Cubicle to CEO

Want to earn rewards for sharing a podcast you already listen to weekly? Join our Cubicle to CEO Referral Rewards Program to earn fun rewards like coffee on us, free access to our business resources, and even a spot to be featured on the show! Learn more about our program HERE, or sign up right now at ellenyin.com/superfan!This week’s episode kicks off a 2 part interview series for all you aspiring first time authors on how to get your book out in the world. We’ll be exploring this through the lens of traditional publishing as well going the self-publishing route. Our first guest, Kat Harris, walks us step by step through how she landed a traditional six figure publishing deal for her debut book, Sexless In The City.Growing up, Kat was very aware that writing was not her strong suit. In fact, she nearly failed her college writing course and had a teacher tell her that she was not good at it. Years later, Kat ended up starting a blog, The Refined Woman, to have candid conversations about traditionally taboo topics. Similar to myself, Kat believes in the power of transparency and I love how specific she gets with the detailed breakdown of how she landed a two book deal for $160,000 as a first time author. Listen in for Kat’s inspiring story of turning her weakness into her profession, how she negotiated a $10K offer into a six figure deal, and why you should never compromise on your pricing.Connect with Kat:  The Refined Collective Podcast @therefinedcollective @therefinedwoman TRW Single Ladies Private Facebook Group If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Join our referral rewards program by signing up for our text notifications at ellenyin.com/superfan , and share your custom referral link with your biz besties to get them to sign up too! Learn more here! Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to earn rewards for sharing a podcast you already listen to weekly? Join our Cubicle to CEO Referral Rewards Program to earn fun rewards like coffee on us, free access to our business resources, and even a spot to be featured on the show! Learn more about our program HERE, or sign up right now at ellenyin.com/superfan!I have a real treat for you guys this week. Today I will be the one in the interview seat! My friend Tiff Cheng so graciously allowed me to share this episode of her podcast, Become An Entrepreneur, where she interviewed me and we really had the best time chatting about everything under the sun. There is a lot about my story I haven’t shared on this show previously, so I am very excited to open up more of my life to you guys.I just loved how this conversation was so honest about what it’s really like to leave the cubicle world and dive head first into being the CEO of your own business. If you want to hear more about what it was like for me immigrating to the US and being raised in an Asian household, why I think your comfort zone is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and my #1 business strategy (that has nothing to do with marketing), then I would love for you guys to give this episode a listen! Also, if you don’t listen to her already, please add Tiff’s podcast, Become An Entrepreneur, to your podcast rotation. Thank you Tiff for letting us republish this awesome episode!Connect with Tiff: Become An Entrepreneur Podcast @itstiffcheng itstiffcheng.com If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Join our referral rewards program by signing up for our text notifications at ellenyin.com/superfan , and share your custom referral link with your biz besties to get them to sign up too! Learn more here! Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dzung is giving away a free copy of her Honeysuckle cookbook! Join our Cubicle to CEO Community Facebook Group and comment on the giveaway post what your favorite recipe to cook is! You definitely don't want to miss out on winning this collection of delicious recipes!If content is king, then food is queen on this talented YouTuber’s channel. Here to talk about her journey to 1 million subscribers and beyond is content creator and author of The Honeysuckle Cookbook, Dzung Lewis!After getting her degree and pursuing an unfulfilling career in finance, Dzung was actually laid off from her job as an analyst, but that ended up being a blessing in disguise. Dzung and her then boyfriend (now husband) dove headfirst into YouTube in 2009. By combining her love of cooking and his creative passion for production, they launched Honeysuckle, a channel with hundreds of mouthwatering recipes and high quality food content that have racked up over 22 million views this year alone.Dzung is dishing out all the insight about how to win with the YouTube algorithm, the ways she generates revenue as a content creator, and how you can drive traffic to your videos even when you don’t have an audience yet. If you’ve been curious to learn more about YouTube as a marketing platform for your business, then this episode is sure to satisfy your craving.Connect with Dzung:  Honeysuckle YouTube Channel @honeysuckle If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Join our referral rewards program by signing up for our text notifications at ellenyin.com/superfan , and share your custom referral link with your biz besties to get them to sign up too! Learn more here! Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  ----- FREE RESOURCES:Service-based entrepreneurs, are you tired of being on the content hamster wheel + hustling for more followers without more income? I created a FREE, on-demand training just for you on how to use my step-by-step client attraction system to create your first $10K month, WITHOUT a large audience or complicated marketing strategies! Claim your bonus gift by watching now: ellenyin.com/getclients Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Join our next Paid to Create 3 Day LIVE Challenge: ellenyin.com/paidtocreateIf taxes make you want to cry, today’s guest is going to be your new best friend. Here to share how she saves her clients a minimum of $10,000 in taxes per year through overlooked deductions is tax strategist Jessica Smith, founder & CEO of Tax Savvy Jessica. After having her business as a side hustle for almost a decade, Jessica realized how much her ‘stable job’ was holding her back from the potential of her own company. She joined our Cubicle to CEO membership and within a year of implementing our Consistent Clients Cashflow System, had reached her first $10K month and took the leap from full-time employee to going full-time in her business and hiring her own employee! Stick around to hear 3 things all business owners need to do to prepare for tax season, her #1 tax saving vehicle you should consider, and how she changed her service structure to earn 2-4x more per client and scale her business to consistent $15K months!Connect with Jessica:  www.taxsavvyjessica.com @taxsavvyjessica Check out her 'Top 10 Quickbooks Online Mistakes' freebie available in our Cubicle to CEO Community Facebook Group! If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You definitely will not need to play this on 2x speed because today’s guest is packing as much knowledge as possible into every second of this episode! Here to tell us how implementing systems took her from working in a grocery store to growing and managing a team for her thriving agency, is Say Gabriel! After a lifetime of knowing that writing and communication was her calling, Say created the career of her dreams through her digital agency - Anansi Content - and quickly scaled it to 6 figures in just two years. The turning point for her was when she started creating and implementing systems in every area of her business. You all better have your pen and paper at the ready because listening to Say had me excited to start drawing out flow charts!Stay tuned in to hear the two expectations to get rid of when you’re hiring, the thought processes you can walk yourself through to determine which parts of your business to outsource first, and how to simplify systems so they aren’t as scary and will actually work!Connect with Say: Get to know Say! anansicontent.com @sayanansi Facebook LinkedIn YouTube  If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How are you building customer relationships in your business? Most businesses default to sending a coffee as a way to add personal touch, but the real key to connection is just making your customer feel like there is a human in your business that recognizes that they are human as well - not just another number.Today’s CEO built a global company on the core value of connection, helping businesses strengthen the relationships that they have with their customers. Matt Barnett is the official ‘Papa Bear’ of Bonjoro, a product used to provide a unique and personalized approach to engaging directly with customers through video messages. And they’re not stopping there. Bonjoro is available in 27 languages and continues to innovate the customer experience space with new tools that automate processes, but never relationships. If you’re seeking insight on how to turn your customers into loyal brand evangelists and build a thriving affiliate program, then Matt’s your guy. Listen in to hear how personal video introductions helped Matt get a 100% response rate on his emails, how he scaled Bonjoro from 0 to 40,000 users in just 3 years entirely by word of mouth, and what it’s like to lead a business with a remote team spread across more than 5 countries.Connect with Matt:  ellenyin.com/bonjoro @bonjoroapp LinkedIn If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of ⁠Revenue Report Files⁠: an audio archive of five years of Cubicle to CEO’s quarterly revenue reports, from 2020 through 2024. Each episode breaks down our company’s profit and loss numbers, along with the context, decisions, and lessons from that quarter. Full episodes can be found at ⁠cubicletoceo.co/revenuereport⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View the Cubicle to CEO X Boma Book List of our top 12 must-read books written BY AND FOR women in business: https://www.ellenyin.com/blog/12-books-every-female-founder-entrepreneur-ceo-should-readIf you want to shop Boma’s beautiful selection of handmade pieces, you can go to bomajewelry.com and use the code “READERS” at checkout to save 15%.Over the last few years, companies everywhere have been making a conscious effort to implement sustainability into their business models, but I feel that few have done it with the long-term vision and intentionality of one of my favorite brands, Boma. Boma is a handmade, ethical jewelry brand paving the way for social purpose corporations that believe in the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profits.Today I have the honor of talking with my friend, factory owner, and CEO of Boma, Suzanne Vetillart, to get her perspective on what building a truly sustainable business looks like beyond the walls of manufacturing and product creation. After spending her post-grad years working in architecture and becoming a mom of four, Suzanne realized she needed a change of pace in her career. She returned to the family-owned jewelry business her parents founded and stepped into the role of CEO.My conversation with Suzanne left me thinking about how so many social-impact businesses overlook how they can give back internally, starting with their own company footprint and people. It’s challenged me to rethink “sustainability” as just another buzzword, and I know you’ll be inspired by Suzanne’s wisdom to implement changes in your business too. Keep listening to hear the refreshing reason why Suzanne WANTS Boma to be copied by other companies, how leaders can promote sustainability in their teams and culture, ways to innovate, and why we need more diverse examples of what a CEO looks like.Connect with Suzanne: www.bomajewelry.com  Use code 'READERS' for 15% off! @bomajewelry If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  ----- FREE RESOURCES:Service-based entrepreneurs, are you tired of being on the content hamster wheel + hustling for more followers without more income? I created a FREE, on-demand training just for you on how to use my step-by-step client attraction system to create your first $10K month, WITHOUT a large audience or complicated marketing strategies! Claim your bonus gift by watching now: ellenyin.com/getclients Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want even more Cubicle to CEO insight, extra resources, and a network of growing entrepreneurs just like yourself? Join our Cubicle to CEO Community Facebook Group to get access to it all!Today is super exciting because we have our very first returning guest on the show! After nearly 2 years, I could not be more thrilled to welcome back a friend, student, and now $10K month earner, Lesa Banks.Lesa is a former Fortune 500 marketing executive who decided to hang up her slacks after 13 years in corporate America so she could work in her PJs from home, founding her own brand, Pajama Marketer. A mom with two young sons, Lesa helps other moms make MORE money while spending LESS time away from their families. She was actually one of the very first students in my membership, Cubicle to CEO, and used our Consistent Clients Cashflow System we teach in our program to generate multiple $10K months! Now in the third year of her entrepreneurial journey, she recently launched a course about Pinterest marketing (check the show notes for a special coupon code just for our community) and runs a marketing agency with her husband, Rick, providing high quality but affordable marketing services to small businesses! If you want to get to know Lesa, or catch up on the growth she’s experienced since the last time she was behind the mic in episode #6 on our podcast, then definitely stick around. We will be chatting about the roadblocks that come with making a huge career transition, the exact breakdown of how she achieved her $10K months, and the key things all small businesses need to know about social media marketing - including one small tweak that will make a HUGE impact on how your customers perceive your brand online.Connect with Lesa: pajamamarketer.com rblbmarketing.com  @pajamamarketer Pinterest Pinning for Business Course $20 off for Cubicle to CEO Members! If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want even more Cubicle to CEO insight, extra resources, and a network of growing entrepreneurs just like yourself? Join our Cubicle to CEO Community Facebook Group to get access to it all!If you’re looking for scrappy strategies to grow your business, you came to the right place. Today’s guest knows what it means to use what she has right in front of her, and turn it into something remarkable. Jess Ekstrom is the founder of Headbands of Hope as well as Bright Pages, the creator of Mic Drop Workshop (a program for women who want to become paid keynote speakers - I’m a student and love it!), and author of Chasing the Bright Side.Headbands of Hope has been featured on national TV and worn by celebrities like Kelsea Ballerini & Khloe Kardashian, but more importantly, they’ve donated over 600,000 headbands to children with illnesses with their buy one give one model, reaching every single children's hospital in America and 22 countries.Even more impressive? Jess started this company in 2012 from her dorm room as a 19 year old college student and had to get super creative with launching a product line and spreading the word on a nonexistent budget and social presence. Now after writing a book, creating a course, and launching a new business in the midst of the pandemic, Jess is sharing how she used what she had to make what she wanted, the reasons why you should (or shouldn’t) keep trying to build your business, and why you don’t want to be a Cheesecake Factory speaker (don’t worry you’ll get what I mean after listening). By the way, Jess is generously gifting our podcast community a one month subscription to her online journaling product, Bright Pages! Use the code “ELLEN” at checkout to redeem your free month! You can pick your prompt pathway based on what you want to currently achieve and then receive daily guided journal prompts designed to help you get clarity on what you want to do! Head to brightpages.com, create a free account, pick your prompt pathway, and then use my code “ELLEN” at checkout - this isn’t a sponsored plug, just an awesome gift from Jess to our listeners! Connect with Jess: jessekstrom.com brightpages.com IG: @jess_ekstrom Twitter: @jess_ekstrom LinkedIn Facebook If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost you. Leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe for new episodes every Monday  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices