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
Jul 26, 2021 • 57min
DUPED: The Luxury Life
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. __ 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
Jul 19, 2021 • 1h 2min
DUPED: The Very Tired Tropes of Online 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. ______________ 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. Learn more about Duped at duped.online
Jul 12, 2021 • 59min
DUPED: The Culty Side of Online 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. ___________ 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. Learn more about Duped at duped.online
Jul 5, 2021 • 41min
DUPED: The Bro Marketing Binary
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. _____________ 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
Jun 28, 2021 • 46min
DUPED: The Truth About Influencers & Experts
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. ___________ 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. Learn more about Duped at duped.online
Jun 21, 2021 • 46min
DUPED: Ethical Businesses - In Name Only
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 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
Jun 14, 2021 • 33min
Creating Time Freedom and Breaking Free from the Hustle with Becca Rich
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
Jun 7, 2021 • 23min
The Problem with Income Claim Marketing
"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/
May 31, 2021 • 19min
Your Burning Questions Answered
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
May 24, 2021 • 43min
Sustainable Visibility & Pitching Podcasts with Mai-Kee Tsang
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
