The Holistic Business Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How to Change Your Mind Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

Can we normalize changing your mind about your business plan?

One of the issues I see business owners struggling with all the time is the PRESSURE to make “the right” decision. I see this pressure on everything from structuring offers and pricing for scale, to how often you should post to Instagram. But what makes a decision “the right one?”

The implication of this stress is that, as a business owner, any decision you make has to be final because you can never go back and change your mind. WHAT?

Let’s be clear: In order to run a successful business, you need to be able to adapt. Sometimes, you’ll be adapting to the market, sometimes you’ll be adapting to your own evolving needs, but if your business is going to succeed you WILL be adapting to something.

Adaptation requires CHANGE.

So what do you do when you need to change your mind about a decision you made in your business? This week on the podcast, I’m covering the ways to recognize it’s time to make a change, how to talk to your customers about the changes you make in your business, and most importantly: The crucial questions you need to ask yourself throughout the entire process.

Tune in this week with a pen and paper and get ready to hop on this “normalization” train when it comes to changing your mind in your business.

SHOW NOTES

1:48– Planning for your inevitable success

4:10– When we don’t want to do it anymore

6:41– The questions to ask in the face of change

14:45– How to handle disappointing people

Episode 176: Why I Hate Patreon

Questions for HBA Members

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“Episode 177: How to Change Your Mind”

Why I Hate Patreon Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Patreon sucks, y’all!

Whoa, that’s a bold topic for an entire podcast episode! I know.

It’s no secret that I have strong opinions, but I don’t bash lightly. What started as a bone to pick with this particular platform has turned into a hill that I’m ready to die on. Why? Because small business owners are not succeeding there, but the popularity of this platform has everyone believing it will be their ticket to success.

Patreon has become super popular recently, so much that it seems like it has become part of the New Business Owner Starter Pack. The marketing is sexy: Start for free, make your work accessible to anyone in your audience for just a couple of bucks a month, don’t pay anything until you get paid, and join the hundreds of thousands of other creators using this same platform.

This company is an example of really successful marketing, but we need to be clear about who the customer here is. On Patreon, your customers are not their customer–YOU are! Patreon profits off you.

Which isn’t a bad thing, right? All of our software and platforms make money off of us. We have a problem, they have a solution, we all win! What makes Patreon different?

In this episode I am giving our podcast fully over to my rant. I am breaking down what exactly makes Patreon such a bad deal for business owners. I pull apart the service agreements, use real numbers to show you what you would be paying Patreon if you DID create a self-sustaining business on their platform, and offer you alternative platforms that give you a way better deal for similar services.

Tune in this week to get behind the marketing and crunch some numbers so that you have the information you need to reach the audience of your dreams.

SHOW NOTES

1:35– My first problem with Patreon: The math.

9:16– Payment processing

14:18– Patreon will not get you new customers!

23:21– The race to the bottom of the barrel

33:11– What to do instead? Other options besides Patreon.

Episode 42: Divination, Writing, and Sex Work with Alexis P. Morgan

Episode 36: Tobi Newson

Episode 75: Business on a Budget

Episode 153: Business on a Budget Redux

Ghost

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“Episode 176: Why I Hate Patreon”

Quick Coaching with Sarah: Social Media Burnout, Imposter Syndrome, and Testing New Offers Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

Are you burned out by trying to prove yourself?

Online business is often marketed as the “easy work from home” option, so what has so many people tripping over their social media schedule, drowning in the sea of search engines, and feeling like they aren’t good enough to be doing what they’re doing?

These feelings are so common! You are not alone and all is not lost!

SHOW NOTES

1:30– Social media is draining me! Are there alternatives to traffic people to my Etsy page?

12:09– How do I overcome imposter syndrome?

12:03– When testing new offers, should I charge for my services or offer them for free?

Alexis Buschnell HBA bonus training

Get on the Waitlist for the Holistic Business Academy

Learn something new? Share this with a friend! Knowledge is power and free coaching is about making this knowledge accessible to all!

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“Episode 175: Quick Coaching with Sarah. Social Media Burnout, Imposter Syndrome, and Testing New Offers”

Operating With Your Values Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

“Episode 174: Operating With Your Values”

Are you talking the talk or walking the walk when it comes to the values you preach in your business?

The business owners I look up to and the entrepreneurs I coach tend to be the kind of people who started their own businesses because they weren’t satisfied with the status quo. Traditional 9-5 employment didn’t work for us! The final straw might have been our health, our family needs, or our passion, but these deciding factors usually link back to our core values as people. We want to live differently and we want to create more possibility than we see in our current marketplace.

But when starting or scaling a business, we tend to focus our energy and creativity on the big, forward-facing decisions:

How do I want to market my work?
How do I ethically engage with my customers?
How can my business support my community?
How can my business support me in living the life I want to live?

We want our businesses to speak our values to the world! But what about the less glamorous decisions? What about the operational decisions that happen behind closed doors?

Operations aren’t very sexy and it is easy to default to what feels familiar or what appears “standard” in our field. But, if we aren’t questioning the status quo, we are missing an opportunity to practice our values!

So, this week on the podcast, I am going behind the scenes to look at some of the basic operational decisions that could use a makeover. From project management, to pricing, to hiring, let’s take a look at what each seemingly small decision communicates about the values that our business is founded on.

Tune in this week and get ready to take a closer look at what your work week says about you!

SHOW NOTES

4:31– Forward-facing values vs. behind-the-scenes values

13:14– Applying your values to hiring

19:23– Pricing transparency

21:02– Time off and the 4-Day Work Week experiment

29:06– Project management

Twist

HBA: What Are Your Values & Vision?

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Quick Coaching with Sarah: Self Trust, Converting in a Facebook Group, & Intellectual Property Rights Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

Welcome back to Quick Coaching Tuesday! I’m back with y’all, after a two week break to get through my latest HBA launch. That’s right! I take breaks from my regularly scheduled programming to get through intensive periods in my business. I do this because that helps me prevent burnout and allows me to be present and pumped when I return from my breaks! I’m mentioning this because burnout just happens to be the focus of one of our questions this week.

SHOW NOTES

1:28– How do I trust my decision making? How do I get out of burn out?

12:02– How to manage the fear of putting yourself out there

17:48– Why isn’t my active Facebook group converting to new customers?

23:02– How do I balance protection and accessibility with my spiritual intellectual property?

HBA Validate Phase

Protect Your Magic HBA Bonus

Katherine de Vos Divine Law

Learn something new? Share this with a friend! Knowledge is power and free coaching is about making this knowledge accessible to all!

Follow the Holistic Business Academy on Instagram and slide into the DMs to let us know what you think of the episode!

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“Episode 173: Quick Coaching with Sarah. Self Trust, Converting in a Facebook Group, & Intellectual Property Rights”

Active vs. Passive Sales Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

There is no such thing as passive income!

I hate this promise that gets circulated around the internet. You’ve all seen the tacky ads that promise to make you hundreds of thousands of dollars each month if you JUST CLICK HERE, but this idea that there is a secret, effortless way to rake in money is pervasive. I have been approached by many people interested in my program, telling me that they are seeking “passive income”. Will my program teach them how to do that?

No, not really. Because doing your work requires work.

The momentum of your business depends on your sales and sales strategies can be active or passive. When people go looking for passive income, I find that they often mean they want work/life balance. They want to spend their time doing things that are meaningful, not hustling to sell themselves all day.

I DO teach sustainable sales strategies that carry your work further and create more impact. Your job should center the work you love, not constant hustle. I teach sales strategies that combine both active and passive measures to build sustainable streams of income. What is sustainable to YOU depends on YOUR needs!

So in this episode of the podcast, I’m breaking down the difference between active launches and passive, automated sales funnels. You might have heard them referred to as “Live Launches” and “Evergreen Funnels.” This is the difference between actively engaging with potential customers and automating their sales experience.

Tune in this week for the pros and cons of each strategy, the situations that call for each of them, and the best ways I’ve found to combine them for maximum impact!

SHOW NOTES

00:39– The myth of passive income

4:06– Live sales

10:15– Automated sales

13:21– When to use what: combined sales strategies.

Validate Phase of HBA

Attract Phase of HBA

Episode 171: Launching and Self-Care

Episode 146: Three Steps to Consistent Revenue

Episode 63: Launching Your Offer

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“Episode 172: Active vs. Passive Sales”

Launching and Self-Care Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

How do you take care of yourself during your busiest work seasons?

I’m not talking bath bombs and face masks here. Self-care is not about slathering treats on top of burn out! It is about knowing yourself–your needs, your strengths, and your limits, so that you can create a business structure that actually cares FOR you.

But, even with our best planning, there are times that our business requires extra time, energy, and attention. Whether we are launching or navigating tax season, there are times that just require more of us than other times. How do you care for yourself during those times?

I am currently waist-deep in launch land right now (if you haven’t already heard, we have finished our big update of the Holistic Business Academy and have officially opened our doors!), so I am really present to how necessary self-care is in my business. Y’all, I am running right now, but I’m also not running myself ragged. It took me a long time to figure out the difference and that is what I want to share with you this week!

This week on the podcast, I am sharing four ways that I ensure self-care is centered in my launch process. These are the steps I take to set up my launch so that I still have the energy and enthusiasm to deliver my offer on the other side of it!

Tune in and be ready to be honest with yourself about yourself, so that you can keep taking your business where you want it to go.

And if you are ready to really dive deep and level up in holistic business, I have great news for you! The Holistic Business Academy is open for enrollment with new and improved material! Join Now to be a part of a community of business owners who are ready to change the world.

SHOW NOTES

1:50– How I know I need self-care

6:16– A business of self-care and service

8:03– Self-care during launches

14:07– Four ways that I center self-care

Episode 170: Hard Work vs. Hustle

Episode 134: Commitment to Authenticity

Living With Intensity edited by Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski – learn more about Dabrowski’s theories

Wooden Spoon Herbs

The Empowered Modern Witch Podcast

Life’s What You Make it Podcast

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“Episode 171: Launching and Self-Care”

Hard Work vs. Hustle Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

This is just too hard!

Do you ever find yourself thinking that, as you spend another late night in front of your computer? Or as you enviously scroll through the business profiles of other seemingly successful entrepreneurs?

Growing a business is SIMPLE, but that doesn’t make it EASY.

Still, there is a difference between the kind of hard work that leaves us feeling accomplished and the hustle that leaves us feeling burned out.

In a culture that tells us that we should always be working, it’s easy to load up our plates just to prove our worth. We are praised for Doing The Most!

On the other hand, this spiritual counterculture that has emerged tells us that everything should come easily to us! If we have to try too hard, then it’s not for us and we should move on.

Neither of these narratives will get you very far in business, so I’m spending this episode breaking down the difference between hard work and hustle culture. Do you know why you are doing what you’re doing? And is it worth the effort to you? Do you know how to tell the difference between effective work and busy work?

Tune in this week with a pen and paper to check in with yourself and your to-do list.

And if you’re ready for the hard work of business to have supportive boundaries that let you rest, check out my upcoming free masterclass on July 13th, 3pm EST.

Free Training: How to Attract Your Ideal Customers Without Doing All The Things

SHOW NOTES

2:18– Aligned doesn’t mean easy.

11:06– Giving up vs. toxic productivity.

15:05– Are you working hard or are you hustling?

26:05– Hard Work: What it is and why we avoid it.

Follow the Holistic Business Academy on Instagram and slide into the DMs to let us know what you think of the episode!

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“Episode 170: Hard Work vs. Hustle”

Quick Coaching with Sarah: Etsy, Time Management, and Social Media Confidence Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

The platform is not the strategy!

I know I sound like a broken record with that line, but I mean it! Building a holistic business means making decisions that work for YOU and YOUR offers. Holistic business isn’t about chasing every platform and doing everything the way it worked for someone else.

That’s why I’m here each week answering your individual questions about your personal businesses!

SHOW NOTES

3:42– Which is better: Websites or Etsy?

18:53– How do I manage a business when I have other big time commitments?

25:08– How do I boost my self confidence around promoting on social media?

34:00– Can I post a testimonial for an unlaunched product?

35:47– Can I promote on social media without infographics?

Free Training: How to Attract Your Ideal Customers Without Doing All The Things

Cal Newport

Learn something new? Share this with a friend! Knowledge is power and free coaching is about making this knowledge accessible to all!

Follow the Holistic Business Academy on Instagram and slide into the DMs to let us know what you think of the episode!

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“Episode 169: Quick Coaching with Sarah. Etsy, Time Management, and Social Media Confidence.”

The Truth About Money Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Money isn’t neutral!

I don’t have to tell you that we humans really fucked up with this whole “relationship to resources” thing. If you listen to my podcast, you’re probably not that into capitalism. You probably have deep criticisms of the way money flows in our society and the way mainstream “big business” helps direct that flow. But somewhere along the way, you also decided that you wanted to work for yourself.

Whether you started your own business because you didn’t fit into the mold of a “good employee” or because you wanted to help the world with your work, your choice means you have to interact with money differently. That’s HARD when we feel like money is a symbol associated with systems we despise.

Most people I work with have to radically transform their relationship to money before they can be successful in their business. If we think that money makes us bad, we are not going to collect it. If we think that selling our products takes away resources from someone else, we aren’t going to be able to market ethically. The spiritualistic counternarratives to this thinking also leave me disappointed. Money is not neutral! Access to resources has nothing to do with how high or low your “vibes” are.

Money is powerful and thus our relationship to it IS spiritual. It’s spiritual work to reframe our relationship to power and what it makes possible. So, this week on the podcast I am sharing my truths about money: What money is, how we can live with our relationship to it, and how we can use that relationship to enact the change we want to see in the world.

Tune in this week for a three-step breakdown of changing our relationship to the complex concept of money.

If you liked this episode and want to go deeper into these concepts, check out my new upcoming Free Live Training on July 13th at 3pm EST:

Attract Your Ideal Customers Without Doing All The Things

SHOW NOTES

2:19–Money mindset and spirituality

9:34–Money isn’t neutral

12:23–The human relationship to money

26:14–Your relationship to money

29:30– Three steps to changing your relationship to money

FREE TRAINING: Attract Your Ideal Customers Without Doing All The Things

Episode 106: Anti-Capitalist Abundance with Sarah Gottesdiener

PYRE: Entrepreneurial Witchcraft