Favorite Podcast Memories: Highlights From 5 Years in Business, and 3 Years on the Show

PodcastLeadership

Jan 5

Episode 500: Show Notes

Welcome to our 500th episode! That means we have spoken on air for 22,500 minutes or 16 days, and we are not going anywhere anytime soon. For us, there is no shortage of things to say about business, life, and everything in between. We could talk for 500 more episodes on all of these things! Today's show will be a smorgasbord of us talking about our memories, favorite highlights, not just of the show, but being in business in general. We discuss some of the cool things the show has done for us, our best episodes, and everything in between. We are so proud we have made it to 500, and with no plans of slowing down anytime soon, you don’t have to worry about not hearing our beautiful voices. We have had so much fun and are so grateful that we continued with the podcast despite the ebbs and flows of running a business. Often creative projects fall by the wayside, but this podcast has stayed steady for three years, and we could not be prouder. We are not sure how we kept it going for so long when other things, like our blog, got cut after some time. While we are back blogging once a week, this podcast has been the one constant alongside our business.

First Things First: Early Memories from the Show’s Inception

We know the show started after a conference, but we can’t be sure whether it was after one in Arizona or Palm Springs. Emylee is almost certain it was after the Savvy Business Owner Conference in Arizona, where we were both speakers and guests at the incredible event. Many of our business owner peers were there too, and it was the conference where we knew the most people, speaking and attending. Too many people to count came up to us asking about our show. Seeing as we did not have one at the time, we both felt super confused. But it planted the seed for us, and Abagail has a clear memory of the plane ride after, where we talked about starting this very podcast. This period was a vital one both in our business and for each of us personally. It was right around the time Abagail had her accident and when Emylee’s daughter Penny was born. We realized that our business had to match the lives we were living. The fact that so many people assumed we already had a show felt serendipitous. We knew we could set up a mic at home and chat like we normally would. It felt fun then, and we are so grateful that it still feels fun now.

Girl’s Trips: How Out of Town Work and Travel Helped Our Business Flourish

Emylee also shares some of her favorite memories, not just of the show, but the business in general. We hear about the BLINK Conference, where she felt an immense sense of appreciation of just how cool her job really was. It was also the time where Abagail fell in love with Palm Springs and all the cool things the city has to offer. Another one of our super funny memories is when we went to Colorado and Abagail, whose balance was terrible at the time, tripped, and Emylee got yelled at for laughing at her. When we think about it, so many of our best memories are when we are away. Because we live in the same city, we rarely get times when it’s just the two of us, so these trips are really great ways for us to grow both our business and our relationship.

The Pivots That Stand Out

Most of Emylee’s favorite moments are attached to times when a change has come from a mindset shift, and one that really stands out is the launch of The Strategy Academy. It is not the hype of the launch or the program itself, but the fact that for so long we had put off charging a premium fee for a course. We were no strangers to charging a lot for other products, but we still felt like we were newbies in the course space, so we held back a bit. Finally, we threw caution to the wind and just decided to charge a boss fee for a boss course. The feeling of being a business baby and still getting customers to pay this premium price is such a great one and a sign that we were meant to be doing the work we had chosen. We know we have touched so many people’s lives and helped them grow their business. Abagail clearly remembers the first time someone told her they quit their full-time job because of us, and although this nearly led to a panic attack, it felt so validating that the message we were putting out there was resonating with people. When someone told Emylee that the same thing face-to-face (at a Royals game on Mother’s Day!), her first reaction was, “Why?” While we feel really inspired by all of these stories, we also feel so much responsibility for your success when you choose to follow your business dreams.

The Milestones That Have Come from Consistent Hard Work

For so long, Abagail had been clear about the fact that she didn’t want her husband to work in a conventional sense and instead make a contribution to their lives in other ways. This is why the moment he finally decided to give up his career as an architect for good stands out for her. At last, they were in a position where they knew money would not be a struggle and that Abagail's businesses could easily support their lives. This arrangement has strengthened their marriage and fostered a greater sense of independence. It is so important to take time to reflect on these milestones in your business that have come because of the consistent work you have put in. For Abagail, it was when her husband could stop working, and for Emylee, it was taking maternity leave. When you work from home, you already have so much flexibility that it was hard for Emylee to think that she even needed time off after Penny’s birth. Of course, as a first-time mom, things got turned upside down, so she quickly realized she needed to focus on her baby. Incredibly, she was able to take four months off! This is something we really love about the business: We can be flexible, take things in our stride, and figure it out as we go. We will always make the decision that is best for us and then see what business solution will accommodate our personal needs. It has not always been easy with people who have worked for us, but luckily, we have always had a great understanding of one another’s needs. The mutual respect that we have is truly special.

Show Highlights and Stand Out Episodes

Just to brag about us for a second, we are going to share some numbers with you that show how truly badass we are. Hitting top 15 within 24 hours of launching, continuing to hit top ranks of business and management podcasts globally, an average of four-and-a-half star reviews, and 2.2 million downloads, are just a handful of stats that highlight how much you guys love what we put out there. All of this is pretty wild because we don’t advertise the show at all. It's all organic! We know that our listeners will change because people probably only need us when they are getting started. But we just love that you guys will outgrow us and see all the success you hope for. We started by doing three episodes a week, which stressed Emylee out to no end, so scaling back to twice a week left far more room for creativity and expression. Don't get us wrong, two a week is still bananas, but it is certainly a lot more doable. We deliberately put out a lot in the first year to get our names out there, but ultimately, less is more. Now, the biggest challenge is finding strategies that make sense to talk about and that have a long shelf life because we don’t want to repeat an episode. We have many types of episodes, from ones where we just talk randomly to dedicated strategy ones and everything between. Abagail's favorite episodes – which just so happen to be the ones Emylee hates – are those when she has learned a new skill and then makes Emylee practice on air. On the other hand, Emylee’s favorite episode types are profit reports, where you get a behind the scenes look at our business and our profit goals. We also talk about why episode 464 is Abagail’s favorite profit report and why Emylee recommends episode 002 and 393.

Team Work Makes Dream Work

Before we go, it is important that we take a moment to express how much gratitude we feel for one another. We could not have thought of better partners to do our show with. Even though Emylee is a chatterbox of note, there is no way either of us could carry a show all by ourselves. Our great rapport, working relationship, and mutual respect really shine through on the airwaves. The dynamics that come with a co-host are really something special. So, for our 500th show, it would be so great to get 500 ratings, so leave us a review on whatever platform you listen to our show on!

Quote This

We love when people become so successful that they don’t need us anymore.

Highlights

First Things First: Early Memories from the Show’s Inception [0:05:09.1]
Girl’s Trips: How Out of Town Work and Travel Helped Our Business Flourish [0:09:33.1]
The Pivots That Stand Out [0:15:32.1]
The Milestones That Have Come from Consistent Hard Work [0:21:01.1]
Show Highlights and Stand Out Episodes [0:33:23.1]
Team Work Makes Dream Work [0:48:44.1]

ON TODAY’S SHOW

Abagail & Emylee

The Strategy Hour Podcast

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We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.