In this episode we dive into seven habits that we believe lead to a more productive life and a more productive business. These seven habits will ultimately help you achieve the goals and dreams you are seeking – whether those are personal or financial. You are one person, with multiple facets, and you can’t play blind to the fact that you have a life outside of work! We want to incorporate that into living a lifestyle that gets you where you want to go. These seven habits have been monitored over time in our own business. Whenever we are incredibly productive, we take a look at everything that we were doing over that time and ask, “What was a constant? What habits combined aided our productivity?”

A lot of people ask us what is it that makes us so productive, and everyone seems to be waiting for that miracle answer. But the reason why we are covering seven habits is because it is never just one thing. It’s never just one thing you do that helps you sell more, or get more people on your list, or land more clients. It is a combination of things that helps to create a successful business and a successful human being. So take a listen and learn more about the seven habits we focus on that have led to more productivity in our lives and how it can lead to more productivity in your life too.

Today on the podcast we welcome Jenny Melrose. Jenny is a former reading specialist who retired from her teaching career and started blogging. She is the owner at jennymelrose.com, the lifestyle blogger over at The Melrose Family and has worked with brands that are nationally recognized, such as Neutrogena, Smuckers, Glad, Costco, Stanley Steamer, Sarah Lee and many more. In this episode, we are talking to Jenny specifically about live video broadcasting and how to utilize this fantastic new tool for Facebook and Instagram.

We briefly touch on topics like sponsored posts and sponsored live content, but for the most part we are talking about how to get over the fear of live video, how to get started, how to create engaging content and how to get people to interact with you so that you can increase your organic reach, which ultimately leads to sales! We will also be discussing how you can pitch to brands and how this has been crucial to Jenny’s business success – and the good news is, it’s easier than you think! If you have been on the fence about live broadcasting, are not sure how to structure your video or what topics to cover – no matter what industry you an in, this episode will help you find your voice.

Today on the podcast we are bringing you another monthly review session. This time around we will be taking a look at March 2018: everything that happened, everything that didn’t happen, why things happened and ultimately, what this all means! More specifically, we’ll be walking you through the nerve-wracking spending freeze that we had to place on the company this month, as well as the goal that changed course, how we quickly adapted and implemented the new goal which led to our exciting new course you see today – The Goal Crusher Club.

We’ll also be sharing with you how we shifted to a new email service provider and the benefits of getting your systems in order, even when it draws you away from those money-making activities. We take a dig at the areas we want to improve on, like our personal internal leadership capabilities, our upcoming hotel spa strategy and why we need to have weekly check-ins with one another regarding our individual decision-making progress. In addition, we have some sexy new numbers to dazzle you with and will be sharing why our April affirmation is to realign. By the end of this episode, you will certainly have seen our flaws and be reminded that we, of course, are only human too. We know that you are coming up against these challenges in your own business and we are here to tell you that sometimes, you’ve just got to live and let be!

Today on the podcast we have Desha Peacock. Desha is an international retreat leader, lifeSTYLE Design Coach and the Founder of Sweet Spot Style. Desha works with creative entrepreneurial women to upgrade their lifestyle and live fully in their sweet spot. She is also the author of Create The Style You Crave and Your Creative Workspace. Today on the podcast we are diving into how to create a work environment that inspires you.

Before we dive into anything, can we just have a moment of silence for the phenomenal fact that this is episode 200! And guess what? We’re not going anywhere – hopefully we will be around for another 200 episodes. If you’re listening to this right now, we’re sending you a big fat thank you. Your time, energy and ears really mean a lot to us. Now that we’re done jumping up and down in celebration of this 200-episode milestone, let’s move onto the topic of today’s episode…Spoiler alert, there’s something new in TCC land, it’s called the Goal Crusher Club, it’s available right now and it’s fricken’ incredible! We know that you’ve got more biz ideas than you know what to do with and what you need is someone to help you organize the chaos and hold you accountable. That’s what we’re best at, babe, and that’s what The Goal Crusher Club is all about – accountability.

We created The Goal Crusher Club to help you go from that frazzled hot mess to a master-of-systems goal crusher. This is going to be a super unique way to interact with us, other creatives and allow you to get elbow-deep into the mechanics of your own business. In this episode, we are going to walk you through why we created The Goal Crusher Club, how it will help you, how it is organized, what you can expect, the insane benefits and why it is the most unique course on the block! This club provides the perfect opportunity for people who are wanting to get more stuff done, get some hardcore focus, get some support and in-depth feedback and finally start reaching their goals. And did we mention it’s just $29 a month?

Today on the podcast we welcome the email list queen, Steph Crowder. Steph is an educator and coach at Courage & Clarity, one of our Mastermind members and the “Den Mamma” at Fizzle.co. She is a delight to have on the show and we’re excited to dive into her secret sauce! The email list is where it’s at, right? Everyone has heard about the email list buzz, but the truth is your email list is keeping a lot of you up at night! This episode is helpful for those who are terrified of opt-ins, emails and have no clue what to do with those subscribers afterwards! Steph has been on a recent journey of quadrupling her email list in just 30 days. But what is brilliant about Steph is that she then successfully went on to sell programs to those already warmed up dreamy dreamers. 

Steph has so many action steps for those who are feeling overwhelmed by their email list, are not sure what to focus on and don’t know how they should grow. For those of you just starting to get your business off the ground – Steph feels ya and gives some great tips on what to do, as well as what not to do in those early stages. She also gives us a great model for setting up your work week in just 15 minutes every Sunday afternoon while you sip a cuppa tea. So take notes because by the end of this episode, you will have all the tools and all the inspiration needed to get to work on this right away!

Today on the show, we are bringing you a two-in-one monthly review session. We know we are always telling you to check your data, but the truth is, we forgot. January slipped away and then February slipped away and before we knew it we had the monthly reviews way off of our minds! Even we made mistakes, the upside is that you guys get to learn from them! Yay! So, even if it is March and you also haven’t done last month’s report yet, that’s okay. You can give yourself some grace and do yours with us here today.

In this episode, we are diving straight in to our monthly business review sheets which you can find within the Follow Through Method. We’ll be going through our goals and whether we accomplished them or not, as well as our numbers for our various social media pages, our email list and our website. We’ll also be taking a look at increases and decreases in sales and talking about the importance of allowing your goals to pivot and be tweaked. So, grab a pen and paper, dig out the calculator and let’s start collecting some data.

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!

For those of you who don’t already know Emylee – welcome to her anxious life. She is the type of person who can tell you where every exit in a building is, how to stop drop and roll in case of a fire, and where to hide in case a tornado suddenly appears on route to the mall. In business, Emylee is the kind of person that likes to go through every single worst case scenario. She always has a back up plan… and a backup plan for the backup plan. Emylee is truly the queen of the backup plan, and it turns out that this can be a super helpful attribute to have in a business partnership.

This episode is about planning for the things that you can never plan for. It’s about answering those difficult “what if” questions. It’s about securing your business for the future and the reassurance that this brings to your life. For those of you who are single business owners, we’re not sure you’ve thought of planning for worst case scenarios and exactly how to do that. So in today’s episode, we’re going to be sharing our experiences and the reasons we have made planning for worst case scenarios an integral part of our overall business strategy. We discuss buy-sell agreements, the various insurance options you have, the tough questions you need to ask yourself today and how you can effectively plan for the worst, in the best kind of way. Take a listen!

Today on the podcast we welcome Kelly Roach. Kelly is a national bestselling author, the host of the podcast Unstoppable Success Radio and the CEO of her own coaching company, Kelly Roach Coaching. Kelly has NFL cheerleading experience, Fortune 500 executive status and today is “bringing it” with strategy, mindset, wellness and everything in between that will help you build the legacy you want to leave behind. In this episode, we talk about how to create a legacy, what a legacy looks like for you and the impact tiny everyday decisions have on the future of your business. Our episodes usually center around getting a business off the ground, but the question we’re asking today is, what do you do after you’ve launched?

Often when we think of legacy, we think of something grand, something awe-inspiring, something world-renowned. But the truth is, no matter how small your business is, you can leave a legacy and according to Kelly, this is the calling and responsibility of all entrepreneurs. Kelly really unpacks what leaving a legacy means, and for creative entrepreneurs especially, this is super helpful to hear. Kelly gives us some great ideas on how we can create a more sellable business and stresses the importance of wellness and self-care in legacy building. If you are wanting to make an impact in the world with your business after you sell it, move on, or retire, then this is definitely an episode for the you of today and for the you of tomorrow!

“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!

Today on the podcast we have our work husband, Parker Stevenson. Parker is our bookkeeper, our CFO, business adviser, our friend, our frienemy and everything in between. You have probably heard us mention Parker throughout this podcast series. He is like the Where’s Waldo of TCC and an absolute hoot. Today, we are revealing the mystery of Parker Stevenson and are going to be talking all about scaling a service-based business. Instead of teaching you sexy bookkeeping things, Parker is actually going to talk about his own business and give you a peek into some of his own business strategies.

Parker went down the same rabbit hole that many entrepreneurs do, where he thought creating a passive online course program was going to be the solution for his business growth and scalability. But in this episode, you’ll learn how they decided it wasn’t going to work for them and why they decided to scale the service side of their business instead. Parker has a wealth of experience and is here to share with you why service-based businesses are severely underrated. If you are a new business owner or in the process of re-thinking your current online business model – this is definitely an episode you won’t want to miss!

Today on the show we are sharing all the things that we are digging right now. Things that we love, things that bring us happiness, things that make our lives easier, things that are guilty pleasures and everything in between. From handmade clogs from Sweden, to crime thrillers, to kombucha and shipping hacks – this is just a fun little break between all the hardcore business bootcamping and emotional trail runs that we have just about almost every other episode!

Today we are diving into the most marvelously random list: some are products, some are services, some are just things that we like to do – minus the sponsors or affiliates! These are things we are recommending because we genuinely enjoy them. We are sharing ten things each, so a total of twenty, epic random things we are just digging! We hope you’ll find them interesting or inspiring, entertaining or insightful. We hope that you try some of them and hopefully dig them too. Take a listen and let us know if you do!

Today on the show we welcome Lauren Taylor. Lauren is the founder of The Letter; an annual mag that inspires women to live their best lives. She is also a content creator, brand ambassador, has partnered with empowering brands like Aerie and Abercrombie and has done amazing things in both her writing, photography and now filming for her YouTube channel. When we think about a social media influencer, we tend to think of someone who has five million followers! But this is not necessarily true and this is one of the reasons we are excited to welcome Lauren back on the show.

Lauren was last here over a year ago, way back in episode 23, where we talked about how to collaborate with big brands and being a social media influencer with a small following and why that model works, as proven by Lauren. Today, we catch up with Lauren and dive into some of the results from the strategies she has been implementing into her social media over the last year. We also discuss how to find your purpose and stay true to yourself when big brands come a-knocking and ultimately, how to find joy in what you are doing every single day. We hope you enjoy listening to Lauren as much as we do!

Today on the show, we’ll be telling you a story about a $15k mistake we just made. We are finally at a place where we are no longer blaming others for this mistake, and we are able to reflect on it and share it with you. So, we are going to talk to you about a concept we had hoped to implement in our business, the mistake we made, the giant role we played in allowing the bad crap to continue happening – and most importantly, how you guys can avoid making the same mistake in your own business!

Our excitement to create a successful, automated funnel in our business last year led us to hire an outside marketing team. After numerous red flags and no deliverables, we eventually had to cut ties with the team and call it a day. But at that point, it was already too late and we were at a $15k loss! In this episode, we explain how we got ourselves into this situation in the first place, exactly what the red flags were, what we should have done differently and how we are going to bounce back from this ever so slight hiccup. In addition, we walk you through the nitty-gritty of contract negotiation, KPI’s and managing the social dynamics of a new team. We hope that you will learn some lessons from our own sad story and takes this as a friendly reminder to always be the BOSS