The Boss Mom Podcast

So many entrepreneurs are overwhelmed by the number of things they want to achieve, and often their health is affected because of it. How can you stop feeling that overwhelm? Why is it so important to know how you're wired? On this episode, Dr. Shannon Irvine shares her experience with changing her approach to something that suited her better. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Learn how you're wired (03:22- 05:17) Too many business-owning moms are spoken about as superheroes. This is a very intimidating belief, and also inaccurate. You don't need to be a superhero to get your business to work. All you need is to know how you're wired and how to work in a way that is effective for you. Get your kids involved (09:34- 11:54) A great way to make sure your kids understand what you're doing is by letting them see you do business. They'll start seeing how it works, and they might even get excited about entrepreneurship. You're not necessarily bringing them into your dealings to create mini entrepreneurs— you're just exposing them to the possibilities out there. Fail in front of your kids (13:00- 15:02) No one wants to fail, but it's almost always inevitable. Allow yourself to fail, and see every failure as a learning experience. Treat it as a lesson for your kids, too. Encourage them to try everything they're interested in, and to keep persevering even when they fail. The way we do things is linked to the way our brains function. A lot of the time, that means we're on autopilot. Start being more aware of how you think. You may not be able to stop having certain thoughts, but that doesn't mean you're powerless. Learn how your brain is wired and allow yourself to fail. Then, teach your children that they can do the same. Guest Bio- Dr. Shannon Irvine has been a serial entrepreneur all her life. After realizing she was overworking herself, she thought she would have to give up something in her life. However, then she realized that so many people before her had been able to balance all the things that were important to her. Since that moment of clarity, she dove into learning the science of success. Today, she's a strategist, mentor and neuropsychology PhD. She's passionate about rewiring entrepreneur's brains to be the best they can be. To find out more about Shannon, go to: https://drshannonirvine.com/ You can also find her on Instagram: @drshannonirvine And on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drshannonirvine/

Something that holds a lot of moms back from starting businesses is a fear of not being able to deliver what everyone needs from you. How can you stop yourself from being overwhelmed? When will you know if it's time to take a break? On this episode, founder of Mompire, Ashley Meyer, is here to share how you can protect your mental health and deliver a great product. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Follow your intuition (11:50- 13:41) Your intuition is a powerful tool, and you should pay attention to any negative feelings you may have. When you ignore your gut feeling, bad things tend to happen. Listen to yourself, and don't be afraid to let your intuition guide you. You don't have to do everything (17:39- 18:43) When you live out of alignment with your goals, dreams and ambitions, you are going to crash. Understand that you don't have to give everyone what they need, all the time. Give what you can, but don't allow it to cause you fatigue. Allow yourself to step back if it's the best decision (19:22- 21:28) It can be hard to step back from your business- especially if you've invested a lot into it. Allow yourself to overcome your guilt at not using a degree, a business or anything else you've spent a long time to attain. If you know you want to step back, give yourself that opportunity. A lot of moms feel guilty about starting businesses. However, many also agonize over the decision to step back, when necessary. Remember that despite all the demands you may feel at work and at home, you do need to prioritize your intuition and mental health. Whichever route you decide to take, make sure you're choosing the path you want to. Guest Bio- Ashley Meyer is the founder of MOMpire. After training and practising as a lawyer alongside her husband, Ashley made the decision to step back from their practice to create a business for other moms. Ashley is passionate about empowering moms, and believes it's important for those using her platform to speak directly to their family lives. To find out more about MOMpire, head to: https://the-mompire.com You can also reach out to Ashley on Instagram: @themompire and Facebook: MOMpire

There are so many career options available to us, that sometimes choosing what's best for us can be overwhelming. How can you choose a line of work that will keep you fulfilled and take advantage of your talents? Should you check in with yourself to make sure you continue to feel fulfilled by those choices? On this episode, Career Clarity Catalyst Tracy Timm shares her advice for choosing what's right for you, specifically. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode You don't have to go all-in immediately (11.12- 11:52) Don't feel like you have to invest everything in the beginning. Take small steps that allow you to build the company without going broke in the process. It doesn't all need to be completely black-and-white at the start of the venture. Know your core values (15:48- 18:40) Before you can be sure of what you want to do with your business, or in your career, decide what your core values are and commit to honoring them. Think about how you'll prioritize each of these. Do the work to make sure you're able to take the opportunities that present themselves to you. Check in on yourself (20:00- 21:40) Once a year, schedule time to check in with your core values. Make sure they're still working for you and adapt where necessary. Your values will change depending on what's happening in your life, so it's important to have a list that stays relevant to you. From the time we enter the education system, we're taught to base our decisions on impersonal factors. This stops us from doing what's best for us, as individuals. Wouldn't it be great to make the right career choices earlier on, with fewer bruises along the way? Set up your core values and work towards fulfilling them one step at a time. Guest Bio- Tracy Timm is the founder of Nth Degree Academy and Tracy Tim, LLC. After graduating from Yale unsure of what she wanted to do, Tracy found herself in a Wall Street job, miserable. She then quit to study on-board a cruise ship, with the intention of discovering her passion. After one more unhappy position, Tracy decided to start her own business, helping others find career clarity. Tracy is passionate about helping women find their paths earlier in life, so they don't need to prolong their fulfillment. To find out more about Tracy, head to: www.tracytimm.com/clarity And to hear more about what we discussed on this episode, visit: www.tracytimm.com/bossmom You can also find out more about Tracy's academy at: https://nthdegree.tracytimm.com/

When you're an entrepreneur, it can be overwhelming to think about all the things you must do to take your business to the next level. Do you have the right systems in place yet? How do you know where to start? On this episode, Brittany Dixon is sharing her advice for scaling your business. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Pay attention to processes (09:49- 11:14) Every single thing we do has a process— from running a business to making a sandwich. Go into as much detail as you can when considering your processes. Even the most basic step is important. Get everything in one place (14:46- 15:27) When you're just getting started in your business, try to have everything in one place. Use systems like Trello to put all your work, clients, and progress in one spot. This creates much-needed structure. Hire a business consultant when you're ready to scale (18:53- 19:24) If you're at the point in your business where you're able to scale, it's time to hire a consultant. This will allow you to step away while your business is taken care of. There are so many moving pieces involved in building a business that it's bound to get confusing at some point. As you grow, make sure you're taking stock of everything you do. To take your business to new heights, you have to pay attention to what got you off the ground in the first place. Guest Bio- Brittany Dixon is a business consultant. After finding out she was pregnant with twins soon after starting a new job, Brittany decided to start her own company. Today, she is the owner of Brittany and Co. Consulting. Brittany strongly believes that building a great business requires great documenting of processes. She's also adamant that the reason she has more time with her kids today is because of the consistent processes when she started her business. You can find Brittany on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Consulting-Agency/brittanyandco.consulting/about/ And Instagram: @brittanyandco.consulting To find out more about Brittany, head to: https://brittanyandco-consulting.com You can also try out her free content planner at: bit.ly/bco-contentplanner

We've all heard that scaling is important for businesses to grow, but it's also beneficial to your family's wellbeing. How can scaling impact your children? What can you do to make the process easier? On this episode, CEO of Virtual Hub, Barbara Turley, is here to discuss why you need to build a company you can step away from. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Build a saleable asset (07:00- 07:49) Scaling your business turns it into a saleable asset. That doesn't mean you have to sell it—just that you have the ability to. Creating a saleable asset can also be especially helpful to moms, as you're creating opportunities for you to step away if and when you need to. Embrace your inner "control freak" (21:40- 22:35) While we might not like to admit it, most entrepreneurs are control freaks. That's okay—this is the baby you've built! Being a control freak doesn't mean you have to look over your employee's shoulders, though. All you have to do is build systems and make sure they're being followed. Start with your personal vision, then look at the business (27:32- 29:02) We spend so much time concentrating on our business visions, but we still have lives outside of work. Instead of building your life around your business, start by thinking about what you want personally. By paying attention to the lifestyle you want, you'll build a business that can fit the vision. Most entrepreneurs want to scale their businesses, and with good reason. But it's important to check in with your 'why'. Why do you want to scale your business? You may think building a saleable asset requires a certain degree of objectivity, but saleable or not, your business is your baby. Think about how your business will fit into your life— not the other way around. Guest Bio- Barbara Turley is the CEO of Virtual Hub, aimed at helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses as easily as possible. Barbara is also a mom to a daughter, and attributes a lot of her success with scaling her own business to her decision to be a hands-on parent. Barbara is passionate about helping entrepreneurs have an easier journey to success. To find out more about Barbara, head to: www.thevirtualhub.com

Many women business owners feel uncomfortable charging their clients for their services. This is particularly true for entrepreneurs whose businesses aspire to empower the client. How can you stop feeling that way and start making more money? How have other empowerment-based businesses generated profits? On this episode, I explain how Boss Mom makes money, and how your business can, too! Build your brand. Being known for something helps you make money. -Dana Malstaff 3 Takeaways It's perfectly normal to charge people to access your services. You're not doing anything wrong by wanting to make a profit. By pursuing your gifts and talents, you'll get through your work more efficiently and be able to free up time to focus on your passions in your spare time. It's easier to charge people for your services when they know who you are. Having an established brand and being known for something helps you make money. Creating online courses is a great way to make money. However, while you're aiming to offer a service to a wide range of people, never question your right to make money in the process. You can try being more accommodating by offering two products: one higher-priced and the other lower, but don't overextend yourself by doing this. Keep your number of products streamlined. You own a business, and you should get to see the benefits.

