Thought Leaders Business Lab Podcast

You cannot run two marathons in different directions at the same time.  In today’s overly busy world, we often find ourselves feeling overwhelmed and unable to focus on things that can actually help our business grow. When you are trying to achieve too much, it can feel like you can’t gain momentum and get ahead. In this episode, we delve into the 4 problems you need to address in order to focus, increase your productivity, and consistently achieve your goals.  By addressing these problems and implementing the solutions in your business, you can move the needle forward.  Yes, 2020 has been a crazy year, but there are still plenty of opportunities for improvement and growth.  What do you want to achieve by the end of the year? WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Using the universal energy (3:32) The 90-day plan (5:00) Business sprints (5:50) 30-day plan to increase your productivity (6:00) Breaking down projects into tasks (6:40) Give yourself permission to rest and let go (7:33) Normal deliverables vs thin

You cannot run two marathons in different directions at the same time. In today’s overly busy world, we often find ourselves feeling overwhelmed and unable to focus on things that can actually help our business grow. When you are trying to achieve too much, it can feel like you can’t gain momentum and get ahead.In this episode, we delve into the 4 problems you need to address in order to focus, increase your productivity, and consistently achieve your goals. By addressing these problems and implementing the solutions in your business, you can move the needle forward. Yes, 2020 has been a crazy year, but there are still plenty of opportunities for improvement and growth.  What do you want to achieve by the end of the year?WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Using the universal energy (3:32) The 90-day plan (5:00) Business sprints (5:50) 30-day plan to increase your productivity (6:00) Breaking down projects into tasks (6:40) Give yourself permission to rest and let go (7:33) Normal delive

Marketing a Service, Advice or Software, is more like proposing marriage than it is just selling a washing machine. In order to turn leads into clients, you must first establish a relationship of trust and influence. In this episode, Tom Poland shares the steps towards an effective, inbound lead generation system for your business in order to turn leads into quality clients. Creating an opportunity to get to know your clients first is essential to establish rapport before talking about business. Through inbound marketing, you are able to give your prospects a sample of your brand, services, and ideas, discover who is interested, and then generate quality leads. Lead generation is essential for your business growth, to get more customers and more profits *** Have you registered for my free masterclass, "How To Transform Your Knowledge Into A Profitable Online Business And Do Work That Matters"? Click here for more details and to register your spot ***

If you want something to last the test of time, it needs solid foundations — from building a skyscraper to laying pavements.  And creating your  business is no different.  A building with a good foundation won’t collapse when the next earthquake comes. A pavement won’t shift and go wonky when you lay a good foundation. Starting a business is the same.  With good foundations, your business can withstand issues, attract clients, and build partnerships as it grows and becomes successful. In this episode, Sam and Tim talk about the five foundations of a successful business. These foundations need to be in place to guide you on how to position yourself, remind you to be consistent with your branding, improve your strategies to grow your audience, and help you leverage partnerships. *** Have you signed up for my free masterclass, How To Transform Your Knowledge Into A Profitable Online Business And Do Work That Matters? Click the link for more details and to save your spot ***

With the rise of digital advancement and automation, people appreciate personalization even more.  In this episode, search engine marketing expert, Damon Burton shares with us how he has grown his business and how you can use these techniques to grow yours. We delve into the practical ways to create genuine relationships with your clients, balancing automation and personalization, and the importance of SEO for your business.  With SEO, when you write good content, solve problems, and answer questions, it will future-proof your SEO. If you can provide content that solves problems uniquely, you can rank uniquely.  But with the information overload of what you have to do for your business to grow, this may cause analysis-paralysis. Instead of overthinking things, try taking imperfection actions and start.  Start in order to figure out what’s going to work. Once you start, don’t give up.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Search Engine Optimization (4:00) People want to work with people they can trust (08:09

Typically, marketing is all about connecting to as many people as possible with the hope that someone will buy your product or service.  The Dream 100 strategy uses a different approach. If you use it, you make a list of just 100 ideal clients and focus your marketing on these people. How different would your business be if you implement this strategy? We’re about to find out. In this episode, we launch the Dream 100 Challenge. We will use social media (specifically LinkedIn) to find our dream client avatars, practise a nurture-before-connecting approach, and create a system to follow up on these prospects. We’ll be doing the challenge for a month and reporting on our results by October. Want to join this exciting challenge? Listen to this episode for the parameters. WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: What is the “Dream 100” and who is Chet Holmes? (01:52) Your business doesn’t need as many customers as you want (04:44) Ideal client avatar vs. dream client avatar (06:30) Questions to ask when you want to

Have you ever wondered how to use case studies to grow your business?  Case studies are used by businesses to show how their product or service has been implemented successfully by their customers and clients. They are an invaluable asset that establishes social proof of the results people could likely achieve by working with you. In this episode, Anfernee Chansamooth shares 5 ways you can use case studies to grow your business.  When you understand just how valuable case studies are in educating your prospects and increasing conversions, you won’t think twice about investing in case studies for your business.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Is your content producing the results you want for your business? (2:49) Are you investing your energy in the right place? (3:15) The power of using case studies (4:49) Case studies vs Testimonials (5:20) Fake and negative reviews (6:29) Ways you can use testimonials for your business (7:48) Using a case study interview to create a blog post (8:45) Posting your ca

Your website is the backbone of your business. It is a way to position yourself online as an authority through a strong and professional destination. Sure, you may have your social media accounts but they are rented space. At any moment, these social media accounts can be shut down. In order for your business to succeed in the online marketplace, you’ve got to have a professional website. In this episode, we delve into the importance of a website for your business and understanding what your website is for and where it sits in your marketing process. We also dive into the mistakes that a lot of business websites make and how to optimize your website for growth. Without a strong website, you are missing out on opportunities for customers to identify who you are.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: How important is a website for your business? (2:20) You don’t own your social media accounts (3:23) Understanding what websites are for and where it sits in your marketing process (4:43) Websites for authority p

Business plans that were made 3 or 4 months ago may come off as dissonant today. With today’s financial and economic crisis, it is critical for businesses to think about their audience and what they’re going through. Understanding their client’s needs and how these needs have shifted in the last few months is key to pivoting your business. In this episode, we delve into marketing as a holistic approach and re-aligning your business through authentic connection, understanding, and empathizing with your audience.  Businesses can set themselves apart and thrive in today’s crisis through a holistic marketing approach by understanding that every little task is part of a bigger strategy and that everything is connected. As an entrepreneur, collaboration, not competition is key. WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Marketing is a holistic approach (1:46) Doing the deeper work with your ideal client avatar (2:45) Trial and error (3:02) The biggest opportunity for businesses right now (3:33) Connection, understandin

The first few months of 2020 felt like business as usual, then the rapid escalation of the pandemic forced a massive overnight transition into remote work. Six months in, some are now wondering what the “new normal” is going to look like. In this episode, we discuss what business owners should be focusing on right now -  having the right mindset, reframing your goals, and optimizing your systems and processes in your business. Tha pandemic has made us more deliberate about where we are taking our businesses and our brands.  Rather than seeking to turn back the clock and returning to normal, let us instead implement the lessons we can take from this experience in order for us to move forward both in our businesses and our lives.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: The concept of the new normal (1:56) The desire to go back to the way things were (2:10) The new normal is something that is right now (2:57) What does your new reality look like? (4:19) We need to act more conservatively (4:58) Setting goals (5:

Staying top of mind and making sure that current and prospective customers are aware of your brand is important for any type of business, but even more so  during COVID lockdowns.  Giving promotional products is one way to keep engaging your customers.  But what type of gifts will effectively connect you with people you can’t meet face-to-face?  When you think of promotional products, do you immediately think of another mug, pen, or notepad with your company’s logo on it? Are cheap promotional products less effective than expensive ones? In this episode, I speak with Oksana Koriakova, marketing and brand engagement maverick and entrepreneur, about how to wow your clients using promotional gifts.  Oksana freely shares her expertise, ideas and methods for using promotional products as part of your marketing strategy.  Get out those free notepads and pens you’ve received at past conferences as this episode is chock full of tips you won’t want to miss.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: How to wow your clien

Today’s advanced digital age has changed the way we find clients and do sales. Using social networks to find, connect with and nurture sales prospects is an art that must be practiced. With the numerous platforms online, LinkedIn is the largest online networking site in the world. Putting up a profile and posting content isn’t enough. What’s important is to really connect with people coming from a place of genuine generosity.   In this episode, we assess how you can use your LinkedIn profile to attract clients and help grow your business by optimizing your profile, creating content that relates to your ideal client, and genuinely connecting with people. Connect and converse with people as if you were in a room with them. LinkedIn is the world’s largest networking site. So treat it like one. WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Nailing one social media platform before picking up more (2:55) Opportunities on LinkedIn (4:14) Your LinkedIn headline (6:12) Should your LinkedIn profile be your online resume? (7:0

Sales can sometimes be associated with money-grabbing and greed. Because of this mindset, many coaches sabotage themselves because they don’t want to be seen as that sleazy person. This mindset can make asking for money difficult for entrepreneurs. In this episode, we chat with the Queen of Sales Mindset herself, Christine Schlonski.  We deep dive into the sales power formula and debunk the mindset of sales being sleazy and slimy, and give tips for you to understand how you can sell and still be authentic in the process. It’s not about the money but what money can do for you. The more money your business has, the more you can do with it to help yourself and others around you.  When your cup is full the more you can learn, grow, and give, and money is just the vehicle for this.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: It all starts within (6:07) Sales Power Formula (6:21) The more money you have, the more choices you have (8:13) You can’t give from an empty cup (10:00) It’s about what money can do for you (10:0

Today’s episode marks a huge milestone as we are celebrating our 200th episode of the Thought Leaders Business Lab.  Thank you so much for being part of our journey! In this episode, we feature our listeners who have supported us throughout our 200 episodes and the questions you asked about our experiences and learnings as partners in business and life. WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Fun facts of the Thought Leaders Business Lab (1:32) Is the term “life partners should never be business partners” a myth? (4:57) How do you work through your disagreements? (8:43) Do you call each other on your BS when it’s needed and how do you help each other stay focused and in your zone of genius? (12:28) Risk tolerance levels when working together (21:57) How do you keep your business boundaries? (29:00) Burnout (29:17) Marriage comes first, business comes second (33:23) Not operating in your optimal state (34:20) Blocking your calendars out (35:08) The quality of your life depends on the questions that you ask (37:

If you have a new product, when should you start paid advertising? This is a question we discuss on today’s episode. We spoke to someone who has a new low-priced product and a highly-engaged social media presence.  We suggested his biggest opportunity was to spend more time on organic lead generation strategies and refine his messaging prior to beginning paid ads. In this episode, we share the six steps that are essential in implementing successful organic lead generation strategies. We cover tips on social media channels, optimized content, call-to-action tips, list expansion, moving from public to private conversations, and how to refresh your audience.  These are not complicated steps, but you have to ensure you spend time on each step for your strategy to work for you and your brand. WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: A case of a business owner with a new low-price product who wants to do paid Facebook ads (2:04) Who are organic lead generation strategies better for? (05:25) Should you treat marketing

In today’s world where everyone is over-accessible, where there is constant interruption and demand for your attention even after work hours, it’s easy for your personal and professional boundaries to blur. Entrepreneurs often find it difficult to set personal boundaries because of their passion for what they do, so they forego the importance of boundaries. Without it, productivity decreases, and your clients and business will suffer. In this episode, Marcia shares why having boundaries at work is essential for entrepreneurs. We delve into the different ways you can set healthy boundaries in your business. Determine what is important to you in your life and then create your boundaries from there. To create a better business, you first have to protect your businesses’ most important asset and that is you.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Burnout is inevitable (4:23) Unable to care for your clients because of burnout (6:50) A-ha moments during rest (7:26) Having boundaries helps your clients in the long

Adopting new tools can help you save time, energy, and optimize and improve your business processes.  However, it can also take a lot of time to research, find them and then experiment with how to best utilize them. In this episode, we share the tools that we are experimenting within our business and why we’ve chosen to use them.  Buying new tools is like buying a car. If you learn to drive and pay the maintenance, upkeep, and insurance, that car will take you on adventures. But if you just keep it in your driveway, it’s never going to work. Whatever tools you choose to use for your business, it doesn’t have to be high tech it just has to be effective and a good fit for you and your business.  What new tools have you implemented so far? WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Boom Arm (5:45) Blue Yeti Microphone (7:20) Zencastr (9:00) Squadcast (10:33) ClickUp (11:25) FreshDesk (13:14) CRM (15:46) Good Notes (16:20) Rocket Book Fusion (19:20) Second Screen (21:45) Mophie (23:34) Battery pack (24:58) Black Magi

Remember that life happens FOR you and not TO you. When you recognize and embrace that, the truth is, that even a global pandemic is happening for you and won’t stop you from creating the life you want. In this episode, we delve into how you can create the life you want through your habits, the people you surround yourself with, your mindset, and beliefs. If you work on something every single day, eventually you are going to get there. It’s all about being persistent in the process.  Remember that living on purpose does not happen by accident. Spend time today writing down who you want to be in every area of your life. Decide who you want to be, and then take action every single day.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Procrastinating in our comfort zone (7:53) Creating your life on purpose (10:00) Life happens for you, not to you (11:00) Morning routine (11:50) Setting your intentions at the start of the day (12:26) Your goals for the day (13:35) Enjoy the journey through loving life itself (14:33) Copin

In this episode, we answer questions from you, the listener, and share our tips on on how to grow and scale your business. We delve into the importance of having a strong rest ethic, prioritizing tasks, and planning for your business.  WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE: Taking time out from your business (3:15) Prioritize the top 3 things on your list (5:00) How to start your recording your systems and processes (7:00) Planning for 2021 (12:30) Be open to innovation and new ways to do things (15:28) What is a Facebook lead ad? (16:25) Tips for using Facebook lead ads (18:46) How to re-engage a cold list (20:21) The Nine Word Email (22:08) Tips when using the Nine Word Email (23:06) Should I pay an introducer fee? (26:23) Cost of acquisition (28:21) For full show notes and links visit: https://samanthariley.global/podcast/195-the-as-to-your-qs/

Are you eager to start or scale your business but feel like there are obstacles preventing you from growth?  It’s important to know what it is that’s holding you back from your full potential and oftentimes, that roadblock is you.   Launching and growing a business is never easy. Feeling out of your depth and not good enough can be a natural part when first starting your business. But what separates successful entrepreneurs from the others is their willingness to be uncomfortable and face their fears. In this episode, I share the three things that have held me back from building my business as fast as I wanted and how I turned these roadblocks around.  The road to becoming a strong and successful founder is long and challenging. But for those willing to invest the time in becoming self-aware, the rewards are well worth it. Successful business owners are those who don’t stop learning, adapting, and pushing themselves to grow.  How are you currently holding yourself back?  For full show notes and links visit: h