In today’s episode, we’re probably going to get a little personal and a little emotional, but we think it’s important that we tell you a little bit about what happened earlier this year and how we have been able to manage all the changes. In the beginning of 2017, Emylee adopted a baby, which completely changed her whole world.  Things were going so well as a new mom, but suddenly she totally hit a wall with work. It wasn’t like she did not want to work anymore or did not want to be a mom; she just struggled to figure out a balanced way to do both at the same time.

Around the same time, Abby was in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. So it is safe to say we had a bit of a rocky start to 2017 and we spent a good chunk of the beginning of the year mourning and grieving our former selves. So in today’s episode, we are jumping into all the details on what happened, how we handled the changing situations, and exactly how we got out on the other side.

We are going to mix it up a little bit today on the podcast, by doing a Q&A session with yours truly. For this Q&A, it will be kind of like you are here because we are going to say some of your names, answer your questions, and give you our best tips and advice. Now, these questions do not necessarily make sense together, and they are in no particular order. We are simply taking them as they come, and knocking them out of the park for you guys.

Some of the questions were submitted on Instagram, some of them are common questions we see over in the Facebook group, and some of them are just because we decided to throw them in because either someone has asked them at some point or because we just thought y’all needed all the answer to them. To add to that, maybe we will just make up some questions as we go along just to keep it super spicy. Tune in to find out. There is no rhyme or reason to today’s episode, so let’s just have fun with it!

Today, we are super excited to talk about some stuff that might surprise you guys. We are telling you all the reasons why we say no to “opportunities”. Most opportunities, honestly. Plus, we get into the thought process behind our no’s and how you can begin to ask yourself different questions when you get thrown various opportunities in your own business. We’re chatting about how to figure out whether an opportunity is the right fit for you or not, if it’s going to pay off, and whether or not it is going to be beneficial for both parties and all of that fun stuff.

Now, the things we are saying no to may be either big or small — we don’t agree to anything that might not be right for our audience and our business. But perhaps you are on the other side of this fence, and you are using other businesses, companies, or brands to promote your own product. We are going to give you some tips on how you can make your process even better by sharing the types of pitches we’ve loved and said yes to. So you are going to get some inside scoop today and we are pretty pumped about it, and if you want us to say “yes”, then you should definitely listen to this episode!

Today, we are going to talk about some dream weeks, some not so not so dream weeks, and how we have transitioned in our business. We chat about our journey, and how our lives and work days evolve as our business grows and changes and as our lives grow and change. We also discuss the kind of questions we begin to ask ourselves when we want to strive towards a different or better ideal week. We go over how to start working through some of these challenges yourself.

In this episode we are going to walk you through the process of what it looked like when we were scaling a multiple six figure business, and how we kind of hit a brick wall at the beginning of 2017 and had to learn a whole new world of how to run a business through health struggles and being a new mom. We dive into how managing life and business was completely different and why always keeping in mind what we wanted along the way was super important to us. Instead of letting the world just slip away from us, we kept our hopes and dreams actively in front of us and that’s what we want for you as well.

Lately, we’ve seen a lot of people rebel, and not in a good way. There is a little bit of anti-trendsetting happening, and although we totally fit in with the weirdos and the misfits, we need to give you guys a little bit of a reality check about the difference between marketing tactics that work and trends that you can spin your own style on. We are going to peel back the layers, Shrek style, so you can better understand how to move past the fear of not understanding and learn how to use these tactics for your unique business.

Today’s conversation is going to be a lot of this versus that, and we are going to give you a peek into a lot of the pushback that we hear from our audience and those in the online creative space. We are going to break down the difference between marketing tactics, style, and branding. So if you are looking to get some ideas on how you can spin these tactics and make them work for you and your own business, then listen in!

Alrighty babes, today we are getting super nerdy. We are bringing you some stats and some numbers, all in the hopes of giving you a little peek into why we do what we do. Because of what is going on in the world of small businesses, we hope to give you some motivation, a little bit of fire under your booty to keep doing the work, to keep being boss, to keep running your business, strategizing, and continually doing better at whatever it is that you are taking on.

Uncovering what our mission is and why it is what it is, we know that you will come out with a little bit of clarity on getting to the heart of your business and being able to voice it to other people. We have dug deep and done our research, and the bottom line is that there are not enough women business owners out there who are successful enough to be profitable enough to contribute to society, contribute to their families, and contribute to changing the stats across the United States! We hope that hearing these numbers inspires you to find your own mission, and living out your why.

As a two woman team, we get a lot of questions about how we make a partnership work. We always get asked how we met, how we work as a team inside TCC, and what gave us the idea to make the leap from collaborators to business partners. We know it’s not necessarily super common, but it seems like everyone is always interested in seeing how this works. So we figured we would share some of the actual tools and mindsets that we went through when we barely knew each other at first and started the business, like normal people do of course.

When we first met we were each running our own businesses at the time, yet serving a similar clientele. We quickly learned that we had a lot in common and it was not long before we decided to work together, instead of doing the same things separately. We became really fast friends and we were talking literally every day. We realized that with every sentence that we spoke, it was the exact same dream and hope and goal that the other person had.

Ever wonder how to keep your business running without actually being in it? Today we’re lifting the curtain, getting super real, and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how we’ve still gotten things done here at TCC even though we have had a hot mess going on in the background. We want to walk you through the systems, the processes, the mindsets, the workflows, and all the good meaty stuff that we were able to put in place in our business so we were ready when we had to step away.  

So, close your eyes for a second and imagine what would happen if you absolutely had to stop and walk away from your business today? Would you be able to just drop everything if you were forced to? Would you be able to replace yourself if need be? Sounds kind of scary, huh? In this episode we share the strategies that we put in place so that our business could run itself, rather than be an on call business (you know, the kind that buzzes you every hour). Plus, we’re covering some things that we wish we had set in place. So, come with us on our journey to see what’s been going on here at TCC and get some insight on some ways that you might be able to put your business on autopilot the next time life happens.

Today we are talking all about pricing, numbers, and figuring out what the heck to charge for the services that you offer and the products that you sell. We take on the topic with intense passion, so hold onto your socks, because you will hear exactly how we feel as the episode goes on. We get asked what to charge and what others would be willing to pay for it so often, and it’s an important issue to us!

We know a lot of you are floundering about with this whole pricing game. Do not fret — personally, this is the topic that brought Abagail and me together. It is one that we were both equally passionate about. We wanted to be able to illustrate a different side of pricing to creative entrepreneurs. You just have to get started. So buckle up as we dive into some of that strategy today and mindset that goes with it!

We are so excited to share our chat with Jessica Honegger, the founder of Noonday Collection, today. She is a completely amazing human being! She is a boss who truly understands the frustrations, the struggles, and the concerns that come with owning a business. In today’s episode, we talk about giving back with your business, ethical business practices, and the difference between that and fair trade. We even jump into some creativity hacks, and Abagail cries (so you know it’s gonna be good).  

In this episode, you are going to get a lot of great insight into growing and scaling a business. It’s going to get a little emotional, and I’m pretty sure you are going to walk away at the end of it with lots of goosebumps. There is no doubt you’re going to be fired up about making sure your business has a huge impact. We can’t wait for you to listen. This one’s going to be awesome!

We think a lot of people get surprised when they find out exactly how much stuff gets done over here at Think Creative Collective. We think you might be shocked by some of the hacks and the tricks that we implement in our everyday to stay on top of our goals, to make sure that our list gets done and of course so as not to get distracted. In this episode of The Strategy Hour Podcast, we’ll jump into the exact structure we use every morning that holds us accountable to getting stuff done. Plus, how we’re able to set up realistic expectations, not only for ourselves but for each other.