The Kara Report | Online Marketing Tips and Candid Business Conversations

Is Your Business Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant? Or have you tried hiring virtual assistants in the past based on advice from your business coach or business bestie? Maybe you’ve hired one, maybe you’ve hired many, and you’re always like, “why is it not the magic pill that everyone says it’s going to be”? That is what we’re going to talk about today.But before we dive in, I also just want to say this: we talk a lot about misconceptions and myths and what it’s really like hiring a virtual assistant, things that go wrong when you hire a va, mistakes, etc, but I also just want to say that growing your team and hiring a virtual assistant isn’t really optional if you want to grow a big business. There are exceptions to every rules, but when you get to a certain point in your business, you need help. So let's talk about it! 🎙️ In This Episode:How to know whether or not you're ready to hire a virtual assistantFinding someone to help you with what YOU uniquely needWhat you need to do BEFORE you make the hireSome of the biggest mistakes business owners make when hiring a virtual assistantLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/34Learn more about working with Sophie: https://hellosophierobinson.com/Follow Sophie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellosophierobinsonListen to this episode on the Breakthrough Brand podcast about team communication: https://elizabethmccravy.com/team-communication/Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/servicesFollow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport

Not working all the time has been a struggle for me because I genuinely love what I do. Like many entrepreneurs, I have a tendency to overcommit myself. I often don't notice the effects until it's almost too late and I'm way overextended. I genuinely enjoy the projects I take on and the clients I work with. However, I want to live my life too.If this resonates with you, you're going to love this episode. I brought on Simone to discuss why work-life balance doesn't exist and how we can release guilt while remaining productive. We'll explore how to get out of hustle mode while still accomplishing our goals.To be clear, we're not suggesting you can stop hustling, sit on your couch, and make a million dollars a year. That's not what this podcast is about. (If I figure out how to do that, I'll definitely pass it on!) What you'll find in this episode are practical examples and customizable advice, which I really loved. Let's get into it!🎙️ In This Episode:The difference between hustling and when you "just love working"What to do if you've already overcommitted yourselfHow to find more joy in small pockets of free timeGet things done (without guilt!)Links Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/33Learn more about working with Simone: https://www.thesimonelittle.com/Follow Simone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesimonelittle Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/servicesFollow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport

Today, I want to talk about three weird things I've done to get more wedding clients. This episode is going to be different because I'm not saying, "Do these three things and you'll explode your business." I want to talk about subtle things and hopefully get you to brainstorm different ways to market your business beyond social media, blogging, and Pinterest, which I always talk about here. So let's get into it.🎙️ In This Episode:3 ways I booked more wedding clients by accidentHow to market your business in new and interesting waysLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/32Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport Curious about my wedding business? Check out Love at First Travel: https://loveatfirsttravel.com 

 How should you come up with blog topics? That's one of my most frequently asked questions. People either say, "I have so many ideas, I can't get my thoughts out," or "I sit at a blank screen with no idea what to blog about." After doing this for four years, I have a system. I cover everything you need to know about blogging for SEO in my Blogging for Bingeable Brands mini course, which you can get 20% off with code Podcast 20, but today, I'm sharing how to find your best blog topics!🎙️ In This Episode:3 Ways to Find Keywords That Are Trending/ProfitableHow to Turn Keywords Into TopicsWhat To Do if You Already Have a Ton of IdeasLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/31Hire us to write SEO-driven blog posts for you: https://thekarareport.com/bloggingJoin Blogging for Bingeable Brands (Use Code PODCAST20 for 20% Off!): https://thekarareport.com/bbbLearn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

Lauren deVane talks about creating systems for businesses and the importance of Chat GPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini. She discusses better prompting AI tools, common mistakes, and making AI sound more authentic. The conversation explores optimizing AI interactions, leveraging advanced tools, and embracing AI for enhancing life.

There are so many buzzwords in the online space and it can constantly make you feel like you're missing out. For example, today's guest is coming on to talk all about systems, specifically, her systems trifecta, which is three things that your systems absolutely need to actually be helpful. So many people will tell you that you "need systems", but nobody tells you how to go about creating them in your business and what they look like when they're working. 🎙️ In This Episode:3 things your systems need to have in order to actually help youWhat to do if your systems are out of controlWhy we need to plan our systems for our "worst" days instead of our best daysLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/29Learn more about working with Sandra: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/Follow Sandra on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplysandrayvonneTune into Keeping it Candid (Kara is on episode 52): https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/keepingitcandidLearn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/servicesFollow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport

It's okay to be nosy 😉 Six months ago, I pressed publish on my podcast. And it has been really fun! I can't believe it's already been six months, so I thought this would be a super fun episode to just talk about how things are going, what I've learned, answering questions I've been asked, etc. This is NOT like a "tips to have a podcast" episode, it's more just me sharing behind-the-scenes being really new at something again!   🎙️ In This Episode:How I come up with topicsHow much time/money I'm investing My average number of downloadsMy most popular episodeWhether I took a podcast courseIf I've gotten clients from itLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/28Hire us to write SEO-driven blog posts for you: https://thekarareport.com/bloggingJoin Blogging for Bingeable Brands (Use Code PODCAST20 for 20% Off!): https://thekarareport.com/bbbLearn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

The word strategy feels overused these days but how do we know if we're just marketing by accident? And if we know that we're just kind of winging it, how do we stop? I've brought Tayler from Enji to talk all about what a REAL marketing strategy looks like, and how we as small businesses can actually use one to grow our businesses without losing our minds in the process. 🎙️ In This Episode:What marketing by accident looks like (hint: you might think you're being intentional)The components of a real marketing strategyHow we can better evaluate what's working in our businessesWhether or not small business owners should hop on trendsHow much time you really need to market your business Links Mentioned:Sign up for a free trial on Enji: https://threkarareport.com/enji Hang out with Tayler on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enji_co + https://www.instagram.com/taylrd_designs/Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/servicesFollow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport

I know as entrepreneurs it can sometimes be so easy to fall off the bandwagon during the summer. That's why today, I'm sharing three pretty low effort, high impact things I want you to focus on this summer. And don't worry, I am practicing what I preach here, because I will be implementing these things in my own business as well!Let's all focus on creating a summer marketing plan that sets you up for success in the fall. We all get that new fall energy, right? We're going to talk about three marketing activities you should do this summer to make your life easier when that fall energy hits. Your future self will thank you. So, let’s get in🎙️ In This Episode:3 Things to focus on this summerWhat to do to build momentumHow to ENJOY your summerLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/26Hire us for a website copy VIP day: https://thekarareport.com/copywritingJoin Blogging for Bingeable Brands (Use Code PODCAST20 for 20% Off!): https://thekarareport.com/bbbLearn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

Are you stuck in a feast or famine marketing cycle where sometimes there’s too much work and other times it feels like your email must not be working? Today, I want to help you explore a new marketing strategy that will take you from feast or famine marketing to consistent, high-quality leads. Don't worry - you've got this!🎙️ In This Episode:Why you're struggling to get out of feast or famine mode3 things that you need to have in place What order to work on each piece of your fast and slow marketing for maximum resultsLinks Mentioned: Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/25Grab our FREE fast and slow marketing guide: https://thekarareport.com/roadmapLearn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport