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:

124: 4 Secret Strategies That Will Help You Nail Every Sales Call Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Sales calls, discovery calls, consultations… whatever you want to call them — you may love them or you may hate them. Regardless, we all know they’re important. What happens on this call can literally determine whether a potential client works with you OR ghosts you and works with someone else.

I used to hate sales calls. I had a few bad experiences with them early on in my business, and for a while, I left these calls feeling frazzled, vulnerable, and not sure if I was “confident enough” (even when I DID book the client). So, after about 5 years of consistently doing these calls (more if you count my freelancer days when I was so frazzled), I’ve learned some things that help you get that “sales call confidence” we all want. I’m sharing FOUR of those strategies with you today (plus, of course, extra tips throughout). So, get ready to feel CONFIDENT and totally book the client on your next sales call!

P.S. #dontmissthis: Booked Out Designer will be opening again on July 12th for new students to join the community! This program is the perfect place for brand and website designers who want to build a booked out, in demand design business. And, if you’re not a designer but you do another type of service-business, I welcome you too with open arms, because I promise you’ll get so much from this program as well.

When you buy Booked Out Designer, you get the amazing COURSE (over 90 lessons of content), you get an incredible private Facebook community (with actual access to me!), group coaching with me, and some incredible surprise bonuses too. And, like I say in this episode, there’s an entire module JUST ON discovery calls in the course with 3 and half hours of training content for you. So, join the waitlist at https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer today!

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

- Get on the waitlist for Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer

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

- Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-website-templates/

- Download the free Designer's Guide To Mastering Discovery Calls here: https://elizabethmccravy.com/discovery-call-guide-for-designers

- For other episodes about Booked Out Designer scroll back to #122, #114, #110, #104, #105, #106, and #77!

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

123: How to Be a Booked Out Website Designer with Ida Winstead (An Insider Scoop with a Student Chatting About My Program for Designers!) Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Want an insider scoop on what my program Booked Out Designer is actually like? Today I’m chatting with one of my founding member students, Ida Winstead! We’re talking all about how her business has grown over the years, her story as a designer, and how Booked Out Designer has impacted her business.

What you’ll hear us talk about:

- How Ida booked out her client calendar

- How Booked Out Designer helped her refine her client process and discovery call experience

- The Booked Out Designer community of designers (they are seriously the best!)

- What coaching calls are like inside the course

- Ida’s favorite lessons and modules

- What the course format is like so you know what to expect

… and so much more fun conversation!

In a few short weeks, Booked Out Designer will be opening again for new students to join the community! This program is the perfect place for brand and website designers who want to build a booked out, in demand design business. The doors open on July 12th and once our launch week is over, we won’t have another enrollment period for the course until 2022. When you buy Booked Out Designer, you get the amazing COURSE (over 90 lessons of content), you get an incredible private Facebook community (with actual access to me!), and some incredible surprise bonuses too.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

- Get on the waitlist for Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer

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

- Listen to the Hygge Hour Podcast with host, Ida Winstead: https://hyggedesign.co/podcast

- Connect with Ida on her website: https://hyggedesign.co/

- Check out Ida on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyggedesign.co/

- For other episodes about Booked Out Designer scroll back to #114, #110, #104, #105, #106, and #77!

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

122: 4 Steps to Make Your Website Template NOT Look Like a Template (Making Your Website Uniquely You) Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

How can you start with a website template and make it your own? Make it FEEL super customized, without making it an actual “custom website”? There is a way, and I see people do it weekly over here with my EM Shop customers! In this short and sweet episode, I’m sharing 4 ways (and one bonus way) to make any website template not feel like it’s a website template. You don’t have to get a custom website designed in order to have a totally gorgeous, successful website for your business. These tips, strategies, and things to consider while shopping will get you started on the HOW!

We talk about brand photography in this episode, and I have a few podcasts on that topic. To scroll back and listen to those, check out episodes #120, #15, and #16.

____________________________________

And the most fun news of them all, this week in EM Shop, 2 new templates just RELEASED! WHATTT… yep, and they’re gorgeous, strategic, fun, and I think you’ll totally be obsessed with them. T

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, then you’ve heard me talk about my “financial spreadsheet” that I use to know my numbers in my business, and for well over a year, you guys have been asking me to sell it. I finally am! Profit Sheet by EM Shop is a Google Sheet to help service-based businesses track everything from income and expenses to tax savings, owner's draw, profit percentage, quarterly revenue, and more! This spreadsheet allows you to always know your numbers in your business. You’ll get the Google spreadsheet, a tutorial on how to use it, and as a bonus a 20 minute training where I walk you through my favorite business credit cards, investing companies, health insurance for us self employed people, and more. You can shop it linked below!

Shop all EM Shop templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-website-templates/

See the new Gabby template: http://elizabethmccravy.com/gabby

See the new Taylor template: http://elizabethmccravy.com/taylor

Shop Profit Sheet: http://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet

Take the website personality quiz: http://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz

You can try Showit out for a month absolutely free, no strings attached with my link: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-free

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

121: 7 Amazing WordPress Plugins You Need For Your Showit Blog (All for $0!) Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

One of my favorite “Showit features” is that it integrates with WordPress for blogging. Which confuses the heck out of people sometimes, but when you get it, you get it… And it’s magical. People love WordPress for a reason. It’s very “powerful” meaning there’s A LOT you can do with it, especially thanks to things like plugins. (Which absolutely work with Showit too!)

Basically a plugin is outside code (kind of like an app) that adds new functionality to your website by “plugging it into” what you already have. I’m kinda obsessed with plugins, not in an overdoing it kind of way (as that can slow your website), but more like a “there’s so much cool stuff you can do with these” way.

In this episode, I’m sharing 7 WordPress plugins that work amazing with your Showit blog. Instad of focusing on the basics that we all know about, like JetPack or various spam protectors, I’m sharing some more obscure plugins that you may have never heard of or thought about using before.

Some quick plugin notes:

There is a free version of all the plugins shared, and some have a paid option as well. I currently have the free version of ALL of these!
The majority of these require you to have the higher tier “advanced blog subscription” with Showit. However, what is available on the “basic blog” subscription can change, so I recommend consulting Showit’s resources to see what’s available to you at the time you’re listening.
The compatibility of these with Showit could change in the future, so defer to Showit’s support for what works!
You can try Showit out for a month absolutely free, no strings attached with my link: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-coupon-code

Links mentioned in this episode:

- Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-website-templates/

- Shop Profit Sheet: https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet

- Get the shownotes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/121

- See info on plugins for Showit’s basic blog subscription: https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/1131457-showit-basic-blog-subscription

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

120: How to Get Amazing Brand Photos for Your Business (+ Elizabeth McCravy Shop Template Experience!) with Amber Tice Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

Get ready to feel camera-confident and prepared for your next branding photoshoot after you hear this episode! I’m chatting with Dallas Fort-Worth area brand photographer, Amber Tice, about how you can get brand photos for your business from start to finish. From finding a brand photographer to outfits and props!

Plus, Amber and I also discuss her website in the second half of this interview! She’s an Elizabeth McCravy Shop customer and uses the much-loved Nicole Showit template. We talk about how she chose the template, what the setup process was like, how the feedback has been, and more! Amber gives some great tips for making your template unique to you and successfully setting it up! Plus, we talk about the transition from Squarespace to Showit, which is super interesting for those of you thinking about switching!

Get the full shownotes with all linked mentioned at https://elizabethmccravy.com/120

Connect with Elizabeth on her website at http://elizabethmccravy.com/

Connect with Amber on her website at https://amberticephoto.com/

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

Connect with Amber on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/amberticephoto/

Take the website personality quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz

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

119: 4 Ways to Communicate Why Your Dream Clients Should Work with YOU (All Through Your Website) May 25, 2021

Show notes

Let’s talk about website strategy today in this short and strategy-packed episode! I’m sharing how to communicate ON your website exactly why your dream client should work with you over your competitors. All on your website — not even on discovery calls, email communications, etc… but literally just in the messaging and design you put forth online.

Your website is a marketing tool for your business, and no matter what type of business you run… there are some great tips for you within these 4 ways I’m sharing!

A fun note… You’ll hear me briefly mention this towards the end of this episode… New templates are coming VERY soon to EM Shop! I cannot wait to share these new designs with you. So, if you think your website needs more than these 4 tips and a complete overhaul instead, I got you. Mark your calendar for June 11th when there will be 2 new templates dropping in my shop!

