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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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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

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. 

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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

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. 

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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.

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. 

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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.

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.

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If you’ve been in the online biz world for a hot minute, you’ve probably experienced what’s called bro marketing.

Bro marketing is the use of psychological triggers and other persuasive hacks to shut down critical thinking without our consent. The goal is to sell more products through manipulation and coercion. 

Sounds pretty shady, right?

Even if you don’t look like a bro, or think you’re doing any bro marketing, it doesn’t mean bro marketing hasn’t found its way into your biz. It is everywhere…..which is why on this episode of Duped we’re diving in. 

We’re breaking down the bro marketing binary — what it is, how to recognize it, and what you can do to keep it out of your biz for good.

Learn more about Duped at duped.online 

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. 

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Remember when the word expert next to someone’s name actually meant that they were, in fact, an expert in their field?

Yeah, so do we.

Now, in a world where people can literally create any persona they want on the internet, the designation of “expert” can be incredibly misleading. These self-declared experts are out there, giving advice, selling you products and in many cases, they’re influencers — NOT experts.

So how do you parse out the real from the fake? 

In this episode of Duped, we’re breaking down the difference between influencers and actual experts, and talking about the dirty truth of what we’re seeing on social media.

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.

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Have you noticed that “ethical” has become the buzzword-du-jour in the 2021 online business world?

Listen. Running an ethical business is important, but doing that can seem pretty challenging when so much of what we’ve been taught about sales and marketing is contrary to ethical practices. 

There’s also now a whole cohort of biz owners hopping on the bandwagon and *saying* they’re ethical when they are changing a thing about how they do business. So it’s pretty clear that label themselves as such are ethical in name only.

This is the newest way celebrity entrepreneurs are duping their customers, and that’s what we are breaking down on this episode of Duped.

Learn more about Duped at duped.online 

Hands up if you’ve ever been told you need to “hustle harder”.

Keep your hands up if reading makes you want to have a nap, because the idea of hustling is downright exhausting. 

The relentless message around needing to hustle is contrary to why we ever started a business.

What we really need and want is more *freedom* with our time. 

That’s why I invited my guest Becca Rich, a holistic time management strategist and coach, to discuss the idea of time freedom and so much more.

Get the inside scoop here: smallbusinessboss.co/time-freedom

“I make 7 figures and you can too! All you need is my proven system!”

Bet you’ve seen this sort of claim so many times you’ve lost count and it’s totally eye roll worthy. 

The online business world is full of people making BIG income claims. And as the years pass, these claims seem to continuously escalate. First it was 5 figures, then it was 6, and now we’re at 7 or 8 figures. 

But you know what? The reality of the online business world is that most people are NOT making this kind of money. They’re simply not.

Even worse, these claims generally have little to no evidence to back them up. But people see these numbers and feel like they’re failing. 

In this episode we’re diving into what you, as a consumer, need to know about income claim marketing.

Get the inside scoop: https://smallbusinessboss.co/income-claim-marketing/

Have you ever had a question and thought “hmmm, I wish there was another biz owner I could ask about this”?

Over the past year I’ve had a great time interacting and answering.  questions over on Instagram. And that’s exactly why I decided to bring those questions to the podcast and share them all with you. 

In this episode, I’m answering listener questions from how to deal with procrastination to what to do about pricing to if wanting to burn down your business is normal.

Get the inside scoop:

smallbusinessboss.co/frequently-asked-questions

Have you ever been given the advice that you need to work on your visibility as a business owner? 

While on the surface this is true, one of the things that holds many people back is feeling that visibility = an extroverted, loud, in-your-face approach.

Totally not my style, and probably not yours either.  And that’s okay! Because we do, in fact, have alternatives. 

In this episode, guest Mai-kee Tsang joins me to talk about her approach to visibility, and pitching yourself as a guest on podcasts.

Get the inside scoop:

smallbusinessboss.co/sustainable-visibility

One of the most common questions I get asked is about how much people should be paying their employees or contractors.

While the actual amount will always vary depending on the role, having a strategy for determining what rates to offer is critical.

An important part of running an ethical online business is about NOT trying to get the largest amount of work for the least amount of money. 

It’s time to put people before profits and not listen to the exploitative hiring BS celebrity entrepreneurs teach. 

In this episode, we’re diving into what you need to know about paying your team.

Get the inside scoop:

smallbusinessboss.co/paying-your-team

When you’re trying to figure out who to trust online, you can’t just look for something sleazy or sketchy as a sign that you should skip doing business with someone.

It’s much more complex and nuanced than looking at the FB ad with a guy on a yacht and thinking, next.

It’s much more complicated, and sometimes a scammer looks and acts like your BFF or your fave academic researcher. And their marketing is designed to lure you with that image and act. 

In this episode, we’re diving into the world of celebrity entrepreneurship with fresh updates for 2021.

Get the inside scoop:

smallbusinessboss.co/2021-celebrity-entrepreneur

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed in your biz that you’re ready to light a match and burn the whole thing to the ground? 🔥

Been there, done that.

The reality of being of a biz owner is that even when things seem to be going great, the tide can turn quickly. Even something awesome like bringing a client onboard can start to make you feel like you're falling apart at the seams if you don’t actually have enough support to get all the work done. 

So how do we turn it around so we don’t end up in that position in the first place? 

It starts with capacity planning, where you get a better handle on the supply and demand of your business.

In this episode of the BS-Free Service Business podcast, I’m giving you a crash course on the basics of capacity planning.

Get the inside scoop:

smallbusinessboss.co/capacity-planning

Language is always evolving, and with that, so should our marketing and copywriting.

Why? Because the words we choose matter.

If we want to convey the message that our business is inclusive, diverse and equitable, then the language we use needs to reflect that.

That’s exactly why in this episode, Nailah King joins me to talk about inclusive copywriting including what it is, and how to get started on being more inclusive with your copy.

Get the inside scoop:

smallbusinessboss.co/inclusive-copywriting

How many times have you heard the advice that you need to focus on scaling your service business?

While on the surface telling someone to work on growing their business doesn’t seem like bad advice, the reality is that it’s not always time for growth. Being profitable doesn’t automatically mean you have to double or triple in size.  

In this episode, we’re going to dig into how to really build a small, simple and sustainable service business. One that’s profitable and that doesn’t drive you into the ground.

Get the inside scoop: smallbusinessboss.co/profitable-service-business

If you’ve worked in the online biz world for more than a hot minute, you’ve probably noticed something —

Nothing is quite like it seems.

You buy a template, a course, mastermind or hire a coach, and once you’ve handed over your hard earned money you quickly realize you are definitely NOT getting what you thought you paid for.

Turns out you’ve fallen prey to the old “bait and switch”. And trust us when we say, so have we. 

It was with these sorts of questionable tactics in mind that we decided to do this limited series podcast as a way to explore some of the most pressing and concerning issues we see in online business. In our inaugural episode, we’re tackling the massive bait and switch problem that’s rampant in this industry and sharing ideas on how you can protect yourself.

More details at duped.online.