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:

084: A Week in My Life: A Behind the Scenes Look at What I Do in a Week! Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to a week behind the scenes episode of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast! This is a long one (wowee!), but it’s gonna be really fun and entertaining. Hopefully, this is a nice break from the super educational and “note-taking” time of content I typically am sharing. We all need something more chill every now and then, right? If you’re a tad nosy like me, then you’ll love hearing what my life actually looks like. I believe that so much of what makes our businesses successful is in what we do in those little moments that no one actually sees (or typically talks about). So, I’m talking about it! I did an episode like this way back in the day on episode 7 of this podcast, and so much has changed since then. So, it’s time for a refreshed version of this!

This week I’m taking you with me every day. I’m checking in every morning before work and after work hours to tell you what’s happened. You’ll hear me talk about podcast interviews, team meetings, working on client’s website design projects, baking bread randomly for fun, hanging out with friends, how I plan my week, the workouts I do, the courses and content I consume to grow my business, books I’m reading, what my morning routine is like, and so much more.

To get links to all the amazing things mentioned in this episode head to https://elizabethmccravy.com/84

To connect with Elizabeth on Instagram head to https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/

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

083: SEO Strategy, Relocating Your Business, and Mental Health as an Entrepreneur With Vanessa Hicks Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

This episode is a hodgepodge of so many topics with one of my favorite photographers, Vanessa Hicks! Her work is beautiful, and she’s someone I love following and learning from online. As the title suggests, we talk about a lot of things in this episode — it was hard for us to pick just ONE thing to focus on!

We talk first about her story starting her photography business, with no prior experience and with a lifestyle that required her family to move a lot. (You’ll hear why in the episode!) If you’re like me, then you might think wedding photography does NOT seem like the career choice when you can’t stay in any one location for more than a few years. The thought of moving after building up a reputation and clientele in an area is a nightmare for most photographers. But, Vanessa has made it work, and she shares about rebuilding her business in a new market in San Diego after recently moving from Hawaii.

We talk about blogging and SEO! (Which I am a HUGE SEO fan, as you know. So this was especially fun for me.) She drops so many wonderful SEO strategies that you can get started on today. And, if you think SEO isn’t important for your business, what she shares will seriously make you reconsider that. We tell you exactly how you can figure out what keywords to blog about, how to know how your competitors are doing in the SEO game, and lots of blogging strategies.

We also talk about protecting your mental health as a creative entrepreneur, especially during this crazy year 2020 has been. I hope that Vanessa’s advice on this will speak right to your heart like it did to mine!

I feel like I could talk to Vanessa for hours, and funny thing… we actually did talk for an additional 50 minutes after we stopped recording for you guys. She’s just great! So, turn up the volume and enjoy this vulnerable and strategic conversation with Vanessa Hicks.

Get the full show notes and all the links mentioned in this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/83

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

Connect with Vanessa on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vanessahicksphotography/

Shop Elizabeth’s website templates: http://elizabethmccravy.com/shop

Visit Vanessa on her website: https://vanessahicksphotography.com/

(P.S. Vanessa and I are hosting a GIVEAWAY over on Instagram to celebrate this episode release. You can enter to win a private coaching session with Vanessa and a "Link in Bio" template from me! Head over to @elizabethmccravy on IG to get entry details!)

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

082: 7 Secrets to Working Smarter, Not Harder (Be More Productive & Get Hours of Your Life Back!) Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

I’m really excited about this episode of various productivity hacks for you! As the title says, I’m all about working smarter, not harder. That doesn’t mean that intentional work isn’t important, but instead that we should make the absolute most of our time spent working. Interesting thing: I rarely work more than 40-45 hours in a week for my business, but have been able to build a multiple six-figure a year business on that time. It’s not about the hours you put in, but about how productive those hours are.

In this episode, I’m sharing 7 little hacks that help me be more productive — from what I listen to in the workday to managing my calendar! My challenge for you is to pick 2 of these things and implement them into your life this week. Even with just 2, I think you’ll see huge improvements. Now turn up the volume and get pumped for some time-saving hacks!

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Binaural Beats Audio on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pJ5FD9_Orbg

Episode #46 of this podcast for my best calendar tips — just scroll back to find it!

Episode #76 of this podcast for my best inbox management tips — just scroll back to find it!

