Business

Breakthrough Brand Podcast – Online Business Growth, Website Design Strategies, Grow a Podcast, Motherhood and Business, Passive Income, Christian Faith, Showit Templates

Welcome to The Breakthrough Brand Podcast — your go-to for relatable, raw, and tactical business training designed to help you hit those big goals! I’m Elizabeth McCravy, a website designer and business educator for female entrepreneurs. I’ve built a multiple six-figure web design business in my 20s, and I’m passionate about sharing what I’ve learned so you can do it too. No secrets, just real talk and proven strategies for building a thriving business.

I’m a Christian business owner, mama to two boys (with baby #3 on the way!), and married to my high school sweetheart. I sell Showit website templates at elizabethmccravy.com and teach fellow designers how to build booked-out businesses through my course, Booked Out Designer. I also teach business owners how to start and scale a podcast in my program, Podcast Success Blueprint.

On this podcast, you’ll find solo episodes packed with actionable, easy-to-follow advice and inspiring expert interviews. We’ll dive into everything from online marketing, branding, podcasting, and business strategy, to faith, motherhood, productivity, and scaling your business. Let’s create a business that not only looks amazing from the outside but feels amazing on the inside too. It’s time to build your breakthrough brand!

Latest Episodes:

206: SOLVED! The Missing Piece to Success in Your Business with Megan Hyatt Miller Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

What’s really holding you back from taking your business to the next level? Is it the right funnel? The perfect team member? Finally having “enough” followers on Instagram? Today Megan Hyatt Miller and I are exploring what’s REALLY holding you back from success and how to overcome it. Megan Hyatt Miller is the President and CEO of Full Focus (formerly Michael Hyatt & Co). She’s also a mom to five, a wife, a Christian, and she lives in Franklin, Tennessee like me!

This episode focuses on that missing success piece in your business AND some other fun topics as well like…

What Megan’s days are like as a working mom and CEO
Megan’s advice for creating a strong team culture
The rebrand of Full Focus and how all of that went
… and so much more.

Want to win a copy of Megan and Michael’s new book?! Head over to my Instagram account @elizabethmccravy to enter to win. Entering is easy and we’ll be giving away a copy of Mind Your Mindset to one lucky person. Just look for a recent post featuring myself and Megan!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get the full show notes: http://elizabethmccravy.com/206
Mind Your Mindset Book: https://rstyle.me/+x3VRG4mjcOXO2lqyb7YkaQ
Full Focus Planner: https://elizabethmccravy.com/full-focus
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/
Connect with Megan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganhyattmiller/
Mind Your Mindset Website: https://mindyourmindsetbook.com/
Elizabeth’s Website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/
Watch the Interview on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethmccravydesign/

If you're a new business owner who still doesn't have a website yet, I made something for you. It's a free 15-page guide that walks you through exactly what you need to launch your first website — what to skip, what actually matters, and the five steps to go from zero to live. No coding, no big budget, no perfection required. Plus you'll get 20% off my Showit templates inside! Get it FREE at https://elizabethmccravy.com/

Need some extra pages to improve or add onto your Showit website, BUT you’re not in the market for an entirely new template? You need my Add On Templates for Showit! You'll find add ons like speaker pages, podcast pages, quiz lead magnets, favorite things pages, Link in Bio pages, and more.

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

205: 6 Crushing Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make Early on in Their Business (AND How You Can Avoid Them!) Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

Whether you’ve been in business for a minute or are still in the first few years, this episode is for YOU. Starting a new business is EXCITING, but even though I look back on my new business owner self with so much love and gratitude, I know the learning curve as you start your own business can be intense! Today, I’m going to share 6 crushing mistakes entrepreneurs make early on in their business AND how you can avoid them.

Not brand new in business? I highly recommend you tune into this episode because you may be making some of these mistakes too. They are definitely not exclusive to the first year in business! Especially since the latest stats show that after five years, 49.7% of businesses have failed but after 10 years, 65.5% of businesses have failed! So as someone who will be passing the official 7 years of business mark this month, I just want to say: I GET HOW THIS HAPPENS. There is no “safe mark” in the journey to entrepreneurship, but as you know, I’m here to help you every step of the way!

If you are new to the podcast, we have over 200 episodes for you to dive into! Are you a brand and/or website designer? Make sure to check out Booked Out Designer too!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get the full show notes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/205
Join us inside Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod

Get the free client booking guide for designers: https://elizabethmccravy.com/asap
Get 30% off of Dubsado: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado
Get a free trial of ClickUp: https://elizabethmccravy.com/clickup
Capital One Spark Cash Back Card: https://elizabethmccravy.com/capitalone
Episode #196 - Why It's a Good Thing If Your Business is a Side Hustle: https://elizabethmccravy.com/196
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/
Statistics source: https://www.lendingtree.com/business/small/failure-rate/

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

204: My Top 3 Showit Design Hacks That Every Web Designer Needs to Know Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

In this short and sweet episode, I’m sharing my top 3 Showit Design Hacks as a website designer who has been using (and loving) Showit for the past several years now. Whether you are new to Showit completely, or are a website designer looking to enhance your skills, these three Showit design hacks will save you time and (I believe) will lead to a better customer/client experience too.

Whether you are creating custom websites for clients or are looking to sell website templates, you are going to love today’s episode.

I’m also sharing why I’ve said YES to participating in my first-ever summit - Thrive Summit 2023. With 16 presenters on a RANGE of topics, it is the ONLY summit available that covers the strategy, design, the creative process AND includes feedback and support to help you implement what you learn. You’ll want to be there!

Snag your free ticket at elizabethmccravy.com/thrive

I’m going to be sharing all about how to design a Showit website that WOWs. And it is SO good. You’ll also get a really incredible Clickup template bonus when you come to watch my presentation. I would love to see you there!

Links Mentioned:

Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/204
Sign up for Thrive Summit 2023: https://elizabethmccravy.com/thrive
Sign up for Thrive Summit (with the Creator’s Pass Upgrade): https://elizabethmccravy.com/thrive-creator
Showit Templates for Designers: https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/2323109-designer-starter-templates
Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy
Join Booked Out Designer - https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod
Shop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

203: What's Working for Selling Digital Products, Content Repurposing, and Actually Enjoying Social Media with Angie McPherson Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

I'm so honored to have Angie McPherson on the podcast today! She's a long time listener of this podcast, an amazing brand photographer, educator for photographers, and just an incredible hype girl for creative business owners.

Angie and I got to meet in real life in January at the Creative Educator Conference in Dallas. We both were speakers and sat next to each other the whole time. We talked business a lot at the event, and I was like “She is brilliant, and I need her on my podcast to talk about marketing!” So, here we are!

We go a lot of directions in this episode, so there’s truly something here for every business owner. We talk about Angie's business journey, what she sees working right now in digital products and course marketing, repurposing content for YouTube, selling on social media in a non-sleazy way, Facebook groups for your courses, marketing to multiple audiences, YouTube Shorts, launch strategies, working mom advice, and so much more! This is basically a really fun marketing strategy chat with 2 women who love marketing. Enjoy!

Get 10% off all EM Shop templates with the code “BBPODCAST” at checkout!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get the full show notes: http://elizabethmccravy.com/204
Check out the Sales Page Templates: http://elizabethmccravy.com/sales
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/
Connect with Angie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angiejanine/
Elizabeth’s Website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/
Angie’s website: https://angiemcpherson.com/
Watch the Interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ty8VNwI1Okw

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

202: Q&A with Elizabeth — My Current Work Schedule, Best Blogging Tip, Long Term Business Vision, Mom Guilt, Where My Customers Come From, and So Much More! Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

In my 2022 end-of-year survey, I gave you the option to ask me ANYTHING… and today’s episode is just a taste of the (over 150!) questions that came in. In no particular order, I’m tackling 11 of my favorite “ask me anything” questions today, including:

What's the worst thing about your career? (I share THREE things I could live without!)
What are the tiny secrets to blogging - things nobody ever talks about?
What are the top books I’ve read this year so far?
Where do you see yourself (professionally) when Colin is 18? What are some of the big dreams you have for yourself and your business?
Where do most of your clients come from? Social, referrals, etc. and what is the one thing you do consistently that brings you the most business?
How is Colin's school going? How do you handle mom guilt/missing him?
What does work/life balance look like for me right now?
What do you do for workouts?
Do you think you'll have any more kiddos? How will that impact the structure of your business?
What’s your favorite brand of jeans? (these ones are also linked below!)
Do you ever regret going into business for yourself?

As you can tell, things got both random and personal in a way I truly always love. Some of these were rapid-fire questions, and some of them I went quite deep on! I can’t wait for you to listen in and then tell me what you all think!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get the full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/202
Grab the NEW Showit Landing Page Bundle: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-email
Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/
Shop Showit website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-website-templates/
Join Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD

- You can find the books I recommended here:

The Test (a quick novella!): https://rstyle.me/+PJNjBLgIvTUuWc8p7z1ptQ
Good Rich People (a bit of a controversial read, but if you love satire you might love it like me!): https://rstyle.me/+3DHRkm67dyygglZfUEBpnw
The Maid (reading this for book club!): https://rstyle.me/+ceX7ze_EZRzQPYa7bH4SXw
Risen Motherhood (if you are a mom - I can NOT recommend this one enough): https://rstyle.me/+KdcpPVWI8dFtixIXR5Wvgw
Let’s be friends on Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65836950-elizabeth-mccravy

- You can find the jeans I recommended here (they aren’t technically jeans but they look like they are):

White Denim (Ankle Skinny Jeans):

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

201: Get Your Showit Site Found on Google with Sara Dunn Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Wondering what’s working in SEO right now? What does the Google algorithm want from your website? How does all the new technology like Ai writing affect blog content? What role does video play in SEO right now? How do you do your SEO page settings in Showit in a way that’ll actually work? What common mistakes might you be making with your SEO? Is Showit bad for SEO?!

We are covering it all and a lot more in today’s interview with Sara Dunn from Sara Does SEO. Sara is a wealth of information with SEO, and I just love how she so clearly explains things. I actually worked with her and her team in my own business a few years ago and I can attest that she’s the real deal. Whether you’re on the first page of Google OR you don’t even know what SEO means, this episode is for you. We’re covering it all!

Sara Dunn is a Wedding SEO Specialist for wedding planners, photographers, venues, and other wedding professionals who want their websites to rank higher on Google. (And, hey, I’ve worked with her too as a website designer!) She has a knack for making SEO easy to understand, and she’s created a unique SEO Framework that simplifies what it takes to get your business in front of your dream clients.

* Need a website to go with that SEO strategy? *

Want a website that’s set up behind the scenes to help you rank higher on Google? My Showit website templates can help. One thing a lot of people don’t realize about website templates is that if the designer sets things up sloppy on the back end it can hurt your SEO. I’m talking about things like your advanced tag settings, the way your canvases are set up, the stacking order of your objects, how much opportunity there is for text on a page, and more. Honestly — it’s a lot of technical stuff that you probably don’t want to be thinking about when you’re building your website. So, I thought about it all, and double checked myself multiple times so that you don’t have to.

You can find all of my SEO-friendly templates at http://elizabethmccravy.com/shop. There are sales pages, podcast pages, full website templates, and so much more waiting for you there. And as a Breakthrough Brand Podcast listener, you can use the code “BBPODCAST” for 10% off any template. So, get your template, apply what Sara and I are talking about, you’ll be set to sail to page one.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get the full show notes and blog post: http://elizabethmccravy.com/201
Check out Elizabeth’s Showit Templates: http://elizabethmccravy.com/shop
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/
Connect with Sara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradoesseo/

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

200: 6 Habits That Have Transformed My Business Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

For this milestone episode, I wanted to share six habits that have transformed my business and have absolutely helped me reach episode two hundred. Inspired by a talk by Brenda Burchard, he encouraged us to look at our own habits and whether or not they are serving us.

As I started to reflect, there were six habits that stuck out to me that have served my business time and time again so I wanted to share them all with you today (and talk through how you might be able to add them to your own business, if you feel like they would serve you too!). Don’t get me wrong, I have PLENTY of bad habits like everybody else and that might be a fun episode to do in the future too. But today, I’m going to focus on the good and celebrate with you.

By the way, if you are a new podcaster or thinking about starting your own show, I want to encourage you and say that this is easily one of my favorite things to do in my own business. In the shop, we have podcast templates (linked below!) and you can use the code BBPODCAST to save 10% off today. I would love to support you as you get started!

Whether you have been listening to the podcast since day one, or you are a brand new listener today, I want to just take a minute to thank you for being here. If you haven’t yet, please leave a review. It not only helps this podcast rank but I legitimately love hearing your thoughts and get giddy every time a new one comes in. I am so incredibly grateful for you and am already looking forward to our next two hundred episodes together!

After you’ve listened in, I would love to hear what habits have served you well in business (and ones that you might be considering adding to your own business this year!). Make sure to connect with me over on Instagram - I would love to hear from you!

Links mentioned:

- Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/200

- Shop the Gabby Podcast Template: https://elizabethmccravy.com/gabby-showit-podcast-template

- Shop the Jena Podcast Template: https://elizabethmccravy.com/jena-showit-podcast-template

- How to Plan Your Entire Week on a Digital Calendar (episode #46): https://elizabethmccravy.com/how-to-plan-your-entire-week-on-a-digital-calendar/

- Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy

- Become a Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer

- Shop Showit Website Templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

199: 4 Encouraging Bible Verses For When Business Feels Overwhelming and Uncertain Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Let’s all be honest: business can be really hard. Even after seven years in business, I still have plenty of hard days in my own business and days (or even just moments) where business feels overwhelming and uncertain. Today, I want to share with you 4 encouraging bible verses for when hard times come, and I hope that these will comfort you whether you are a Christian business owner or not. And, I’m not just reading the Bible verses, I’m talking through them with you as well to help you apply it to your life right now!

If you have been struggling to guard your heart against negative thoughts or hurtful reviews, or you find yourself turning to Google before you turn to God, I want to encourage you to acknowledge what you are giving power to and why. With the second two scriptures, I want to encourage you to come back to God, seek him in all things, and to let go and rest. I know it can be hard sometimes.

In the annual survey I send out to listeners each year, many of you mentioned wanting more faith based content and I would love to hear what you think about this episode! Want more episodes like this? Did this speak to where you’re at right now with your business? DM me over on Instagram any time, and thank you again for tuning in! Make sure to come back next week for a very special - our 200th! - Breakthrough Brand podcast episode.

Links mentioned in this episode:

- Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/199

- Scripture mentioned: Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs: 3:5-6, Matthew 11:28-29, Matthew 6:30-33

- Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/

- Shop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

198: 5 Properties Later... What Wish I Knew Then That I Know Now — Real Estate Investing Edition! Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

We grew our real estate business FAST, buying 5 properties in about a year and ½ - 2 year period. And, we’ve learned a lot! You know I’m all about sharing what works for me in my life and business, and that’s what we’re doing in today’s episode. I have my husband, Adam, back on the podcast and we’re sharing 7 things we learned in these first years of real estate investing. It’s the good, the bad, and the ugly with plenty of laughs along the way.

Whether you also invest in real estate or if you’re just wanting to do this at some point, there is something for you here. And, if you want an update on our properties and how they did in 2022, head back to episode #197 where we share the RAW numbers of how things did last year plus lots of other tips as well.

We discuss things like:

- Tenants (getting them, keeping them, tenant relationships, etc.)

- Resources we LOVE for running our business

- How we think about interest rates

- Capex and how to calculate it

- Stand alone homes versus townhomes/condos

- How vacancy affects a real estate business

- and more!

Come tell us what you think over on Instagram @elizabethmccravy!

Links mentioned in this episode:

- #197 http://elizabethmccravy.com/197

- #134 - Real Estate Biz Q&A – Part 1: How We Got Started In Investing, Buying In A Seller’s Market, Working With Your Spouse: https://elizabethmccravy.com/134

- #135 - Real Estate Biz Q&A – Part 2: How Much $$ Do You Need, Screening Tenants, Management Companies, Buying Multiple Properties At Once, And Financing: https://elizabethmccravy.com/135

- #136 Real Estate Biz Q&A – Part 3: Strategies For Getting Started, Other Ways To Invest Your Money, How To List Your Properties, And The Challenges We’ve Experienced Along The Way: https://elizabethmccravy.com/136

- (Episode on Client Boundaries) #125 - The Top 4 Mistakes You’re Making With Client Experience (That Are Causing YOU And YOUR Clients A Major Headache!): http://elizabethmccravy.com/125

- Turbotenant: http://elizabethmccravy.com/turbotenant

- My Smart Move: http://elizabethmccravy.com/mysmartmove

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

197: Exactly How Our Real Estate Business Did in 2022 (Financial Numbers, Investing Strategy, and Working Together in Marriage) Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

When I surveyed you guys about what you want more of on the podcast in 2023, a resounding answer was investing, financial, and real estate investing content. NOW… I’m not about to turn this into a real estate podcast, don’t worry. But, as someone who likes to share what’s working for me with you all, I love giving you a behind the scenes into what I do with the money that my business makes because I know this type of information can help you too.

Whether or not you have real estate properties right now, this is for you. This is especially for you if this is a side business you’re interested in pursuing! I had Adam on the podcast last on episodes #134, #135, and #136, which was over 16 months ago! In those episodes, we talked about our real estate business and answered some of your questions. It was really fun and we’ve gotten great feedback from those episodes. Since then, we have more properties — 5 total, and we’ve learned a lot!

Here’s what we’re covering today:

Breaking down the exact financial numbers on 3 of the properties (what we invested, the ROI, and cash that was made in 2022)... yes, all the details!
Macroeconomics of real estate and the housing marketing right now
Marriage and working together in a business like this
How real estate can be a family business
Unexpected costs involved that decrease your profits
Advice if you’re struggling to invest in real estate
And so much more!

We joke that this was our business year end meeting that you get to sit in on because it truly felt that way! I hope you enjoy it, and come back next week where we’ll be sharing what we know now that we wish we knew when we first started our real estate business.

Links mentioned in this episode:

- Previous Real Estate episodes:

#134 - Real Estate Biz Q&A – Part 1: How We Got Started In Investing, Buying In A Seller’s Market, Working With Your Spouse: https://elizabethmccravy.com/134

#135 - Real Estate Biz Q&A – Part 2: How Much $$ Do You Need, Screening Tenants, Management Companies, Buying Multiple Properties At Once, And Financing: https://elizabethmccravy.com/135

#136 Real Estate Biz Q&A – Part 3: Strategies For Getting Started, Other Ways To Invest Your Money, How To List Your Properties, And The Challenges We’ve Experienced Along The Way: https://elizabethmccravy.com/136

(I shared the wrong numbers in the episode audio. The episodes are #134-#136! Scroll back to listen in or click the links above)

- “How to Invest in Real Estate” Book:

Use the code “BBPOD”to save 15% on your add on or full site template for a limited time: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

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