Stop Sucking At Business

In this episode, Megan talks about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. If you answer yes to the questions and you can do these things, then you have what it takes to start a business.  What does it takes to be an entrepreneur? What does it takes to start a business? You can’t sit back and wait for things to happen. Hustle. Can you be proactive? Have your priorities straight. Learning to delegate. Time should be focused on making money. Things aren’t always balanced but you have to be able to roll with it. Never stop learning. Ask for help. Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame Freshbooks Free 30 day trial: meganbrame.com/freshbooks

In this episode, tables are turned. Laura Fisk interviews me for the mentor series. I will answer questions about doing craft shows. Want to hear from more experts about their tips and tricks? Check out the Mentor Series now! Questions: When was your first show? What was it like? What tricks did you learn along the way on your setup? How did you know your work was going to fit into shows? What was your pricing strategy? How did you do it? Planning your year and planning your show schedule, how do you do that? Where do you find new shows? How do you define if a show is good? What are some red flags to watch out for in shows? What are some unwritten rules of etiquette? Be nice How do you deal with oversaturations in your category? What are some things that you wish you were better with? What are some things that you think new artists get wrong? Notes from Megan: Keep your setup simple. Set your expectations lower. Plan your shows as early as you can. Be nice and polite to everyone. The basic of sales: Always

In this episode, Megan answers questions from listeners and followers.  Questions: 1. What do you think about new brands using free stuff instead of paid stuff? 2. How do I decide which niche to follow? 3. What do you think about Instagram stories? 4. What can I do to get better at scheduling? What is a good way to start discipline? 5. What is one thing that you think entrepreneurs get wrong with e-commerce 6. I really want to leave my job but my family keeps expressing concerns on my finances, what do you recommend I do? 7. Being afraid of trying because of rejection. Challenge: Do one thing that you are afraid of because of rejections.  Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame Freshbooks Free 30 day trial: meganbrame.com/freshbooks

In this episode, Megan talks about how to give value of your time and money. Megan tells you how to deal with getting asked for free stuff. Be grateful and thankful and tell someone that you’re thankful for them. You feel bad/guilty charging for your creative work. We think our time isn’t worth as much as it should be. You shouldn’t be afraid to make money. Stop feeling bad about it. There isn’t anything wrong for charging something for time if there is benefits for someone else. Your time is valuable. Don’t feel like you have to apologise for that. Time is a bitch. Time is annoying. You need time to grow. Start with a reasonable price for your product if you are starting because you are learning. It will grow over time. Everybody started somewhere. Make a plan. Start with a goal and go backwards. Act on it. Keep things in perspective. Start tracking little things.     Link to the podcast Megan mentioned: Young House Love Has a Podcast Episode 8   Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganplus

In this episode, Megan talks about an exercise on your core memories. Megan also shares her own memories or moments that she remembers.    All these snow balls(memories) create your beautiful life. Think about all those moments in your life that you didn’t know were significant to change your path. They put us where we are right now. Reflect on these memories. Take some time and remember these memories. All of these moments are happy and significant. They compile together and make you who you are right now. Whatever you are doing right now, it is part of a process that will get you to a different place. Share your own snow balls or memories with Megan.    Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame Freshbooks Free 30 day trial: meganbrame.com/freshbooks  

In this episode, Megan talks about her experience in starting a new blog. Megan started her new blog called thebeigehouse.com. Blogging is the easiest way to help your business. What I’ve learned: 1. It is difficult when you’re doing it by yourself. The first 10 days, the page got 100 views.  2. Content. When it comes to content, you can write whatever you want. If you want more views, you need to write what people are searching for. Google Adwards Keyword Planner will tell you what people are searching for. Longtail Pro will tell you much more information. 3. Schedule posts. Schedule social media. - Batch your posts. - Make your avatar. Figure out who you want to talk to. - Make it as easy as possible. Automate. Link: meganbrame.com/longtailpro   Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame meganbrame.com/freshbooks  

  In this episode, Megan will be sharing all the things I learned from my 30 Day Instagram Challenge.  Tips on Instagram Domination 1. Do everything ahead of time. Do it in batches. - I posted 3x a day for 30 days. 2. How many posts should be about their products or about other things? - I recommended that you focus on a ratio of about 3 posts of value and 1 post of selling. - Treat your account as a community more than for selling.  3. Profile should really involve what’s in it for a follower and not you. - Create a feature. Link to something specific. - People will use keywords on their profiles. 4. Hashtags: - Keep it at about 29 -30. - Find a hashtag that is less than a million post and more than 50,000 posts, so you’re post will not get lost. 5. I recommend that your post has a call to action so that you start creating community. 6. Grum.co - A desktop app that automatically posts to instagram for you. 7. I get more engagement when I post regularly. 8. Follow posts and like posts. Instagram doesn’t like