Connect with me on Instagram and tell me what you’ll be implementing: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/

Come hang out on my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/

Get the full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/82

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

081: 8 Time-Saving Hacks for Launching Your Website Template FASTER Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

So you got a website template or maybe you’re thinking about getting a template, but you want things done ASAP. I’m talking about a 5 day set up then launched! It IS possible, and I’ve had many customers over the years get their sites done in a DAY and even more in a week or a few weeks. In today’s episode, I’m sharing tips for how to customize and launch your website template faster. Whether you have a template from me or someone else, whether it’s a Showit template or a Squarespace template — doesn’t matter, these tips will help you out!

Your website can’t go to work for your business unless it’s live for the world to see. So, let’s get it live and up asap! Turn the volume up for my top 8 time-saving hacks to get your site up fast!

Get the full show notes for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/81

Watch a tour of the Showit Blueprint Course mentioned in this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/course-video

Shop the EM Shop Showit Website Templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop/

See a showcase of what our amazing customers do with their sites: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showcase

As always, thank you for listening! And if you found this episode helpful, I’d love for you to leave a rating and/or review and share it with a friend who this could help!

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

080: 5 Secrets for Using Dubsado to Attract and Book More Ideal Design Clients Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

Want to attract and book more ideal clients? Ready to have more leads turn into paying clients? These 5 secrets will teach you how. A little while ago, I hosted a live webinar with one of my favorite software companies, Dubsado, as part of their summer sale. It was really fun, I got to hang out live with tons of other designers and small business owners and teach some big strategies for marketing! This webinar was such a hit that I asked Dubsado if I could share it on the podcast. They happily said yes. So, in this episode, you’ll hear the audio from that webinar plus a fabulous Q&A at the end where some really great questions were asked!

I’d recommend downloading the slides to get the full experience here and to help you implement what I’m teaching. To download the slides as a PDF, go to https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado-slides. If you’re not a designer, but instead another type of service business, there is still so much to gain here. When I did the live webinar, I had some bookkeepers, copywriters, photographers, and coaches watching and they loved it too. So, just apply what I say to your business type.

To get the slides (for a visual of everything I share), see them here: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado-slides

If you want to watch the webinar instead of just listening, you can watch the replay here: http://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado-webinar

To get 30% off your Dubsado subscription + a free trial, sign up here: http://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado

Visit Elizabeth’s website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/

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

________________

Timestamps:

Secret #1 - 9:15

Secret #2 - 13:24

Secret #3 - 20:50

Secret #4 - 26:35

Secret #5 - 32:09

Question #1 When should I send a potential client to my scheduler to book a call? 41:00

Question #2 Should I ask for a potential client’s budget on my contact form? 42:03

Question #3 Can you offer a call option to potential clients if you list a starting price on your services page? 43:23

Question #4 Do you have to incentivize clients to fill out your survey? 44:48

Question #5 Do you set up a “Coming Soon” page for custom website clients while you are working on their new website? 45:26

Question #6 What do you do when your clients launch or promote their products until later? 46:51

Question #7 How do you handle promotion for high profile clien

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

079: How to Systemize Your Inbox so You Can Spend Less Time Emailing Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

I hate emailing. There I said it! The “inbox management hustle” is one of my least favorite business things, but creating SYSTEMS around emailing has certainly helped me enjoy it more. Emailing is such a vital part of running a business. It’s how we communicate with customers, potential customers, and so much more. But, spending ALL DAY in your inbox is not “vital” and is actually a total waste of time.

In this episode, I’m giving you 7 strategies for how to systematize your inbox right now — whether you get 15 emails a day or 200. Starting NOW on creating an organized inbox will be a key to scaling your business long term. Some of these strategies you may already do, while others might feel totally new. Listen through all of them, and then I challenge you to take 3 of them that resonate with you the most and implement them this week!

Links Mentioned:

- Get the full show notes and all links mentioned: https://elizabethmccravy.com/79

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

- Get a trial + 30% off of your Dubsado subscription: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado

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

078: How to Confidently Film Yourself (like a Pro!) and Create Magnetic Video Marketing Content With Patricia Kelikani Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

If I told you right now “Hey, you should do a live on social media this week, show your face on stories, or make a video about your service!”, does that scare you? If you’re like most online entrepreneurs it does! Video can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Video is a key way to connect more with your audience and make a bigger impact in your business. It just takes some learning and practice! That’s where my guest today comes in!

Friends, meet Patricia Kelikani. She is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and video coach who shows entrepreneurs how to make more money in their business with video. So, if you’re ready to learn how to film yourself like a pro and create magnetic video content, turn up the volume and tune in!

Get the full show notes and all links mentioned for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/78

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

Connect with Patricia on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/patriciakelikani

See Patricia’s website at https://lucrativevideos.com/

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

077: Insider Scoop Alert! The Making of My Online Course for Designers Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

The secret is finally OUT. I’m creating a program for designers on how to create and run a booked out design business. I’m SO excited to share this program with you! So, I was on a walk a few days ago thinking and brainstorming this course, and had the bright idea to take YOU ALL along for the journey with me. So throughout this process, I will do episodes updating you on where things are at. Ever thought about making a course or digital offer in your business? Thinking you might want to GET this course when I release it? Either way, this episode will have some lessons and learnings for you!

My hope is that these episodes will be inspiring, entertaining to listen to, and full of little tidbits throughout that will help you grow your business.

Here’s a bit of what we’re covering today:

- Building “bridges” in your business and why you should nail one offer before adding the next

- Business dream journals - what and why you should have one

- Why I’m making this course and why NOW

- Some of the nitty-gritty details of what will be included

- The struggles I’ve had so far in the creation process and what I’m learning

- Pre-selling, beta testers, or straight up launching? — I’m sharing what I’ll be doing here!

- A fun thing I’m doing right now to talk 1:1 with potential customers

- Figuring out prices, names, and so much more!

If you’re like “Hey! This course sounds amazing. Count me IN!”, then head over to https://elizabethmccravy.com/waitlist. You’ll be able to get on a waitlist for the program and/or take a survey for me to give your own input for what you want in this course. I am making this course FOR YOU, so I want your input on what you want to learn!

Get on the waitlist: https://elizabethmccravy.com/waitlist

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

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

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

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

076: 7 Money Mistakes You Might Be Making as a Creative Entrepreneur With Dondrea Owens Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

It’s time we talk about our business finances! Today’s guest is Dondrea Owens! She is the owner of The Creative’s CFO. As a certified public accountant, she specializes in helping small business owners know their numbers, so that they can grow their profit, up-level their life, and keep more money while doing it.

This content is specialized to YOU. This isn’t some advice for restaurant business owners or manufacturing businesses. Nope — she’s sharing common mistakes that creatives make — designers, photographers, artists, wedding industry pros, copywriters, and even coaches. You’ll walk away from this episode with a better understanding of your business finances and the confidence to make smarter money decisions going forward.

She’s sharing 7 common money mistakes that creative women make in their businesses, and some of these mistakes you might be making RIGHT NOW. I certainly resonated with a few of these as being mistakes I’ve made in my business early on. We’re also giving you key ways to correct the mistake going forward.

An invitation for you: If you’re listening to this LIVE, then I’ll be doing a live webinar today (Tuesday, July 28th) with Dubsado. I’m sharing 5 Secrets for Using Dubsado to Attract and Book More Ideal Design Clients. If you’re a graphic designer, this is for you! And, Dubsado is having their BIG SUMMER SALE on July 27th - July 31st. To get an additional 30% off during their already amazing sale, use the code “ELIZABETH30” to save.

To watch the webinar (or the replay) visit: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado-webinar

To learn more about Dubsado and get a direct link to sign up via my code: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado

To get the full show notes and links mentioned for this episode, head to https://elizabethmccravy.com/76

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

Connect with Dondrea on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thecreativescfo/

[This month, we’re doing a weekly business book giveaway! To enter just leave a review on Apple Podcasts. (Seriously that’s it.) And, if you’re already reviewed, share about the podcast to your Instagram stories! We are randomly selecting one winner each week of July! Leave a rating and review to enter!]

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

075: Ask Elizabeth Anything: Instagram Marketing, Indecision, Business Budgeting, Haters, and More! Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

I’m answering your questions today, and we’re covering everything from budgeting in your business to online haters, exercising, indecision, and so much more. These are questions listeners sent in from a survey and on social media. You might even hear your name on here! ;)

Here’s a sampling of the questions you’ll hear me answer on this episode:

- How do you budget best when your income is inconsistent?

- Do you ever get hateful messages online? How do you handle them?

- How do you market yourself well if you’re introverted, especially on Instagram stories?

- Is your husband an entrepreneur too?? What does he do for work?

… and a bunch more!

I get really real on this one, and I hope what I’m sharing helps encourage you to grow your business boldly! If you want to hear the previous “Ask Me Anything” episode, scroll back to episode #41!

For shownotes head to http://elizabethmccravy.com/75

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

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

This month, we’re doing a weekly business book giveaway! To enter just leave a review on Apple Podcasts. (Seriously that’s it.) And, if you’re already reviewed, share about the podcast to your Instagram stories! We are randomly selecting one winner each week of July!

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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