It's time to talk about learning from failure. I know. Learning from failure is no one's favorite subject. No one gets excited about failure, but y'all, failure is a reality in life and business! We might as well just learn from it! I have had a lot of failures in my life . . . and in Business Boutique . . . and in speaking. So I've gotten a lot of practice. And today, I'm going to help you answer the question, "How do I learn from my failure?" Three Ways to Learn From Failure 1. Adjust on the Fly When it's possible, adjust on the fly. A few years ago I was booked to speak at Catalyst, talking to women about life balance. Everything I wrote was directed at women and what we struggle with when it comes to life balance. I used stories that were relatable to women and I even pulled stories from the Bible, citing Scripture about women. On the day of the event, I stood at the back of the room and watched the room fill up with people, who were all men. Do you see the problem? I could have gone ahead and given the talk as if I were presenting to women. That would have been the safe route. Or I knew I could adjust on the fly to the failure. That's what I did. I had notes from a previous talk and just scrapped the slides! It was exactly the talk I was supposed to give, and they only heard it because I was willing to think on my feet. The lesson? Don't be afraid to think on your feet and make it up on the fly to save a misstep from becoming a complete failure! Related: How to Be More Confident 2. Deal With It If you make a mistake, drop the ball, or just fall flat on your face, deal with it. Back when I worked as the aquatic director at the YMCA, in the middle of a chaotic day, I made a big mistake. On the day of our mandatory annual aquatics safety training, my director called me to ask why my lifeguards were not in attendance. Luckily there were two options for sessions: 9 a.m. or 2 p.m. But I'd not only forgotten, I also hadn't told a single person they needed to be there. You know what I did? I dealt with it. I went speed walking down the hall to the executive director's office and opened the door. I looked her in the face and said, "I am sorry to bother you, but I need you to know that I have dropped a huge ball. I am taking care of it, but I just want you to know that I am aware of it and I am really sorry." I explained what I'd forgotten and gave her my plan to fix it. Thankfully, I got almost 100% of my staff to the 2 p.m. training. I failed but I did three things to face my failure head on. Own it. It's in our nature to hide, cover up, make excuses, and place blame. By owning it, you are doing the opposite of what most people choose, while demonstrating maturity, integrity and self-awareness. In the process, you're also building trust. Apologize for it. Apologizing shows you're coachable. It demonstrates humility instead of defensiveness, which makes others want to work with you more. Fix it. Doing your best to fix a mistake is proactive. People will respect your ability to try to repair a mishap when one happens. 3. Dust Yourself Off There's no magic lesson with this one. But here's the truth: You're going to have experiences you would never want to relive. There are going to be times you fail so badly it stays with you for a while. Many years ago I had a speaking engagement that I try to forget, and it haunts me to the this day. But you know what? It hasn't kept me from doing the thing I'm meant to do. I kept going. And you can too. Y'all, it's totally possible to learn from failure with these three strategies. If you can adjust on the fly, you might avoid it all together. If you can't avoid it, then deal with it. If you can't deal with it, just dust yourself off and keep going. How to Learn From Failure with Kristen Hadeed Kristen Hadeed is the CEO and founder of Student Maid, a cleaning company that has employed thousands...

If you've been in business for any amount of time-heck, if you've been living for any amount of time-you've encountered fear. We always think of fear as a bad sign. But in truth, fear is not a sign that we're doing something bad; it's a sign we're doing something bold. So many times in life fear can hold us back from doing the thing we're really meant to do. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you don't get scared. When Fear Makes You Doubt Your Ability I was 10 years old the first time I realized I was a good runner-at the skate center of all places. It gave me incredible confidence as a 10-year-old to discover something I was naturally good at. It was this realization that led me to join the track team in middle and high school. Despite my natural running ability and the fact that I loved running, the strangest thing happened before every race. I got scared. I'm not talking about the normal "prerace butterflies." I mean, I was terrified. Being scared made me doubt my ability and made me want to quit. I would beg my coach to take me out of the race, and every time he made me go to the starting line. I love that about him. He made me do it anyway. You'd think that after running multiple events for multiple track meets over multiple years, I wouldn't have gotten scared anymore. But I always did. Then my coach did something that helped me change my focus and interrupt my thought pattern. At one of the track meets, I was begging him to take me out of the race, he looked me in the eyes, exasperated, and said, "Christy, will you just tell me one thing you like about yourself?" Confused, I answered him: "My blue eyes." "Great," he said. "Focus on that. I don't want you to think about the race, the other runners, or your time. Just focus on your blue eyes." Changing my focus from what I was scared about to what I was confident in was just enough to distract the fear out of me. Related: The Fear or Wisdom Filter Changing Your Focus to Overcome Fear Whether you choose to think about what you're scared of or what you're proud of, what you focus on will become magnified in your life. Focusing on what you're good at and what you're proud of will encourage you to get better. Focusing on fear causes you to stay back, give up, or play small. I was a good runner, but fear made me doubt my training, my track record and my natural ability. It doesn't matter how many accomplishments you've earned. The fear can get so loud in your head that it makes you doubt yourself. But here's the good news: You get to choose what you focus on. The thoughts you allow to enter your mind will change your entire experience. My friend Melissa says, "Your mind is multimillion dollar real estate. Be very selective about what you allow to reside there." Related: Ep. 31 - Is It Fear or Wisdom? Three Questions That Will Help You Face Your Fears Walking to any starting line is scary, and it makes you vulnerable. But before you let fear steal your opportunities and rob you of your potential, ask yourself a few questions. What's something you like about yourself? What are you proud of? What's going right in your life or business? And then, focus on those answers instead. It may just be enough to distract the fear right out of you and make you want to go for it. Overcoming Your Fears with Jessica Honegger Jessica Honegger is the founder and co-CEO of the socially conscious fashion brand, the Noonday Collection; author of the book, Imperfect Courage; and host of The Going Scared Podcast. As if that's not impressive enough, she's also the mom of three little ones. Jessica is passionate about encouraging others to leave their comfort zone, move forward even when you're scared, and step into a life of impact. The path to success doesn't always seem clear, but when you focus on what you are confident in-instead of what you are fearful of-moving forward doesn't...

It's time to talk about working smarter, not harder in order to increase your productivity. How to Be More Productive With Simple Changes Have you ever wondered how you can be more productive? The solution may be staring you in the face and easier than you think. Here's an example straight from my closet. Every morning I woke up, walked into my closet, flipped on the light, and picked out clothes. And every morning I spent a ton of time just staring at my clothes-well, squinting at my clothes. After months and months, I realized I had a problem. My problem? My energy-saving light bulb. It took time to warm up and actually illuminate my clothes. And every morning I had to either wait for the lightbulb to heat up or squint. You know what I finally did? I put in a normal light bulb! Angels shone down from heaven and I could actually see my clothes when I picked them out. It's funny to think about, but we do this in other areas of our lives, don't we? We live with problems instead of actually fixing them. We've all been there. The sink has been leaking for years. And instead of fixing it, you clean up the puddle every time you use it. We just live with the problem and take extra time every day dealing with the consequences, not the source. You have one sad phone charger with a wire sticking out, and it's on its last leg. Instead of getting multiple phone chargers and leaving them several places around the house, you just carry the one with you everywhere. You lose it or risk electrocution multiple times a day. We live with the broken phone charger instead of taking the time to find a solution. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Our problems are not going to change until we bring solutions. I get it. We are tired, and solving the root of the problem requires thinking and energy and time. I want to challenge you to use some time and energy to get to the root of some of the problems holding you back. If you want a different result, you have to do something differently. If we're going to work smarter, not harder, we've got to get rid of some of these problems. Three Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder 1. Stop Press pause on your crazy life for a second. Your brain is CONSTANLY in overdrive. It's going 100 miles an hour all day, every day. If we're going to think outside our problems, we have to stop. You can't identify the root of your problems if there's no margin in your brain. Stop and create some space to think. 2. Think Thinking . . . what's that like? HA! Once you've stopped long enough to create space to think, you might be surprised what you can identify. Think through your day from start to finish, and ask yourself this question: What barriers or annoyances do you deal with? Identify areas that drive you crazy and keep you from getting things done. Things that steal your time but don't have to. Problems that you accept but don't have to. Annoyances you live with but don't have to. It could be a small thing that is a drain on your mental or physical energy. Make a list. 3. Solution Take your list and write out to the side a solution for each of the problems you live with. Most of the "problems" in our lives have a very easy and obvious solution. We just haven't come up with the solution, because we've never taken time to come up with it. You might need to get on Amazon and order several phone chargers, get a new light bulb, set out your clothes the night before, or buy yourself a jewelry case. The Difference Between Problems You Can Solve and Problems You Can't Solve There are problems you can live with and problems you don't have to live with. You probably have some problems that you might have to live with, but I'd be willing to bet that you also have a lot that you don't. Stop. Think. Solution. Stop going 100 miles per hour. Think about what's holding you back....

Let's talk about perseverance. Perseverance is a quality that will have a huge effect not only on your business, but on your whole life. What Is Perseverance? Perseverance is persistence. It's pursuing something with passion. It's pushing through when things are hard. I'll be honest: Perseverance isn't something I personally struggle with. In fact, I'm so persistent that it's almost a flaw. Sometimes I just don't know when to quit! But that's why I can tell you that being persistent and persevering in my life has been the number one quality that's enabled me to achieve everything that I have. Even when it's hard, even when it's inconvenient, and even when I have tons of obstacles, I still push through.  Why It's So Important to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up Steve Jobs once said, "I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance."1 Half! He believed half of what makes an entrepreneur successful is not money, not fame or a family name, not a business degree or even knowledge. It's perseverance! I couldn't agree more. And you know, there are so many success stories of women who got their million-dollar business idea right after pushing past the point of wanting to give up. People may have thought they were crazy, but they pushed through anyway. Look at Kendra Scott, who started her first business at age 19.2 That business was called The Hat Box, but none of us know Kendra Scott as a hat designer, do we? That's because Kendra didn't find her successful business idea until almost a decade later. She designed her first jewelry collection with just $500 cash, and today, women all over the world (including me!) can't get enough of her fun, girly jewelry and accessories. Related: Ep. 40-Top Traits of Highly Successful Women Then there's J.K. Rowling, who wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a broke, single mom, fresh off the heels of her mother's death and a divorce. Her book was rejected by 12 publishers before it was finally picked up by one. She was given an advance of less than $2,000 for her work.3 Of course, we now know her as one of the wealthiest women in the world. But maybe you don't want to make a million dollars. Maybe you just want to pay for a trip to Disney World, or be able to quit your day job. On some days, I bet that seems like an impossible dream. Or maybe your business is stalling and you're thinking about scrapping the whole thing. Let me encourage you to keep going. In this episode, I want to help you. I want to help you persevere, and together, we'll tackle your doubts, like: How can I develop perseverance if I'm not a naturally persistent person? How do I keep going even when I don't reach my goal? What should I do when I want to give up? How can I get over the critics and the complainers? Slow and Steady Perseverance with Dave Barnes I am so excited to introduce you to one of the most talented guys I know, Dave Barnes! Dave is a singer, a musician and a Grammy-nominated songwriter. Have you heard the song, "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton? It's a huge country hit, and Dave wrote it. I'm a fan and friend of Dave's-and by the way, he's hilarious. In this episode, Dave and I talk about: How God used very humble beginnings to launch Dave's career in ways he could have never predicted Why he felt under-qualified for the first five years in his career but just kept going How to enjoy the small successes along your journey without stressing over "what's next" Leaving margin in your schedule for God to surprise you Why you should listen to your inclinations and let your values dictate your business plan Pep Talk Time! And of course, one of my favorite parts of this podcast is hearing directly from you. So this week, I'm answering your business questions about scaling, passive income and quitting your full-time job. Don't...

One of my favorite things about business is marketing, and I'm so excited because this week we're diving into a marketing concept known as the unique selling proposition. What is a Unique Selling Proposition? It is one feature or benefit you want to highlight about your product or service. This concept dates back to the 1940s and was used to get people to switch from one brand to another. For examples of this, just Google "1940s soap advertisements," and you'll see some brands touting "lovelier skin" and others promising to "stop BO!" Don't most soaps do both? Yes, but each brand chose to highlight a different feature of its soap. I've taught y'all about this before in many places, including my Business Boutique book, where I call it your unique position. It's the angle you want to take in all of your marketing that lets your customers know why they need to buy from you. In Reality in Advertising, author Rosser Reeves explains the purpose of your unique selling proposition so well. He says, "Each advertisement must say to each reader: 'Buy this product, for this specific benefit.'" He also says, "The proposition must be strong enough to move the masses." Related: Ep. 52-Market Research: How to Know What Your Customers Want So focus on just one feature or benefit of your product-something you want to be known for that is strong enough to move the masses-and highlight that in all your marketing, even if that thing seems obvious. In fact, in this episode, I'll tell you how my college professor taught our class how to sell a toaster by highlighting a feature as basic as its electric cord. But here's another example. FedEx has an advertising campaign right now that grabs my attention every time I see the commercial. In the ad, you see a woman standing in her art studio waiting on a delivery. In another scene, a package is hand-delivered to an elderly man sitting in a nursing home cafeteria. Then there's a little boy peering with wonder at a FedEx box in his living room. A voice-over asks, "What's inside?" Then you see the artist, the senior and the little boy light up as they open their boxes-and the answer comes: "Possibilities." Here FedEx reminds us that receiving a package in the mail is exciting! And if they've done their job right, maybe they've even convinced you that when you send or receive a parcel via FedEx, anything is possible. Doesn't UPS offer a very similar service? Yep. If you use UPS for your shipping and handling, can you send and receive the same things and have it done in the same amount of time? Probably. But FedEx hooked me with their commercial because they chose to highlight the excitement that comes with anticipating a package. What result can you highlight about your business that will make your potential customers feel something? In this episode, I'll challenge you to answer these questions about your business: What makes your product unique? What makes your services unique? Why should someone buy from you instead of your competition? If you don't know the answers to these questions, you're missing out on sales. You're missing sales because if you don't answer these questions in your marketing, your customers sure won't know the answers, either! Claiming Your Unique Value Proposition Now, your unique selling proposition doesn't have to be something unique to only you-in fact, it probably won't be. My guest this week understands that and has marketed her business brilliantly. Megan Tamte is the co-founder and co-CEO of Evereve, a retail fashion and styling company and one of my favorite stores. Evereve's tagline is "Dress like a mom." Just think about that for a minute. How many stores and boutiques and online clothing companies sell clothes for women? How many sell for moms, specifically? There are probably thousands or even millions, right? But Megan chose to claim it. Her marketing lets people know that...

This week we're going to talk about being intentional. Y'all, it's easier said than done. So many people just go through life without doing things on purpose. What Happened When I Got Intentional I need to tell you about a time that I was not so intentional. When I graduated from high school, I very excitedly got out of the state of Tennessee where I had grown up and attended the University of Central Florida. I went for the great business school and the beautiful campus, but I didn't really participate with the school side of things. Let's just say, I loved the beach more than I did class. And my grades showed it. I wasn't intentional with my time or my studying, and at the end of my first semester of my sophomore year, I had a 1.4 GPA. YIKES! Y'all, it wasn't that I wasn't smart and willing to work hard-I just didn't focus. But here comes the good news. When I decided to transfer to the University of Tennessee-to spare my mother the out of state tuition and because I realized I wanted to return to Tennessee after college-something amazing happened! They accepted my credits but didn't carry my GPA over from UCF. I got a clean slate. And I ran with it! I got really serious. I stayed late, I did extra credit, and I went the extra mile. At the end of my sophomore year, my first semester at UT, I got a 4.0. All because I was intentional. It's so easy to just get by. It's so easy to let life happen and just spend our time reacting instead of acting. I want us to do something different. I want us to be intentional and do things on purpose. Things will not happen for you in life; you have to make things happen. 5 Areas of Your Life to Be Intentional 1. Be Intentional With Your Marriage I read this a few weeks ago on Twitter: "If you want what you used to have, you have to do what you used to do." What did you used to do in your marriage? It is so easy for our marriages to become businesses. You and your spouse did not fall in love over the cable bill, or kid's schedules, or determining who was going to pick up the dry cleaning. Before the busyness of kids and errands and all the to-do lists, you and your spouse probably just had fun together. In my life, there are things that Matt and I used to love to do. We still do those things, because we schedule time to do them. We put it on the calendar. If you wait for those things to happen, they will never happen, because life will get in the way. What do you and your spouse love to do together? Those things don't have to slip away. Life gets busy, but don't let your marriage become an afterthought. Be intentional with your marriage and see how it changes things for you, your spouse and even your kids! Related: Ep. 49 - How to Get Your Husband on Board With Your Business 2. Be Intentional With Your Parenting In any area of our lives, it's easy to be reactive instead of proactive, but this seems particularly tempting with kids. Admittedly, I have two kids and they are fairly young, and I'm learning with many of you. But I've noticed that we, as moms, spend a lot of time reacting. We react to school and sport schedules. We react to what other parents are doing. We react to handling their behavior. We react to dealing with tough situations. Trust me, I know parenting is hard. But we're going to spend the energy regardless, so we might as well spend it on the front end, shaping our kids proactively, rather than always reacting to whatever life throws at us. Being intentional with what you want your kids to know, feel, do and experience doesn't have to look like holding yourself to an impossible standard of perfection. Just do things on purpose; it's amazing how our kids will get it. Related: Ep. 8 - How to Deal with Mom Guilt 3. Be Intentional With Your Business You can't float by in your business and wonder why you didn't reach your goals. Success won't happen if you don't do things on purpose....

It's time to talk about building a social media strategy that works. No matter the type or size of your business, having a strong social media strategy is important. You don't have to be an expert to find success on social media. Getting People to the Party With an Effective Social Media Strategy I want you to think of your social media profiles like a party! And people can't come to your party and have a great time if they don't know about it or show up. I'm going to break this down into seven ways for you to step up your social media strategy to attract more followers. Seven Ways to Step Up Your Social Media Strategy 1. Be Visual If your social media page is a party, think about how you signify to real-life guests where to find your party. You put out balloons and maybe a sign. You want to make it really clear: THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE! Do the same thing when you post content on your social media page: make it visual whenever possible. This will instantly set your content and posts apart. Can you add a photo or video? Is there a graphic you can create? There are tons of apps and tools to help you create visual content in less than a minute. I've got a list of a few of my favorites on my Social Media Cheat Sheet. 2. Be Interesting The human brain is designed to ignore anything that is familiar. It's constantly scanning its environment and labeling, categorizing and discarding anything that isn't necessary for survival. It's crazy. It's the reason that I can say, "If at first you don't succeed . . . " and you instantly know how to finish that sentence. Your brain finishes it for you and moves on. But if I say, "If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving probably isn't for you," then that stands out because it's interesting. Related: Ep 31: Branding the Look and Tone of Your Busines 3. Be Varied When you add variety to your content on your social media strategy, it keeps people coming back for more because you've added an element of surprise and delight. It's the same reason that I could go into T.J. Maxx twice a week but I won't go into a department store more than twice a year. Department stores don't have as much variety as T.J. Maxx! The variety is addicting and it draws you in again and again. Mix up the types of post you're putting out into the world to keep your follower's attention. Related: Get the Most Out of Your Content 4. Be Engaging If you want to grow your impact on social media, you need to increase your engagement. Engagement indicates how many people acted on your post-they didn't just view it or scroll past it; they responded in some way. They liked it, shared it, retweeted it, left a comment, etc.  Any of these are great things because the more people that engage with your posts, the more "successful" the platform views that post and the more likely they are to show it to even more people. When it comes to your social media strategy, pay attention to what types of your posts get people to do something. 5. Be Responsive In life and on social media, one-way conversations are not fun. That's why you should set aside a few minutes each day to respond to comments and feedback you receive. Your customers are more likely to respond to your content (remember: engage!) when you respond to them and engage. Treat others how you want to be treated, right? So if you want more responses, be more responsive. Related: 3 Ways to Connect With Your Tribe Using Social Media Content 6. Be Consistent If your social media followers see you four times a day for months, and then you choose to go off the grid, they'll be confused. You have to show up when you say you're going to and be consistent! You get to choose what your consistency is, but then stick to it! Your content should have variety, but your frequency should have consistency. Teach people what to expect from you and then follow through. Consistency is so key in building...

This week's podcast episode is going to help you simply your life and business. The stress of chaotic schedules and spaces keeps us from living effectively. I know for me a few practical tips can make all the difference. Our guest this week has personally helped me simplify my own life through simple, easy-to-do daily changes. One small change got me thinking beyond my personal life to business. I can't wait to share a few tips to simplify your business today! Five Ways to Simplify Your Business 1. Simplify Your Paperwork In addition to a laundry mountain, I have mail mountain. It piles up high for weeks or months until I finally address it and sort it into neat stacks. What if we had permanent stacks? What if there were permanent places where those things go? What if we created, like my friend April Perry calls it, a Command Center? You probably already know the main categories of paperwork you encounter throughout the month in your business. Just start there. Do a little bit of work on the front end, and create spaces to sort your paperwork as it comes in! Whether it's your email inbox, your computer desktop, or a few literal spaces, this strategy is going to help reduce stress in the long run. 2. Simplify Your Workspace When my husband Matt and I were planning our wedding and had a larger invitation list than our budget would allow, our wedding planner provided us with a challenge: cut 10%. We eliminated 10% of our list by eliminating from each category. The same challenge can be applied to your workspace. What if you cut a percentage of what was there? Let's say 30%. Go into your work space and choose 30% of the items taking up space to sort, store, or throw away. Junk, clutter, and the seventeen pieces of artwork from your children are overwhelming your space. It's time to approach your workspace with an elimination mindset. Imagine creating a workspace you actually want to work in. You'll enjoy your work more when you've created a space that you love. Related: How to Have More Time 3. Simplify Your Product or Service Offerings When it comes to your customers, less is more. In products, design, and content, it's important to create clarity. If it's complicated to you, it's even more complicated to your customers. You want to make sure you have a clear path for your customers. A million options with a million varieties is not clear for your customers. It's overwhelming. Research shows the more options you give people, the less likely they are to buy. People do better with limited options. Get rid of anything in your product offerings that wastes space, doesn't sell, you don't enjoy making, or has a horrible profit margin. You'll leave more space and fewer options for your customers to actually buy what they want. 4. Simplify Your Website Just like with your product offerings, your website needs to be simple and clear for your customers. My friend Donald Miller says, "People don't buy the best products and services; they buy those they understand the quickest." People understand the fastest when you give them a few simple words. Everything needs to have a purpose and a point-every tab, landing page, and product description. If it doesn't, it doesn't need to be there. When I'm writing a talk, I challenge myself to write the "one sentence." What's the one thing I want people to know? Then everything I say points back to that one thing. Your website should be just like that! Your website is a source of communication with your customers. Make it as clear as possible. What landing page, words, or images are not the most important things you want your customer to know? What words are confusing? What words are a distraction? 5. Simplify Your Schedule Similar to your workspace, you can approach your schedule with an elimination mindset. Set a goal and take a percentage right off the top. It's time to find some margin, and the best way...

Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone If you want to go anywhere in business or life, you're going to need to get outside your comfort zone and try something new. How I Got Outside My Comfort Zone and Started the Business Boutique Podcast In 2016, when Business Boutique was just starting, my team and I decided to try something new. We knew we wanted another format outside of our event to share the message of Business Boutique. We decided to start a podcast. And to be honest, it wasn't my first choice. I would have much rather focused my attention and efforts on creating more video content. There were a few things that factored into our decision to pursue an audio format over video format, but one large factor was that I was pregnant with my second son, Conley. We knew that it would be difficult to record videos and maintain a consistent production schedule through my pregnancy and my maternity leave. So we decided to try something new with this whole podcast thing. Luckily it's worked. But when we first started recording the podcast, the format was hard for me. It was recorded. It wasn't live. There was no audience for me to interact with. It was just me. With a giant microphone in my face. Alone in a room with my podcast producer, Chris. To put it plainly, it was outside my comfort zone. I'm comfortable speaking to a live audience or on video. I felt limited with the audio format. I didn't know how to translate my emotions and my facial features over an audio podcast. I was afraid that my energy and excitement wouldn't translate. It was something I'd never done before. The Results of Trying Something New Despite my hesitation, I trusted my team. And I'm so glad I did. We tried something new and we've seen an incredible impact. We've reached over 2 million downloads and recorded 54 episodes. We've heard so many stories from listeners who have taken what they've learned and started businesses, grown beyond their wildest dreams, and made money doing what they love. Think of all the people who have been inspired because we chose to communicate information in a way that could be listened to in the car, on a run or while doing the dishes. It was all possible because we tried something outside my comfort zone. What does that look like for you? Related: Ep. 46-Use Your Gifts to Make a Difference Rethinking Your Comfort Zone We think of our comfort zone as something scary. But it's not just that. Pursing something outside your comfort zone doesn't mean that you always have to do something scary. It doesn't have to always be bigger or involve more risk; it might just be something that you've never done before-something that you're not comfortable with. That's why we call it a comfort zone. The Limits Your Comfort Zone Puts On You When we choose to live inside our comfort zones, we make statements about ourselves. I'm not a writer. I'm not business minded. I can't do it. I don't have enough time. We put limitations and labels on ourselves and then we live within them. But what if God doesn't agree with your labels? What if God wants to do something new in you-something outside your comfort zone? What if He doesn't have those same limitations for you? Related: Don't Let Fear Stop You From Starting What Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone When you choose to step outside your comfort zone, the thing that used to scare you actually becomes a part of your comfort zone. One day you look up and think, I can't believe I'm doing this. It all happens one baby step at a time as you learn, grow and become your new self. But it only happens outside your comfort zone. As you become more you can do more, and as you do more you can go after more things! In this episode I'm going to teach you: The three best things that happen when you step outside your comfort zone. How to embrace growth, learning and change. The importance of pushing past the limitations you...

How to Know What Your Customers Want by Doing Market Research Today we're talking all about how to know what your customers want. When it comes to determining what our customers really want, we have the temptation to return to our middle school days of fortune telling. Stay with me here. Do you remember the origami cootie catchers that told us where we would live and who we would marry? Did you ever pick the pedals off flowers, "He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me!" Raise your hand if you've ever asked a Magic 8-Ball a question. Y'all, we love to predict the future. We all want to know how things will turn out, and if we're honest, we'd all love to read our customer's minds. Related: Communicating Clearly with Your Customers Using Market Research to Determine What Our Customer Wants Wouldn't it be incredible to figure out exactly what our customers want? To determine exactly what they need? To know the words they use, so we can use those words and reach them directly? We can. We can know those things-what they think, how they feel, and what they need. We can learn all that and a whole lot more. And here's the good news: You don't need a Magic 8-Ball to tell you. How do you find out?  You just ask. The simplest things are the things that are most often overlooked. Instead of doing the most logical and effective thing, we tend to just guess what our customers want. We overlook asking them what they feel, want, need, think. We can demystify the whole thing by simply asking our customers directly. We're all great at asking questions, but many of us have just never thought to apply it to our business. There's a fancy term for asking your customers what they want: Market Research. Related: The Two Things You Need to Know About People Two Methods of Market Research There are two methods of research you can use to ask your customers what they want: quantitative research and qualitative research. Both methods are going to help you understand your market, learn, and grow. By asking your customers the right questions, you can gain a better understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and needs surrounding your product. A helpful hint to understand the difference between quantitative research and qualitative research is to remember the root of the word. Quantitative research is all about quantity. Qualitative research is all about quality. Understanding Quantitative Market Research In quantitative research, you ask questions that can be quantified and produce a metric for you to measure. You might do this through yes or no questions, multiple choice, ratings, or another method. Quantitative research is helpful in your business to not only understand your market, but to supplement your marketing, branding and promotions. Have you seen those commercials that say 9 out of 10 dentists recommend this toothpaste? They did a quantitative market research study to find that number. Understanding Qualitative Market Research Qualitative research can't be quantified. This type of research takes exponentially more time to sort through results, analyze and identify themes. But that doesn't mean you should avoid it! Qualitative research provides open-ended, non-leading questions that will allow your customers to provide answers in their own words. That's the reason it's so valuable! You really can understand your customer, their motivation, their mindset, and their language. Qualitative research can also be used in marketing in the form of marketing copy, testimonials, endorsements, and quotes. Lots of the words that we use in Business Boutique are things you've told us. We love to hear what sticks out to you so that we can improve, grow and get better. I love market research! It is such a simple and direct way to get feedback from your customers. Related: Ep 20: How to Create Engaging Content for Your Business In this episode I'll talk about: The different...