Making The Maven

Dr. Chris Frykman has been a chiropractor for the past 16 years and he is also the host of the Vibrant Potential podcast. Chris focuses on natural and holistic healing methods and also specializes in brain health. I really like Chris's message and feel he does something very different than what most online business owners do. He runs a business that matches his lifestyle - not the other way around. I love this about him because so many people feel like they 'should' be doing something when in reality it has nothing to do with what they really and truly want. You seriously have to listen in for more amazing gems from Chris in today's episode.   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *Thank you for leaving iTunes reviews! *Chris is usually the only person in the office. *Chris understands he doesn't do everything well, so he’d rather outsource than hire employees. *However, there's nothing wrong with wanting to have a ton of employees in your office. Do what works for you. *Be careful about doing things you think you

I've been getting a lot of messages from my Making The Maven Facebook group lately, on how to establish pricing for both yourself and your services. You might be inclined to shop around your local area for pricing or compare prices from someone who is a little more established, but let me just tell you to stop right there! Instead, I challenge you to grab a piece of paper and write down all of the wonderful things YOU bring to the table, not just your 'education', but everything! I think you and I both know that you actually bring so much more to the table and sometimes you can't really compare that to others. Done writing that list? Good. Take a long hard look at it. That's what you bring to the table for your clients, and with that in mind, that's how you should price yourself accordingly. Okay, I also want to touch on increasing your prices, because again, it's hard to know how your pre-existing clients will react to the price hike. But let's take a moment and realize how tired you are and how much you giv

Haley Lynn Gray is a business consultant and the founder of Leadership Girl. I think this line from her website states really clearly what Haley does and why she has resonated with me so much: “You went into business for yourself to be your own boss, have time with your family and make more money. The only problem is that you don't know how to get clients to bring in money, which leads to spinning your wheels. More often than not, it also means more time in front of the computer than when you were in corporate.” Haley just has a 'make it work, no matter what' attitude and I just love that about her. She has so much knowledge to bring to the table and I hope you enjoy today's interview with her! If you want to know how to grow your business online, then this is definitely the show for you to listen to. Don't forget to grab your pen and paper! You will need it.   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *Thank you for leaving your reviews on Stitcher Radio! *Why did Haley start an online business? Her friend was doing i

I recently wrote an article on the Huffington Posts on how to show off and shine. I know so many of you guys think about this on a regular basis, which is why I want to briefly share some tips for you to try out and practice with, this week. So, how can you reach a global audience online? In order to successfully do that, you have to place yourself as the expert. First and foremost, take a look at your online profiles and see whether it represents the image you want it to represent. Does it highlight your expertise? Are your photos in high quality? You're putting yourself out there on a first date. How do you check if you have a strong brand identity on all of your online platforms? Make your posts are consistent throughout all three channels. It's the best way to take your professionalism to the next level. By the way, you can see the piece I wrote right here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-mcglade/5-tips-for-expanding-your_b_9386958.html

This week's guest is Shari Teigman and she is downright awesome! She is a soul explorer, sparkle maker, life coach, and more. You know when you meet someone for the first time and you develop such a strong connection with them? That's Shari. On the show, Shari shared with me that she never really had a plan to become an entrepreneur and she dives in on how she discovered this new-found love. Shari is just filled with passion and talks strongly on creating a business that fits your lifestyle, not the other way around.   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *Have a pen and paper ready. Shari will blow your mind! *Shari helps bust through the glass ceilings with her clients. *Everyone should try an entrepreneurial journey, just once in their life. *When you become an entrepreneur, everything you didn't know about yourself will come up. *Entrepreneurship can be the scariest way to look at the world. *Jealous? Stop for a second and ask yourself why. *Success is driven by the curiosity and joy that you're willing to bri

Testimonials play a huge role in the decision-making process of people wanting to work with you. They add to your credibility and show off your expertise! They also set expectations on what future or potential clients can expect from you.   There are actually three different kinds of testimonials you can collect from your clients: Written – When you're doing a written testimonial, make sure you include a photo. It's a must! Audio – It's excellent because your potential clients can hear what your clients have to say word-for-word. Video – Not only do you hear from existing clients, but you can also see them, which further enforces trust from your potential clients.   There are some key questions you can ask your clients to get the perfect testimonial. Ask them where they were, business-wise, before they met you and then ask them to compare where they are today now that they've been working with you for a period of time. What did they like the most about working with you or your service, etc.? And then finally,

