Today on the podcast we welcome our good friend, Jordan Ellis of Jordandené. She is an amazing woman who has a geeky lifestyle brand based in Brooklyn. She sells things that are subtly nerdy, from tee’s, to tanks, to mugs, to phone cases and more. Jordan also recently started the Sartorial Geek, a quarterly magazine and now a podcast all about girl power and promoting that nerd culture. Jordan is so amazing that it’s no wonder this is our third time having her on the show!

We’ll give you an overview of the other episodes Jordan has done with us, in order to give you a bird’s eye view of her business and some of the strategic moves she’s made. In this episode however, we discuss adding extra aspects to a physical product-based business as a way to contribute to bigger goals that might not be present today. We also discuss the challenges around diversity, representation and inclusivity in the online space and look to Jordan as a business owner who is really leading the way. We also get her insights on how to stand out in a super tiny product-based niche. There is so much to be learned from Jordan and we hope you enjoy her company as much as we do!

“I don’t have enough time”, “I don’t know the right people”, “I don’t have enough money.” There are a lot of excuses we make for not being or most successful selves. We’ve all used them at least once, or have heard other people use them, over and over again! But how true are they really? This is a conversation we have recently been having and we wanted to bring you in on it. In this episode, we are talking about the excuses we make for not achieving success in our business and the things we like to tell ourselves about how others achieved their success.

We start off by looking at geographical location and how the attitudes toward money and status can influence the way we start to define and articulate our own success. We also discuss the “overnight success” myth and why time is one of the most misunderstood aspect of success. We also want to take this opportunity to remind you that you don’t need to know all the hot shots, or even know much at all for that matter, to be successful. The most successful people are great learners who focused, made the time, didn’t blame their kids and tried! If you are finding yourself constantly making excuses about your business, or the lack thereof, then this is the episode to listen to for a fresh perspective and a kick up the rear!

We're taking a break from #BBS to reflect and share with you where we've come from and to remind you that no matter what you have been through in life, you CAN accomplish great things. We're jumping back to an old episode, so have a glass of wine while you’re listening to us. Kick back in your PJ’s, just chill, and be with us for a second. We are getting super real today. Not that we are any less real any other day, but we are taking it way back.

We hear so often that lives on Instagram look fancier than they are, and that Facebook portrays a certain façade. However, we are also really are in tune with being authentic for you guys and portraying our real selves as much as we can. We show our real selves as we are now and I think sometimes we forget where people have come from and what they have gone through in order to get to be where they are today. So that is exactly what we are doing today.

Today on the podcast we are bringing back Cyndie Spiegel. Cyndie is a Brooklyn-based consultant, coach and TedX speaker. She is the founder of The Community of Us – an inclusive strategic community for women change makers, founders, creative business owners and solopreneurs. Today, we are talking about creating real relationships, what it means to have friendships and empower other women. In the creative community, particularly the entrepreneurial women’s space today, there has been a shift in the way we support one another; all love, all positivity, all empowering, 2018 feminism, all sisters high-fiving sisters! When in reality, it’s all a little phony.

Despite what we promote online, there are often still shameful feelings of jealousy, envy and resentment that are difficult to talk about. These feelings often get in the way of us helping others, which is really not what we want as good human beings! So, how do we release our shame, embrace this community mindset and truly empower other women? Cyndie gives us four really tangible steps to analyze how we are treating other women, be it in our industry or in our friendships, in order to help us forgive ourselves and quit the Tall Poppy Syndrome! Take a listen to find out what that is. It’s real!

Today we are creating your marketing game plan and we couldn’t be more jazzed. Up to this point in the Beginner Business Series, you have figured out what you are best at and what you can get to market the quickest without learning anything new. We’ve also figured out how to package and price it. We’ve set up your shop, listed it and you are ready to sell! You’ve come a long way and in today’s episode, we’re going to dive into your marketing game plan so you can get your stuff out into the world and start making money right away.

A lot of the times, when people get to this point of selling, they’ve taken all the necessary steps to get there, but their product just won’t sell! Why? Well, we want to tell you this is not because you or your product or service or idea suck – it’s because you just didn’t have a solid marketing game plan in place. So if this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. Marketing just so happens to be our internet love child and in this episode, we’re going to be walking you through social media posts and the three foundational posts you should be doing in order to engage your audience and build a consistent relationship with them – one that will benefit them as much as it does you. So let’s jump in and get started!

Today on the podcast we’re covering a little bit of a different side of being a business owner and working from home. Our guest today is Ashley Stephens. She is a mom, a teacher, a tech geek, a bossy big sister, an amateur home cook and the average girl next door – all bundled up into one great big personality. Ashley co-founded a company called MacroEd which is a program dedicated to helping you become your healthiest self, focusing on real food nutrition while controlling your insulin levels for long-term health benefits.

We are so happy she is here today to tackle a subject a lot of us struggle with; how to take better care of ourselves, eat healthier and invest in our own macro nutrition – while trying to be boss business women and super moms! We all make excuses for why we don’t make healthy choices and in this episode, Ashley shows us how to make this lifestyle change without changing our lives much at all! We’ll be breaking down what macro nutrition means and how we can take better care of ourselves (without living on kale smoothies)!

Today on the podcast we have Melisa Camilleri of Compliment Inc. Melissa is a high school English teacher turned CEO and Founder. She owns a lifestyle brand that encourages, inspires and educates. She also sells jewelry and has an Instagram course! This woman is all over the place and she is one hardworking mamma!

Instagram has gone through a lot of changes over the years and if you’re still on the fence about utilizing the platform, Melissa is here to make it easy for you. Melissa really knows her stuff when it comes to Instagram and in this episode, she shows us how we can beat the Insta-algorithm so you can nurture your audience, bring in those dollar bills and enjoy the platform – rather than letting it freak you out. Melissa shows us how to create compelling stories, enhance engagement, create a formula for posts and take advantage of those captions to find new audiences and gain more followers. She also shares some helpful tips and tricks on the hashtag phenomena, likes and comments. #takealisten

We’re excited to be doing something new over the next few episodes and this is thanks to all your amazing feedback! A question came up inside the TCC community, “Where are the podcasts for brand new business owners? Business owners who haven’t made anything yet or haven’t got off the ground yet?” Over the next few episodes, we’re going to be sharing our five-part Beginner Business Series (BBS). We’re going to be asking you to share your homework, takeaways and insights inside our community using the hashtag #bbs.

If you’ve been in business for a while, a lot of these things are going to be in review for you, but it might also be an opportunity for you to go back and solidify a foundation. Regardless of where you’re at or what industry you are in, you should definitely be listening. If you are brand new and wondering where to even begin, this is an awesome place to start! In this episode, we are going to help you identify your skills and unique strengths, your why and your goals and help you discover your potential, most viable product or skill that you can start putting out this very week! Making you nervous? The good news is that this is something you already have!

Today on the show, we welcome Micala Quinn. Micala is a wife, mom, teacher, lifelong learner and founder of The Live Free Mama Movement. She helps moms launch their freelance business using the skills they already have so they can have more freedom, flexibility and financial stability. Our lives were very similar to Micala’s since she had worked for a bit, started freelancing from home and then started a business. A lot of moms want to work from home in the freelance world, but don’t know where to start. It can be daunting and overwhelming, but not if you know where to start. This is where Micala comes in.

In this episode, Micala shares how a mom can do things from home to create a sustainable business. If you’re out there wondering, “What is the thing I can do to bring in some extra cash-dollar bills this month?” this is the episode you want to listen to. Today, we share so many brainstorming activities and questions you can ask yourself to help pull those skills into a profitable service you can actually charge for. If you’ve ever had an interest in freelancing or VA work, this episode will sure as hell give you some ideas.

Today on the show we have the amazing Katie Krimitsos! Katie is the founder of Biz Women Rock, which is a community and education provider for women entrepreneurs around the world, a.k.a, everyone listening. She is so helpful and an absolute open book on how she has found success in her corner of the world. Inside this episode, Katie shares a ton of incredible strategies. Not only are we talking about how to use a podcast to fill your programs, but really how to promote your podcast in order to get the most traction out of it.

Now, if you’re not a podcaster, don’t you worry! All of these tactics and strategies can really be interchanged with things like Facebook lives, Instagram posts, email market strategies and growing a Facebook community. So listen up! We have a lot of super specific strategies you can try right away to start selling more, more often. At the end of the show, we also talk about how you can join Katie’s Private Mastermind Community, so if masterminding is something you might have on your horizon, be sure to get inside her group!

Natalie Franke, the founder of Rising Tide Society is joining us today on The Strategy Hour Podcast. Many of you may be surprised to find out that Natalie is a huge neuroscience nerd and uses this background to strategically make decisions in her business. She sharing how you can take cues from neuroscience and psychology to communicate with your clients and customers, form your message on your website and social media, grow your audience and more.  |  The Strategy Hour Podcast

In this episode, we are talking about our word of the year. We’ll be reflecting on our words for 2017 and revealing our words for 2018. There is an energy shift that happens at the beginning of the year. The word of the year is the word that is to establish the tone for the entire year. We really want this episode to inspire you to pick your own keywords so whenever you get overwhelmed, lost or can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel – you have this word to rely on.

We want you to remember the headspace you were in when you chose that word at the beginning of the year. So use this time and energy shift to choose your word. Is it “hustle”? Or “relax”? We want to know what your word of the year is going to be. Whatever it is, write it down and put it up somewhere where you can see it. Add this word to your vision board… it’s amazing what it can do! Take a listen.

Today, we are going over our 2018 TCC bucket list. Yep, that’s right. We are confirming our 2018 dreams it into the world so you can hopefully be inspired and hold us accountable to make it happen! This is part of our affirming process, creating a vision for what is to come. After this episode, we want to challenge you to go and write down the things your heart desires for 2018.

This is different to goal setting. These are things you really want to affirm into your life. They don’t have to be business related, even though many of ours are. They can also be affirmations about your family or personal life too. In no particular order, we are going to go over our bucket list and in the next episode, we’ll be setting the goals. So let’s jump in and get this thing started!

In this episode, we welcome the video queen, Andrea Corson. Andrea is an Emmy-nominated television producer, digital strategist and consultant. She has created awesome videos for a wide range of clients including Google, Disney, Covergirl, DSW, Carnival Cruise Line and Nordstrom Rack, to name just a few. Everybody is always saying video is where it’s at. Video is where you have to be and where you need to be investing your time. But how do you actually get started with the video component of your business with little to no experience? Well, Andrea has devised actionable steps to get you started and moving forward with video content.

Whether you’re looking to improve your editing skills, wondering what equipment to use or where to market your video – Andrea has it all mapped out. In this episode, she is going to give us the steps to get started with video, tell us how to prepare and where to market. If you’re anything like us and have been talking about starting a vlog for the past eleven years and are feeling like a total fool sitting down in front of a camera – then this episode is a must for you!

‘Tis the season! And we’re heading into good, stressful, happy seasons in business and in life. This is a busy time where we are forced to make many decisions. Are you doing the whole never-making-a-decision thing? Are you second-guessing every move and letting the process of making a decision stress you out so much that you don’t make a decision about anything, at all? If this sounds like you, then we want you to use this episode as a little fairy godmother on your shoulder to help you decide.