She Thinks Big with Andrea Liebross

How’s your marketing investment working out for you?Many entrepreneurs get discouraged when their marketing efforts or hiring decisions falter, and they struggle to find the right clients as a result. But can the cause be tied to a lack of clarity on some aspect(s) of their business or a missing piece in their marketing altogether?My podcast producer, Stacey Harris, often sees this with those looking to invest in marketing and support for their show. Today, she’s here to dig deeper and help you discover what’s going on so you can avoid more failed marketing efforts or new hires that don’t provide the level of results or quality of service you expect.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn what you need to know about your business before you invest in marketing or hire support. You’ll hear Stacey’s tips and recommendations for marketing your higher-end programs and services, why your leads from short-form marketing aren’t converting, turning marketing assets into sales assets, and much more!4:07 - What you need to know before you can hire others to help you and why just getting more leads isn’t always the solution10:04 - The importance of aligning your marketing with your offer and one thing you need to consider if you sell long-term programs or services13:25 - A better way to use short-form marketing and the piece between lead generation and conversion that many entrepreneurs try to skip17:04 - The consequences of not having (or being able to convey) clear ideas about what you want when hiring support for your business19:53 - Why you should embrace being messy in the beginning and how your process can evolve24:15 - Helping a client find the right messaging and advice for when you’re ready to start investing in support30:09 - The benefits of having someone else ask you questionsMentioned In What You Must Know Before You Invest in Marketing Support with Stacey HarrisUncommonly MoreThe More Profitable PodcastAndrea’s LinksVision to Action Intensive“Using Your Podcast to Launch a Book with Andrea Liebross” | The More Profitable PodcastAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Where do you start when building a new business? Or maybe the better question is, where should you start?You always hear about action plans. You’re encouraged to think about step-by-step processes, timeframes, and so on.But do you believe? Do you believe in yourself, your capabilities, your business idea?You've heard me talk about the importance of having a belief plan on this podcast before. During the first session of the first-ever She Thinks Big Live event, three members of my Runway to Freedom mastermind came onstage to discuss this concept and how they’ve really embraced it.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll hear how Whitney, Rebecca, and Cynde formed their belief plans and what these plans really entail. You’ll also get a sense of the differences you can have in beliefs from others while still having the profitable, thriving business of your dreams.6:54 - How Whitney, Rebecca, and Cynde first reacted to the concept of having a belief plan11:41 - How getting support with your family can help you be a better leader and grow your business15:29 - Is the same belief mindset necessary with everyone you hire? Or an understanding of your business from everyone in the family?21:41 - Advice on how (and when) you should approach your belief plan for your business24:33 - A few things from this mastermind case study session that I want to highlight Mentioned In Embracing a Belief Plan: Mastermind Discussion From the She Thinks Big Live StageRunway to FreedomAndrea’s LinksBook a Call with Andrea

Do you worry about cash flow in your business?Money is a topic that comes up over and over again in my coaching practice (despite, ironically, its apparent lack of popularity on the podcast). Regardless of any reticence to talk about money or listen to information on the subject, knowing your numbers is an integral part of business, and it goes beyond just profit and loss.That’s why I integrate money mindset and money systems into my coaching programs. Today, I’m speaking with Nicole Cooley, one of the money confidence coaches on my team, who guides you with a holistic approach that combines your numbers with your values, beliefs, and dreams.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn about the top three pain points for business owners when it comes to their numbers. You’ll also discover the integral impact of your priorities and knowledge on your business’s finances and why you shouldn’t fear your numbers (even if they’re worse than you thought).5:30 - Nicole introduces herself and reveals why she became a budgeting coach7:17 - Why the “I’m not good with numbers” mindset isn’t true in almost all cases8:29 - The pain point that can crop up once you start realizing what’s going on with your numbers12:30 - Why bookkeeping is outsourceable but business cash flow management isn’t14:05 - The missing piece you need in order to learn, understand, and make decisions with your business finances15:26 - The importance of understanding your priorities and the growth opportunity or return on investment of your business expenses20:24 - The distinction between bookkeeping and cash flow management to keep in mindMentioned In Top 3 Cash Flow Pain Points to Get Past & Get What You Want Out of Your Business with Nicole CooleyNicole CooleyConnect with Nicole on LinkedInYou Need a Budget (YNAB)Runway to FreedomAndrea’s LinksBook a Call with AndreaAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Do you see a big difference in yourself, your life, and your circumstances now than you did 20 or 30 years ago?You might think that college-aged kids can’t yet contemplate worries and challenges on the same level as a 40+ year-old. But you might be surprised...For the first time on the show, I’m interviewing one of my kids, along with two of her friends. And while nothing they said surprised me, I was intrigued to see the similarities between their struggles and those of older adults like my clients... and myself.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn how their lives and some of their challenges as 19-year-olds are similar to older adults. You’ll also hear how their experiences as college students and their perspective on being a better parent are similar to running a successful business.2:40 - What’s a typical Tuesday like for RL, MG, and KM7:46 - What can we older adults learn from how they spend their weekends?12:34 - What happens after 10:30 on a weekend night?16:22 - What advice do they have for parents about prepping their kids for college and life away from home?21:36 - What are their challenges? (MG has an interesting one involving her parents)26:39 - The relationship between parent and child and their thoughts about forming romantic relationships right now32:11 - What do they find most worrying and stressful about life immediately after college?39:41 - A little game and what MG, RL, and KM want to be remembered for many years from nowMentioned In Better Parenting & Better Business: Parallels Between the Lives of Young and Older AdultsAndrea’s LinksBook a Call with AndreaAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Is your past self getting in the way of the future version of you?Perhaps you’re allowing past choices to preserve a defeatist attitude about certain things. Or your past could be preventing you from challenging yourself in transformative ways that can create your future. And the worst part is you might be unaware that you’re punishing yourself in this way.While the past can’t be changed, there is still something you can do about it. And it starts with an awareness of why you punish yourself in this way, how to recognize the signs, and how to stop so the “future you” can finally unfold.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn about how the past can prevent you from accessing the big thinking you need to move forward. I’ll also give you examples of self-talk that signal you’ve been living in the past unknowingly and teach you how to stop punishing yourself for prior choices.4:30 - Clues that you’re living in the past unknowingly8:34 - How your emotional childhood impacts choices as an adult13:23 - What you can change about the past and the biggest mistake people make with past events17:42 - Ask yourself this about your past to uncover what’s preventing your access to the future19:37 - How to get to the version of “future you” that you wantMentioned In Stop Punishing Future You For the Choices You Made In the PastPsychology Today articles by Leon SeltzerAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Are you one of the many people who aspire to turn their creative passion into a business?You might love the idea of being the boss of your own creative business. Usually, those schooled in their creative craft aren’t taught how to run a business. So perhaps you’ve thought about it but haven’t gone through with it because of doubts about its profit potential.What if you could see what’s it like to be the owner and CEO of a successful creative business? I invited four mastermind clients (Nicole, Holly, Whitney, and Tiffany) to talk about how they navigate the world of business as interior designers.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll get a view of what it’s like to run a business and have a life that works for you as an owner of a creative business. These four women will teach you how they balance the need for client satisfaction and personal creativity, delegate tasks in their business, and more.3:30 - How they meet the needs of their clients while also meeting their own needs as creatives9:10 - What CEOs and business owners are and what these women find hard about embodying those roles as creatives14:57 - What they’ve delegated in their business and how handing tasks off to others has changed things for them26:45 - How they embrace the unknown and identify the real problem in their business33:27 - Final advice whether you’re a new entrepreneur or have been in business for a few yearsMentioned In Business and Life Success As An Interior Designer: Creative CEO Mastermind ConversationsVision to Action IntensiveRunway to FreedomYou Need a BudgetAndrea’s LinksAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Over 50% of CEOs have felt loneliness at some point in their business journey. That’s according to one study, but the likely reality is that it affects many more than that.Most people only see the illusion of success, not the hard work, sweat, and tears to get there. But there’s a loneliness that comes with being an entrepreneur bubbling underneath, too, and it can happen at any stage of your business.Furthermore, if you let your loneliness linger, it starts impacting you as a wife, mom, friend, and so on. So the question is... how can you recognize these signs of loneliness and combat them?In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn how loneliness can show up for you in the three stages of entrepreneurship. I’ll also teach you how to put checks and balances in place so you can combat that loneliness and prevent it from negatively affecting other areas of your life.3:54 - Why surrounding yourself with people who understand you as a business owner is key9:46 - How stage one of loneliness looks and feels like for entrepreneurs11:58 - Why hiring contractors or employees exposes you to loneliness of a different sort14:12 - How success can lead to isolation in the third stage of entrepreneurial loneliness17:00 - Three checks and balances you need to implement to recognize signs of lonelinessMentioned In How to Recognize and Combat Signs of Loneliness In Your BusinessShe Thinks Big Live EventShe Thinks Big by Andrea LiebrossRunway to FreedomDigital Debunking: Has the Motivational Iceberg Poster Been Lying to Us?The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren HardyAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Do you say things like, “I don’t set goals. I avoid them. Goal setting is too hard and a waste of time”?Lots of women say these kinds of comments to me on consultation calls when I ask them about their goals. In a previous episode released back in the summer of 2022, I referred to “anti-goalers.” Now, a year later, I have a more accurate perspective about those who might avoid or have trouble with goal-setting and why.In this updated episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll get to eavesdrop in on your own thinking about goals and learn which of two “anti-goaler” categories you fall into if you struggle with setting and reaching your goals. I’ll also teach you 10 reasons why women tend to avoid goal-setting in general.5:45 - Do you have a bit of the “anti-goal” in you?7:41 - The two categories you can fall into if you have trouble with setting goals you want13:05 - What I want you to consider as you continue listening15:10 - Ten reasons why women either don’t set goals at all or don’t set the ones that’ll move the needle28:55 - A possible 11th reason for avoiding goal-setting and what I recommend you do nextMentioned In Why Women So Often Find Themselves Struggling With Goal SettingI’ve Got ThisRunway to FreedomFull Focus Planner and CoachingBook a Call with AndreaAndrea’s Links

Your business might be making money, but that doesn’t necessarily make your business a profitable one.So many entrepreneurs feel reluctant to look at the numbers in their business. They may not find it fun or fear what they might see, so they just avoid it altogether.But you need to know your numbers and what they mean in order to make the right decisions that’ll add to the bottom line without adding on stress, unnecessary debt, or even crumbling your business from within.Ciara Stockeland helps her clients use their inventory to level up their business profits. And today, she’s back on the podcast to talk about all things numbers and cash flow!In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn how to make decisions about sales and marketing in your business based on the numbers. Ciara will teach you how to avoid making the types of mistakes that lead to less profit and how to look at your numbers so you can increase profit and keep more cash.2:42 - How Ciara went from a brick-and-mortar entrepreneur to a coach and consultant for inventory-based businesses4:00 - Top three things Ciara sees business owners do that affect their lack of profitability7:09 - The importance of a firm foundation, knowing your key performance indicators, and why more sales might cause more problems10:32 - How Ciara helps her clients create their sales goals11:44 - Creating a habit or routine around looking at your numbers15:18 - Being committed versus interested and the importance of a belief plan22:12 - How to figure out what profitability means to you and your business25:16 - A couple of big takeaways from this conversation with CiaraConnect with Ciara StockelandCiara Stockeland is a mom, wife, triathlete and serial entrepreneur who built a seven-figure retail business. She was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and even invited to the White House. But in over 10 years of business, she never took home a consistent paycheck… until she learned the numbers and understood what they meant. Now as an inventory and cash flow expert, she helps her clients get focused on the right things in their business so they can finally get a consistent paycheck.Ciara Stockeland | InstagramInventory Genius: Create More Profit and Keep More Cash by Ciara StockelandThe Inventory Genius PodcastMentioned In How to Level Up Your Profit and Keep More Cash with Ciara StockelandAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bads Ones by James ClearAndrea’s LinksAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Do you need coaching... or do you need counseling?Sometimes, people get coaching confused with therapy and psychiatry. While coaching has therapeutic elements, it isn’t (and thus can’t replace) therapy or counseling.In a previous episode, you may have heard me talk about the difference between coaching and counseling. But I gave my point of view on it. Today on the podcast, you’ll get the perspective of clients who are entrepreneurs in the mental health industry who can speak on this better than I can.In this episode of Time to Level Up, you’ll learn about the difference between coaching and therapy and how to discern which one you need. They’ll also discuss the benefits of therapists having a coach and why getting coaching is essential, even for mental health professionals.5:20 - The difference between therapy and coaching and how to figure out which one you need11:40 - Can someone be a therapist and a coach at the same time?14:32 - How therapists (especially ones with a private practice) can benefit from coaching19:18 - For the personal practice therapist who thinks you should be able to figure everything out on your own25:03 - Do you need a coach within your industry to get the best help?28:59 - How coaching has helped my therapist clients on the entrepreneurial side33:23 - Have you secured the support you need to facilitate growth and big thinking in 2024?Mentioned In Coach or Therapist: Which Do You Need & How Can Therapists Benefit From Coaching?Andrea’s LinksShe Thinks Big Live EventRunway to FreedomAndrea on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook