Entrepreneurs In Motion

As entrepreneurs, it's doubly important for us to manage our personal and business finances wisely. Today's guest is Hilary Hendershott, a Certified Financial Planner, business owner, and expert in all things financial. In this interview, she shares some powerful tips for anyone looking to improve their money management and business cash flow. Highlights: - How Hilary stopped overspending and became financially healthy (2:32) - The ONE thing you MUST focus on if money is tight in your business (7:20) - Financial best practices for any level of income (12:01) - The biggest financial mistake entrepreneurs tend to make (15:22) - What does it look like to become financially free? (18:38) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/financialhabits/

A listener wrote in with a great follow-up question to Episode 55 - "How do you know if your business is growing enough to keep going?" If things seem slow, does it mean you just need to keep hustling... or does it mean your business is actually a dud? This was the #1 thought I struggled with during my early years of business - and today, now with more experience and hindsight, I can give you a four-step process that will bring you clarity about whether or not to continue fighting for your business (or a project within it). Highlights: - How to do a numerically-based analysis of your progress (2:42) - Three places where you should gather useful and brutally honest feedback (8:49) - Formulating a plan and evaluating your willingness to implement it (13:37) - Questions to ask when considering killing a product or project within your business (17:26) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/persist/

A listener recently wrote to me with a dilemma - with two possible directions for her business, which one should she pursue? As entrepreneurs, we face decisions like this all the time. Here's the advice I gave her on how to prioritize and where to spend her time and effort. Highlights: - Why doing everything is a recipe for disaster (2:15) - A healthy way to split your time between two projects (6:36) - 5 factors to guide your selection of the #1 priority (8:40) - When to re-evaluate and possibly change tactics (11:56) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/directions

It's always fun to see behind the scenes and into the inner workings of someone's business - so today I'm going to share 15 tools I use in mine. One warning - beware of tool overuse; don't use a tool just because someone said it was cool. Experiment and find out what tools are right for YOU. Maybe you'll find something useful in my list!

One persistent feeling in the early years of entrepreneurship is the dissatisfaction of not yet being at the level you'd like to be. Whether it's a revenue goal or a certain type of lifestyle, it's frustrating to feel like you're still so far away from what you're aiming for. I recently faced this in my own life as I got "stuck" in a place where I didn't ultimately want to live. This episode has three important tips for navigating the discouraging sense of "I'm just not there yet." Highlights: - Examples of how this feeling comes up in both business and life (1:22) - Why planning is essential, and flexibility almost equally so (5:30) - What if you reach your goal and you're still not happy? (9:15) - How to actively seek out good things in your current season (14:04)

A lot of people tell you to raise your prices and "go premium" - but is it possible to build a profitable business while still keeping your products affordable? The answer is a definite YES, and there are many examples of companies that have done so - including my own. In today's episode, I describe five important principles to keep in mind if you're committed to selling lower-priced products. Highlights: - Examples of businesses succeeding with cheap or free products (3:05) - What you MUST be willing to do in order to build this type of business (6:22) - A common fallacy about low-priced products (9:47) - How to prevent yourself from working too hard for too little money (10:54) - Why your customers might surprise you (13:45) - How to deal with fans/followers who will never buy anything (18:22) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/cheap/

What kind of life do you want to live? The simple act of asking this questions sets you apart from all the people who are living their lives on autopilot. Today's guest is Lotanna Ezeogu, and she tells all about the steps she's taken - and is continuing to take - in order to create her ideal life and business. Lotanna specializes in helping introverted entrepreneurs get better at networking, so she also shares some tips for connecting with others if you find that difficult. Highlights: - How to build confidence to connect as an introvert (2:35) - Why Lotanna's previous business was not in line with her ideal life (5:10) - Three levels of goals to aim for (12:30) - Dealing with other people who don't "get" what you do (17:29) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/ideallife/

This episode marks one year since I started Entrepreneurs in Motion! Today I’m sharing three things that are on my mind regarding this podcast. I also look back at the past 5 years of my main business, sharing some excerpts from my journals and e-mails so you can see how my work and my mindset have evolved. Highlights: Why I’m still producing this podcast, even though it’s not easy (3:34) The mental battles that happen even after you start making money (7:30) What I really wish I’d done in year 2 (10:49) Three big breakthroughs by the end of year 3 (12:42) The tension between working and living – and how it eventually resolved (15:15) Why I’m not quite sure how to grow my business further (18:23) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/year1

If you're an entrepreneur, you're no stranger to change. Sometimes your business needs to pivot, and other times you need to evolve as an entrepreneur. Today's guest, Christopher Sutton of Musical U, discusses four major transitions he's experienced over the course of running his music training business. Highlights: - What happened after Christopher left his day job (2:38) - The reasoning behind going from apps to info products to a membership site - and the results (11:03) - How Christopher completely rebranded and renamed his business (27:50) - The challenges and rewards of going from a solopreneur to having a team (34:45) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/transitions

Most Americans haven't saved enough for retirement - are you among them? The ups and downs of entrepreneurship can make it hard to think long-term, but it's pretty important to prepare for the future. Here are three different paths an entrepreneur can take when approaching retirement. Highlights: Why "I'll run my business forever" might not be a good idea (2:10) Three things you can do now to mitigate future risk (4:51) How to prepare for selling your business (9:25) Striking the balance between living well now and saving long-term (13:26) A useful tool for visualizing your retirement goals (18:04) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/retirement/

If you're a listener of this podcast, then I assume you're in the midst of building a lifestyle business - a sustainable one that will allow you to live the life you want. I've experienced and observed six distinct phases that entrepreneurs tend to go through while developing their businesses and working towards their desired lifestyle.  Highlights: The one thing you MUST do in the MVP phase (2:40) Finding your sustainable growth strategy (5:00) Ways to optimize for efficiency and further growth (7:15) Revenue vs. profit vs. personal income (11:35) From "side hustle money" to quitting your day job (14:30) Questions for reflection at six figures (18:16) Links and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/phases

I was listening to the "laddering up" strategy described by Clay Collins of LeadPages in this interview, and there were a couple things that rubbed me the wrong way. It brought flashbacks to when I would read case studies of successful businesses and get frustrated and depressed that my business was nowhere near that level. I was inspired to make this episode, in which I explain the reasons you should avoid the "comparison trap" as well as a couple ways to use comparisons for good. Highlights: - My issue with the "three rungs" and "five ones" strategies described by Clay (2:01) - Two reasons it's ALWAYS apples to oranges (5:51) - How much of a role does luck play in business? (9:42) - How to be motivated rather than depressed by comparisons (12:49) Show notes and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/compare/

Today we have an update to the listener case study featured in Episode 23. Paul Fontanelli of PhotographyTV.com fills us in on how he’s been growing his following on social media through experimentation and collaboration. We talk about what has worked, what has been a dead end, and how Paul plans to move forward. He also shares some great insight into striking the right balance between work, business, and family. Highlights: - Paul shares specific numbers for his audience growth – and how he achieved them (3:00) - The key change Paul made to his YouTube content strategy (8:18) - Three different types of collaborations to grow your audience (15:40) - Practical tips for juggling work, business, and family without becoming miserable (23:13) - The challenge of monetization (27:52) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/photo2

If you have an online business, you can work from anywhere! But should you use that freedom to travel perpetually -known as being a digital nomad - or would you rather establish a "home base"? In today's episode I describe the pros and cons of each lifestyle and talk about which one I've chosen... for the moment anyway :-) Highlights: - Five downsides to living the dream life of constant travel (5:08) - How to get "the best of both worlds" (10:10) - Avoiding the temptations of the dominant American cultural scripts (13:03) - Where I spent the first few years of my business (16:53) - The factors behind our decision about where to be right now (19:01) Links and show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/home

You've done your research, you've narrowed down your niche, and you've created your product... but no one's buying. Today's guest is an English teacher named Christina who faced this frustrating situation. In this interview, she tells the story of how she expanded her niche and adjusted her product packaging and branding. Christina also shares great tips for organizing your time when you have private clients, but you also want to create longer-term products. Highlights: - Why nobody in Christina's original target audience would buy her courses (4:00) - How Christina changed her mindset and strategy around her niche - and the results (10:10) - Finding out the most effective and appealing way to package your products to meet customer needs (14:58) - Balancing your schedule between one-on-one clients and creating products, courses, and group programs (21:05) Links, show notes, and comments: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/france

It's THE question for every entrepreneur trying to turn their side business into their main livelihood - when should you quit your day job and pull the plug on a regular paycheck? The internet is full of encouragement to "take the leap," but I don't think that tells the whole story when it comes to such a difficult and complex decision. In today's episode, two previous guests on the show (Alex and Kristi) talk about the struggles of quitting their day jobs and give some great advice for others considering it. Highlights: Why Alex did NOT take a big leap of faith... and what he did instead (3:30) The importance of considering longevity in both business and life (5:05) What to do if all your mental energy is spent on your day job (10:09) How Kristi tried to quit three times before finally cutting ties - and what her first year of full self-employment was like (15:46) Determining your level of risk tolerance (19:57) What happens if everything goes wrong after you quit? (24:52) Links and show notes: http://www.

Today I'm talking with Kristi from Encircled, a company that produces versatile and ethically-made women's clothing. She talks about expanding beyond her first product - a difficult point for many entrepreneurs - and gives us an inside look at her current team members and structure. I also asked Kristi about common mistakes that people make in e-commerce, and she gives some great tips that can be applied to any business. Highlights: - How did Kristi spend $20,000 of her own savings when she started? (2:30) - The evolution of a business: coming up with new products vs. developing your existing product further (7:27) - What Kristi's team looks like and what she does on a day-to-day basis (11:37) - Three specific mistakes made by e-commerce businesses as well as other companies (16:40) Links and show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/encircled

Life is crazy right now! I've been house-hunting and haven't had very much time or energy to focus on my main business. In the month of April, I worked a total of 40 hours... yet I kept things running and my sales stayed strong. In this episode, I describe exactly how I spent my time and explain how my business can run (almost) on autopilot. Highlights: Growth mode vs. maintenance mode for your business (2:08) Hourly breakdown of how I spent my time in April (4:15) How I avoid running dry of topic ideas (6:41) 3 reasons my sales stayed strong despite minimal work (9:36) 3 actionable takeaways for you (15:38) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/minimum

In episode 34 about customer feedback, I offered a free website review to three listeners of this podcast. One of them, Jose from hellospanish.co, has generously allowed me to share the critique publicly so that everyone can learn from it. Listen to the episode and check out the screenshots to get an idea of the visuals: Highlights: - Finding out what your brand's specific strengths are, and crafting an intriguing homepage headline (2:07) - Specific suggestions for getting more e-mail opt-ins (6:30) - Comments on site layout, design, and speed (8:50) - Clearly organizing your offers and products so that potential customers aren't confused (12:14) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/review1

Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome? It's when you're unable to feel good about your accomplishments - instead, you feel like you're faking it and at any moment you'll be exposed as someone who really doesn't know what they're doing. Most entrepreneurs have been struck by these feelings at some point, including me. In today's episode I talk about six ways you can overcome insecurity and feel more confident in your business journey. Highlights: - Various things that make me feel insecure as an entrepreneur (2:00) - Why your feelings might be misleading you... and who you should actually listen to (6:19) - One thing that can help you overcome perfectionism (9:20) - Redirecting your mental energy in more productive ways (11:24) Show notes: http://www.entrepreneursinmotion.com/imposter