Brodie Welch is an acupuncturist, a holistic health counselor, and more! Brodie's wisdom on how she achieved success is something to pay attention to. I was very interested to hear from Brodie on how she came to the decision to expand her business. Brodie was very open throughout the interview and talked about some of the growing pains she has been having since making that decision. She is the perfect example of how you can take a one-to-one business model and convert it to a one-to-many. I hope you like the show and I always welcome feedback on what you think!   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *Brodie was doing what she loved, but it was a little too much. *While Brodie was adjusting to parenting her step kids, she realized quickly her business needed some extra set of hands. *There's never really a 'right' time to hire an extra set of hands, but when you do you'll realize you can bring more to the table. *As a wellness professional, it can become really easy to get lost in the 'hustle' of it all and not be

Networking is one of my favorite topics and you would be surprised at how often it comes up. My listeners have even been asking me for a lot more content about networking, so here you go! I have three key things you can do today to add value to your online community. The first thing to remember is that the very foundation of networking is to bring value to others. If you don't have that, then you can come off as un-genuine or even sleazy. So, how do you begin to create and foster online relationships with someone you respect or want to connect with? Step one: Promote their content. Step two: Refer people to them. Step three: Connect others in your network with them. Sounds simple, right? It is! I hope my three tips were helpful on how you can bring value to others, especially online. Always take the time to help others and it will always come back to you in positive ways.

Brandy Lawson is a common-sense problem solver and 2nd generation entrepreneur. She's been in business for herself for the past four years and had a career in corporate America. Brandy is a tech-savy chick and offers some great advice on why entrepreneurs should always have a password manager. Brandy also shreds light on some common problems and challenges entrepreneurs face on a day-to-day basis and how you can personally solve them. Love, love Brandy's advice and I hope you do too! Listen in for more.   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *Thank you everyone for your iTunes reviews and feedback! *Brandy is a tech chick. *Why should you have a password manager? *One of the biggest contributors to Brandy's success has been a business coach. *Brandy loves Wordpress's community. *Community is impactful both for individuals and for businesses. *You need a business best friend. It's a little different than a coach and a community. *The evolution doesn't stop as a business owner. *Brandy's parents opened a restaurant

My listeners often ask me how they can get referrals or recommendations from their current client base.  I know this is something everyone struggles with, so I wanted to talk about it on the upcoming Making The Maven episode. First of all there's three main components to getting great referrals. Number one, and probably the most important one of them all, is to ask. Nothing will happen if you don't ask! Number two, what kind of people should your clients send your way? Make that clear to them. Be specific on what you do and what kind of problems you help solve. Number three, set some clear goals in the next couple of days on which client you want to ask and then take action! Feel free to let me know how these three things worked for you and keep sending in your questions!

I am passionate about communicating the importance of structuring your business to meet your lifestyle. It is far too common for wellness entrepreneurs to look around at others who they deem as successful and then try to copy their business elements. Instead, understanding your strengths, unique skill sets, passions and interests and combining these to create a business that fits YOU is a recipe for success. That is why the cookie cutter business model does not work in my opinion. When you place yourself in situations to show off and shine brightly, there is no competition.

I have been interviewed on a couple of different podcasts so far and through those conversations, I have thought about the highly important differences between being a manager of your business and being a leader for your business. The truth is you have to do both. As a leader, you have to inspire others around your vision, seek new opportunities, and build meaningful business relationships. However, as a manager, there are many unsexy tasks that need to be handled such as invoices, employee management, and managing client expectations. I would like you to take the time to think about what percentage of your day you spend being a leader versus being a manager, and if it aligns well with your goals for your business.

This week I have a wonderful, wonderful entrepreneur named Liz Nierzwicki. Not only does she have her own yoga studio, but she's also a published author and speaker. Liz's work is fueled by passion and self-love. She is a big believer that there is nothing you can't do when you have passion and a focus. I really hope you can take Liz's message to heart as she is living the dream.   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *What does Liz do? She's an entrepreneur! *Liz is a single mother. She is currently raising a 13-year-old. *Why did Liz leave corporate? She actually got fired. It was a blessing in disguise. *Liz was burnt out during the first year of her business. She knew she had to make changes. *A lot of entrepreneurs are self-taught because there are so many things that need to be done, especially if you're on a bootstrap budget. *Entrepreneurs need to get offline to connect with their audience. *One-to-one coaching gets better results than course programs. *We need accountability and an outside support system,

I catch up with Jennifer Dubowsky on today's episode. I actually interviewed Jennifer last year. She was the very first person I had interviewed for the podcast, way back when! My good friend Jennifer is a licensed acupuncturist based out of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Since the last time we spoke, she has discovered she's doing her best and most authentic work through writing. Not only has her writing led her to connect with more people all over the world, but it has also opened more doors and opportunities. By the way! Do you like the new look and feel of the podcast? Let me know what you think!   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *Thank you for listening and sharing your feedback. *Jennifer's blog has attracted more opportunities for her and has built a deeper connection with her audience. *This is not a message about starting a blog! It's about doing your most authentic work through the medium you love the most. *Jennifer didn't even want to start a blog. She did it purely for marketing purposes at first. *