A lot of us listen to podcasts and attend talks with entrepreneurs, but it can be difficult to picture the daily running of the speaker's business as they give examples or describe systems. What's actually happening behind the scenes? How do finished products come to life? What does the process look like? On this episode, I talk with my director of operations, Amy Lockrin, to give you an inside look into one of our meetings. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Hire an operations manager (05:08- 06:47) An operations manager is an important part of your business. They'll help you maintain your focus to ensure you're looking at every venture as logically as possible. They're also the ones who will be able to step in, in the event you leave your business for a month. As the CEO, you have to be able to step away for periods of time. The operations manager allows you to do that and should be able to improve your business in your absence. Not all your ideas will come to life, and that's okay! (29:31- 30:20) If you're a creative person, you probably have a million ideas everyday. Obviously, not all of those can become a reality. That's why you need an operations manager. They're the ones who will help you execute certain ideas and determine which ones to skip. Get comfortable with hearing 'no' (30:54- 32:00) Your business needs to be run by a team of brainstormers. That means having discussions and allowing for constructive criticism. If you're hearing 'no' from an operations manager, never take it personally. This is about making the best business decision, not personally attacking you. There's a lot of work that goes into running a business that, unless you're part of the operations, you might not know about. There are a lot of conversations that take place before anything happens, and the more skilled voices we have to share in those conversations, the better. Running a business is like raising a child: it takes a village. Don't shy away from having a team to help you. You have the building blocks, so get someone to help you set them up. Guest Bio- Amy Lockrin is an Operations Integrator for female entrepreneurs that are ready to thrive in their business and leave behind the overwhelm of "to-do's." She is the founder and CEO of Lockrin Services, an integration and implementation agency that strategically partners with visionaries while propelling their businesses forward through action. She loves to make things happen in your business so you can go back to being creative through project management, business management, and strategic business planning sessions. She is also the mother of two of the chattiest children that ever existed, Wyatt and McKinley and wife to her beer-making husband, Jimmy. When she isn't elbows deep in business owners strategic plans she loves to go to the beach, read, and spend as much time outside as possible. Links: website: www.amylockrin.com contact: amy@amylockrin.com fb.com/amylockrinva instagram: @amylockrin

There's a lot of information available on finding clients. However, not as much exists about keeping those clients after their first experience with you. How can you retain people's business and keep them in your database? What would you need to invest in order to maintain a relationship with them? On this episode, founder of With Love Studio, Marilyn DeLaHoz shares how she got involved in customer experience, and why it's important for your business. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Create loyalty by making your clients feel loved (15:50- 17:25) Once you've done business with someone, it's time to re-invest in them. By sending a gift- or even a small, handwritten note- you're making past clients feel special. This goes a long way in building your relationship with them- and in the way they represent your brand to their own sphere of influence. Keep it personal (18:51- 20:40) We've heard so much about automated systems and how they can help in a business. However, when something goes wrong with your operations, try reach out personally. This shows you care enough to be the one to tell them there's a problem, and does wonders for your client relations. When sending gifts, make sure they're useful (21:06- 22:36) If you're going to give your clients a gift, make sure it's something that enhances the service you're providing. For example, if it's a course, send a notebook or a pen. In doing so, you're demonstrating that you want to ensure they have the best possible experience with their business. Often, the smallest detail is what sets successful businesses apart from the less successful ones. That's exactly what your gestures need to be, to ensure great client relations: small. Thoughtful gestures don't need to be expensive and certainly shouldn't put any strain on your business. On the contrary, to keep good customer service, you just have to show that you genuinely care. Guest Bio- Marilyn DeLaHoz is a mom to two daughters, a wife, and the founder of WIth Love Studio. After deciding to leave her corporate job when she became a mom, Marilyn started tapping into her creative side. Initially starting with creating invitations for clients, MArilyn later bought her friend's t-shirt company. Today, she's passionate about giving her clients the best possible experience, and prides herself on always putting herself in the customer's position. To find out more about Marilyn, you can follow her on her Instagram accounts: @marilyndelahoz and @withlovestudio

Pregnancy and becoming a mom is a beautiful time—but it's not always easy when it comes to clothing and fashion. Many expectant mothers find themselves alienated to a sad rack at the back of stores, with no good options to express their style. How is Storq providing a solution here, and what trends in the market inspired it? How do the founders of Storq make sure they stay true to their core values and make a difference for women? On this episode, I'm joined by the co-founders of Storq, Courtney Klein and Grace Kapin who share the story of their brand. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Changing trends and shifts in motherhood (02:44 - 03:13) The age of first time moms is increasing year after year, and there are more kids being born to mothers over 30. This is a market of women that are in the workplace and have more disposable income, but don't always get the service and attention they deserve from the fashion world. How the identity aspect plays into motherhood (09:19 - 10:02) A lot of women experience a loss of identity when they get pregnant and have children. The world expects them to be fulfilled by motherhood alone, and they can be made to feel like something's wrong with them if they aren't. The Storq values and how they serve women (18:20 - 21:47) Pregnancy fashion isn't always portrayed in a way that caters to comfort for women. This is what drove Courtney and Grace to build a brand that would become a solution-oriented resource for real women and mothers to get through their day without having to struggle with what to wear or feel invisible because of their clothing. It's so important for us to build a world that is conducive to mothers so that they can feel celebrated, understood, and valued. The result is a world of moms who can find fulfillment in different places, and happier moms mean happier children, which is great for all of us. Guest Bio- After hearing countless complaints from friends and family about the lack of chic, simple maternity options on the market, Courtney Klein set out to create a one-stop online resource for chic and practical maternity essentials. As a former partner at design agency Hard Candy Shell, Courtney worked to build digital products for companies like Disney and eBay prior to launching Storq in January of 2014. Shortly after the launch, her pal Grace Kapin came on board as Creative Director. Having worked in fashion for nearly a decade, Grace immediately understood that pregnant women were overlooked by the fashion industry at large. A few months after diving into this project, Courtney learned she was pregnant with her first child. Four years in, the Storq team now includes three semi-productive, unpaid baby interns ranging in age from 8 months to nearly 4 years old and the company-wide napping policy is correspondingly permissive. Go to https://storq.com/ for more information.

It's difficult to maintain a work-family balance when we are trying to get a new business off the ground. How can professional support help us? How does entering business awards help structure our business? How can we inspire our children to be entrepreneurs? In this episode, Stacey Morgan shares how she maintains her home life alongside her professional life, and explains how entering awards changed her perspective on her business. Some days I'm a really good business owner, some days I'm a really good mom, and some days I'm a mix of both—and that's ok. -Stacey Morgan 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Don't rely on support from your family only (04:57- 07:15) We often feel the need to put on the façade of 'everything's going great' when speaking about our business to our family because we don't want them to lose confidence in us. We need to have a community of professionals in the same position as us with whom we can speak openly and honestly about the challenges we face. It's not natural to be a 24-hour mom (7:17-9:30) We are inclined to think that if we don't want to spend 24 hours a day with our children we are bad parents. This is not true to even previous eras of parenting. We need to balance the time we spend parenting and working to avoid feeling exhausted and resentful, and so that we can make the most of the time we have with our children. Applying for awards helps you structure your business (13:41-15:35) As business owners we keep a lot of information in our heads and hardly ever communicate it to others. Entering business awards puts us on the spot in terms of all aspects of our business and it forces us to answer questions we have never considered. We stand to gain a well-rounded perspective of our business, see where we're doing well and what we need to work on. As mothers and business owners, we need to distinguish between our two roles whilst also recognizing where the positive overlaps are. Our family should not be our only source of support for our business, and we shouldn't feel like we are neglecting them by not being there 24/7. We need a professional team and support structure so that we can take the time for our families. We must also make time for opportunities that can help our businesses grow, even when their value is not immediately evident. Entering awards is an extremely useful exercise as it makes us take a closer look at how our business is performing. Guest Bio- Stacey Morgan, Founder and Principal of Port Macquarie Performing Arts (PMPA) and Podcast Host, is a passionate dance educator from Wauchope, NSW. She has received numerous awards at the Greater Port Macquarie Business Awards, namely, Excellence in Technology 2012, Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2014, 2015 and 2016, and Excellence in Innovation 2015. Stacey grew up dancing under the expert instruction of Francessca O'Donnell and gained her Associate Teaching Diploma from the British Ballet Association. She went on to dance professionally overseas and in Australian productions of musicals like Grease, Gypsy and 42nd Street. Stacey has a Bachelor of Creative Industries in Dance and a Bachelor of Education in Drama from the Queensland University of Technology, and she also has her Masters in Arts Education - majoring in Dance Teaching - from Deakin University. Prior to opening PMPA, she was Education Manager for the Royal New Zealand Ballet where she facilitated a nation-wide education program for dance. Stacey is the co-host of Miss Bossy Boots, a podcast inspiring leadership for Women in Business. http://pmperformingarts.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceymorganpmpa/