Staying Solo
Maggie Patterson, BS-Free Business
Growing a solo service business is tough. It's even harder when you're bombarded with BS advice that steers you away from your values and why you started your business in the first place.
This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings.
Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities.
Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore.
In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner.
Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won't pay the bills.)
(Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings.
Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities.
Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore.
In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner.
Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won't pay the bills.)
(Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 4, 2021 • 30min
I Spent $285 on Low Cost Offers So You Don't Have To
You know those low cost products all over your social media feeds making big promises? You may like them, or you may find them annoying, but there's a very specific strategy around them. And a lot of those strategies are a big problem from my point of view. So I got curious and bought 9 of these products to analyze them. In this episode and essay, I'm sharing my findings from that analysis I did after spending $285 - the good, the bad and the really scammy. I'm doing the work so you don't have to, and then sharing what you need to know. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/low-cost-offers
Sep 27, 2021 • 29min
Focusing on Values with Danait Berhe
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
Sep 20, 2021 • 12min
Rethinking Results in Your Business
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
Sep 13, 2021 • 29min
What You Need to Know About Done-For-You vs. Coaching-Based Business Models
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
Sep 6, 2021 • 21min
Simplify Your Service Biz
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
Aug 30, 2021 • 15min
The Aligned Service Business Model
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
Aug 23, 2021 • 13min
How I Really Work With Clients
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
Aug 16, 2021 • 33min
Trust First Pricing Principles
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
Aug 9, 2021 • 12min
Introducing Trusted: Alternatives to the BS of Online Business
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
Aug 2, 2021 • 52min
DUPED: The Predatory Culture of Plagiarized Content
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. __ 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