Shop website templates: http://elizabethmccravy.com/shop/

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

Get the full shownotes for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/119

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

118: Second Trimester Pregnancy Update: Babymoon in NYC, Finding Out the Gender, Exercise, Creating a Course While Pregnant, and Prepping for Labor May 18, 2021

Show notes

Time for another pregnancy episode! As I’m recording this, I’m in my 25th week of pregnancy. You’ll hear it in my 26th week if you listen live. Then the next week, the 2nd trimester is OVER and the 3rd trimester begins! Today I’m catching you up on things from the second trimester.

What We’re Talking About:

Finding out the gender
Our gender reveal party with friends
Physically how I’ve felt in the second trimester
Our babymoon trip to New York
Tips for planning a babymoon
Exercises I’m doing daily to prep my body for birth
Pregnancy podcasts I’m loving
Chiropractic care in pregnancy
Working with a voice coach
Creating my online course
Maternity leave prep and planning
What’s on my calendar work-wise until baby arrives

Get all my favorite products, supplements, workouts, etc. from the second trimester in this blog post: http://elizabethmccravy.com/second-trimester

Get the full show notes for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/118

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

ALL PREGNANCY EPISODES AND BLOGS:

#107: We’re Pregnant Announcement: https://elizabethmccravy.com/big-news-were-pregnant/

#112: Pregnancy Rapid Fire Q&A: https://elizabethmccravy.com/pregnancy-rapid-fire-q-and-a/

First Trimester Must Haves Products Blog: https://elizabethmccravy.com/1st-trimester-pregnancy-must-haves/

Second Trimester Must Haves Products Blog: http://elizabethmccravy.com/second-trimester

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

117: Everything About how to Find, Vet and Hire the Right VA with Sabatini Ferdinand May 11, 2021

Show notes

Think you might be ready to make your first or next hire? And maybe that hire should be a virtual assistant? If you aren’t sure where to start or how to find your dream team member, this episode is for you! I’m chatting with Sabatini Ferdinand all about hiring VAs for your online business. We discuss what traits to look for in a VA, what tasks a VA can help you with, how to take steps towards hiring, and what a VA even is if you aren’t quite sure. We also explore other topics like remote work and world traveling! And, EM Shop templates, since Saba is a customer! I hope you leave this episode READY and prepared to hire a VA (or any position) within your business!

Get the full shownotes with all linked mentioned at https://elizabethmccravy.com/117

Connect with Elizabeth on her website at http://elizabethmccravy.com/

Connect with Saba on her website at https://www.theindemandva.com/

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

Connect with Saba on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theindemandva/

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

116: How I Prepare for a Purposeful and Productive Week Ahead Every Sunday May 04, 2021

Show notes

One thing I have learned from all of you listeners is that you love productivity hacks, systems, and insider scoops on what I'm doing to be more productive and purposeful with my time. So that’s exactly what I’ve got for you today in this short, sweet, and honestly… very productive episode! I’m walking you through some simple things — both personal life and business things that I do every Sunday to help me prepare for a productive, purposeful, and peaceful (to add another P word) week ahead! This episode isn’t just for business owners, so if you work a 9 to 5, are a stay at home mom or a student, you totally can gain something here too!

I hope this episode blesses you and helps you feel more in control of your time and ready to ROCK when Monday comes around!

To get the full shownotes for this episode head to http://elizabethmccravy.com/116

I’d love to connect with you on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/

To hear my calendar planning episode referenced, head back to episode #97 of this podcast! You will LOVE IT.

To check out Instacart visit http://elizabethmccravy.com/instacart

To check out the Full Focus Store and get $10 off, visit http://elizabethmccravy.com/full-focus

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

115: Keys to Building a Wildly Successful Mastermind and Membership Community with Amber Housley Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

Today I’m chatting with my friend, Amber Housley, and this is a FUN ONE, guys! Amber and I have known each other for years and have both worked together professionally. I designed her lovely website and she’s been my coach in her mastermind and membership community.

We talk about multiple things in this interview, but a big focus is on how to build a successful membership community OR a mastermind program in your business. She’s done both well, and there’s a lot of overlapping principles to creating a successful business with these offers. So, if you’ve been thinking that starting (or joining) a mastermind/membership is something you’d love to do now (or later), you’ll want these tips!

Amber and I also discuss motherhood and business tips, gardening advice, corporate life, and so much more. You guys are gonna LOVE this one!

Get the full shownotes with all linked mentioned at https://elizabethmccravy.com/115/

Connect with Elizabeth on her website at http://elizabethmccravy.com/

Connect with Amber on her website at https://amberhousley.com/

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

Connect with Amber on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/amberhousley/

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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