The Self-Employed Life

A new, important role has entered the lives of business owners – the role of Chief Diversity Officer. This is a role in which we, as business owners, ensure we are being inclusive in our businesses and in our communities, with greater consciousness of the messages we’re putting out into the world. It may seem like yet another hat we must wear as small, self-employed business owners, but being inclusive is equally important for the self-employed as it is for large corporations. But as usual, how we can be inclusive is different for us than it is for large corporations. To help us navigate this topic, I speak with Dr. Gena Cox, author of Leading Inclusion. In our conversation, Dr. Cox breaks down the difference between diversity and inclusion, and how inclusion is particularly relevant to small businesses and the self-employed. As Dr. Cox says, all of us can be more inclusive than we currently are. We discuss how inclusion and respect can impact many of our daily business activities (for example, even in things such as decisions about how and to whom we offer discounts). Dr. Cox also offers practical insights and solutions for increasing inclusion, such as looking for things we have in common with others who are different from us, and how having a “comfort goal” can help us be more inclusive more easily. After a decades-long career advising leaders in some of the largest companies in America and beyond, Dr. Gena Cox concluded that the pace of workplace inclusion change was unacceptably slow. She harnessed her organizational psychology and executive coach insights, her understanding of c-suite dynamics, and her personal workplace experiences to write a book, Leading Inclusion. Her book helps leaders connect unfamiliar dots to drive inclusion from the top of their organizations. Gena asks her clients to remember one simple idea: “Inclusion tops diversity!” And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Dr. Gena Cox, thank you so much for being here!   Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – Inclusion Insider Tipsheet GenaCox.com Gena Cox on LinkedIn (in/GenaCox) Gena Cox on Twitter (@GenaCox) Leading Inclusion by Gena Cox Contact Jeffrey – JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!   Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

Here's an idea that should be freeing as well as a hack to create more content. Build on what you've already created! When you're in business for the long haul, it could be considered the long-arc of creativity. And yes, whether you consider yourself creative or not, by nature of being a business owner and marketer, you are creative. Intending to be in business for the long haul, this idea of building and layers will be helpful.     Contact Jeffrey –   Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!       Valuable resources to help you –     The Self-Employed Business Institute You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out!     Take the Self-Employed Assessment! Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap.     Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!       Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Coach, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self-Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

One of the key distinctions between self-employed businesses and other business is that most other businesses are transaction-based. But our businesses are usually relationship-based. Relationships begin with conversations. So it’s in your best interest to learn how to master the art of conversation. With that goal in mind, I speak in this episode with Lou Diamond, author of the new book, Speak Easy. In our conversation about conversation, we talk about how the lessons we’ve both learned as podcasters have helped us be better conversationalists, how the length of a conversation is not necessarily correlated to the quality of the connection that is made, and the importance of asking the right questions. We also talk through the 7 Cs of Engagement and the critical distinction between a presentation versus a conversation.   Lou Diamond is a highly sought-after speaker, connector, leadership & performance mentor, and podcaster. Author of the international best seller Master the Art of Connecting and CEO of Thrive, Lou has made it his life’s work to help businesses, leaders and brands thrive through the power of connecting. His innovative, connecting tactics have helped hundreds of companies across the globe explode their sales, retain their clients and build a thriving culture. Lou’s boundless energy and motivation has inspired audiences to feel they can conquer the world and make tons of great new connections doing it. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Lou Diamond, thank you so much for being here!   Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – Lou Diamond on LinkedIn (in/ThriveLoud) Lou Diamond on Instagram (@ThriveLoud) Lou Diamond on Facebook (@ThriveLouD) ThriveLoud.com SpeakEasyBook.com Contact Jeffrey –   JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!   Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

It seems we may have gone from a pandemic to an epidemic. The epidemic is burnout. According to recent data, 79% of workers say they’re teetering on the edge of burnout. While no one is collecting such data specifically on us (the hardworking self-employed people whose very lives are riding on our own shoulders!), but with general-population exhaustion rates approaching 80%, can you imagine how close many of us self-employed folks must be to complete burnout? (And where would our businesses and lives be without us?!). It’s definitely time to rethink self-care for the self-employed! We often don’t talk enough about self-care – a crucial part of my ‘self-employed ecosystem’ – which is why I’ve invited Jenette Bronée to speak with us today about this crucial topic. In our conversation, we talk about having the right mindset concerning self-care, how self-care allows you to be your best at work (and at life, of course), and how we can demystify self-care (hint: self-care is not just about getting a massage!). Ultimately, proper self-care can help us avoid the trap of being “overwhelmingly busy” and allow us to execute on one of my key tenets of successful self-employment: working “on your business” instead of “in your business.”   Jeanette Bronée is rethinking self-care in the workplace as the foundation for peak performance, engagement, and a culture where people belong and work better together.   An internationally recognized wellbeing expert, she shares the tools to reclaim agency and cultivate the human connection that helps us communicate and collaborate with curiosity and care so that we can navigate challenges and thrive in our constantly changing reality.   She has spoken at the United Nations and delivered TEDx talks and keynotes throughout the US and the world on five continents about how we can facilitate change in our relationship with resilience, mental health, and wellbeing at work so that we can be busy and healthy at the same time, cultivating a culture where people create impact, growth, and sustainable success, together.   Her upcoming book “The Self-Care Mindset, Rethinking How We Change and Grow, Harness Well-Being and Reclaim Work-Life Quality” is launching in the fall and is available for pre-order. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Jeanette Bronée, thank you so much for being here!   Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – JeanetteBronee.com The Self-Care Mindset by Jeanette Bronée Jeanette Bronée on LinkedIn (in/JeanetteBronee) Jeanette Bronée on Twitter (@JeanetteBronee) Jeanette Bronée on Instagram (@JeanetteBronne) Contact Jeffrey –   JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!   Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

