Woman Owned: The Growth Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs

Hello, fierce ones! In today's episode, I want to share with you a trend that I have noticed over the years while working with women entrepreneurs and female leaders. A trend that – honestly – we need to stop doing, or at least slow down on doing it. Keep Reading >> Curating other people's stories and messages in our businesses. Ladies, it is time to step into your power, take control of your voice, and use your voice to curate and share you own stories and messages! Your audience wants to hear from you. They want to know your story. Your messages. Your ideas and passions. Ladies, it's time to take back the mic and use your voice, your stories, your messages, to empower others, establish a connection with your audience, and step into your power. My Challenge to You: If you are ready to play a bigger game in your industry, your business, or your non-profit – you need to start using your voice. Quit paving the way for other people to tell their stories all the time. Start telling your own Figure out a way to get your voice "on air" – either figuratively or literally. Be conscious of all the times in your business and life that you have allowed other people to speak up for you or you "handed over the mic." We've talked about using your voice on the show before. It's time now – my wonderfully fierce leaders – for you to use your voice and share your story and message with the world. "Stop taking the back seat. Stop curating other people's stories and messages. It's time for you to speak up. Use your voice to tell your own story and share your own messages with the world. We want to hear from you." – Eleanor Beaton Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Hey there, fierce leaders! Welcome back to another fantastic episode of the Fierce Feminine Leadership show. On today's episode, I am joined with one of the world's leading expert in selling products and managing brand presence online as an Amazon Seller – Robyn Johnson. Robyn is the CEO of Best from the Nest, an Amazon seller who went from being a struggling Youth Minister to becoming a power seller on Amazon. Her company focuses on buying and reselling products on Amazon while coaching and mentoring individuals and brands on how to begin a business selling products on Amazon and helping brands learn how to manage their online presence through the Amazon e-commerce platform. Keep Reading >> Today, Robyn shares her story about how she got started in the business and the struggles she has had to overcome while building her business in the industry. She explains her philosophy on goal setting for new and aspiring entrepreneurs and women leaders, and how she went from struggling with debt to building a 7-figure business in under five years. She has become a master at developing systems and processes in her business to make things run more smoothly for her team while allowing herself more time to handle the important things in her business and life. I am incredibly excited to have her on the show today. Thank you, Robyn, for sharing your wisdom with my amazingly Fierce Feminine Leaders! Here's a Breakdown of the Topics We Covered: Robyn shares her story – from being a Youth Minister to growing a wildly successful, 7-figure business. What Robyn does at Best from the Nest, who her target audience and clientele are for her coaching and mentoring programs, and how she helps individuals and brands grow their businesses and online presence through Amazon Robyn's business model What was the turning point for Robyn? What critical strategies did she put into place that allowed her to create such amazing results? A 'Day-in-the-life-of-Robyn example of her monthly goal strategies and how frequently she checks her numbers. Robyn's philosophy on setting goals and how many goals an entrepreneur should work on at one time. When Robyn decided to go from working the business independently to outsourcing some of the work, what did she have to tell herself to make the transition more bearable and less stressful? "The biggest cap in your growth as an entrepreneur or leader within an organization is the failure to delegate" – Eleanor Beaton Getting Intimate with Robyn – the Wrap-up Questionnaire Session: What is Robyn's idea of 'Perfect Happiness'? What is her greatest fear? Which living person does Robyn most admire? What historical figure does she most identify with or aspire to be like? Robyn's Message to the Fierce Feminine Leaders listening today: "Being an entrepreneur is kind of like being a superhero. Living in that gap and pushing through that wall is what defines us. It's what characterizes who we are as leaders and as women. We can't judge ourselves off of someone else's ending chapter. Give yourself lots of grace. Judge yourself off your own best hard work." – Robyn Johnson Connect with Robyn: Best from the Nest The Unstoppable Entrepreneur Show – on iTunes and Stitcher Resources Mentioned in the Show: The book: Business Secrets from the Bible by Rabbi Daniel Lapin The book: The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Processes – or more specifically, creating processes. If you are anything like me, you have a love: hate relationship with creating systems and processes within your business or organization. What are systems and processes? If you are an entrepreneur or a female leader in your organization, they help to empower your team by setting clear expectations and are a critical aspect of building a successful business. Keep Reading >> Most female entrepreneurs and women thought-leaders go into business desiring more freedom. However, if your organization is lacking systems and processes that make it easy for your team to follow, can you really consider yourself 'free'? "If you really want to be free, the number one thing leaders and entrepreneurs need to do is set up systems and processes for everything in their business or organization." – Eleanor Beaton In today's episode, I am going to share with you some practical ways that you can begin setting up systems and processes within your organization. 3 Practical Ways to Set Up Processes in Your Business or Organization: Pay attention to each and every instance that you notice yourself doing something more than once. Ask yourself (or your team): How can I improve my company? If you work with a small team – or even within a larger department – invite your team to participate in workshop-style meetings to brainstorm areas that can be improved. The second session can help you dwindle down their list of ideas into a "top 3" list of priorities as well as develop an action plan to implement a process to improve this area of the business. Devote at least one hour each week to improving specific aspects of your business, based on the initial feedback from your team – or for entrepreneurs – from the list that you created noting positive improvement areas. "One of the things that you do as a female entrepreneur or leader is empower others. Setting up systems and processes in your business or organization promotes empowerment within your team or department and creates the foundation of success for your business." – Eleanor Beaton Like many of you, I am still learning how to love creating systems and processes in my organization, but we don't have to do this alone. Take the journey with me and let's build our successful businesses together. Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Today, women are starting businesses faster than ever before! For instance, in the United States, women are starting businesses at a rate five times higher than the national average. In Canada, we are starting new businesses at twice the national average. At these rates, it is undeniable that women-lead businesses are taking industries by storm, but many women are failing to see (or utilize) the benefits of developing recurring revenue streams. Keep Reading >> Today, I am going to explain to you what recurring revenue is, why millions of business owners consider it the "Holy Grail of Business," and why it is crucial for you to begin developing a way to generate recurring revenue in your business. "If you want to create a business that allows you to be truly free, you've gotta find a way to add recurring revenue into your business model." – Eleanor Beaton What is 'Recurring Revenue,' Anyway? Recurring revenue is a way for your business to make one sale, and generate a steady income flow month after month on that initial sale. Recurring income is a lot like your phone bill – your telephone provider does not have to keep throwing sales pitches your way for you to continue giving them your business. Instead, the sold you on their telephone service once, and you continue to pay your phone bill month after month, year after year. Two Great Examples of Businesses with Recurring Revenue: Audio Adrenaline Studios podcast production services My membership service – Impact Academy for Women 2 Important Things to Consider To Build a Sustainable Business How much does it cost you to acquire a new customer? What is the lifetime value of that customer you have acquired? How to Determine Your Customer Acquisition Costs: The number of customers you currently have divided by the total sum of your marketing investments equals your customer acquisition cost. "Recurring revenue decreases your customer acquisition costs and increases the value of that customer." My Challenge to You: Identify a way to create recurring revenue in your business. It will this help you work smarter and increase your company's worth as much as 2 1/2 to 3 times compared to other companies in your industry without recurring revenue streams. Ladies, if you're going to be working hard, I want to make sure you are also working smart. Developing recurring revenue in your business is a critical aspect of building a sustainable business that will allow you the freedom you want with the income you deserve. Subscribe &Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky subscriber will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Entrepreneurs – and aspiring entrepreneurs – frequently, and quickly, come to the realization as their businesses begin to grow that balancing their work life and personal life is a difficult challenge. I can relate – I have two boys, I travel every month, I run my own business, plus my husband is an entrepreneur. Life can be pretty chaotic at times, and it can sometimes feel out of balance. Keep Reading >> Today, I want to share with you my secret – my rule of thumb – on building my successful business while juggling travel, marriage, and raising my kids. "Success in business is not about reinventing the wheel. It's about doing a few core things and doing them very well, over and over." – Eleanor Beaton My Rule of Thumb for Keeping Life & Business 'in Check': I remind myself: "I can handle the chaos and lack of balance as long as my family life is working well and my health is in good working order." Make sure that the effort you put into your business or career is worth it and makes sense "Don't change the act, change the audience." – Lisa Sasevich If you are looking to build a powerful career or business, you need to: Get very clear on your message. Get very clear on what the core things are that you need to focus on in your business. And ask yourself: "Do I have the discipline and determination to continue focusing and perfecting those specific things – or am I going to catch the "bright, shiny penny" syndrome? Remember, ladies, when you are pursuing something with dogged determination, the natural by-product of that persistence is that other aspects of your life are going to get out of balance. Come to terms with this reality, and remind yourself that even when things are out of balance, you can handle the chaos as long as you maintain good health and are spending quality time with your family. Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Welcome back, my fierce feminine leaders! In today's episode, I am recording from the beautiful, warm, Austin, Texas where I am speaking at the EBW 2020 Abundance Live conference with several fabulous women, many of which are reinventing themselves in their careers. But, today, I want to talk with you about the common question that many women leaders ask themselves – whether they are stepping into a bigger corporate role within their companies, or reinventing themselves as entrepreneurs. Keep Reading >> Have you ever said to yourself: "What gives me the right to…" Wear that dress Apply for that promotion Tell someone (respectfully) to shove it Speak at an event or workshop Write a book Take off work early or take a break from work Spend this much money on myself Ladies, we all ask ourselves "What gives me the right" – especially when we are in the beginning stages of transforming our lives and careers – of reinventing ourselves. "You have to come to terms with the idea that the only person that is going to give you the right to step into your power – to lead your way – is you." – Eleanor Beaton Do you know what's the one thing that gives you the right to step into your power; to do the thing you truly want to do? The answer is simple – as simple as one word. Desire. Ladies, don't make this journey harder than it needs to be by asking yourself whether or not you have the right. If you want to do it – if you have the desire to do it – that automatically imbues you with the right to do it. Listen to me: You have the right! Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Changing careers and reinventing yourself is a difficult challenge. In my experience, many women who are trying to reinvent themselves and their careers often try to leave their past careers, experiences, and skills behind them. However, if you are trying to recreate yourself, your career, and your business, leaving your past behind you along with all of the experiences, skills, and insight that you have developed throughout your previous business is a huge mistake! Keep Reading >> "Leaving your past behind you – especially when you are reinventing yourself – creates incongruence and in-continuity in your new career path." – Eleanor Beaton Ladies, if we want our new clients and customers to trust us, and to believe that we are a thought-leader in our industry, we must tell our stories! Here's a Breakdown of Today's Show: Telling a cohesive, congruent story is critical for building brand equity, culture, and credibility for your business Sonia Samen from Ebby Rane reinvented herself from a corporate attorney to a high-end fashion luggage entrepreneur. Legendary CEO, Christine McGee, CEO and Founder of Sleep Country – the country's biggest mattress retailer, started her career as a banker 6 Reasons to Tell a Cohesive, Congruent Story about You and Your Business: It is a key part of your brand equity It acts as a major differentiator It makes you more memorable It creates a sense of who you are It helps you build a culture for your business It is critical for building credibility "Explaining your previous experience & how it helps you serve your current clients builds trust, positions you as an expert, and helps you attract your ideal clients" – Eleanor Beaton Ask Yourself: What are the threads that connect career #1 to career #2? Think about the skill sets you used. Think about the experiences you had. Think about the insights they gave you and how they helped you be even better in your business and help you serve your clients or customers even better. "When you are reinventing yourself – there is no such thing as a clean slate." – Eleanor Beaton For more information about the group coaching program – Bold Women Thought Leaders: Grow Your Business by Becoming a Recognized Expert, email me at Fierce@EleanorBeaton.com. Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

In line with the "Women and Risks" theme from last week's episodes, today I am joined by the wonderful business and career coach, Sarah Vermunt. Sarah's journey started while working toward obtaining her Ph.D. in human resources management and organizational behavior. After devoting four years of her life, and investing a lot of money into developing her career, Sarah began to realize that this career choice was not what she dreamed about after all. After spending two years dedicating her time to her previous career dreams, she went on a mission to find the work she loves – being a coach and teacher for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and new graduates. Keep Reading >> Sarah is the founder of CareerGasm and works primarily with aspiring entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and college graduates to help them figure out what they want from their careers and businesses. She is the author of an up-and-coming book and has written several articles for leading business publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., the Huffington Post, and U.S. News & World Report. Today, Sarah shares her insights and tips for our wonderful listeners to help them gain some clarity into what they really want from their careers or businesses, and what they need to do to achieve that dream. Here's a Breakdown of Today's Show: Sarah explains how she came up with the unique name for her business: CareerGasm. We talk about the turning point in her career that caused her to change career paths and begin building her thriving coaching business. Sarah explains why she "stuck it out" for two years in a field she hated – instead of shifting gears and starting her coaching business sooner. She shares some of the most common fears and apprehension that many of her clients often experience when they are considering a career change. She explains some of her key developments as an entrepreneur – both past and current achievements and developments. We talk about her new book: CareerGasm: Find Your Way to Feel Good Work, which is due to hit the bookstores in March 2017. How Sarah arrived at the point of clarity; knowing who she wanted to serve, the problem she wanted to solve, and how she wanted to help her clients achieve their dreams. Sarah shares her thoughts on branding as a differentiator and how she markets her business. "People don't quit their jobs on a whim. They quit when they just 'effing can't do it anymore." – Sarah Vermunt 5 Common Fears That Keep People From Leaving a Job They Hate to Follow Their Dream Careers: Afraid that their skills are not transferable or applicable in other career Afraid that they will not be valued. Afraid of being rejected. Afraid of what other people will think Afraid that they will not make enough money – maybe lose their house, their car, etc. "Ask yourself: Is this fear really true? Look at your fears alongside some facts when deciding to make a career change." – Sarah Vermunt Sarah's Advice for Professionals That Want To Start Their Own Business: Build your business slowly, while you are still working at your full-time job. Use this time as your "trial and error" period while also creating a financial safety net. Hash out your business ideas to learn what will work and what won't work for you, your clients, and your business. "Whether it comes to career or business, it's not just about logic. Intuition plays a large part in career and business planning. Very often, we use logic to discredit the things we know intuitively. Lean into your intuition – it can help you make some really good decisions." – Sarah Vermunt Learn more about Sarah and her coaching business: careergasm.com Subscribe & Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month's Contest! At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Competition in the workforce over the years has become a "taboo topic." Many women do not want to talk about having a competitive edge in their field. We keep saying "It's not about competition, it's about collaboration." Ladies, competition is a healthy aspect of building your career and business. It allows us to push ourselves past our comfort zones, and while being open to collaboration is important, having a strong competitive edge is also essential. Keep Reading >> In our last episode, I spoke with internationally best-selling author, Linda Davies. Some interesting points came up in that episode regarding women taking risks and why it's necessary for career growth and development. In today's episode, I talk with you about taking risks, and how taking risks can help you "out hustle" your competition. Taking risks is critical to personal, business, and career growth. Without risks, our businesses cannot flourish. So, what are some ways that you can take a risk to continue developing your business or career? 9 Practical Ways to Take Risks in your Life, Business, and Career: Make a career or business shift. Interview people who have your dream job, dream business, or work at your dream organization. Making the commitment to quit your job on a specific date to start a new business. Launching a new product or service Taking time away from your business – perhaps for a vacation, holiday, or personal time. Working with a new mentor. Investing in learning a new skill, or honing a skill that you already have. Applying to be a speaker at an upcoming conference. Raising your hand for a stretch assignment. Introducing yourself to a "key player" at a networking event. Your ability to mitigate risk is directly linked to your willingness to hustle." – Eleanor Beaton My Challenge to You: Ask yourself: Is there an opportunity for you to take more risks? Ask yourself: What would it mean to you to take a risk that can open the door to more rewards in your life, your business, or your career? Take a risk, and lean into the work to out-hustle your competition. Win a Free Signed Copy of "Longbow Girl." How would you like to receive a free, signed copy of Linda Davies' latest novel, Longbow Girl? I am excited to announce that Linda has agreed to give away one free copy of her latest book, Longbow Girl to one lucky Fierce Feminine Leadership podcast reviewer! To participate, head over to iTunes, subscribe to and review the show, then take a picture of your review and email it to fierce@eleanorbeaton.com to enter your name in the contest!

Welcome back, my Fierce Feminine Leaders! I am incredibly excited about today's episode and our guest on the show today. Today we talk about women and risks. Many successful women are afraid to take risks in their business or career, but do not realize that taking risks – stepping out of their comfort zone – often leads to personal and professional growth. Keep Reading >> Our lovely guest today, Linda Davies, knows all-too-well the advantages and feelings associated with risk. Linda is a former investment banker who left the corporate world to follow her dream – to take the risk – of making it as a successful writer. She is an Oxford University graduate with a degree in politics, philosophy, and economics and has worked for one of the largest U.S. investment banks in the country. She was the first woman to work in their European Corporate Finance Division. After seven years, she "escaped" the investment banking world to write fiction novels, having published several books, of which, her first was published in over 30 countries and sold over 2-million copies. Linda has lived in Peru for three years, as well as eight years in the Middle East, where she was kidnapped and held hostage by Iranian government forces for two weeks. Following her rescue, she wrote her memoir – "Hostage: Kidnapped on the High Seas." Linda shares her incredible story of how she became a successful author, what happened during her kidnapping and detention in the Middle East, and how this experience has changed her views of the world and the things she considers most important in her life. Her story and the experiences and tips that she shares with us in this episode are nothing short of inspirational. Thank you, Linda, for sharing your experience with us today. Here's a Breakdown of the Topics We Covered: Linda's story – how she went from being an investment banker to a best-selling author. How Linda balances writing and family life. Why Linda feels that taking risks is important to growth and development – both personally and professionally. What happened to Linda while living in the Middle East – and how it changed her perspective on life and values. Why Linda believes that writing your story – your speech – helps capture what your story "If you don't have the confidence to take risks, you won't grow." – Linda Davies Linda's Suggestion to Professional Women & Women in Business Go for what you want. "Self-belief and the idea that you can change the odds in your favor is key. Plan, plot your dream. Take that risk." Check Out These Books by Linda: Nest of Vipers Hostage: Kidnapped on the High Seas Ark Storm The Djinn Quintet Series Longbow Girl Win a Free Signed Copy of "Longbow Girl" How would you like to receive a free, signed copy of Linda Davies' latest novel, "Longbow Girl?" I am excited to announce that Linda has agreed to give away one free copy of her latest book, Longbow Girl" to one lucky Fierce Feminine Leadership podcast reviewer! To participate, head over to iTunes, subscribe to and review the show, then take a picture of your review and email it to fierce@eleanorbeaton.com to enter your name in the contest!