smallbusinessconnections

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about using the Clubhouse app to increase your brand's visibility, why continuous learning is important for business owners, and how to create loyalty from your employees with MyCore co-founder, Cheryl Cage.

We discuss: 
-The Clubhouse app: what is it and how can it help you be a part of great conversations
-Books for Business
-Assumptions we Make
-Continuous Learning
-Creating Loyal Employees 

Together, Cheryl and Ann started Leaders are Readers on the Clubhouse app. Every Monday at 10:55 am they discuss a chapter of the chosen book for business. The book they are reading and talking about is: The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller.

As the cofounder of MyCore, Cheryl becomes a resource to those whose business work in the B2B space as a complement to their services. MyCore changes the way of work by helping businesses of under 100 employees integrate cloud-based technology with human expertise. They've pulled together the best providers for payroll, accounting, taxes, bookkeeping and HR,  to offer a single point of contact, to bring you a world-class client experience.

Contact Cheryl Cage: Clubhouse | Facebook | Linkedin | Instagram

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter| Facebook| Instagram | LinkedIn |Clubhouse

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

Join us as Ann talks with Jeff Chastain, who formed Admentus to work with entrepreneurial leaders after spending a number of years inside corporate America. Since then, he has worked with numerous small and large businesses to implement various technology solutions to meet their needs.

We discuss:

- What a ‘real’ vision for an entrepreneurial business should look like and how to make it a useful tool in the business.

- How to instill a sense of discipline and accountability within the organization to ensure resources are well utilized.

- Why running a business on numbers (instead of gut feel) is so critical and how to do that.

Favorite Books of Business-

The Prosperous Coach: Increase Income and Impact for You and Your Clients by Steve Chandler 

Business Made Simple: 60 Days to Master Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Execution, Management, Personal Productivity and More by Donald Miller

To Contact Jeff at Admentus- Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram| LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

Join us as Ann talks with Tatiana Tsoir, a numbers expert with over 15 years of experience helping entrepreneurs and business owners become the boss of their bottom line.

We discuss:

1. What can you do today to stop your anxiety and be the boss of your bottom line?
2. What are the 5 critical decisions you need to make before starting a business?
3. What things can make or break your business idea?
4. Are you making cash flow mistakes?
5. What to do if you found yourself becoming an “accidental entrepreneur".

To preorder Tatiana’s book: Dream Bold, Start Smart

Favorite Books of Business:

Super Attractor: Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams by Gabrielle Bernstein 

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz 

Get Paid What You’re Worth: The Expert Negotiators’ Guide to Salary and Compensation by Robin Pinkley 

To Reach Tatiana: TalkToTatiana.com

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter | Facebook| Instagram| LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

Join us as Ann talks with life coach, writer, public speaker, self-published author and survivor, Kawan Glover. Kawan is a Survivor because he has lived through a stroke and three brain surgeries. He also dealt with suicidal ideations, one attempt, opioid addiction, depression, and has been $1.2 million in medical debt. Despite these hardships, he has started his own company called Overcome Adversity, which leverages his ordeal to help others, as the name says, Overcome their Adversity no matter the shape or form.

We discuss:

1. What’s your why?
2. How important is mental health to you and how has it impacted your life?
3. What was writing a book like?
4. What is some practical advice for our viewers?
5. What keeps you going?

Kawan speaks to us with an experienced mindset of what he calls Victory over Victimhood. He reminds us that the hardships are not your fault but they are your responsibility. The darkest night always comes before the brightest morning are Kawan’s powerful words to remind us to look forward.

Favorite Books Mentioned -

Favor: How Stroke Struggle and Surgery Helped Me Find My Life’s Purpose by Kawan Glover

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

To Reach Kawan: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter| Facebook| Instagram| LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

Join us for this episode of Small Business Connections as Ann talks with Matej Harangozo of Digital Science Media, an award-winning entrepreneur, music enthusiast, and innovative technologist. We discuss:

1: Where did the idea for Digital Science Media and Open Source Entertainment come from? Where did your interest in music come from? What made you get into the industry?

2: Where do you think the music industry is headed?

3: What do you think is the difference between being an entrepreneur and being a business owner?

4: What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and what did you learn from it?

5: What advice would you give an entrepreneur looking to be a disrupter? Any advice on how to create alternative income?

Favorite Books Mentioned -

Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

New Bands to listen and follow:

Spotify New Artist Playlist - New Music Friday Playlist

Hello Sister- Spotify | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

IAMOBAS - YouTube | Instagram

Julian Ewald - Spotify | YouTube | Instagram 

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about work-life balance, or should it be life-work balance with entrepreneur coach and founder of DTK Coaching and author of Mindset Mondays, David Taylor-Klaus. Work is no more a part of someone’s life than family and David helps people find their balance of life’s rhythm.  

We discuss:

-Soul-Sucking Culture and why we need to delete this devastating phrase

-Words Create Worlds with open space to the possibility

-Happy Accidents

-What will this look like when it’s easy?

-Mindset Mondays - David’s book

David and Ann have a lot in common right from the beginning while they share their passion for helping others, cycling and the close to the heart efforts of suicide prevention. The life of the entrepreneur needs to be balanced and choosing to see the world through a lens of humanity. Changing your lens changes your possibility.

David introduces his acronym REWIRE Framework with custom prompts to reinforce new ways of thinking, being or doing. Additionally, David has a live group coaching program- 52 Weeks In 52 Days - mindset shift to quickly integrate into your life starts 3/1/21.

Favorite Books in Business:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Soulbattical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life by Shelly Paxton

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people. Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world. If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter | Facebook| Instagram| LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about succession planning and taking care of your business and yourself financially with Stratus Wealth Advisor, Sam Brownell. Entrepreneurship has many demands and it is vital to plan for your personal and professional future.

We discuss:

1. How has the pandemic affected the value of my business?
2. What is succession planning and why is it important to my business and my family?
3. What type of ownership transfers are available to me as a business owner?
4. How do I minimize taxes when I sell my business?
5. How do I protect my family throughout the succession planning and ownership transfer process?

Sam Brownell, CVA, CFA, MBA has been a financial professional since 2006 and formed Stratus Capital Management in July 2013 to provide goals-based investment management to individuals and small businesses. As the firm grew, an increasing number of small business clients sought Sam’s advice on their own business growth issues, including valuation, tax strategy, business continuity planning, and succession planning. In 2019, Sam obtained the CVA certification from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) in order to better serve his business clients.

Sam’s Favorite Book- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin  

Sam’s free succession planning kit. 

Connect with Sam Brownell: Linkedin

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

Brian Loebig, of Loebig Ink, returns to ASMM Small Business Connections to discuss what's next in digital marketing. 2020 was a rollercoaster ride for small businesses. 2021 is shaping up to be equally unpredictable. So how are you going to take control of your digital marketing?

We discuss:

-Networking for Your Business and Personal Brand

-Practical Tips for Networking

-Meeting and Time Management

-The Value of Diversity

-What's Next in Digital Marketing

-Project Refit

Brian Loebig is the founder of Loebig Ink, LLC, and an award-winning technology blog, TheInkBlog.net. Brian has over 15 years of experience working as a practitioner and administrator in the small business, non-profit, human service, and technology fields with a special emphasis on SEO, web design, and social media.

Brian has developed and helped implement Internet marketing strategies for the National Council for Traditional Arts, the National Alliance for Performance Excellence, Volvo of Central Virginia, The American Red Cross of Central Virginia, Fixation Marketing, Business Networking International, the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club and many more.

Learn more about Brian or booking him to speak with your organization at about.me/brianloebig or keynote speaker.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

In this episode of Small Business Connections, one of our favorite guests, Dean Forbes returns to talk about being the expert in your space. 

Dean answers:

What is the #1 thing you must have absolute clarity on in order to achieve your goals & dreams?

What is the fastest and most effective way to go from where you are right now to where you want to be regardless of the starting point?

What skill must you improve to confidently and consistently influence people to take massive action?

What is the most important asset you need to continuously work on in order to launch, endure, and sustain your success?

What experiences have you had that make you the ultimate authority on this subject?

If you know anything about Dean, creator of the Impact Factor ™,  you know he’s a dedicated student of influential mastery,  transcending limits and making an impact that matters. His message has moved the needle for others for almost two decades because of that passion. 

Dean embodies the secrets of the masters; those who have the charisma to quickly draw anyone into their vision. With over 15,000 hours of practice across diverse audiences of different sizes, he will show you exactly how he's been able to connect at a deep emotional level with virtually everyone who's experienced his magic. 

No matter what reality you’re living in right now, Dean is a coveted High Impact Coach who can turn business owners and teams into in-demand market leaders with the Impact Factor ™ so you can Make An Impact That Matters in the areas of life that matter most to you.

Books mentioned on the show:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

The Underdog Advantage by Dean Graziosi

Millionaire Success Habits: The Gateway to Wealth & Prosperity by Dean Graziosi

The Art of War by  Sun Tzu

Breath the New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

To Connect with Dean Forbes on Facebook, Twitter Mention you found him from listening to our show. 

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM:

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Chris Brogan joins us for this episode of the ASMM Small Business Connections Podcast to talk about why you should think about your business as a show. In today’s marketing space, it is more important than ever to figure out how to engage your audience between their purchases when they may or may not want to buy. For 2021 and beyond we continue to find new ways to gain our audience’s attention.  

We discuss:

“Why should a business think about itself as a show?”

“You’re changing your title to ‘Showrunner.’ What’s that about?”

“Can you run a business without thinking about it as a show?”

“What are the practical elements to work through to make a show?"

Turning your business into a show is a means of packaging your business’s information to stay top of mind when our audience is deciding to buy. Gain someone’s attention and make good use of it. We learned in 2020 that localized businesses do really matter and that the community will support their local businesses.

The showrunner role is similar to that of the CEO in regard to theme maintenance. The CEO’s responsibility is to define the vision of the business while recruiting and nurturing the staff who are going to keep the vision flowing. As a showrunner, the question to answer is, what do I need to do to take into account the theme or scope of the business. The marketing goal of the showrunner is to get the little rectangle box out of someone’s pocket and gain the audiences’ attention. Chris uses the Mandalorian as an example. The showrunner-CEO is the director who ensures the theme actor delivers their lines in character, staying with the theme as a whole. The showrunner figures out new ways to run your business.

Chris Brogan is president of Chris Brogan Media, offering business storytelling and marketing advisory help for mid to larger-sized companies. Chris is a sought after keynote speaker and the New York Times bestselling author of nine books and counting. He’s working on his tenth: title forthcoming. His latest project is The Backpack Show: a business show dedicated to finding insights from unusual places.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Subscribe to our podcast: ASMM Small Business Connections

Creating a podcast is a great way to get your message out to the world. It may be the perfect place to start when creating content for your small business. they discuss making the podcasting process less daunting. Today's guest on Small Business Connections is Justin Hornback. They share why you should consider starting your own podcast, what equipment you must have and the process for recording, posting and sharing your podcast with the world. 

Together, Ann and Justin share how podcasting has helped small businesses and the benefits we discovered along the way. They both met more people in the last year and had more meaningful conversations than we ever imagined. They each learn something from each guest and sometimes themselves hosting each episode.

Podcasting for both Ann and Justin gives small businesses a voice and a platform for audiences to hear their stories. The audience and the purpose expand as the guest and host share their story's. 

To get started in podcasting you just need a phone, a goal and a hosting platform. Of course, you can invest in a good microphone and other items but, do not let this get in your way.

Podcasting hosting platforms/equipment mentioned on the show:

Streamyard, Skype, Zoom, Libsyn, Podbean, Anchor FM

Canva, Headliner

Shure SM58 Microphone, Zoom Recorder

Learn more about Justin Hornback and Snapshots Made Yesterday: Snapshots Made Yesterday focuses on the small moments of life. The goal of the show is to inspire others to hone in on just one moment and savor it. Or look for an opportunity to create a snapshot moment for someone else. 

Subscribe to Justin's podcast- Snapshots Made Yesterday Podcast

Follow Justin: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing

Follow ASMM: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about simplifying your business with Nicole Hamilton, Founder & Owner of Homeownering, Inc. Nicole has a passion for mortgages and creates transparency by spending time with consumers. She built her business to help the middle class with homeownership and provides tools to navigate negotiating the best deal with ease.

We discuss: 

- Simplifying a business vs. "boiling the ocean"

- Whether to take a partner or go solo

- Pros and cons of different funding

-Lessons learned on my second go-around

-A/B testing made simple

Nicole started Homeownering, Inc by narrowing down where she could be the most impactful and provide the most value to consumers. Her desire to solve a problem, particularly, helping consumers successfully traverse homeowner-related transactions including the amount of equity in your home and how to get a mortgage and refinance without being at a disadvantage to banks. By trusting her gut, learning from her life experiences, Nicole was able to simplify her passion and make an impact. Nicole focuses on the consumer and finds joy in making people’s lives. She provides the assurances that her consumers are going to benefit from. 

Books mentioned on the show-

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff

Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol 1 The by Robert Caro

Grant by Ron Chernow

How I Built This by Guy Raz

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about the best practices for remote work with Shelly J. Spiegel, CEO & Chief Creative Officer of Fire Engine RED, INC. Shelly started a fully remote business in 2001 and has literally written the book on how to best adapt your business to remote work today. 

We discuss: 

-How to build a strong, positive culture at a fully remote company

- How to avoid Zoom fatigue in meetings

- Collaborative tools your company should use

- Processes for onboarding remote team members

- Measuring the productivity of your team members

Shelly J. Spiegel is a visionary thinker, charismatic leader, and creative force in admissions marketing and technology. Her company, Fire Engine RED, is an innovative marketing, data, technology, and consulting services company that’s served the education market since 2001. Her dedication to her clients, as well as her ability to understand the needs of the education market, have earned her the respect of enrollment professionals everywhere.

Shelly’s also an author and remote work advocate. In October 2019, she published Fully Remote, the first-ever book that tells readers how to set up, lead, and manage their own successful all-remote company. Fully Remote is based on Shelly’s 19+ years of running Fire Engine RED, one of the first all-remote companies in the U.S. 

Fully Remote: How to Set Up, Lead, and Manage Your Own Successful All-Remote Company by Shelly J. Spiegel-

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing at http://asmmdigital.com

Follow ASMM:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann mentions; as the year comes to an end, you may be spending more time planning for what's next. That's why this is perfect timing for today's podcast with Lisa Earle McLeod. Together, they discuss how having a noble purpose can increase your morale AND your bottom line.

Ann and Lisa dig into noble purpose as Lisa is the global expert on purpose-driven business and the bestselling author of "Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud."

Lisa shares her expertise on PURPOSE as she answers these questions:

1. Why do so many businesses think purpose is fluffy?
2. What’s the biggest misconception about noble purpose?
3. Does noble purpose fly in the face of capitalism?
4. How does having a noble purpose influence sales results?
5. How does purpose impact a business’s performance over time?

With 19 years of research, 112 organizations transformed and 1.7 million people inspired, Lisa has a message worth sharing and most definitely worth implementing.  

Follow Lisa McLeod: MacLeodandMore.com

Ann shares, that this was one of her favorite conversations of the year because it made her think about her business's purposes and whether she is conveying this purpose to her ASMM Digital team in the right way.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/anns-social-media-and-marketing/

Learn More About ASMM Digital Marketing at http://asmmdigital.com

Follow ASMM: 

Twitter- http://twitter.com/BrennanAnnie

Facebook- http://facebook.com/ASMMDigital

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/asmmdigital/

Subscribe to our podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asmmdigitals-podcast/id1513426991

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about the power of stories and how you can powerfully tell your story with Melanie Gow, the Legend Maker and founder of Awaken the Legend Within. Melanie helps people awaken the legend within and learn the keys to telling their story impactfully.

As a story strategist, Melanie shares that we all have a story worth sharing and she can show you how. Harnessing the power of storytelling is an ancient art and a teachable skill. Storytelling holds emotion and emotions are universal. Communicating your story and making a connection with others is like magic. Melanie breaks down the structure of the story and dives deep into the four natural storytelling powers- to heal, to inspire, leadership and foretell.

Melanie shares the secret to storytelling and that the dots on the page become books and stories with power. She loves helping people find their story and condense their story to become their fifteen minute keynote. Once learned, you can keep going and share your authenticity by telling your story.

Melanie’s Favorite Books

Bennett Cerf’s Little riddle book: (Mail-me books)  Book of Riddles by Bennett Cerf

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

To reach Melanie Gow:

The Legend Within- https://awakenthelegendwithin.com/home/

Linkedin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegow/?originalSubdomain=uk

Thank you to the Warrior Music Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

The Warrior Music Foundation offers free music therapy and music lessons to our active-duty military, veterans and their families by providing a venue for learning, healing and camaraderie using music. The Foundation's goal is to improve mental health in the military community one person at a time. Please take a few minutes and visit their website, Facebook or Instagram to see the amazing work they are doing for our military and veterans.

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be a guest on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks with Alex Ray about self-confidence. 

They discuss:

- Why Self-Confidence Is The Key To Happiness

- Can we learn to be more self-confident?

- How bravery plays into self-confidence

- Plus, his one tip to help people learn to truly be themselves

Alex Ray is a life coach who helps others in the LGBTQIA+ community overcome insecurity. He teaches bravery as a way to overcome low self-esteem, people-pleasing, and fear of failure. He's a life coach, podcaster, and doggie dad.

When asked to describe himself, Alex says:

"I used to be extremely insecure. Most of my brain power felt like it was going towards thinking about what other people thought of me. And I had a mental list of the things I wished I could do but felt totally inadequate to do them. In 2017 I hit rock bottom. I felt completely empty, constantly trying to earn value from what I could do for others. And no matter how much I achieved, I still felt worthless. That October I tried to end my own life. I'm so thankful I was unsuccessful. What I learned on the other side of that experience though, I wouldn't change for the world. The confidence I was always seeking came from learning to live bravely.

Now I coach members of the community who feel stuck in their own insecurities and fear. I help them live bravely so they can break that cycle and thrive not just survive."

Follow Alex:

Website: coachalexray.com

Instagram: @coachalexray

Podcast: Becoming Brave- Apple Podcasts, Spotify 

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about avoiding scope creep, using emojis and how using EQ skills helps small businesses with HelloWoofy Founder and CEO, Arjun Rai.

How often have you found yourself doing extra work for a client and wondered how exactly this happened? Arjun has a solution to this problem.

Arjun Rai is an NYC based entrepreneur who is on a mission to support small businesses with the power of visualized data science and artificial intelligence for digital marketing. Arjun is a firm believer that every SMB should have an unfair advantage to compete against unlimited marketing budgets.

Arjun’s Favorite Books for Business-

Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filing Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers by Russel Brunson

Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Creating a Mass Movement of People Who Will Pay for Your Advice by Russel Brunson

The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone

The Closer’s Survival Guide - Third Edition by Grant Cardone

To reach Arjun Rai:

HelloWoofy.com

Content Masters by HelloWoofy.com Facebook Group

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about getting rid of fear as a business owner with Mia Hewett, business coach and founder of Aligned IntelligenceTM. Mia has co-owned and operated a seven-figure business, is an international speaker, and a world-class business coach. Her methodology removes all the blind spots, fear, anxiety, and self-doubt leaving you feeling "free to be Me.”

Together they discuss:

-Getting past imposter syndrome

-How to no longer fear people’s judgments

-How to no longer fear failure

-The fear of success 

Mia’s Book for Business-

Meant for More: Stop Secretly Struggling and Become A Force to be Reckoned With by Mia Hewett

This is the book Mia wishes she had when she started plus, the password as a show listener to access the ebook for free. http://miameantformorebook.com/ Password: Freebook

Ann shared her charity, Burgers and Bands for Suicide Prevention, as we are in the state of a mental health crisis and we need your help to continue to spread the words: #YouAreNotAlone. We are far below the necessary funds this year so, the mission is to raise funds through our virtually hosted event. Tune in to the Burgers and Bands Virtual Facebook Event and please support this cause if you are able.

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks with Pamela Hart Vines, a communications strategist, filmmaker, and author. As CEO of Troop Public Relations and Vines Film, Pamela creates cinematic video projects and short films for business owners and influencers, using storytelling and promotional strategies to build respected brands for her clients. Pamela is a proud and decorated US Army veteran.

We discuss:

-Defining Public Relations

-The difference between PR, Marketing, Advertising, and Branding

-Four steps to incorporate a Public Relations strategy for a business: Research, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.

It is vital to realize that Public Relations incorporates marketing, advertising, public relations and branding all under the same umbrella. Analyzing each of these helps you fully craft your message to present your products and services. To best incorporate a successful Public Relations strategy it is necessary to follow the four steps. Each step leads to the next and helps sustain your business.

Pamela recommends planning strategically and stresses blogging as a great form of Public Relations because blogs have the longest shelf life on social media and provide meaningful communication to help your audience use your goods and services. 

Ann shares her, writer’s trick- once you start writing the next idea will come to you. Pamela adds, once you start writing, the walls come down, all you have to do is put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. 

Pamela’s Favorite Books of Business

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear  

Make it Rain!: How to Use the Media to Revolutionize Your Business & Brand by Areva Martin

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield

Pamela is the author of, Born of Sin: A Jay Dee Abraham Novel, an Amazon #1 bestseller.

Ann shared her charity, Burgers and Bands for Suicide Prevention, as we are in the state of a mental health crisis and we need your help to continue to spread the words: #YouAreNotAlone. We are far below the necessary funds this year so, the mission is to raise funds through our virtually hosted event. Tune in to the Burgers and Bands Virtual Facebook Event and please support this cause if you are able.

The Small Business Connections Podcast is hosted by Ann Brennan, owner of ASMM Digital Marketing. The podcast was created as a means of helping her clients build a community around their brands. Since its inception, the podcast has grown to include guests from around the world. To be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.

In this episode of Small Business Connections, Ann talks about ways to never stop growing and the importance of realizing your time value with software entrepreneur, the founder of Onestop Devshop, Geordie Wardman. They discuss how Geordie transitioned from being a forest firefighter to an entrepreneur, ecommerce, time management, pivoting online and Geordie’s favorite books of business. Onestop Devshop builds software for websites and mobile applications for small businesses.

Ecommerce Solutions

Geordie recommends as a brick and mortar to develop your online presence in order to gain revenue online, while as a consultant, it is vital to develop your digital audience. Ann mentions that today’s digital audience is your foot traffic. Businesses need to make sure their business is easily accessible. Onestop DevShop offers Shopify apps and other applications to make it easier for customers to find you online.

Pivoting Online

The sooner you start the more established you will become. Geordie suggests creating something you can continue after the pandemic. The flux of working from home and continuing to work from home will continue for many businesses. Ann shares the best time to plant a tree was 50 years ago or today.

Time Management

Geordie masterminds with other entrepreneurs and found that time is an entrepreneur’s most valuable asset. If time is trouble, put a value of your hour, what you would charge for your time. Geordie recommends tracking your time and reviewing after a month to reveal tasks you can change the amount of time you spent. Geordie says that no CEO should be working on the same thing twice. You will discover tasks you should delegate or hire someone to do for you. OneStop DevShop developed the app, ticktocklab.com and as a listener of the show, if you mention you heard it here, on the Small Business Connections Podcast, he will offer you a discount on the app.  

Geordie graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in forestry. Married and coming to the realization that forest firefighting was taking him away from his wife and the pay only comes through when on the fire, Geordie switched into a computer career. He completed some Oracle certifications and entered the corporate world. It took two years and Geordie knew it was worth his while. He is now on the other side of his entrepreneurial journey and has been at it for 15 years.

Geordie’s Favorite Books of Business

The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller 

The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy 

Ann shared her charity, Burgers and Bands for Suicide Prevention, as we are in the state of a mental health crisis and we need your help to continue to spread the words: #YouAreNotAlone. We are far below the necessary funds this year so, the mission is to raise funds through our virtually hosted event.

Tune in to the Burgers and Bands Virtual Facebook Event.

Please tune in and support this cause if you are able.

The host of ASMM Small Business Connection is Ann Brennan. She is the owner of ASMM Digital Marketing and started the podcast as a means of helping her clients get in front of more people.  Since its inception, it has grown to include guests from around the world.  If you would like to be on the show, please message Ann directly through LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe.