Business Straight Up Podcast - Business Help for Creative Entrepreneurs & Photographers

Full shownotes: http://www.businessstraightup.com/053 Email marketing for creatives & artists is something that is SO underused, often out of fear. In today's episode of Business Straight Up, we are going to dive into moving PAST the fear to really embrace marketing and showing off what you do, proudly, so that people can hire you and pay you! Megan Auman is an artist and metalsmith who runs a very successful business selling her work, and knows how scary it can be to really step into marketing and putting yourself out there. She also knows how IMPORTANT it is, and will share how she got past the fear. Listen in!

Full shownotes: http://www.businessstraightup.com/052 Welcome to another episode of Business Straight Up, Happy Black Friday! LISTEN TO THIS before shopping for your business for Black Friday - no, really. Today we are going to talk about my top 5 purchases for your business when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Do you really NEED that piece of gear? What would be an awesome choice that will truly be an investment? What will help you feel less stressed or stretched thin throughout the year? We are going to talk all about Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and how to know if something will really be a good fit in your business!

Full shownotes: http://www.businessstraightup.com/051 CONTENT - you may think that it's just about what you do, right? WRONG! In this episode of Business Straight Up, we are going to talk about 10 content ideas for email marketing, blog posts and social media that you may not think really matter. Content can help you build the KLT factor - know, like and trust - and will keep you top of mind when someone needs what you specialize in. Let's dive in and get you some content ideas!

Full shownotes here: https://www.businessstraightup.com/050 HOORAY it's episode 50 y'all! Welcome to Business Straight Up - the podcast for photographers and creatives who want to actually make a living doing what they love. I have skipped a couple of episodes, because... well because life. And the election. And heavy hearts trying to wade through all of the vitriol. I wanted episode 50 to be a milestone, not something clouded by decisions to be made elsewhere, so I waited, and I'm really, really glad I did. In this episode we are going to go into 3 things you MUST know about marketing. And dare I say - not just KNOW about marketing, but really embrace in your heart when it comes to your business. Because business means two things - leads and sales - and marketing is what can reach out to someone who might be a lead, so that you can offer them the service that you provide, so that they can exchange value (money) for what you do. That's kind of just the bottom line in marketing and sales, and there are a few things to know that will really break it down, so that we can let go of the slimy stories that we sometimes hold onto that don't serve us! Listen in, and let me know what YOU are going to let go of moving forward at https://www.businessstraightup.com/community If you want to be on the waitlist and get in on the free email marketing masterclass, head to http://www.inboxtobooked.com - it opens in December for a limited time!

3 Ways To Increase Traffic So Your Content is SEEN by Ideal Clients {Ep 049} Full shownotes: https://www.businessstraightup.com/049 Welcome back amazing business owners! Today we are going to talk with the amazing Janet Mesh of Aimtal marketing. It can be so frustrating to keep creating content and captions and then actually wonder if anyone is listening. Today we are going to chat about how to get your content actually SEEN, so that you're not talking to yourself, right? If you love this episode, I would be ever so grateful if you would head over to iTunes and leave a review - those reviews help so much, I want to know how I can help you. Let's dive into today's episode!

Full shownotes: www.businessstraightup.com/048 Hey hey awesome business owners - today we are going to chat about four things that will help you with a solid foundation BEFORE you start marketing. Do you have to have them to start marketing? No. BUT if you do, it will make your marketing SO MUCH easier. Knowing who you serve, what you offer, and how you best serve them will make your messaging extremely clear - and I think we can all agree that clarity in messaging makes our lives easier, right? If you LOVED this episode, I want to encourage you to attend the Boudoir Marketing Masterclass, which will be recorded live very soon! We are going to go through these things and how to actually build your marketing as well. This was a VERY highly rated class that I taught at WPPI 2020, and I'm excited to have it online for the first time ever. If you attend live, you'll even get a special bonus - so check it out at businessstraightup.com/bmm I want to know the good, bad and ugly - all the things that you have experienced when it comes to marketing and growing your business. Leave a comment in the shownotes, or in the Business Straight Up community, which can be accessed at businessstraightup.com/community Always remember that what you do, matters. Your gift matters. The amazing way that you serve your clients and customers matters. Learning to set yourself up for success in your business, craft your messaging to reach out to those clients and customers, and get that messaging in front of them, is SO important, so that you can impact more lives with your gift. I can't wait to see what you do with your kickass self in business and in life, have an amazing rest of your day, we'll talk soon!

Full shownotes here: https://www.businessstraightup.com/047 Welcome back amazing business owners to another episode of Business Straight Up - the podcast for creative business owners who actually want to make a living doing what they love! Today's episode is going to be all about the 5 emails that you need to have in your welcome sequence, or funnel, to walk your ideal potential clients through learning more about you, introducing themselves, and actually BOOKING you. Yes - we're going into email marketing. But really, this concept can be used in other ways too. Some of my students have even used it in PM's on social media! No matter where you implement them, today I'm going to walk you through 5 emails (plus 1 bonus!) that you need to include when welcoming the people who want to hear from you MOST.

Full shownotes here: www.businessstraightup.com/046 One Of My MOST Successsful Photography Marketing Strategies: Gift Vouchers for Marketing {Ep 046} Welcome back, amazing business owners & photographers! Ready to chat about one of my most successful photography marketing strategies? Are you on the edge of your seat like BROOKE what are these things? Drum roll please... gift vouchers for marketing! This is a very special BONUS mini episode today, to celebrate the launch of the shop! Today we are going to chat about one of the most successful photography marketing strategies that I have ever used, inspired by Sue Bryce, tweaked to make it my own with business partnerships. Today's episode is ALL about gift vouchers in marketing, how the heck do you use them, and what does this all look like? For this mini episode, shownotes are going to be a little shorter - however, there is a VIDEO version of this podcast as well, so you can see the gift vouchers, and learn more. Quick note about the video - the audio doesn't entirely align with the video in some spots, and quite frankly, I spent WAY too much time trying to figure this out, and still haven't learned how to align them properly. At this point, it is what it is, and done is better than perfect, so I'm sharing anyway. In future videos, I will try to figure it out and make sure they are properly aligned. To see more about one of my most successful photography marketing strategies and the gift vouchers in marketing live and in person, go to www.businessstraightup.com/youtube .

Full shownotes here: www.businessstraightup.com/045 Welcome back to Business Straight Up - business help for photographers and creative business owners! This episode is so freakin' special to me because it is an interview with an amazing man - yep, a MAN - who is one of those rare people that is actually engaged when you're having a conversation with him. I remember talking with him in California last year, and we were able to just connect on a level that most conversations don't really happen on anymore. We are all so distracted, with things competing for our attention over and over again, and it can be so impactful to really CONNECT with someone when you talk to them, instead of constantly thinking about something else. Nick Demos is a Tony award winning Broadway producer who has spent his life telling stories in different formats, from the stage to now in his own life and business, and today's episode is ALL about the stories that you can share in your marketing that will really have an impact on your business. So many of my students share that they don't think they're very interesting, and don't really have any stories to share, but I want to ASSURE you that there are so many things that your clients want to know! Nick and I will outline some suggestions and ideas today, and you might hear a few AMENs in the mix because of some truth bombs. This episode was recorded in early 2020, so you will hear some references to the Super Bowl, and yes, things have changed a LOT. BUT - the need to share more of yourself and your story with your audience hasn't changed, it is still crazy relevant and I'm excited to share this episode with you! Because of the delay in publishing the episode, I wanted to make sure to share Nick's current workshop that is available, Align Your Niche. Because if you don't know who you serve and who you want to attract, how the heck can you decide on ANY of your marketing? I am SO aligned with that message and have felt it in both of my businesses! To find out more about Align Your Niche with Nick, check out the shownotes at www.businessstraightup.com/045 for more details, the link will be there. Ready to learn more about storytelling and how you're not as boring as you think? Let's go!

Read the full shownotes and links here: https://www.businessstraightup.com/044 Welcome back amazing business owners! We are going to talk today about some tips for either homeschooling or hybrid schooling or online schooling, or whatever the heck you're doing right now. We're all in a bit of a chaotic place right now, right? Schools are all over the place, and no one is really sure which way is up! Heads up, this episode was originally really long, and I split it into two - because I wanted to break it up and make it a little easier to digest. Running a business with kids at home can be overwhelming at times, and today I have some tips and tricks for you to master it, so that you can maintain your own sanity. Productivity for small business is a necessary skill, and once you can learn a few tricks, you can get so much more done!

View full shownotes: https://www.businessstraightup.com/043 How to schedule your days as a CEO and parent - what a loaded topic, right? Even if you're NOT a parent, chances are you have other obligations or things that you have to take care of. Figuring out how to schedule your days when it comes to running a successful and profitable business can be overwhelming, and too often, CEO's end up working a LOT. In 2020, the year of the unknown, and basically the entire world changing in front of our eyes. Back to school this year was different for almost every parent that I know, and it continues to be changing almost weekly. Some parents have been able to send their kids back to school and go back to really working on their businesses, but some are in situations they have never found themselves in before. Some are homeschooling, some are having to do a hybrid model online, and some are facing huge decisions because of all of this. And with all of the things that we have to look at when it comes to these changes, we are left with the question: how to schedule your day as a CEO and parent. Even if you are NOT a parent or if your kids are grown, I want to encourage you to listen in, because this episode will be full of value for ALL business owners. Most of us have something else that we have to focus on, whether it's our children, a parent, a day job, or something else that distracts us from really working ON our businesses, instead of IN our businesses. And I am saying this with all of the love in the world because guess what - I've been there. In almost all of these situations. And this episode is going to outline how we schedule our time as a family, with several sample schedules, depending on the stage of life that you're in, when you're trying to run a business and do LIFE all at once. In this episode, we are going to walk through some of my strategies for scheduling life before and during 2020. I will talk more about our history with schooling and how we were thrown into online and homeschooling. If you are not one of those parents that was looking forward to homeschooling from day one - you are NOT alone - and you can still handle all of this! We are going to go through sample schedules, and how to schedule your day as a CEO and parent in several different situations. SO MANY of my students have asked me how I schedule my days. I'm going to share all of my tips and tricks and the hard-earned, tear-filled lessons in this episode, but first, I want you to know one essential truth when it comes to how to schedule your day as a CEO and parent: There is no one standard schedule that will work for every single person.

In today's episode, I am excited to chat with the awesome Luci Dumas - long time photographer and coach who has been through recessions and beaten the odds with her 38 years in business. We are going to chat about two things that MUST be present for a successful creative business - marketing, and sales. Luci details three ways to find your ideal clients who not only want your services, but are willing to pay for it, and we also talk about stepping fully into a position of leadership so that you are a trusted advisor for your clients. Offering them the higher level of service will not only propel your business forward, but change the perspective on what so many consider to be the uncomfortable side of running a business - SALES! To see the full shownotes, head on over to www.businessstraightup.com/042

In today's episode, we are going to chat about taking care of YOURSELF as an entrepreneur and business owner right now. I have seen my fellow CEO's and moms freaking out because of decisions that have to be made for the upcoming school year, and the guidelines that we are looking at, and MAN it is not an easy season for the CEO's who work from home and are suddenly in the midst of finding themselves having to DO IT ALL. Right now, we have to be super focused on everyone else's needs because we don't have the village that we all talk about yet somehow can't find. And that is happening in the best of times, throw in a pandemic? All bets are off. Let's look at some actionable steps to take care of yourself in this season so that you can better serve your family, your clients and your students in an amazing way. See the full shownotes at www.businessstraightup.com/041

Raise your hand if you've ever had some SERIOUS doubt about your ability to actually make this whole business idea WORK? I know I have! Welcome back to another episode of Business Straight Up with Brooke Summer - and this one is going to be something that kind of merges my two businesses together. Today's episode is ALL about self love and entrepreneurship - because I promise you that if you continue to ignore self love and confidence in your life and business, you won't be able to achieve your BIGGEST goals. Full shownotes at https://www.businessstraightup.com/040

Hello there, amazing business owners and fellow entrepreneurs! This episode is going to be a little DIFFERENT from what you're used to. It was originally recorded earlier today (July 9, 2020) after a whirlwind 48 hours where a very large boudoir photography group and forum imploded amidst allegations of sexual misconduct, among other things. It's a little raw, and includes some tears and swear words, so if there are littles around, put in those earbuds! Unless your kids are used to swear words, like my own. We are going to talk about fears. About just starting out in a new business. About trusting yourself in growing your business. About your rights and boundaries and honoring them. And so much more. This news has been heartbreaking and infuriating and I want to be 100% completely clear: the actions of the founders of Do More Photographers do NOT align with my own core values in my photography business, or in my teaching business. I was an educator on the Do More forum, and like most of the educators and admins who have left, I am absolutely not okay with what has happened. Listen in to hear more. Full shownotes at https://www.businessstraightup.com/039