Making It with Jess Ekstrom

Latest Episodes:

26: How to Get Your Book on Shelves Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

So, you have a book idea, but you have no idea where to start in order to get your book on shelves—thankfully I've already been through the process and can tell you!

In this episode of Business on the Bright Side, I'm sharing four important steps to get your book on the shelves of retailers you love. Listen in as I dive into building a book proposal, getting a literary agent, securing a book publisher, and doing the work to see your book out in the real world.

Four Steps to Get Your Book On Shelves

1. Answer this Question: Why do you want to write a book?

Why you? (2:03)
Why this topic, transformation, or category? (2:28
Why now? (2:42)

brightpages.com

Publishing Deals (3:41)

2. Write Your Book Proposal (4:41)

What goes into your book proposal:

Overview of the Book
Answering the whys
Who’s your target market
Comparative titles
Chapter outlines
Who are you
Marketing ideas
Sample chapters

Working with a Literary Agent (6:19)

Working with a Publisher(8:10)

Working with a Sales Team to Get on Shelves (9:26)

3. Getting in Local Bookstores (10:31)

4. Getting in Local Libraries (12:09)

One Liner: Only write a book if you want to leave your readers better after having read it. (15:15)

Get Podcast Updates Every Monday: Text Podcast to 704-228-9495

Register for the Book Pop Workshop Webinar

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

25: How to Use Clubhouse as a Speaker with Mothyna James-Brightful Feb 14, 2021

Show notes

Are you using clubhouse to grow as a professional speaker? With the platform becoming more and more popular, there is so much potential to gain awareness for your brand and network with others.

In this episode of Business on the Brightside, Mothyna James-Brightful joins us to discuss how you can use clubhouse for your brand! Additionally, we talk about steps we can all take to create more diversity and inclusion in the speaking and event industry!

First Paid & Non-Paid Speaking Gig (1:25)

Pitching Yourself in Your Clubhouse Bio (8:05)

How to Overcome the Fear of Speaking (9:17)

Diversifying Speaking Engagements (11:50)

Diversifying Your Experience (15:22)

Advice to Speakers to Stay Active (18:38)

Links:

instagram.com/mothyna

sistermothyna.com

stagereadyspeaker.com

Grab the free email templates.

Review the Transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

24: Ask THIS Question When You Have an Idea Feb 07, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever had a moment in your life that you look back on and thought, "Wow, that actually happened... and I made it through."

In today's episode of Business on the Bright Side, I'm sharing how I lost the first $10,000 I invested in my business before I ever really even started. The lessons that came from that experience didn't sink in until much later, but it also brought out more than just lessons, it taught me about risk.

What was the risk of moving forward after failure? What's the risk of not moving forward? What considerations or risks do you have in your next big idea or adventure?

Getting Started with Headbands of Hope (3:12)

How Jess Lost $10,000 (7:20)

Moving Beyond the Risk (11:31)

Finding Success & Purpose After Failure (13:10)

Links:

Chasing the Bright Side

Review the Transcript at businessonthebrightside.com

23: How to Stop Living on Autopilot with Antonio Neves Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

Are you ready to make a change in the way you're living your life? Antonio Neves joins us as our first guest on Business on the Bright Side to discuss his book, Stop Living on Autopilot!

In this episode, we talk through authenticity, knowing who you are, and surrounding yourself with quality community! If you're ready to stop living on autopilot, you need to hear this conversation with Antonio!

Meet Antonio (2:25)

Being Authentic (9:45)

How do you introduce yourself? (15:16)

Good Fear vs. Bad Fear (17:28)

Thieves vs. Allies (26:58)

Links

theantonioneves.com

Stop Living on AutoPilot by Antonio Neves

Armchair Expert by Dax Shepard

Review the Transcript at businessonthebrightside.com!

22: Goal Setting Tips Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Are you struggling with creating and prioritizing your goals? This episode is for you! While I'm not a fan of strict goal setting, I think it's important to know what you're working towards! Listen in as I share my favorite goal setting tips so you can accomplish what you want in 2021!

Grab the Goal Setting Workbook

Tips for Goal Setting

1. Leave room for possibility. Release your grip. How can you hold it with an open palm

2. Write down your goals.

3. Speak it into existence.

4. Do something small towards it.

One Liner: We grow into the person that we want to be on the way to our goals, not in the planning. (11:04)

21: 4 Mindset Shifts to Copy Jan 17, 2021

Show notes

Sometimes our own way of thinking can get in the way of us achieving our own goals. Let's make life a little easier with a simple mindset shift. In today's episode, I'm sharing 4 mindset shifts you can copy to stop getting in your own way!

4 Mindset Shifts to Make Life Easier (1:26)

1. You before anything else. (1:38)

2. Care more about the system, less about the goal. (3:02)

3. Care more about what you’re creating than what people are thinking. (5:01)

4. Train your mind to see the good in people & business. See it and speak it. (6:37)

"People aren’t thinking about you as much as you think they are."

One Liner: Even our most engrained patterns and habits deserve to be questioned. What worked yesterday, might not work today. Always keep iterating. (7:47)

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

20: Quiz: Decide Your 2021 Personality Jan 10, 2021

Show notes

You have permission to change who you are at any time. Isn't that crazy? You can determine who you are and what you want to be, along with how you approach situations. Ready to dive in? Let's figure out what your 2021 personality is with this simple quiz!

10 Questions to Decide What You Want Your 2021 Personality to Be (3:35)

1. Do you want to be a coach, player, or spectator? (3;42)

2. What people do you want to reach? (4:11)

3. How do you want to help those people? (4:34)

4. Where do you want to meet these people? (6:03)

5. What creative medium do you want to use to share your gifts? (6:30)

6. What do you want your look to be? (7:02) 8:33

7. How do you want to respond to challenges?(9:28)

8. Who is your alter ego?(10:33)

9. What are you not going to care about anymore?(11:34)

10. What’s the one thing that you’re going to care deeply about?(12:14)

One Liner: Remember, you’re a different person yesterday than you are today. Who you are as a person is fluid and dynamic so keep checking in with yourself. (13:00)

Links

lindseyschwartz.com

Review the Transcript at businessonthebrightside.com

19: 3 Ways to Build Momentum in 2021 Jan 03, 2021

Show notes

Happy New Year! Is 2021 the year you're looking to grow personally and professionally, without feeling overwhelmed with the goals you have in mind? In this episode of Business on the Bright Side, I'm sharing 3 ways to build momentum this year!

New Year’s Resolutions are a Load of Crap (1:45)

Set goals and build momentum in 2021: (2:41)

Crafting a Mission Statement (2:45)
Update your bio. (6:49)
Setting up your Calendar for Big Picture Goals (7:58)

One Liner: In 2021, I’m in competition with no one, I’m rooting for everyone, there’s room for me at the top, and I am right on time. (9:34)

18: Year in Review: What Worked, What Didn't, and What to Do Next Dec 20, 2020

Show notes

As we bring 2020 to a close, I’m sharing the details on all of the things that worked and didn’t work in my business and life amidst the pandemic.

All of my businesses experienced very different moves in 2020. One business flatlined, one business quadrupled in sales, and another business started at zero. On a personal level, I was able to appreciate slowing down, creating new routines, and avoid things I didn’t enjoy.

Ready to get the inside scoop on the success and failures of 2020, let’s dive in!

Sitting in Our New Home (2:27)

What Worked in 2020 (4:00)

What Worked in 2020: Professional Brand (4:15)

Community Virtual Events: Chasing the Bright Side Conference, Write the Dang Book Conference, and Book Pop Workshop
Texting via Community Application: 704-228-9495
Pay What You Can Model for Chasing the Bright Side Virtual Conference
Introducing Masks at Headbands of Hope

What Worked in 2020: Personally (10:50)

Not Traveling on Planes
Half-Caf Coffee
Facetime & Zooming People

What Didn’t Work in 2020 (14:49)

What Didn’t Worked in 2020: Professional Brand (15:30)

High Ticket Offerings Were Harder to Sell
In-Person Speaking Engagements
Press

What Didn’t Worked in 2020: Personally (18:40)

Hand Lettering
TikTok
Reading Big Books

One Liner: Your value doesn’t come from one thing you do. You are the sum of all the things you do. (20:50)

Links

Micro Course: How to Host Your Own Online Events

Headbands of Hope

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

17: How We Decided to Live in an Airstream (and a Tactic for Big Decision Making) Dec 13, 2020

Show notes

Are you facing a big decision in your life right now? It’s hard to make decisions that will impact your life!

In this episode of Business on the Bright Side, I’m sharing how I approach big decision making! I’m also highlighting how we used this approach for our decision to uproot our lives and live in an airstream!

Considering RV Living (1:29)

List Making (4:16)

How I Face Big Decision Making (3:56)

1. Pretend to Go All-In (3:56)

2. Ask yourself what all you need to do to make this happen. (4:05)

3. Find your first domino (the first thing you need to do on your list). (4:46)

4. Is there friction or is there flow? (6:47)

One Liner: When a decision becomes too big and scary, pretend to go all in and see how it feels. After that first step, you’ll find that fear slowly fades away. (9:29)

I've created a shop for people who do, because I think that the best selling product that you're looking to create is the story that you already have. The Bright Side Shop is filled with digital and physical products to help you do just that.

Links

jessekstrom.com

Airstream

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

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