melinda sharing her theme for the year, which is “Either I win or I learn, but with God’s help I never lose”.  Very inspiring sentiment, which was then followed by the following 11 Bible verses of encouragement for those of us at various stages of our entrepreneurial journey:1. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 I remember this verse from one of my favorite songs “For the Good of Them” by Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers of Chicago.  I know that I can state personally that there have been positive things to happen in my life, as close as last week, that pretty much go above and beyond what I could have imagined.  I’m continually amazed at the Blessings I’ve had in my life, and I do appreciate God’s favor and pray that it continues, not just for me, but for my family and loved ones, and all those seeking solace from the negatives in life, than can really wear you down.2. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 Melinda says “If everything in your business is done to glorify God, he will Bless your work”.  I think this is something that we as small business owners forget, for many of us, exist in the “worldly sphere”, and I’d define that as anyone not doing business directly within the genre of selling religious works and related artifacts.  One of the best ways that I find I can accomplish the requirements of this verse is to always make sure that I keep myself, and my integrity (which is based in my faith) at the forefront of all of my business and personal dealings.  Since I’ve been working in the field of Technology and Social Media, I’ve seen ample opportunity to run scams on people and possibly make tons of money, with very little effort.  Though this could definitely bring me some money in the short-run, I have to look at the long-term benefits and what’s truly important to me and what I’m trying to build as an entrepreneur.  I can tell you that this journey has not been easy.  Especially when I see people that are taken the “crooked route” and profiting hand over fist.  I try not envy such people, and I’ve continually believed that being square-dealing and honest is going to one day pay off for me.  It’s been a long road, but I’m definitely glad to say that I’ve benefited by staying honest, and I probably sleep better at night because of it too.3. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.  Proverbs 21:5 Per Melinda’s advice “A good idea is still a good idea three weeks from now. There are no “get rich quick” schemes. Do not be in a hurry for anything. Learn all you can. Be focused and diligent and your business will succeed”.  Definitely one of the hardest lessons for me to learn, because so much about our society now encourages us to seek instant gratification, especially in the technology and social media realm, where it feels like everything is changing so rapidly that you feel that a week missed could be a missed lifetime opportunity.  Luckily, that’s not true, and I’m surely finding as I continue on with this entrepreneurial journey that “slow and steady” does in fact win the race!4. I will find the Lord when I seek him with all my heart and with all my soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29 SmallBizLady says: “The best thing you can do for your business is pray daily with an open heart. God speaks to us through vision and dreams. Be open to what God wants you to learn”.  You can’t argue with that.  5. The Blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22 This says to me that when God Blesses, it comes with abundance and not sorry and strife.6. Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? I fix my eyes on God and soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God. Psalm 42:5 Here Melinda shares a story about her father and how he used to say “we wouldn’t know God’s day if it weren’t for bad days, so thank God for the bad days too”.  This is something I had to learn from experience.  Everything needs a point of reference.  You can’t truly appreciate the GOOD, until you’ve experienced that bad.  Tough as it may be to get through them, I believe the bad times make us better people in the long run.7. I fear not, for God is with me; I am not dismayed; for He is my God. He will strengthen me, yes, He will help me, He will uphold me with His righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 This is a good verse for those feeling doubtful about their entrepreneurial aspirations, especially in the early stages.  I think this is a good verse to refer to during those times of self-doubt.8. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me. John 5:30 As Melinda says “It’s never about you. It’s about the team around you and your customers”.  I can admit, this is a tough lesson for a narcissist to learn, but it’s possible. LOL.9. I seriously consider what I am doing before taking on new projects. I expand prudently and I do not court neglect of present duties by assuming too many new ones. Proverbs 31:16 Once again, Melinda gives sound advice: “Be a project finisher. Do not be one of these business owners that run from thing to thing with more than one brand message. Make it clear what business you are in by focusing on one niche customer”.  I’ve definitely heard this advice several times since I started on my first business venture (what is now) many years ago.  And I admit, at the start, I definitely had too many irons on the fire, and they weren’t even "complimentary fires" that worked together.  I was trying to do too many things, and was being pulled in too many different directions.  Even now, some people feel that I’m managing too many brands, but for me, having found the common thread within them, as well as learning ways to reduce a duplication of effort across the brands I’m seeking to manage, I feel that I’ve got a great handle on what business I’m in, and who my customers are.  Of course, I could always fine-tune my niche market, but I think that’s just a natural process of maturation that any good business does as it grows.10. Pride lands me flat on my face, but humility prepares me for honor. Proverbs 29:23 Melinda says “Do not let your pride keep you from learning a lesson”. I’m trying!  Humility is not my strong suit, in fact, though I don’t think I’m too prideful, I can admit that humility is a notion that often passes me.  But I think that’s a result of what I’ve gone through and triumphed over to get to where I am.  After experiencing so many people telling you that you’re wrong, or that you’re going to fail, or that you can’t do something, once you are able to do it, or triumph over whatever hurdles that were set before you, it’s REAL HARD not to rub others face in it, and by “rub their face in it”, I don’t mean, purposefully taunting the naysayers, but continuing on, doing your thing, and showing them that what they say has no effect on you.  It’s that “you can’t tell me nothing” mentality that I think a lot of successful people where I’m from have.  I suspect it’s a “Chicago Thing”. LOL.  So, if you don’t get it.  I understand! 11. I live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 Of all the Bible verses that Melinda shared, I think this one struck a chord with me the most.  It’s been a LONG TIME since I’ve lived by sight.  If I let what I see, or can foresee in the near future dictate what I believe were possible in my life, I’d be nothing! If I didn’t believe, despite all evidence to the contrary that my life was Divinely Orchestrated, and things weren’t happened to me, but for me, and that ultimately, despite all the bad, that things would work out, I wouldn’t be where I am today.  I can’t tell you how dead-on this verse was for me.  But I will share with you one of my favorite quotes on faith from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He said “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase”.  People used to say this when I was growing up, and I thought it was the funniest thing, but it was only as an adult, that I truly learned to appreciate it, and what having faith really means.I should note that this post from SmallBizLady Melinda Emerson was inspired in part by Joyce Meyer’s book, The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Word.  And once again, here's a PRINTABLE PDF COPY of Melinda's post, and more information about her:  Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure.  As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs, and publishes a resource blog at: www.succeedasyourownboss.com.  Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)What about you? Is there a Bible verse that inspires you in your business? Please share.Please feel free to leave comments below or give me your feedback directly, either by email “podcasts @ exclusivemultiplicity.com”, or by finding me on Facebook, Twitter (@KindraCotton), or LinkedIn.  You can also contact me via Skype at my name Kindra.Cotton, and you can now call me on my Google Voice line at: (201) 870-0234.  If you leave a message on my Google Voicemail line, please be sure to mention which podcast you listened to.  Click media player below to listen to this podcast.   If the player above isn't displaying, or working properly, you can also download the podcast from iTunes for free (it may take a few days for it to appear at this link, but you can subscribe directly to the podcast feed via iTunes if you want to always get new podcast episodes when they're first uploaded)! Come back next week, and have a Blessed Day!Kindra

Melinda Emerson visits Successful Saturday to share her expertise on what it takes to Become Your own Boss In 12 Months. She is the author of the 2010 Small Business Book Award, is a Twitter expert "SmallBizChat" and is an authority on taking people with no entrepreneurial experience to help them lead sustainable businesses. Join us tonight for a wonderful discussion on Becoming Your Own Boss, call with questions and or listen live at (646) 595-4797 or join us on the web chat room.

Tune in Sunday, January 2, 2011 as ChaunVaughn talks with the SmallBizLady on ways you can start or boost your small business in 2011. Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010) Also hear from our resident, Student of Style on what's fashionable in 2011. It's Everything with ChaunVaughn each Sunday evening at 6:30PM(CST). Listen viawww.ChaunVaughn.com or call in at 718-766-4408

Tune in Sunday, January 2, 2011 as ChaunVaughn talks with the SmallBizLady on ways you can start or boost your small business in 2011. Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010) Also hear from our resident, Student of Style on what's fashionable in 2011. It's Everything with ChaunVaughn each Sunday evening at 6:30PM(CST). Listen viawww.ChaunVaughn.com or call in at 718-766-4408

For interactive and dynamic small business dialogue be sure to join in and listen to six intriguing women entrepreneurs on the NEW blogtalkradio show Simple Truths: Intelligent. Insightful. Informed. Six industry experts and professionals bring their own unique experience and knowledgebase to the Simple Truths roundtable. Hard truths that will get your business functioning at an optimum level. The ultimate source for information AND inspiration for professional growth. Join us as we welcome special guest: Melinda Emerson "The Small Biz Lady" and host and creator of #smallbizchat. Melinda will talk to us about critical business skills that are needed to run a scaleable small business. Melinda Emerson is one of the fastest growing 'how-to' small business coaches today, offering a fresh approach to small business development that is innovative, cost effective and above all from a real world perspective! Melinda has become a well known expert in achieving bottom-line results. Her motto is “Grow yourself to grow your business.”For more information on Melinda Emerson, please visit: http://www.melindaemerson.com/index.html

For interactive and dynamic small business dialogue be sure to join in and listen to six intriguing women entrepreneurs on the NEW blogtalkradio show Simple Truths: Intelligent. Insightful. Informed. Six industry experts and professionals bring their own unique experience and knowledgebase to the Simple Truths roundtable. Hard truths that will get your business functioning at an optimum level. The ultimate source for information AND inspiration for professional growth. Join us as we welcome special guest: Melinda Emerson "The Small Biz Lady" and host and creator of #smallbizchat. Melinda will talk to us about critical business skills that are needed to run a scaleable small business. Melinda Emerson is one of the fastest growing 'how-to' small business coaches today, offering a fresh approach to small business development that is innovative, cost effective and above all from a real world perspective! Melinda has become a well known expert in achieving bottom-line results. Her motto is “Grow yourself to grow your business.”For more information on Melinda Emerson, please visit: http://www.melindaemerson.com/index.html