Today's episode is not for the faint hearted. I might be calling you to do some really tricky things in your life when it comes to being mindful about what it is you consume while you're building a small business. Now, you might think this is just a food episode, and I'm sorry, my friend, you would be wrong. This is more about consumption in terms of what we allow into our space, into our bodies and our minds. We go into small business to create the lifestyle that we want and to operate from a place of passion every day. We want to create flexibility and freedom to do what we love outside the business. So to be in the right headspace and frame of mind to achieve that, we need to be careful about what we consume. I'm covering off the three key areas that I want you to have a really hard look at and make sure you're optimising to get you, your business and your lifestyle on rails. Are you ready? I know you can do it. Let's jump in. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

Flat Out Marketing: A Small Biz Podcast

021: Why We Should Be Careful What We Consume When Building A Business

Today, let me introduce my guest, Liz Jarvis from Better Business Decisions. Liz is a business coach who specialises in helping small business owners really get to know their numbers. She tackles this from an amazing array of angles that most of us don't even think about our money. Over the previous year, I've come to really appreciate what Liz brings to the table for business owners in giving them clarity, confidence and financial Intelligence so they can use their finances to help make better decisions in their business. We're going to kick this conversation off by sharing my story about how the profound impact Liz's insight and guidance had on me. As well as dive deep into where a lot of business owners go wrong when it comes to handling their numbers and where they can start to take control and to be in charge of the conversation of their business numbers. You can be the master of your money, you can be your own financial guru. You just need to find the right person who can take the time to walk you through it and to give you the empowerment you need to really own that element of your business. I can't wait for you to share this conversation with you. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

020: The Power of Knowing Your Business Numbers With Liz Jarvis

We've all heard of the woo-woo sounding concepts of 'brand story' and 'storytelling' and if you are new to marketing, it can sound like really highbrow marketing stuff. It can even have you thinking, ‘Do I have a story?!’. I want to show you that by being articulate about your personal story, it can put you in a position where you are never scratching around for what to say on social media or in emails again. That by becoming a solid storyteller in your own business, it can also  make you ‘platform independent’, which means that it doesn't matter where you go, your story will resonate. So if a platform goes down tomorrow (as Facebook and Instagram have been known to do!), it doesn't matter because your core strategy is finding really inventive ways to share your story so you can connect with potential customers. So in this episode, I want to share with you three examples of clients who didn't necessarily think they had a story until we found a way to connect their past experiences, their values as a business, their target market and how all that can come together by placing you in a position of being a really ideal solution for those most likely to do business with you. Let's jump in! For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

019: How Knowing Your Story Makes You Platform Independent (And Never Stuck For Content Ideas)

In this episode we are going to chat with a former client, Jill Noble, to discuss her perspective on the massive difference a website made to both the accessibility for potential and existing members and customers, as well as some of the in-house administrative tasks that needed to be performed within her business. I'm looking forward to sharing with you her insights into the whole web design experience, why she needed a website in both the instance of her farm and the farming association she represents, and most importantly, how she actually prepared for the web design process because from the designer perspective. If you're considering getting a website for your business or organisation, Jill's got a lot of fabulous insights into how you can be prepared to get the most out of the experience. So, let's jump in. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

018: Using a Website to Grow Your Farming Business with Jill Noble

If you've been following me recently, you'll have heard me be talking a lot about having non negotiables set in stone when you're planning stuff for your business. If you joined me for the last episode (016), I talked about how I planned out my next 12 months, the year 2022. But I started with my personal non negotiables and then structured everything around that.  Because I believe that if we don't put them first, they will automatically slide straight to the back of the queue, they won't sit somewhere in the middle, it's either first or last, there's really no two ways about it. And I'm in a position right now, where I'm very, very fortunate to enjoy a work/life combination that feels like it fits really neatly around my values and my ethics and what I think is important. All the people that I work with, the kind of work that I do, the opportunities I'm exposed to, all fit in really snugly and really comfortably around my values and my beliefs - and my non negotiables. I would love for that combination for so many people I know who seem to be kind of running around like headless chooks with their businesses; they created a monster they now have to feed every day. So I was thinking, "where did it start for me? And how can I give some of that to other people so they can maybe start engineering stuff that way too?" So that's what we're doing in this episode. I'm going to take you back eight years now. And I'm going to walk you through how starting small and starting very simple with my non negotiables then grew and expanded and solidified to the level of fulfilment I have today. Even if you can implement some part of that in your life to make you feel as fulfilled and as 'balanced' (for lack of a better word), and lit up by what it is you do every day. If overarchingly you have this greater sense of purpose and everything you do is aligned more closely to your values and your beliefs and what you feel is a non negotiable, then that's what I want for you. So without further ado, let's jump on in! For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

017: My Story - Why Personal Non Negotiables Are Critical In Small Business

In this episode, I wanted to kick things off with an amazing strategy that I've put together that's going to set my 2022 on rails. This is the combined effort of a whole bunch of things I've been doing, practicing, testing and tweaking over the last couple of years, that have allowed me to enjoy a fantastic growing business. On top of that, it's one that only requires me to work part time while still kicking that six figure mark through the goals, and also allowing me the space to spend time on things like personal projects, time with my kids and with my husband. I've created a system that - whilst not always perfect - gives me a really good sense of balance. It allows me to do the work that I need to do AND have the one on one time  with those people that matter most. Because in this episode, the one thing I want you to walk away with is this: our businesses are there to facilitate our lives. Our lives are not there to facilitate the business. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

016: How to Engineer 2022 for Greater Work-Life Balance

If you feel like 2021 has put both you and your small business through the ringer, you aren’t on your lonesome. But it’s times when the chips are down and it all feels a little hard - that is when we’re actually going through accelerated learning and growth. It’s our experiences in the midst of the chaos that will help shape where we steer our ourselves and our businesses. In this episode, I wanted to share with you what lead me to a complete social media hiatus and what the process taught me about what is most important with smart marketing systems. I’ll share with you a snippet of my 2022 game plan that is all about helping you create some space and breathing room inside your small business.  Let’s jump in. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

015: What 2021 Taught Me About What's REALLY Important in Small Business.

Have you ever stopped to count the many ways which potential and paying customers are getting in touch with you? If you've had that niggling suspicion that you have way too many tabs open (email, texts, DM's, comments...the list is endless), it could be because you have so many lines open with your clients that they're constantly being bombarded. This might inadvertently be creating problems when it comes to delivering smart and efficient services or products. Along the way, we've lost the ownership we have of our time, and I strongly believe it eats away at our mental health. So if this is you and you'd like to know how to start trimming back to make a more effective communication system - this one's for you. This is a process I went through and I haven't looked back. I can't wait to share it with you to clear some of that mental clutter and give you a bit more peace of mind. You're ready. Let's get started. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

014: Does Your Small Business Have Too Many Inboxes? Here's What You Can Do.

I'm going to ask you to do something that might be a little bit out of your comfort zone in this episode - I'm going to ask you to get your face in your feed (or in any of your marketing content). If you are a small business where you and your business are pretty much one and the same thing, your business may feel like an extension of who you are. So it’s super important to make sure that you are making a personal appearance in your marketing content, especially on social media where a lot of relationships kick off with our customers. To get you started, I'm going to give you my four top opportunities to get your face in your feed in a way that still provides value and has meaning rather than just posting-for-the-sake-of-posting selfies.  For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

013: Getting Your Face In Your Feed

Are you the kind of small business owner who has zero idea what to say about yourself in your socials or your business or what it is that you do... this is the episode for you. We're taking a couple of steps back from the nuts and bolts practical side of things and we're actually going focus on some headspace stuff which I believe will help you get past these mental blocks about what to say, imposter syndrome and self doubt, and get you in the habit of believing that what you do is important, valuable and necessary. I'm going to walk you through how the concepts of marketing, manifesting and magnetism. How they're all connected, and how, by taking baby steps through your marketing (and being mindful of what you're doing on the mental side of the process) how you can start to develop a growing sense of confidence and belief in your products and services and the role your business plays in the wider world. Let's jump in! For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

012: Marketing, Manifesting and Magnetism - Here's How They're Linked

Do you catastrophize your marketing to-do list? I see many small business owners get wrapped up in the 'I have to do it all and I have to do it right'. They get so bogged down into the nuts and bolts stuff of marketing that it stops them from actually getting started as they think it looks all too hard, too confusing or it's just too much. I wanted to tell you that there is an 80% of what you should be focusing on with your marketing - and it is not the likes/shares/comments you might think.  I'm going to bust the biggest misconception I see small business owners having when it comes to small business marketing and give you the tools you focused and putting your energy where it’s needed. And guess what - you already have everything you need to nail it! For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

011: The Biggest Misconception About Small Business Marketing

Have you reached a point in your business marketing where you feel like you've done all the things and you're not actually seeing the kinds of results you'd like? You feel like you've tipped all this energy in and you’re hearing crickets? I want to walk you through a free audit you can do on your business to check for leaks in your marketing pipeline. And when I say marketing, this is an all-encompassing check from your logo up! This is about stepping outside the bubble and giving ourselves the space to interact with your business as if you were a new or potential customer. I'm going to ask you to look at your business with fresh eyes, to become a customer in your own business from start to finish, as a really good way to check for any leaks in your customer acquisition bucket. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

010: Checking for Leaks in Your Marketing Bucket

Here on taking back joy, my mission is to share with you all the possible ways you can market your small business that are efficient, that are effective and that actually bring back joy rather than feeling like a chore. And that's why I'm so excited to share this episode's guest with you, one of my clients and very good business buddies, Jill Noble. Jill's one of your typical small business owners that's probably wearing more hats than she would like do somedays. However, she's brilliant at all of them and today we're going to talk about the unexpected benefits that podcasting brought to her farming business. Jill runs a fabulous podcast called, 'The Sheep Show' and also runs a beautiful farm in Victoria in the Hallston Valley. She's going to share with us today how she got involved with podcasting, how easy it is to get started and keep going if you've got everything lined up and you've made yourself an efficient system, and the unexpected benefits that have come out of it. I really can't wait to share this one with you guys because Jill is a fantastic person and she's very, very great to learn off.  So without further ado, let's jump in. For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

009: The Unexpected Power of Podcasting with Jill Noble

Sometimes talking to someone in marketing can feel a lot like speaking with someone in the military. Especially when it comes to just how many acronyms they can squeeze into a single sentence - like CPC, CTA, ICP, ROI... I wanted to demystify one of the biggest acronyms, that if you know none of the others, this is the one I want you to know of. This is the 'CTA' or the 'call to action'. This is about always giving your audience somewhere to go, the next action to take (especially off the back of creating some really inspiring or engaging marketing content). This is the one thing that if you don't study any other of the acronyms when it comes to the marketing space, I want you to be fully aware of this one and are putting it into practice every single time you put yourself out there into the world. Let's jump in! For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

008: Demystifing the CTA - Call To Action

We've all heard the phrase, 'block and delete' right? The idea that you've got that drama llama on your social media or that friend that's constantly toxic, a Debbie Downer. And we've all heard the saying that when they suck way more energy than they give, you've got to do the old block and delete.  Well, what if I told you that this idea of blocking and delete could actually be great way to get your head back in the game for your small business? I want to show you how you can unsubscribe from some of the shit in your life when it comes to both business marketing and your business admin. I want to show you how you can go through some of your key communication channels and start finding out ways to cut some of the crap out of your incoming mail so you can get a bit more clarity about what it is that you do need to take in what's going to be beneficial for you to take in and how you can start clearing some of the clutter and getting your head back in the game when it comes to running and growing your business. Let's jump in! For show notes, links and more: W: meredithpaige.me // E: hello@meredithpaige.me // Insta: @meredithpaige.me // FB: @meredithpaige.me

007: Unsubscribing from the Shit - 3 Ways to Get Your Head Back in the Game

Join Meredith Paige as she combines her own strategies with the wisdom of some down-to-earth marketing mates to cover the most efficient & effective ways small biz owners can take back control of their marketing & their lives. @meredithpaige.me

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Flat Out Marketing: A Small Biz Podcast

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