The Kristen Smith Podcast

When you run a business, especially when it's an online business, it's easy to find yourself feeling like you don't have much of a support system. You kind of have to get creative and find different ways to connect with other business owners alike. 

10 of my online business friends decided to FINALLY meet up at a beautiful lakehouse in South Carolina back in May, and that's where we sat down and created today's podcast episode! 

In this episode, we answered roundtable questions like, do you still get nervous when you get on video for your business, what do you enjoy doing outside of business, how do your spouses feel about your business, what does childcare look like, and more! 

Are you tired of hearing about the new Meta app, Threads yet? Well, you should know about it if you're in business because it may (or may not) take off and become a way to help position you as a thought leader in your industry.

I'm sharing what it is, what the head of Instagram has been saying about the growth of it (and some features they're planning on adding to it), and what I've been seeing on it so far.

I also share some advice on ways you can start testing it out and providing value to your audience - because you get an automatic audience when you join!!

Also, should online service providers such as marketing professionals, social media managers, and virtual assistants charge clients for Threads services yet? I'm sharing my thoughts on that too.

You put so much effort into marketing your products and services, but are you hearing crickets?

In this episode, I am going over strategies businesses must be implementing when it comes to building out their sales pages, sharing social media content, email marketing, and more!

I can't believe I've been in business for almost 4 years now!!! I have learned a ton over the years, and I made a list of several lessons I've learned. From systems, to family life as a business owner, I am sharing some insight that will be helpful for you no matter where you are at in your business journey!

Speaking engagements can be quite common when you're a business owner. Whether it's speaking to a team of people you working with or presenting on stage or in a virtual program, podcast, etc. Speaking can do wonderful things for your brand and business as a whole. But the very thought of it can create that tingly sensation in your hands. It can raise your heart rate, and bring on self-defeating thoughts. 

Let's work through this together. In this episode, we are talking about some ways that you can gain more confidence and fight those nerves when you are agreeing to and preparing for a speaking engagement. 

When you run a business, becoming an expert in your industry is one of the most sought after goals (as it should be!). We are talking about what it looks like to achieve this goal, plus ways that you can get there if you haven't yet!

I am a content and marketing expert, and I help my clients achieve this goal of expert-status, so today, I am taking what I have learned and providing YOU with the insight you need to know.

Don't put your Instagram stories strategy on the backburner!! Seriously, too many business owners wonder why their engagement is tanking on their content, and they don't realize how impactful a solid Instagram stories strategy can effect feed posts, reels, etc. Plus, when you can make BIG sales when you nail your stories strategy.

I'm going over some of my favorite Instagram stories tips and giving you advice that will make showing up for your audience in this way so much easier.

I think everyone deals with some kind of negativity in business, or really in anything where you're helping and serving people. Today, we are talking about 3 different ways that negativity can present itself when you own a business:

1. Negative comments on social media posts

2. Negativity by friends and family

3. Negative discovery calls

I share experiences I've had in all of these areas and some ways that you can combat the negativity if you deal with similar issues in your business.

Next week, I am flying to South Carolina to meet a group of my business friends in person (for the first time!!). In this episode, I share the story of how we all met, how we help each other grow our businesses, and I give you advice on how to start some of your own business friendships/networks.

Check out these 2 past episodes where I talk more about building friendships in business:

In this episode, we are talking about repurposing content using one platform save you time when you're creating content - who doesn't want to save time in this area of your business, right?

We talk about why podcasts have a greater advantage of spreading that message to more people, some of the mindset blocks that make us fearful when we first start out, and how you may be surprised as to what having a podcast can do for you.

This was a fun episode, so we decided to recast it! You will learn how to prepare for a branding shoot, what colors you should wear, what props to use, how to get photos done when you're on a tight budget, and so much more! 

In this episode, I go over what pillar content is, examples of content plans that remove overwhelm, and how to organize your content. 

I interviewed Shay Howard. She is a Certified Director of Operations, and she's sharing ways that we can wow our clients, stay organized in our business using systems, and she even shares some tips with us on hiring a team.

Plus, you'll learn what it looks like to work with a Director of Operations and what it looks like for a business to be ready to hire someone like her.

I don't know why I do this, but sometimes I compartmentalize my life and my business when it comes to my relationship with God.

My relationship with Him is the most important thing in my life, so why am I forgetting to ask him for help and guidance in my business? Especially when something I'm going through is so stressful that I can physically feel the effects it?

I'm talking struggles with sleeping, not being able to focus on the present moment because all I can think about is that thing that's stressing me out, having trouble figuring out what to decide in a situation...

There have been too many times where I find myself in that place and it goes on for too long, until I stop and think... what if I ask God to help me with this? And guess what... when I do that, I find peace, the situation gets worked out, and I know in my heart that I was guided in the right direction because that's what God does. That's what He WANTS us to do.

He wants us to lean on Him, even in our business.

So, today that is just what we're talking about - how to lean on God when you're having difficulties in our business. I'm sharing about some of the struggles I've been through and lessons I've learned.

Bible verses I shared in this episode: Proverbs 3:5, & Matthew 7:7

Today on the show, I talked with Annie Bennett who interviewed me all about marketing your business and mindset struggles we ALL deal with.

We talked about breaking through fears associated with investing, having the right marketing mindset (like the fact that marketing is a long game, not a quick fix), why it's okay to have slower seasons with less than usual leads coming in, and networking + making friends in business.

As an online marketing professional, I am asked all the time which website builder and host I like best, and today I'm sharing all the details about the one I use and why I love it so much.

I also went over some website builders/hosts that I tried and didn't really like, personally.

If you are unfamiliar with marketing terms and web design lingo, don't worry. You do NOT have to have tons of experience to understand what I'm sharing in this podcast, and you will probably learn quite a bit! 

Get one month of ShowIt for free with. my discount code: KRISTENSMITH

You can run a business without a website and branding, but how far will that get you? 

Having a custom brand and website puts your business on a whole new level, and you might be surprised to know just how much of an increase in success your business can have when you do this the right way! 

Today, Miranda Doyle is teaching us all about what it looks like to work with a custom brand and web designer and helping us understand all of the benefits that come with doing so.

We are finally back!!!

I am so excited to spend 2023 with you all & to bring you tons of awesome guest speakers so you can learn from both myself and my guests and really make this a big year for your business.

Today on the show, I invited my business bestie, Chelsea Hall on to interview me as I have made some big changes to my business. I am no longer specializing in just social media management - although that will still be a piece of what I offer for my clients. I am now offering Director of Marketing services including strategy and content plans, as a Content and Visibility expert.

Chelsea and I talked more about what I'll be doing in business, but one thing I didn't mention is I will still be offering resources for you to make your business easier in the way of templates, training, and possibly some sort of community where you can make business friends like Chelsea and take advantage of all of the refferals and goodness that comes with having business friends and a strong network.

We talked about an exciting trip we have coming up in May - oh my gosh I can't wait for that, and we talked about the challenges that came with maternity leave and having our second babies, because we were both pregnant with our second at the same time - how cool is that?

Chelsea and I go deep when we talk, we don't leave anything out and we're not afraid to get real and vulnerable with you all, so I think you will love today's conversation.

I announced on Instagram recently that I am now moving away from just social media management, and I'm expanding to a Director of Marketing business.

This means that I won't be just specializing in social media, I will be specializing in a wider range of content areas such as email marketing, podcasts, blogs, SEO, while monitoring analytics, and more.

Because this is such a big change in my business, I am going to officially put the podcast on hold until January.

I can't wait to continue taking you on this journey as I move into much larger territory. And I want to thank you again for following along thus far!

Make sure you stay subscribed to the show so you don't miss out when I come back in January! I am already booking some awesome guest interviews, which I'm excited about, and I can't wait to share all that's to come!

I have had client reels go viral (and the word viral is subjective), but I've had them get as far as over 3 million views. When that happens, instagram accounts can go CRAZY, and so can your business, so be ready for it.

In today's episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes and showing you what happens when a reel, or even multiple reels go viral. I will also share some of my best tips for creating reels that have the potential to get you to this place.

We are back from maternity leave!! It was really nice having a break from business while on leave, and I am ready to dive in and hang out with you again here on the show.

Today, we are starting off with a podcast interview I did last week and I can't wait for you to meet my guest.

I got to speak with Kaci Ackerman. She is a Certified Online Business Manager and ClickUp Expert.

I was excited to get to talk about ClickUp because it is my favorite project management tool. In this episode, we talked about ways that you can use it to wow your clients and how it will save a lot of time in your schedule which will ultimately help increase your revenue.

How to Connect with Kaci:

I am so excited to release this episode because I know that a lot of you have thought about starting a podcast, and I laid out all of the steps for you!

Whether you want to DIY or hire a professional to help you, it can feel like a huge mountain to climb if you have no idea what it actually look like to get started. It may actually be easier than you think, and now you can take a behind the scenes look at how I started mine! Get a pen and paper ready because you will want to take notes on this one. 

I asked you all on my Instagram stories what topic you'd like to hear the most, and this one was pretty popular. Let's dive into the strategies that are working best for my clients on Instagram so that you can start implementing them and start getting more engagement, reach, and followers!

Preparing for maternity leave when you own your own business is NOT easy. I think some business owners make it look a lot easier than it really is, but after doing myself and talking to other friends who run businesses in the online space, I know it's not a walk in the park. BUT, it can be done and it can work out very well.

In this episode, I talked about what it has looked like for me to plan mine, where I'm at with it now (being 38 weeks pregnant), and some lessons I learned along the way. 

On this episode, you get to meet one of my clients! Amy Pottenger is a residential interior designer. In addition to helping her clients locally, she also offers virtual support for working moms like many of you who listen on this podcast.

If you find yourself feeling uninspired by your home office (or maybe you don't even have a designated workspace), you will feel empowered find a way to make it work even if you feel too busy or that you simply don't have the space in your home. Yes, you can have your own workspace that motivates you and makes you feel proud of what you do. Busy work at home moms, listen up!

What are the benefits of getting interviewed on a podcast? And how do you actually get on as a guest?

Every time I speak on someone else's podcast as a guest, I have new people send me DMs saying they heard me on that podcast, and they feel like they know and trust me so they are more likely to book a discovery call, get on my email list, Facebook group, and more!

In this episode, I go over the benefits and ways that you can market your business through podcasting even when you don't have one yourself!

It is super important to me to be responsible with money, but it took some learning and sacrifice to get to this place. I am super proud of the sacrifices Kyle and I have made, and I'm telling you more about that journey in today's episode.

We'll talk about what has worked for us and I share tips that can help you get to more of a place of financial health and freedom!

I am 25 weeks pregnant, and before I found out I would be having a baby, I kind of wondered what it would look like to run my business with a toddler and a second child on the way.

In this episode, I share what it was like to find out I was pregnant, some of the challenges I have experienced, and my current plans for maternity leave, or maybe lack of. Plus, more!

It's really important to have a smooth and easy onboarding process for our clients. I have received compliments on my onboarding process and just how easy everything is. In this episode, I am taking you behind the scenes to show you what I do to wow my clients.

We go over the discovery call, sending a proposal, what I send to them when they decide to work with me, how I set up our project management space, and feedback I have received on the process.

It doesn't have to feel lonely when you run a virtual business. In fact, you may find yourself to be much more social and meeting others in business more than you would imagine. In this episode, I give you tips that will help you build friendships and a strong network. There are many fun ways to do this, and you will likely see your community grow fast if you implement these! 

In today's podcast episode, I interview Betsy Moorehead, owner and founder of BJM Creative - the stress-free solution for marketing your business.

We talked about her business journey from marketing in her 9-5 to becoming a Director of Marketing.

Betsy shared advice on how you can set yourself apart from the crowd when it feels like you are up against so many others who are doing the same thing as you.

We talked about how to build a network and friends in business when you are working in a virtual space. And Betsy shared some advice on how to plan for success in 2022!

I thought it would be fun to tell you about my worst discovery call in this episode! Discovery calls can be kind of scary when you first start doing them, and the second one I had made me wonder.. is this how they all will be? It was rough.

I shared that story with you as well as some lessons I learned from it. I also shared some good experiences I've had with other discovery calls (one including a friend I made all because of a call!). 

In today's episode, I talk about 3 things you may not know (and should know) about using Instagram for business.

These are some of the foundational tips that will help you understand how to get the best out of the platform when you are marketing your business and building a connection with potential clients and customers.

We talked about the importance of showing your face, why you don't need to warn your audience when you stray off-topic, and the fact that there truly aren't hard, fast "rules".

I know there are some VAs here who listen to this podcast, and others who are curious to know either what it's like to either specialize in social media management or just specialize in anything really which you will learn here in this episode.

In this episode, I talked about what it was like when I was a VA but knew that I wanted to niche down and specialize in something. I knew that it would mean much more money, more confidence in what I was doing, and a more simplified business (I have a love for simplicity when it comes to my work and processes).

We talk about mindset, what you can do if you are thinking of niching down, and more!

We use copy A LOT in business. If you are making any of the following copywriting mistakes, you may have trouble getting clients or purchases on your offers.

In this (short, but sweet) episode, I will teach you some of the important strategies you need to know when it comes to writing copy for your emails, sales page, social media content, and blog posts.

What are some of the common myths about social media marketing? There's a good chance you may believe some of these. In this episode, I am debunking common misconceptions about marketing your business on social media and telling you the truth you need to know. The common myths I go over are: 

1. You have to be an outgoing extrovert to market your business on social media.

2. You will see results immediately when you hire a social media manager.

3. You have to enjoy social media if you're going to market your business on it.

ALL NOT TRUE. Listen in and find out why! 

Want to go behind the scenes and learn what it looks like to build digital products? I'm talking about my experience with building a course for the first time, along with templates I will be selling in my upcoming online shop!

I will talk about my experience with outsourcing, what tools I have used along the way and why I chose them, how I freed up some time in my schedule in order to create the time to work on such big projects, and how exciting it is to finally get to the finish line.

I was ready to start outsourcing way before I actually decided to go for it. The experience was way better than I imagined, and I started moving my business forward much faster. It's normal for us to have reservations when we haven't hired anyone before. Will the person I hire understand what I'm looking for? What do I even look out for, and what does the process of hiring someone even look like?

In this episode, I talk about my experience and how overwhelmed I was trying to do all the things myself. I shared my experience in deciding to finally go for it, and what it's done for me. I share tips on how to actually find someone good, what questions you should ask potential candidates, and so much more!

We all advertise on social media.. well we should be, at least in my opinion. Social media is a powerful top-of-funnel strategy. If you are consistent, create engaging content, and are good about mentioning what it is you offer for your clients and customers, you will see social media bringing people to your freebies, waitlists, Facebook groups, sales page, and if you provide services, you can lead people to book discovery calls with you through social.

Some people hate running their social media (which is why they hire people like me to run it for them), but there are ways to make everything so much easier.

In this episode, I am telling you all about my favorite tools. I use these for my clients and for my own business, and they help me save time and create a professional and memorable online presence.

In today's episodes, we are talking about what it's like to be a work-at-home mom. From the challenges to the beauty, fun, and excitement, I'll be taking you behind the scenes of my world.

We talk about why I decided to quit my corporate job and start my business, my daily schedule, how I try not to spend too much time working in the evenings and weekends so I can spend more time with my family, and why I am loving this.

Getting on video when you market your business can be scary, uncomfortable, and it can make your heart race when you first start.

Some people avoid it for a long time, but you could be missing out on an opportunity to gain a loyal and engaged following if you aren't getting on video. Why? People connect with us when they see us talking to them. They remember us, and they feel comfortable with us. AKA: It builds trust. And people are more likely to buy from people they trust.

On today's episode, I give you advice on how you can show up on video confidently. We talk about how to work through those uneasy feelings that come up so you can start gaining more trust with your audience!

Our onboarding process doesn't have to be messy, unorganized, and complicated. When we take on a new client, it's important that we WOW them and give them the best client experience possible. This will raise our chances of being able to keep them on long-term, AND will likely get us referrals for more future business.

In today's episode, I invited Brittany to teach us all about automating our onboarding process. We talked about ways that we can easily create a simple, streamlined system, how to get clients to refer us, and more!

Brittany Dixon is the host and creator of The Process for Profit Show. She helps high-achieving entrepreneurs (and freelancers) by unboxing the complexity of business systems and bottlenecks with the implementation of day-to-day operations, processes, and systems.

If you are not getting DMs on Instagram asking about your offers or services, then that could be an indication that your Instagram strategy needs some help. In this episode, I will teach you strategies that have helped me and my social media clients.

Instagram is a place where you can build the know, like, trust factor and position yourself as an expert, so we cover that as well!

Sometimes really difficult life situations occur when we are trying to run our business. How do we continue keeping our clients happy and making sure our business still runs smoothly when these things happen?

I shared the story of my dad passing away at the beginning of 2021 and how it affected me as a business owner. I talked about how I told my community, including my clients and their response, and how I allowed myself to take a break while I spent time with my family and began mentally processing the situation.

Just recently, I put a question sticker in my Instagram stories and asked you to send me some questions I could answer during my podcast. So, I received all your questions and chose to answer the ones I get asked the most.

The first question I was asked was what are my 6-month goals. Here I briefly discussed some exciting projects I have in the pipeline for the next six months including a store with digital templates, a course, a YouTube channel and possibly running Facebook ads.

The second question I was asked was if I like to take breaks from social media. Oh YES! I definitely need to take breaks and I explained how and why they are necessary for my mental health and business planning efforts.

The third question was my favorite one, and it was what keeps me going every morning. The answer to that was simple. I’ve always dreamt of being a work-from-home mom where I could spend time with my precious son, and celebrate his milestones while building a business of my own where I can progress.

The fourth question was how long have I been a Social Media Manager. This took me way back to the good old days when I worked as Assistant Property Manager where I was responsible for managing the company’s social media platforms up until I started my own business two years ago.

The fifth question was do you get more clients through Facebook or Instagram. Here I talked about my social media accounts, what I do to find clients and how the majority of them come through Instagram.

The sixth question was what do your strategy sessions look like and I basically described my process from booking a strategy call through to developing a 90-day action plan for my clients.

The final question was how long have I lived in Denver and I spoke about life in Colorado and how I moved to LA and came back to Colorado, met my husband and got married.

If you are a personal brand, this episode is for you! We're talking about making your brand come to life with photos, and I will share tips on what to do whether you are ready to invest in a professional shoot, or if you would rather DIY but still have quality photos for your content.

Our photos tell a story of who we are, they help our audience feel connected to us, and they paint an overall picture of what it is we do. We go over photo lighting, what props to bring, clothing, locations, and more!

I recently watched a YouTube video where the speaker talked about 3 things that we can spend our money on which will bring us happiness, according to science.This video really resonated with me, and I wanted to share it with you.

One point the speaker made that I hadn’t really thought about was that buying time for yourself can bring you more happiness. As an entrepreneur who just started outsourcing, I can really see why this one brings people more happiness. I think you’ll really like the other points the speaker brings up as well, so listen in to find out what they are!

In a recent Instagram Live, someone asked me what I love about being a Social Media Manager and Email Copywriter. I went on and on until I realized.. "Wow, I have a lot to say about what I love about my business." It made me realize that my decision to specialize in this area of business was the right one. On this episode, I am sharing what I love about what I do with you!

This is a great episode for anyone who has thought about getting into content creation, or really any creative role. I hope this episode also gives you inspiration to step back and think about what it is that you love about what you do as well!