In this episode, we are with Jarred Andrews talking about how to get started on social media with your business.  Questions: Why do you think so many small business owners are intimidated by Linkedin? Do you think that google plus is also important for online businesses? What are the first platforms that my business should be on? What are your tips for creating new content? What is a good ratio for your content? What’s a good benchmark to say that your content isn’t working for you? What do you think is the time should there be a hire on a social media manager? What kind of schedule should I make for social media platforms? Do you think its a good strategy to share same articles on different platforms? Do you think tone should be different on each platform depending on what it is? How do you find hashtag that works? Should you have hashtags on Facebook posts? What are the best apps when starting a business? Buffer vs Hootsuite?   Notes: Search feature on Pinterest is amazing. Have a google plus page for yo

In this episode, Megan explains points on how to determine where you are in life. She details into how to give yourself direction and some life lessons to help you on your way. Life Lessons: Never apologise for wanting a better life. Practice gratitude more. Be thankful. Be appreciative. Don’t take for granted the opportunities you’ve been given. Have a mindset of abundance. “There’s always ways to have more” Stick up for yourself and your business. Decide what it is you really want. Define what success means. Think about what happens to you in the future if you continue. If you don’t feel like you’re moving forward, re-evaluate. Your past is not your future. Forgive yourself. Respect your time and invest in what will keep you forward. Find your why. What keeps you going in hard times. Live with intention. Pretend that you are in a documentary to be presented about your life. Be productive. Focus on your life and what you can do to move forward. Be responsible for your actions and inactions. Celebrate your s

In this episode, tables are turned. Laura Fisk interviews me for the mentor series. I will answer questions about doing craft shows. Questions: When was your first show? What was it like? What tricks did you learn along the way on your setup? How did you know your work was going to fit into shows? What was your pricing strategy? How did you do it? Planning your year and planning your show schedule, how do you do that? Where do you find new shows?  How do you define if a show is good? What are some red flags to watch out for in shows? What are some unwritten rules of etiquette? Be nice How do you deal with oversaturations in your category? What are some things that you wish you were better with? What are some things that you think new artists get wrong? Notes from Megan: Keep your setup simple. Set your expectations lower.  Plan your shows as early as you can. Be nice and polite to everyone.  The basic of sales: Always be available.       Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee

In this episode, we are with Anne Dardick of Dot and Lil and she talks about how to expand your business into wholesale.  Questions: What came first? The client profile or the product? How do you balance being the face of the company? How do you train people to advertise the product? US vs. Canada? Notes: - If you want is to be bigger and larger than yourself, you have to ask how your business is scalable and how it could potentially be saleable. - It’s very hard to exit from or sell a business if you’re into retail shows. - If you’re selling consumable low price item, wholesale could be the way to go depending on your wholesale discount. - The more we do video, the more that we look like a team when I talk about them. In skincare, you have to be a good sales person and you have to be well informed about the products. - Make zero claims about the product. - Canada is smaller in market size. - Storage in US is the way to go. Shipping back and forth is expensive. - Facebook Ads: depends on what product we are

In this episode, we are with Liz Long to talk about making your own product. Liz talks about tips and notes on how to make your own product with the do's and don'ts.    What would be the catalyst between making it myself and making it through others. - Pricing is different. Be sure to find out the prices and options on suppliers. Notes:  Start out with prototypes. Have a perfect sample from the factory. Start with something small. Make sure to have the lowest possible deal with your factory. No room for miscommunication. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you see something wrong with your product. You need a fully finished design with precise instructions. Look for professionals to help you in creating your design. Find materials that are in stock if you are starting. Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame

In this episode, Megan talks with Dennish Kashkin from Boardbooster to talk about marketing strategies on Pinterest.  Notes: Pinterest will not be made for you. It’s going to be what your fans want. Pinterest audience are mainly female and research shows that they have a very strong intention to buy. Most users who get a lot of repins are pinning not only their content but also content created by others. Everything you publish on your boards, send signals to Pinterest on how good you are at meeting the needs of others. Publish a good mix of yours and third party content. Optimize your pinning strategy to achieve better metrics. Secret boards has no impact on your public boards. Better to put your personal pins on secret boards. Invest in the quality of your public boards. Make sure that every pin has a source link. Boardbooster has pin doctor. Tests your pins for nine common problems. If you have budget, why not test and see how Facebook, google, and pinterest advertising work side by side. You want to make s

In this episode, Megan answers questions asked by followers.  What are your best tips for working at home? How do you stay motivated during slumps? Can you run through your plan on closing your business. How do you deal with negative people giving negative reviews? What’s the worst job you ever had before? What would you have changed in your business? How do you recommend passive income to an etsy store? What is the best way to determine if I can go full time on my business? What books have you gifted to other people? Follow Megan on: Twitter @meganpluscoffee Facebook Periscope: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest   stopsuckingatbusiness.com   meganbrame.com  

In this episode, Megan interviews Jesse Richardson from Crate Joy. They talk all about subscription boxes.  Things discussed: How to Start your own Subscription Box - Find your Niche (what experience do you want to give your customers? Is it based on discovery or replenishment?) Build a Landing Page -Identify your communities. Get some traffic to your page. Look at how well your audience will respond to your idea. It lets you test how effective you are on creating or marking your product to your target market. It gives you a strong marketable asset. Things to consider on building a subscription Free sampling Pricing Marketing pitch Looking for suppliers Planning for the launch How many items to put in a box How do you reach out to vendors Product packaging How to handle getting feedback Follow Megan on: Twitter @meganpluscoffee Facebook Periscope: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest   stopsuckingatbusiness.com   meganbrame.com  

In this episode, Megan talks about money, fears and how to handle them.  There are no reasons that you can’t make money. In 10 days, you will have 30 different ways to make money and then implement. Big scary amounts of money are totally subjective. If you have a big amount of debt, don’t think of it as a big scary number. You can think of it as a per day amount of debt that you need to pay. SELL THINGS. Start thinking of things that you could sell. Start developing products that can take care of that of you. Start targeting people who will be interested in your product. IMPLEMENT. Start making things happen. Get over your fear of big scary numbers. Break it down to actionable steps. Don’t be scared of money. Create a feeling of abundance. - Spend the money on something that will save you time. - Write down your big scary number and cross it off every time you earn something. Megan's Financial Planner: meganbrame.com/financialplanner   Follow Megan on: Twitter @meganpluscoffee Facebook Periscope: @meganplus

In this episode, Megan asks you to join in her challenge of learning and going back to school. 1 day a week, dedicate that time to solely learning and implementing to create success and growth in your business. Be her study buddy. Send a tweet to @meganpluscoffee: “I’m in for the back to school challenge and I’m committing to this day ____” "You've done this before." - Make it a priority in your schedule - Take modules and implement.   Classes Megan is taking: Personal Power 2  Rock Your Livestreams  Blog Mastermind I will teach to be Rich (book)   Follow Megan on: Twitter @meganpluscoffee Facebook Periscope: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest stopsuckingatbusiness.com meganbrame.com        

In this episode, Megan talks about ways on how to create focuson your business. She lists down her ways on how she does eachitem.  "By being all over the place, nothing gets done."1. BATCHING- compresses everything- You can focus on one thing that needs to be done.2. THREE TASKS- Create focus by limiting the amount of things you need todo- Do three tasks a day that can only be done with you.3. CHUNK OUT YOUR TIME- Create a schedule helps you from getting distracted.4. BABY STEPS- Chunking down goals is so much easier.- Helps you figure out a game plan- Figure out the small steps you need to take to hit the bigtarget.5. FOCUS ON ONE PROJECT AT A TIME- Key to business.- finish what needs to be finished. Tip: To eliminate distractions, put on one song and put it onloop. Over and over again. Links:52GoalsFinancial Planner and GoalTracker TimFerriss episode with Matt Mullenweg about creatingfocus Follow Megan on:Twitter @meganpluscoffeeFacebookPeriscope: @meganpluscoffeePintereststopsuckingatbusiness.commeganbrame

In this episode, Megan talks about Facebook and Pinterest ads and how to manage them.    Two Schools of Thought on  Advertising: 1. Spend money to make money. 2. Don't need ads if you can got time.    Things Discussed: Facebook Ads are good for learning.  - Pay for traffic to your website rather than to your fan page.  - Create ads to engage audience on your fan page.  - Import your mailing list into your fan page.    Pinterest Ads  - Pay for traffic to your website.  - Figure out the ultimate time that people are repinning - Board booster - Keyword Planning Tool    Run your ads to a freebie, don't run it into a product.    RESOURCES MENTIONED: Shopify BoardBooster ConvertKit  30 Days to a Better Business Challenge    Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame  

In this episode, Megan talks about learning to create a working business environment from your home. Tips: 1. CREATE A SCHEDULE- but don’t overload yourself. - list 3 tasks per day - write it out, don't keep it in your head - chunk out your schedule 2. SEPARATE YOUR WORKSPACE- leave your workspace out of your bedroom- this will help you focus 3. SET QUANTIFYING GOALS- make your goals attainable-ish- this takes you out of your comfort zone- push yourself 4. WORK VS. PLAY- schedule your play- keep them separate, keep them sacred   Shopify 30 Days to a Better Business Challenge   Follow Megan on Twitter: @meganpluscoffee Pinterest: meganpluscoffee Instagram: @meganpluscoffee Facebook: facebook.com/meganbrame