As entrepreneurs, our natural inclination is to want to put our best foot forward on social media, but building an authentic following is often about being as vulnerable as possible. Today on the show my guest is Jamie Otis, and she joins me to talk about her journey toward vulnerability as a TV personality and social media influencer, and how this connects to her process as an entrepreneur. Jamie is a dynamic American TV personality, registered nurse, entrepreneur, and TV host, having been on shows such as The Bachelor, Bachelor Pad, and Married at First Sight. In this episode, Jamie shares the story of how she ended up being selected to appear on these widely viewed shows and the shame she felt about admitting that she grew up in a trailer park on them. She talks about meeting her husband on Married at First Sight and building a career based partly on their relationship involving the podcast they co-host together – Hot Marriage. Cool Parents. Our conversation covers the inspiration Jamie became to other women after she shared about her background and how this helped her build an audience connected by authenticity and vulnerability. We also get into Jamie’s processes during pregnancy and motherhood, moving toward accepting her body, and how she is helping others do the same through her course, Become Body Positive. Be sure to tune into this great conversation all about using your story for a purpose and a business!

The Business Bites Podcast with Rachel Brenke

Let's Be Real w/ Jamie Otis

Whether you’re just entering the entrepreneurship world, or you’ve been in it for years, you’ve likely already had your fair share of struggles.  And let’s be real, there are plenty more to come.  But just as the saying goes, “it’s not what happens to you, but your reaction that matters”, the same can be said for struggles.  It’s not about the struggle, but overcoming it, learning from it, and growing from it.  Jump in to listen as I chat with Tavia Redburn as we discuss our past struggles and how we overcame them to get where we are now.  

Overcoming struggles in entrepreneurship (newbie and veteran tips!)

Hiring a business coach is a huge decision.  You want to make sure that you hire the right one for your industry, that fits your business structure and your personality.  So, not just any one that says they’re a business coach will do.  Some have never even run a business themselves outside of being a coach.  They aren’t going to understand what you’re going through.  In today’s episode, I break down three reasons why you shouldn’t hire a business coach, and I share tips on getting your biz to the next level. 

3 Reasons to NOT Hire A Business Coach

Business coaches are out there showing entrepreneurs what they should be doing to get ahead and be successful, but one of the most effective ways to learn is by learning from the mistakes we are making and realizing the things that we, as entrepreneurs, should not be doing.  Layci Nelson joins me today to debunk three leadership myths, while offering hot tips on working around them.  

3 Leadership Myths deBUNKed

Business and life are not separate.  In fact, they are completely intertwined.  If you’re living to work, working to live, you’re doing it wrong!  Business should be a supporting actor to the life we want.  It should not be our lives.   If you feel overwhelmed, stressed and frustrated in your business, you’re hurting not only your biz, but your relationships and your real life.  If you’re not being real with yourself, if what you’re doing is no longer serving you, it’s time to pivot and get the balance back. Stop with the degrading self-talk – “I don’t have enough time.”  “I didn’t get that done.” “I should have done it this way.”  Instead, remember you get to do this, you can, and you will.  Let go of the pressure of should haves and shame, and do the best you can in this season.  Just keep showing up, doing what you’re skilled to do (even imperfectly), and be authentically you.Full show notes & links to resources mentioned:  https://rachelbrenke.com/epi166/ Join the Real Biz Talk Podcast® group to chat about this episode: https://rachelbrenke.com/group

Figuring Out This Damn Balance Thing for Business

Hustle culture – I hate it.   It’s stressful.  It’s overwhelming.  It’s just too much.  I see it all the time – you’re working so hard, putting all this effort into things to keep up with everyone else, but not everyone has the same end goal.  You shouldn’t be comparing or competing with others.  Just because you put more effort in, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re moving your business closer to success.  Focus on who you’re trying serve, what your capabilities and skills are, and how much effort you actually need to put in to reach your end goal.    

Working Harder Doesn't Mean You Deserve Success More

How often do you say you wish you had more time or there just aren’t enough hours in the day.  You’re not alone.  Friends, we can make more money, we can hire more people, but we can’t increase time.  Time management is so important to the success of your business, and wasted time is absolutely detrimental.  I am going to be releasing a free Time Management Training because it is key to balancing your biz and your life.  So listen in now to get ahead of the game with the first exercise to learn how to maximize your time!

Time is Not Your Friend When You're An Entrepreneur

Confession time: I’m a MAJOR internet sleuth….I wanna know all.So much so, I’ll watch someones actions online and try to figure out how they maximize their time and energy. In fact, when starting out (and sometimes from time to time) I so bad want to steal another entrepreneur’s planner to see exactly how they DO IT ALL. The reality is, NO ONE is doing it all…..but those that do are either doing one of two things. FailingStrategically time managing in such a way they ACTUALLY HAVE A LIFE*gasp* what? #2 is possible. Yup, friends. In fact - with my five kids, Team USA training and multiple businesses I am the FIRST to tell you that your hub (i.e. calendar) is not the be all. You can’t just slap things on and trudge through a to-do list. You HAVE to show-up strategically.Now here’s the deal - it took me a hot bit at the beginning of business to get out of this “busyness” mentality and I want to show you how in my free REAL Time Strategy masterclass. Few things you need to know-there is NOT a sales pitch in it- just 100% freebie goodness-I share exactly how I approach every day and week-you will learn how to exactly engineer what you should be doing every single day to get your business-you WILL have more time after this class if you do the workAgain, no sales-pitch, no gimmick. Simply sign up, immediately watch the FREE masterclass, download my schedule and get yourself closer to TIME freedomwww.rachebrenke.com/time

[Free] Steal My Calendar + Strategic Time Management Masterclass

“I wish I could do that” you think to yourself as you scroll through social media.  Friend, YOU can.  Social media is filled with average people making special choices.  Stop wishing for the success you see from your peers and start making your own dreams a reality.  There is no special secret to success.  You just need to choose to show up consistently, intentionally, and strategically.   Making special, strategic, simple choices will get you living the real life you want while having the real biz you’ve been wishing for.

Entrepreneurs Are Not Special People

“I’m not good enough.” “My product/service isn’t perfect.” “I can do better.” Stop being paralyzed by perfectionism. We all start somewhere, whether we’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, or we just fell into it. We all have a solution to a problem for someone. Procrastination because of Imposter syndrome is only causing others to suffer. Help out your avatars. Help yourself, your family, your community. Put your purpose into the world to serve others. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be immaculate. Just show up. Show up in imperfect activity because an imperfect solution is better than no solution at all.

Your Imposter Syndrome is Hurting the World

I’m coming back friends!  And I’m ready!  Ready to help entrepreneurs, dig in to coaching, individually and in groups, helping you build the real biz you want while simultaneously creating the life you want to live.  The team and I have been working hard through all the changes, new technology, new offerings, strategizing in different directions and I gotta tell you, I’m really digging the new structure, branding, new name.  All of it!! Over the next few weeks, I’m moving in to a super fun series about the top things I’m seeing other business coaches and entrepreneurs struggle with, and things that are actually hurting us and holding us back from success in business and in life.  Real Biz Talk is the new name, Real Biz Accelerator is the program. Enrollment is reopening in June, so don’t miss out.  Thank you for sticking with us through this change. I’m so excited and look forward to seeing you in RBA in June!    

The 411: Why Real Biz Talk?

We all hate legal. Heck, I’m an attorney and some days I don’t like legal. But getting the right legal is vital when it comes to setting up your business. In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about how you can avoid lawyers that suck. To start, I recommend finding an attorney who has an entrepreneurial mindset. As I explain in the show, this is important because you want to gel with someone who gets what you’re going through; someone who has been in the trenches themselves. At the same time, I also suggest that you don’t just go for an attorney who will take your every order; good attorneys need to draft up contracts intuitively and be able to anticipate problems and questions. Another great point I cover in this episode is the need to understand your own business. By knowing your short, medium, and long-term plan, you will be able to pick the right kind of attorney. To wrap up the show, I go into the nitty-gritties of paying your attorney for their work, and how you ought to approach the matter. For more detail on each point and much more, be sure to join us today!Full show notes & links to resources mentioned:  https://rachelbrenke.com/epi159/ Join the Business Bites Podcast® group to chat about this episode: https://rachelbrenke.com/group

Reasons Small Business Lawyers Suck (and How to Hire A Good One!)

Contracts can feel tedious, daunting, and even unnecessary. I’m here to tell you that contracts are so much more than that. They are designed to iron out confusion, set parameters for your consumers, and protect you from them. In this episode, I dive into a whole bunch of misconceptions and give you the clarity you’re looking for. To start it all off, I define what actually makes a contract, which is essentially an agreement between two people or entities. Once we have the concept of contracts under wraps, I tuck into some of the advantages that come with them. For starters, it outlines the type of relationship you and your consumer can expect to have, as well as helping to forge consumer confidence. We can also use contracts as a “no man”, whereby you can put a limit on the consumer’s demands. To find out more details on how you can make contracts work for you, be sure to join us today! Key Points From This Episode: Why contracts are the key to business owners realizing success. We define the architecture of a contract. Hear about the advantages of using contracts. We answer the question: who should be involved in drafting contracts. Find out how contracts work for us and our business. Contracts as a means of raising consumer confidence.  You can also use contracts as a “no man”. Why contract agreements can actually improve your customer service. Full show notes & links to resources mentioned:  https://rachelbrenke.com/epi158/ Join the Business Bites Podcast® group to chat about this episode: https://rachelbrenke.com/group

4 Things Business Contracts Are That Most Lawyers Won't Tell You

Do you own your brand? I mean, do you really own your brand? This is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself, because all too often people think they have ownership of their brand, when in fact, it’s as good as someone else’s property — literally. In today’s episode, I want to spend some time explaining the three keys to brand ownership and protection. A good place to start is ensuring that all assets created for you are signed over to you, as sometimes business owners are only given a license of use. To make this concept easier to grapple with, I share an easy-to-understand example of usage rights around headshots. The second key to success is protecting your brand using copyright. Copyright helps protect the creative efforts behind your assets. If you’re thinking, “wait, surely that’s trademark?” then fear not because I also take a few moments to end your confusion and explain the difference between copyright and trademark, our third key. If you want to protect your business and its assets, be sure to join me today!Key Points From This Episode: Introducing the topic of protecting your assets and owning your brand. We look at a typical scenario where a subject thinks they have ownership but they don’t. Hear why it is important to have assets signed over to you. What can happen if you don’t own your assets. Protecting your brand by having the full force of copyright protections behind you. Why registering copyright is a type of insurance. The different types of material you will want to register for copyright. Knowing the difference between trademarks and copyright. Full show notes & links to resources mentioned:  https://rachelbrenke.com/epi157/ Join the Business Bites Podcast® group to chat about this episode: https://rachelbrenke.com/group

3 Keys to Brand Ownership & Protection

Breaking down "The Legal Triad" i.e., setting up your business entity, business liability, utilizing the proper legal contracts.

The Legal Triad

The Business Bites Podcast® explores the legalities of owning and operating a small business. Rachel Brenke launched the Business Bites Podcast in 2016 to give busy entrepreneurs quick tidbits of education with actionable steps to implement in their businesses. Rachel is a mother of five, wife of an army veteran, lawyer, business owner of multiple brands, triathlete, and IronMan competitor. She started out with an MBA to help her in her own small business and eventually ended up in law school. As someone in the trenches herself, Rachel is in the unique position of knowing what her audience actually needs to know to be successful. She is often joined by guests sharing their own expertise in different subjects from taxes to marketing to knowing when to hire others and everything in between. https://rachelbrenke.com

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The Business Bites Podcast with Rachel Brenke

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