In today’s business world, it’s not enough to tell people what you good at, why they should hire you, or that they should trust you. In fact, if you do tell them to trust you, they will probably doubt you. What you need to do today is prove it to your customers. That’s why, in today’s episode, I am speaking with Melanie Deziel, co-author of the new marketing book Prove It. In this conversation, Melanie and I discuss the growing sophistication and skepticism of consumers and our mutual belief that the onus is absolutely on the business – not the consumer – to build trust in a business/consumer relationship. We also touch on the importance of being truly committed to the claims you make about your business and how this is especially important to today’s consumer, as well as how to use Melanie’s process for performing a “claim audit” on the claims you’re making to your customers.   Melanie Deziel is a keynote speaker, author, award-winning branded content creator, and the author of the best-selling marketing and business communications book, “The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas.” Melanie is also the Co-Founder and VP of Marketing at The Convoy, a B2B marketplace that helps small and independent businesses save money on their everyday expenses so they can invest more in themselves and their communities.  Prior to co-founding The Convoy, Melanie was the founder of StoryFuel and spent her days giving keynotes and leading workshops that teach marketers, creators, and companies of all sizes how to create better content. Melanie was the first editor of branded content at The New York Times, a founding member of HuffPost’s brand storytelling team, and served as Director of Creative Strategy for Time Inc. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Melanie Deziel, thank you so much for being here!   Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – Melanie Deziel on LinkedIn (in/melaniedeziel/) Melanie Deziel on Twitter (@mdeziel) Melanie Deziel on Instagram (@meldeziel) StoryFuel.co Prove It by Melanie Deziel & Phil M. Jones (PeopleWhoProveIt.com) Contact Jeffrey –   JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!   Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

The irony of a blind spot is you can't be expected to know what you can't see. Over the 15 years I've been coaching (and catching my own blind spots over 38 years), I'm come to realize there are 7 that keep showing up with my coaching clients and students of Self-Employed Business Institute. Here they are! Have a listen and take an objective look at your own business to see if you can spot any of these typical, yet critical, blind spots.     Contact Jeffrey –   Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!       Valuable resources to help you –     The Self-Employed Business Institute You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out!     Take the Self-Employed Assessment! Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap.     Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!       Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Coach, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self-Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

Today’s episode discusses the journey to a seven-figure business. Is the idea of a seven-figure business – especially for the self-employed – for real, or just hype? Is building a seven-figure business actually a possibility for you, or is it merely a “dangling carrot” that makes you feel “less than” if you don’t achieve that particular fiscal goal? Maybe this conversation with Jesse Johnson will teach you how to achieve a seven-figure business…or maybe it will teach you that this is not even something you want! Or maybe you know you do want to achieve this goal, and today’s discussion will help you identify what’s standing in your way of achieving that goal. In any case, this is a topic that pushes buttons for me personally – primarily because of how this “seven-figure business” topic makes self-employed folks feel — which is why I am so excited to unpack this topic with Jesse. Jesse Johnson is a master sales and success coach, specializing in helping spiritual entrepreneurs build 7-figure businesses. After 12 years of teaching math in NYC public schools, frustrated by bureaucracy, she founded her own personal development company and built it to 7 figures in just 2 years. Jesse now teaches sales as a spiritual practice - no compromise, no self-sacrifice, no mediocrity. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Jesse Johnson, thank you so much for being here!   Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – JesseJohnsonCoaching.com Jesse Johnson on Instagram (@JesseJohnsonCoaching) Jesse Johnson on Facebook (@JesseJohnsonCoaching) Jesee Johnson on LinkedIn (in/jesse-johnson-29949114) Jesse Johnson on Youtube Contact Jeffrey –   JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!   Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

Oh, the irony of being too busy to listen to a podcast about being too busy. Hopefully, being overwhelmingly busy is bringing some great things, like opportunity and income! But I also want to share, because I've been around the block a few times, my concerns about saying you're overwhelmingly busy. If this is you, I hope you'll listen in and heed a few warnings.     Contact Jeffrey –   Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!       Valuable resources to help you –     The Self-Employed Business Institute You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out!     Take the Self-Employed Assessment! Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap.     Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!       Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Coach, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self-Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.