No BS Mastery Podcast

Behind the scenes you bring a ton of expertise and value to the table.   And when you’re marketing your business, you might want to showcase that expertise—whatever your unique combination of skills and talents you have that make your business, well, YOURS—like it’s the only thing that makes you different.   But what you might not know is that positioning yourself as the expert of all the things might work against you. That’s why it’s essential to reposition your work by narrowing in on who you want to work with and what you want to help them do.   When we repositioned our agency-style branding company, we went from serving huge clients to only selling Brandups to 1-3 service businesses. The work was almost entirely the same but the process in which we delivered it, who it was for, and what it was called were all more specific.   Today’s guest, Susan Boles, went through a similar experience. The way she presents herself has evolved over the years; however, the core of the work hasn’t changed all that much at all.   Susan is a Virtual CFO and Finance and Operations Strategist for agencies, consultants & coaches at ScaleSpark and she's on a mission to help founders build sustainable, resilient businesses that punch above their weight.   She's also the host of the Break the Ceiling podcast, the show that breaks down unconventional strategies you can use to save time, boost your profit, and increase your operational capacity.   Tune into this episode to hear: How Susan went from hating sales and struggling to explain what she did to using her lead product to close clients in 20 minute conversations The difference between listening to client opinions of how you should run your business, and responding to client needs you know you can solve How Susan brings knowledge on a lot of different topics to the table, and yet keeps her positioning of her brand narrow and tight so people can easily understand what she does and who she’s for   Learn more about Susan Boles: scalespark.co Connect with Susan on LinkedIn Follow Susan on Instagram Follow Susan on Twitter   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com

Imagine this—you’re on the TEDx stage, sharing your powerful message with the world...   What would your story be about?   What would you say? What would your life look like up until that point where you could draw on all your incredible life experiences to empower and inspire others?   Right now, this might feel a little fuzzy.   You might not know exactly what you would want to say. And that’s OK! You’d be amazed at how setting a goal to commit to getting on stage—whether in the next six months or the next 6 years—can ignite you from within.   Being seen as a leader on stage—delivering your powerful story—can change the trajectory of your life, both personally and professionally.   Today, I’m delighted to talk with Melanie Gow. In some worlds, she’s known as a Story Strategist and TEDx Coach—but, in her world, Melanie believes that she makes Legends. Melanie connects people to their boldest message, so that they can harness the unstoppable power of the spotlight.   Melanie is an ex film maker, published author and crowd-funded publisher, best known for walking her two sons 800km over the Pyrenees and across Spain for 33 days, when they were 12 and 16.   And, yes, she gave a TEDx talk about it.   Tune into this episode to hear: Our experience working together on my TEDx talk How Melanie’s experience in acting and directing influences her work and process as a coach What inspired Melanie to walk across Spain with her two sons—and how they were all inspired to do it together The experience on the Camino de Santiago that inspired Mel’s TEDx talk and book   Learn more about Melanie Gow: awakenthelegendwithin.com Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn Follow Melanie on Twitter   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com

What’s your money story?   Money stories originate from events and people in our past—like our parents or primary caregivers—and they often shape our mindset around money in the present.   These stories influence how we spend our money, invest, save or don’t save, and how we feel about money—as well as all of our hangups and issues around money.   In this episode, I’m going to talk all about my own money stories—starting with when I found out that my dad was an accountant—and how my relationship with money has evolved over time.   Interestingly, the reason I talk about money so much is that it’s the tool for getting all the things I actually want—which, ironically, have nothing to do with money. Money opens up time and freedom and it’s a tool to be able to work on projects that I want.   Tune into this solo episode with Pia to hear: About the evolution of my relationship with money How all the money stories we’re carrying around impact our daily lives Why it’s so helpful to hear others’ money mindset stories so you can work through your own How growing up in New York City impacted what I thought about money A mental exercise to use to uncover some of your own money stories   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com   Resources mentioned in this episode: Jake Jorgovan Podcast: How My Mindset On Money Has Evolved Show Your Business Who's Boss: Episode 16  

