Despite how those FB ads make it look, running an agency and being the boss isn't all sitting back and watching the cash roll in while your team gets the job done. No matter how much you *think* you know about what the reality is, like so much else in life, you don’t know what you don’t know until you’re actually in the thick of it.  That’s why in this episode, I’m sharing 7 things I wish I knew before starting an agency, including a few things that may be unexpected. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/before-starting-an-agency

Small Business Boss

7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting an Agency

Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day? Like you’re already working too much but could still be doing more?  Then there’s the fact that your services are in demand and you would take on even more work if you were able.  You WANT to grow your business, but driving yourself into the ground isn’t a solid strategy. Right about now, running the agency business model may seem like reeeeally good option.  But is it?  In this episode, we’re diving into the ins and outs of the agency business model, to help you answer the question….is it right for you?  Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/the-agency-model

The Agency Business Model: Is it Right For You?

You know those low cost products all over your social media feeds making big promises?    You may like them, or you may find them annoying, but there’s a very specific strategy around them. And a lot of those strategies are a big problem from my point of view. So I got curious and bought 9 of these products to analyze them.  In this episode and essay, I’m sharing my findings from that analysis I did after spending $285 - the good, the bad and the really scammy. I’m doing the work so you don’t have to, and then sharing what you need to know.   Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/low-cost-offers

I Spent $285 on Low Cost Offers So You Don’t Have To

When you think about your values, it’s probably pretty easy to list what matters to us personally.But what about your biz? We’ve all done those exercises where we sit down and write out a mission or a vision statement, or define the values for our business. But all too often they just end up in a file folder and forgotten about while we carry on with getting our work done.How do we ensure the values we define are something we actually consider regularly? In this episode, guest Danait Berhe shares how to put our business values into action. Get the inside scoop: smallbusinessboss.co/business-values

Focusing on Values with Danait Berhe

Have you ever been talking to a potential client and they ask you what sort of results working with you will get them? I have, and honestly, it always gets my back up a little. Is it a valid question? Absolutely. But in the online world, “results” are all too often tied directly to cold hard cash. People are selling the promise of making big money if you work with them or buy their system, and that’s what we’re being compared against.  So how do we have a nuanced conversation about results in a way that doesn’t just focus on money?  In this episode, we’re going to talk about how to rethink the role of results in our business, and how we untether from toxic narratives about what results really are.  Get the inside scoop right here: Smallbusinessboss.co/results-in-your-business

Rethinking Results in Your Business

You know what’s annoying?How much people in the online space crap on service businesses. Celeb entrepreneurs are selling ways for us to get OUT of service businesses, with an understanding of an unspoken hierarchy where those who offer services are seen as less than those that focus on courses or programs.  This results in more and more people getting lured away from their service businesses and told that coaching-based group programs is the way to go. But is it really?  In this episode, we’re looking at the key differences between running a done-for-you service business, and one that offers coaching, including the hard numbers from my own experiences working in both models. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/business-models

What You Need to Know About Done-For-You vs. Coaching-Based Business Models

Have you ever heard someone say that there’s no money in services? I have, and I strongly disagreed.  The service business model is one of the simplest around, and you can definitely make money — if you know what you’re doing.  A service business doesn’t have to be complicated, despite what you may have been told.  The reality is those celebrity entrepreneurs and inexperienced coaches — who like to tell us we NEED their fancy systems — overcomplicate things and create problems we don’t actually have in an effort to sell us things.  In this episode, I’m sharing what you really need for your service business and how you simplify yours. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/simplify-your-service-biz

Simplify Your Service Biz

Have you ever felt like things in your business aren’t running the way they should? Like your services are out of whack or what you sell is a struggle to deliver? While every business is unique, the online business world often tries to tell us there is one way to do things — not accounting for any of the complexities we may need to consider when building our business model. And that sets us up to fail. The good news — there are SO MANY ways to run your business. You just need a model that makes sense for what you do.Enter the Aligned Service Business Model. It puts you at the center of your services so what you’re delivering feels simple and easy.  Check out the latest episode where we’re looking at the way to align your services with your values, strengths and skills. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/aligned-service-business-model

The Aligned Service Business Model

Have you ever had a coach try to jam you and your business into a cookie-cutter system or blueprint?  I have, and guess what? IT DIDN’T WORK!  While there’s nothing wrong with looking to “experts” to provide some guidance, the reality is that these one-size-fits-all solutions are rarely going to yield the results we’re looking for.  In this episode, we’re looking at the problem with these blueprints, and how when we work with clients of any kind we need to embrace the complexities of their unique business. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/work-with-clients

How I Really Work With Clients

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before…It’s time to raise your prices. Raising your prices is one of the most common, yet potentially problematic pieces of advice in the online business world. Pricing is complex and layered, and the way it’s taught typically only serves one person - the seller. The goal of so many of these strategies is to help the seller amass wealth, even if it does harm to the buyer. It’s so not okay. That’s why in this fresh new episode of the BS-Free Service Business podcast I’m sharing common pricing problems in this industry, along with my 4 trust-first pricing principles. You can check it out here: smallbusinessboss.co/pricing-principles

Trust First Pricing Principles

I’m back from my content sabbatical and I have news.**A NEW LIMITED SERIES PODCAST**Introducing: Trusted: Alternatives to the BS of Online Business. Are you tired of the BS?  ME TOO.  When it comes to how we market and sell our businesses, and what we buy, we’ve got choices.  The people marketing and selling to us just don’t want us to know it.  In the new limited series podcast Trusted, we’re going to dive into the alternatives to the BS of online business by breaking down five specific tactics. Learn more at betrusted.online

Introducing Trusted: Alternatives to the BS of Online Business

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  __ Have you ever seen something online and felt like it looked awfully familiar?  Then comes the sinking feeling that you’ve been copied. Without citation or credit.  The unfortunate reality is that in an industry that rewards people for simply being one step ahead, it’s zero percent surprising that people would engage in some shady practices. That said, knowing it happens all the time doesn’t make you feel any less frustrated that your hard work is being used as “inspiration”. In this episode, we’re diving into the predatory culture of plagiarized content — what forms this takes, how it makes us feel when it happens, and why the culture of online business that’s built on plagiarized ideas is fundamentally messed up. Learn more at duped.online

DUPED: The Predatory Culture of Plagiarized Content

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  __ Want to buy a Ferrari? Use a private jet? Stay in 5-star hotels?  According to the aspirational luxury lifestyle we’re constantly being sold in the online business world, “you too can easily have these things if you just do X, Y or Z!”. But after running your biz for a hot minute, it’s probably become increasingly clear that attaining these things is not anywhere as easy as the people selling us these dreams make it sound.  How do we avoid falling into this trap and chasing a dream that’s usually built on total BS?  In this episode of Duped, we’re looking at the luxury lifestyle that’s inescapable if you work in the online business world. Learn more at duped.online

DUPED: The Luxury Life

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  ______________ The seven-figure income. The passive income dream. You have to spend money to make money. If I can do it, so can you! Any of those sound familiar?You’ve probably heard all of those and more when it comes to the world of online business, and most of us can probably agree on one thing:I’m totally over it, and I bet you are too! These tired internet marketing tropes are pushed in our faces repeatedly, yet it’s actually pretty rare that they actually ring true.  Which is exactly why we need to know how to spot them when we see them.  On this episode of Duped, we’re breaking down these internet marketing tropes so you can avoid them both in and out of your business. Learn more about Duped at duped.online 

DUPED: The Very Tired Tropes of Online Business

If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks.  ___________ If you’ve ever looked closely at the tactics used in the online business world, you may have been shocked to notice some parallels with something completely unexpected — a cult. The power dynamics. The focus on mindset. The endless investing in yourself. The worry that if you speak up against the status quo you may find yourself completely ostracized. But then you think….that will never happen to ME. Well guess what? Nobody is immune to these tactics, Which is exactly why we need to know how to spot them when doing business online.  In this episode, we’re exploring the cult-like side of online business, and what you need to know to protect yourself. Learn more about Duped at duped.online 

DUPED: The Culty Side of Online Business

Small Business Boss takes you behind-the-scenes of running a business as a freelancer, creative or consultant with a focus on fluff-free lessons to help you grow your own business and get paid. If you work with clients, this show will help you get more clients, make more money and keep your clients coming back for more! The show is hosted by Scoop Studios' Maggie Patterson. You can learn more about Small Business Boss at http://www.smallbusinessboss.co and get access to all of our shows at http://www.smallbusinessboss.co/podcast.

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