What happens when you realize that you don’t like what you offer anymore?   Do you jump ship and try something new?   Or does fear hold you back from making moves?   More often than not, entrepreneurs get stuck in thinking that this offer is the only thing people will hire them for—and by leaving it behind, you’re leaving money on the table.   But imagine for a second if all the parts of your business you loved could actually bring you MORE money, if only you could get creative in how to present and deliver it?   Figuring out how to make it happen, instead of dwelling on why it can’t, is what it means to get in the driver's seat, and what it looks like to show your business who’s boss   Today I’m chatting with a client who I’ve had the pleasure of coaching on and off for over a year now, and have excitedly watched her step into being the badass boss of her business, Amanda Silver.   Amanda is a leadership consultant, coach and trainer for social change leaders and organizations, and she is passionate about creating thriving teams and cultures that get things done. Her unique approach focuses on heart and mind leadership and draws on expertise in mindfulness, emotional-intelligence, and strength-based mindsets.   Tune into this episode to hear: When Amanda finally decided to shift away from a service that made the most money, to the service she really wanted to offer.. And ultimately how she made ˆ money doing it Amanda’s evolution from being at the mercy of referrals to getting in the driver's seat where she now confidently knows there is a steady flow of clients headed her way How Amanda finally embraced a boss-mindset with a long term view of her business and finances—one that celebrates and, for the first time ever, welcomes lulls between clients because she knows she NEEDS that time to support her business growth   Learn more about Amanda Silver: amandasilver.com Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com

Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.   Fear is a pretty common human experience. Yes, it keeps us safe but it also keeps us from doing things that could have a positive impact on our lives, too.   Think about, for example, taking bold steps towards a business goal. Maybe you want to appear on 10 podcasts this quarter. But, the first step is to actually put yourself out there and open yourself up to rejection.   That’s where many people stop—they’re afraid that the no’s will cause them pain and therefore they’d rather avoid it altogether.   But sometimes facing the fear, knowing that you can do hard things, is the best way to grow into the person who might not fear that thing again in the future.   Take it from my friend, Captain Jesse Sommer, who will share some of the ways he’s overcome fear through his experience in the U.S. Army. Jesse is a command judge advocate and Paratrooper who just returned from another tour in Afghanistan where he contracted COVID so we are happy to have him back state-side, safe and sound.   Jesse’s also a JD/MBA and small business owner and, as you’ll hear, a bit of an accolade whore with a 20-year life-plan unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.   Tune into this episode to hear: A different approach to personal growth than the one we usually talk about here—hint: it involves jumping out of planes in the dark with a parachute that may or may not open How true leaders understand their responsibility for those under their command The benefits of having a crystal clear life goal and how Jesse’s inspires him to jump out of bed each morning even when he’s purposefully being starved and sleep-deprived during various Army trainings   Learn more about Jesse Sommer: We Don’t ‘Remember History’ By Erecting Monuments by Jesse Sommer All of Jesse’s columns on The Altamonte Enterprise   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com

Do you want to be seen as the authority in your space?   Then you need to be the authority!   And, truthfully, becoming the authority you’re meant to be all comes down to self-discipline in your life and business. You can go so much further by just keeping your word to yourself, showing up, and doing the work every day.   Not sure where to start with self-discipline?   Choose one thing and commit to it for 30 days. That’s it. And if you miss a day? Start over on day one. If that doesn’t sound appealing, I get it! I am VERY resistant to being told what to do—even if I’m telling myself to do it. But I found that by committing to myself, I grew my self-confidence and self-esteem.   On today’s episode, I'm chatting with my dear friend and boss of her business, Renee Sieli, all about the power of self-discipline and how she runs her super badass boutique PR firm, ERPR Group, that specializes in finance, technology, media, and entertainment.   I won’t give it away here but she has a very unique business model that blows other PR companies out of the water and can serve as an inspiration to anyone running a small service business on how to really stand out as an expert and get paid the big bucks.   Tune into this episode to hear: How going against the traditional PR model is getting her clients 10x the results One of Renee’s daily habits that keeps her on the cutting edge of her industry We debate whether or not you can guarantee PR to a client Our shared addiction to-do lists and how we’re coping The 30-day challenge we have both taken with life-changing results that you can start right after this episode!   Learn more about Renee Sieli: erprgroup.com   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com   Other resources from this episode: Principles by Ray Dalio

Are you strategically networking to get clients?   If you’re just starting out, networking is a great short-term client-hunting strategy and one that I recommend often. But if you’re going out there and throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping to connect with the right people by random, you might be wasting your time and effort.   Without a strategy, your networking efforts could possibly derail you from making progress and actually building your business in a smart and sustainable way.   To show your business who’s boss, anything you spend a lot of time doing needs to have some sort of bigger, long-term strategy behind it.   On today’s episode, I’m excited to speak with the master of leveraging relationships and turning them into profit with the boss of his business, Dov Gordon.   Dov helps consultants get ideal clients by becoming “under-the-radar” leaders in their industry by building what he calls an alchemy network of highly vetted, ideal clients and referral partners. He runs a number of these groups himself and he coaches consultants on how to start and run their own profitable alchemy network for consistent referrals.   Tune into this episode to hear: A smarter way to leverage your network and time to build your business How important it is to go all in on a client-attracting strategy that fits YOUR personality Whether putting yourself front and center in your branding is considered celebrity branding or just ‘the only way to show you’re an expert’   Learn more about Dov Gordon: ProfitableRelationships.com Free Guide: Learn How To Be An Under-The-Radar Leader Follow Consistent Flow of Clients on Facebook Connect with Dov Gordon on Facebook Connect with Dov Gordon on LinkedIn Follow Dov on Twitter Follow Dov on Instagram Subscribe to Dov on YouTube   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com

Do the photos of you online represent the best you?   Are they representing you like a true expert?   Do they let your personality shine through or are they a little stiff?   It’s not uncommon for business owners to grab a camera and have their friends take a few shots for their website or simply open selfie mode on their iPhone and upload the best of the shots to their social media accounts.   These kinds of pictures do the trick—but, as you’ll hear today, having a persuasive and cohesive visual strategy across all your online channels takes more than a nice photo or two.   On today’s episode, I’m excited to introduce branded lifestyle portrait and virtual photographer, John Demato. John collaborates with speakers, trainers, and other expert-based business owners to create an emotional connection with their audience through persuasive visual storytelling.   John helped me get over my fear of the camera and has shot most of the photos of me online, including my book cover. And as you’ll hear in the episode, I cannot tell you how powerful it was for my brand to get a library full of branded lifestyle photos and how quickly it helped me level up in the eye of my audience.   Tune into this episode to hear: How John successfully pivoted his in-person photography business to virtual during COVID What really needs to happen between you and your photographer if you want that MAGIC shot that connects with your audience What you need to do if you want to turn your passion, in photography or otherwise, into a sustainable and fulfilling business   Learn more about John DeMato: johndemato.com Connect with John on LinkedIn Connect with John on Facebook The Persuasive Expert Photo Program Persuasive Visual Storytelling Guide for free   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com  

Anyone can take a personality test.   I bet you’ve taken quite a few yourself before. They’re easily accessible, insightful, and entertaining. Rarely, though, do people take what they’ve learned and applied it practically into their lives.   But what if we did?   What if you applied the information to structure your work day, what you work on and what you outsource, and even what your business should focus on?   Spending the majority of your time working on things in your zone of genius is a great way to be more effective AND more fulfilled—and that might just be your next step to showing your business who’s boss. Today’s guest is a huge proponent of personality tests and a total boss of his business, Jake Jorgovan. Jake is a serial entrepreneur, author, podcaster, and business advisor and the Founder of Lead Cookie, Content Allies, and Arete Incubator. Through these companies he’s generated $40M+ in sales for his clients. He’s also the host of the Working Without Pants Podcast and shares the raw lessons of his entrepreneurial journey at Jake-Jorgovan.com.   Tune into this episode to hear: How to use personality tests, like Strengths Finder, to most effectively focus your time, and communicate with those around you How a personality test helped Jake find a much more effective position for one of his employees Jake’s brilliant hiring process that helps him save time by weeding out 95% of applicants upfront and still find the person who will best fit in with the team Plus, Jake helps me get my mind right about bringing people in house   Learn more about Jake Jorgovan: Jake-Jorgovan.com Jake’s About Me page ContentAllies.com Connect with Jake on LinkedIn   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com   Other resources from this episode: CliftonsStrengths  

Most entrepreneurs are addicted to the hustle.   They think that a never ending to-do list of writing email newsletters, queuing up the next Facebook ad campaign, tweeting their latest blog post, and launching new programs is the foundation to success and path to fulfillment.   That’s not to say those aren’t effective at growing your business—and they might be just what you need to do to show your business who’s boss…   … but what if there’s a smarter way to hustle?   What if we skip the to-do list?   And, what if we find that by skipping the hustle as-is and take a smarter approach that we build our fan base, strengthen our skills, and heighten our brand all in one fell swoop?   On today’s episode, I’m chatting with an old friend from my networking days, Ramon Ray. Ramon is the founder of Smart Hustle Media, a content platform for small businesses. He’s also a global speaker, event host and producer, and the best selling author of Celebrity CEO.   When I think of Ramon, I think of one of the best networkers I know and his track record shows it. Not only is he a highly sought after commentator on marketing, technology, mindset, startup, and more—his expertise and networking skills have taken him to the White House to present to the President’s staff, he’s testified to Congress, he was with Ivanka Trump in India for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and he even interviewed President Obama in his first live video chat.   Tune into this episode to hear: How Ramon monetizes his personal brand without offering any coaching, programs, or selling digital products Ways to determine what space you can be a celebrity in Why all entrepreneurs seem naturally addicted to the hustle How to turn the hustle into smart hustle   Learn more about Ramon Ray: ramonray.com smarthustle.com Follow Ramon on Twitter Follow Ramon on Instagram Celebrity CEO Book Sign up for the Survive and Thrive Summit on 8/20/20—5 hours, 20 speakers all LIVE   Learn more about Pia: No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course Start reading the first chapter of my book Piasilva.com