<p>Surviving in the blogging and entrepreneur world is not an easy task.  Jenny teaches you how to build a stronger business so that you can turn your part time hustle into your full time profession.  She creates a focused vision for your business by teaching tested strategies for growth and development.</p>

Influencing bloggers & entrepreneurs to grow their businesses

Influencer Entrepreneurs with Jenny Melrose

My guest today is Nesha Pai. Nesha is the founder of Pai CPA, which is an outsourced accounting department for small businesses. 

Unlike most of my guests on the podcast, Nesha actually lives in Charlotte and we have been able to meet in person. 

Are you facing challenges in your life or business that have got you down or discouraged?  Overcoming obstacles as an entrepreneur is something you can do.

Overcoming Obstacles as an Entrepreneur with Nesha Pai

I first met today’s guest over a year ago at Podcast Movement, where I was speaking and he was in the audience. We have continued to follow each other since then and I am very excited to have him on the show today.

Andy Storch is a husband and father to two kids. He is a consultant, coach, and speaker; his main business is in corporate talent development, where he connects great leaders with talent solution developments and turn their strategy into action. 

He hosts two podcasts - Talent Development Hotseat and The Andy Storch Show. 

Andy attends a lot of conferences and is also hosting his own conference in November. He is big into health and fitness and getting the most out of his life. 

Andy has a passion for attending great conferences and he is holding his own conference in Sonoma, California this November 6th-7th; however, The Talent Development Think Tank is already sold out for 2019! 

Attending a conference for an introvert can be extremely overwhelming, but if you go in with great conversation starters it makes it much easier.

Great Conversation Starters for Conferences with Andy Storch

I was recently discussing my business with my mom and mentioned that I was an introvert. She laughed and said that I couldn’t possibly be one because of how open I am and how easily I speak to others. I admitted to her how I’ve been struggling with coming out of my shell and being social with others ever since I was a child. She had no idea! 

Those struggles have made me able to do what I do today. I’m going to share some of the tips I’ve been using since I was a kid to help me feel confident and comfortable in my own skin. 

In case you missed it, I recently released the Jenny Melrose app! It’s available for all iOS devices and has all of my content in one place. 

All my podcasts are there in both audio and written form. 

We also have exclusive audio just for our app users, and there’s one all about gratefulness that includes a huge promo for IEA. Head over and download the app and listen to the audio and you’ll get 50% off the price of tickets when you use the code APPUSER at checkout until the end of October. 

In this episode, we’re going to cover networking tips for introverts. I can give these tips because I am an introvert, which might be surprising to some of you. 

Networking Tips for Introverts for Conferences and Live Events

We're breaking down the benefits of influencer marketing from the perspective of a brand and an influencer who are actually on the same page about the value of influencer marketing.

Jessy Grossman is the CEO and founder of  Boldstreak, a social media and talent management company based in New York City. They are well known for representing some of the top parenting influencers, for their diversity, and for representing thought-leaders. She is also the host of the WIIM Radio podcast. 

Influencer marketing is a known strategy to grow your product's presence or brand, but do you know the actual benefits of influencer marketing?

Benefits of Influencer Marketing

Start taking care of your financial future with financial planning steps necessary for a small business owner to have a successful financial future.

Today’s guest, Anna Sergunina is a certified financial planner. All of her childhood and young adult life she planned to become a doctor, but in college, she decided to switch majors because she was intrigued by finances and so she ended up with a Business degree instead. 

She connected her desire of wanting to be a doctor and help people with her business major and has been a financial planner for the last 15 years. 


Have you started taking financial planning steps for your small business?

Financial Planning Steps for Small Business Owners with Anna Sergunina

The recent Google algorithm updates have many people worried about why their traffic dropped, but it comes down to E.A.T. (Expertise, Authority, Trust).

I am super excited about today’s guest on the podcast. Marye Audet-White was on here with me way back in episode 67, when we talked about her course, Search Engine Seduction. It’s been a long time and a lot has changed since then when it comes to SEO, so I asked Marye to come back and update us all. 

Marye has been blogging for several years at her Southern food blog,  Restless Chipotle. 

Because of her knowledge regarding SEO, I strongly encouraged Marye to create some courses on the topic. 

Her courses, Search Engine Seduction,  her membership site, Own It, Darling, her mastermind group, Search Engine Seduction Mastermind, and her website, Mary Audet-White are all designed to help women who are too busy to learn everything about tech speak but still want to understand SEO. 

The Google Algorithm Updates affected a lot of traffic across the web, but it can actually give you an opportunity to stand out as an authority.

Google Algorithm Updates & How They Affect You as an Influencer

In today’s episode, we are talking about how to network at a conference.

It’s not as simple as you may think, especially for those of us who are introverts. But never fear, because I’m going to give you tips on how to network and grow your business, which is the whole purpose of attending conferences. 

Before I dive into that, let me tell you that the tickets for my own live event, Influencer Entrepreneurs Academy, are going fast. 

This event is being held in Charlotte, NC, March 31 - April 2, 2020. The speakers for next year’s IEA are amazing and I am super excited about it. You will receive teaching and then you will have time to put all of the strategies you learn into action in your own business. 

Rather than spending 2 days taking furious notes while speakers talk fast, each attendee will be put into a mastermind group of other women. You will sit with these women and you will all work together to help each other implement the lessons. If you haven’t gotten your tickets, do it today. 

Tips on how to network at a conference even as an introvert, so that you can make the most of the conference and grow your network.

How to Network at a Conference even as an Introvert

I am so excited today to dive into a topic we haven’t talked about before on the podcast, and that is LinkedIn. 

My guest today, Chrissie Wywrot, has been working for herself for about 5 years. Chrissy has marketing experience and actually worked for the Detroit Lions for 5 years, overseeing their website and social media. 

About 18 months ago, Chrissie started focusing exclusively on LinkedIn, because of its organic potential. She helps small businesses optimize their LinkedIn presence to generate visibility and business through the platform. 

Your LinkedIn profile optimization is key to standing out on the top leading social media platform designed for business owners.

LinkedIn Profile Optimization with Chrissie Wywrot

As always, I created a worksheet that is going to walk you through what we are going over today. Part of being able to understand your marketing position is being able to take this walk backward over your life. 

Everything that has happened to you over the course of your life, good and bad, has made you who you are today. Taking this walk backward will help you see all those monumental moments that pushed you to the place where you find yourself today. 

Today, we are going to peel the layers back on how you can figure out your market positioning for your business. 

Market Positioning for a Small Business

In this episode, we are talking about making sales. You may be wondering why you need to make sales. Making sales might seem silly to you, because you’re trying to have an influence on people, or maybe making sales just makes you feel icky. 

I want to make you feel comfortable and confident. I hope to help you start thinking about making sales as another way to have influence. 

Before I dive into that, let me tell you that the tickets for my own live event, Influencer Entrepreneurs Academy, are going fast. 

This event is being held in Charlotte, NC in the spring of 2020. The conference will be filled with speakers teaching and then time for you to put their strategies into action in your own business. 

Rather than spending 2 days taking furious notes while speakers talk fast, each attendee will be put into a mastermind group of other women. You will sit with these women and you will all work together to help each other implement the lessons. If you haven’t gotten your tickets, do it today. 

Making sales is just another way of using your influence to help your audience solve a problem that they are struggling with.

Making Sales as a Small Business Owner

Today I am so excited to be talking to Mai-kee Tsang about the product launch process. Mai-kee is a launch strategist and a conversion copyrighter. She is at the forefront of online course launches and group membership launches. 

Mai-kee understands what it takes to launch an idea and make it a successful reality. She has learned a lot of lessons from being in the trenches and she wants to be able to relay those lessons to all of you today.

Putting a product or service out into the world is scary, but having a product launch process can alleviate some of the stress.

Product Launch Process with Mai-kee Tsang

Today I'm diving into how to find that purpose and providing you with specific examples of how other business owners are using theirs.

In episode 129, we talked about creating a vision for your business and making sure that whatever you want your business to look like connects to the vision you have for your life. Whether that’s more traveling, spending more time at your kids' sports activities, etc…

 If you haven’t listened to that episode, please take the time to listen to it and check out the worksheet that will hold you accountable.

Today’s episode is a natural follow-up to talking about your vision for your business and life and that is, discovering your purpose.

Discovering your purpose as a business owner can lead to a passion that inspires you but also your audience.

Discovering Your Purpose as a Business Owner

I know that most of you have heard that terminology so today I want to dive in and explain what it is and give you some specific examples based on your niche so that you can understand what a lead magnet should look like for your business. 

Make sure to download the checklist that goes along with this episode. It’ll help you put together the best lead magnet for your audience. 

As an influencer or service provider have you wondered, "What is a lead magnet that will attract my ideal audience?"

What is a Lead Magnet for Influencers and Service Based Businesses

Today we are going to be talking about how to become a traveling influencer. 

If you want to be a traveling influencer, one of the things you will have to be willing to do is adjust to the schedule of the place you are traveling to. 

Before we dive into this episode, I want to make sure you’ve downloaded my pitch cheat sheet. 

The steps for pitching for travel are the same as if you were pitching to work with a food brand or a home decor brand. 

Pitching is very strategic, so if you don’t have my pitch cheat sheet yet, get on it. 

In order to become a travel influencer you need to know the strategic steps on how to become a travel influencer so that destinations want to work with you.

How to Become a Travel Influencer

My guest on the podcast today is Nicole Saunders of Saunders Says. Nicole owns a Pinterest management company as well as a dog blog, Leisure & Leashes and has recently launched a podcast for dog owners.

When Nicole launched her recent podcast, she went to Instagram to encourage her audience to leave a rating and a review for her. 

She had a plan to give away several gift cards to those who left reviews, and she used IG features such as polls and direct messages to engage with the audience.

It didn’t quite go as she planned though. Audience engagement was low and people weren’t leaving reviews.

What I have found as a podcaster for the past few years is that leaving reviews on podcasts is one of the most difficult things we can ask our audience to do. 

An on air coaching call with Nicole Saunders of Saunders Say and Leisure & Leashes that dives deep into marketing your business as an influencer, blogger or podcaster.

Marketing Your Business: On Air Coaching Call with Nicole Saunders 

Content planning saves you time by filling your editorial calendar in advance with topic ideas that go beyond arbitrary.

Instead you can be seen as an expert in your field by Google and start getting the traffic that you desire.

I am so excited to have a dear friend on the podcast with me today. You all have heard me talk about Morgan a thousand times and she’s finally on here! Morgan helps me keep everything in my business organized. 

Morgan blogs over at Morgan Manages Mommyhood, where she helps moms make their lives easier and their kids’ lives more memorable with fun kid food and hidden veggie recipes. 

She is also my executive admin and somehow manages to keep my stuff straight. And then she has a business, Systems to Skyrocket, where she helps bloggers create content more effectively through content planning and keyword research. 

Content planning saves you time by creating an editorial calendar that will make you an expert in your field and give you the opportunity to rank with Google.

Content Planning to Save YOU Time with Morgan Wieboldt

I know that you all won’t be surprised to hear me say that I am firmly obsessed with Instagram stories. I use them almost every day for marketing my business. I engage with you all and the rest of my audience on there. 

You also know that I have some pretty strong feelings about the Swipe-Up feature. I’ve been fairly outspoken on my opinions about Swipe-Up and how I think it’s highly overrated. 

But today I am asking a different question. Is it actually working? Is Swipe-Up doing what it’s supposed to do and what everybody says it’s doing?

Is Instagram Swipe Up actually working for influencers and bloggers with tips on how to use IG stories without needing swipe up.

IG Swipe Up: Is it Working?

We’ll also talk about understanding your KPIs to help you assess your growth.

You need to understand that there is a difference between running an ad that attracts your target audience and just paying for views. 

Before we get started, be sure to download the free worksheet I have provided for you, to help you work through the questions we are going to talk about in this episode.  

Today we are going to be talking about a hot button topic - should you buy Instagram story views?

Should You Buy Instagram Story Views?

I am so excited about today’s guest! If you listen to this podcast regularly, you know I am all about turning your hobby blog into a business, if that's what you want. 

After all, that’s what allowed me to leave my stressful inner-city teaching job to spend more time with my family and even allowed my husband to leave his high-stress job in sales. I am all about taking what you’ve been building and turning it into something more. 

And that’s exactly what Jeni of Biz Mavens does. She helps women go from blogger to entrepreneur. Jeni focuses as much on who you are becoming as a businesswoman as she does on what you are accomplishing along the way. 

Jeni shared so many truth bombs in this episode. I can’t wait for you to hear her wisdom!

It seems as if everyone has a blog, but running a blog as a business is the step that many people skip.  We're diving into exactly what is a blog business.

What is a Blog Business with Jeni B. of Biz Mavens

I hope you’re following me over on Instagram where I release a new IGTV video every single week. One of my recent videos was on the topic of being able to share your business vision with your family and friends.

The reason behind me encouraging you to do this is so that they can fully support you in what you are doing and what you are trying to build.

The problem I see with so many women entrepreneurs is that they don’t really understand what it means to have a vision for their business. And you can’t fully put into practice what you don’t fully understand.

So today, I am sharing with you some practical examples of business vision ideas from some of my own clients.

Before you get started, download your free questionnaire to help you figure out what your business vision should look like! 

Creating a vision for your business can help you hit your goals, which is why I'm providing business vision examples to help you get there.

Business Vision Examples

I am so excited about today’s episode because I am doing something that I’ve never done before. I am giving you behind the scenes access to a private coaching call with one of my clients, Betsi Hill of Betsi’s World.

Betsi is a member of my Scaler Mastermind program. In this episode, we are getting Betsi ready for her product launch. She has purchased an existing course with the plan to restructure it and make it her own before launching it.

We reference one of my signature courses in our conversation, Launch Pro, which walks you step by step through your entire launch process. If you want somebody to hold your hand through a launch, I would love to be the one to do it!


And now, let’s get into the coaching call with Betsi.

Launching a product or service is intimidating unless you go in with a plan or have product launch examples to guide you

Product Launch Examples: On Air Coaching Call with Betsi Hill

If hiring and building a team for your business were easy, everyone would be excited to do it.

The problem with continuing to do all the things in your business is that as you grow, you will quickly head toward burnout if you don’t outsource some things.

Maybe you already have a partial team in place but you know you need to add to them. But the stress you experienced when finding those team members was enough to make you not want to do it again.

The thing is, when it comes to taking your business to the next level, you have to begin to outsource some of the things you are currently doing so that you can focus on the things that make money.

Emily Perron will be sharing her 5-step strategic hiring process with us today. Emily has years of experience hiring and managing employees at both the corporate and entrepreneurial level. She also hires employees and freelancers for online entrepreneurs.

Let’s jump right into her strategy for building a team you can count on!

As your business grows you need to know how to build an effective team that will help you scale to the next level.

How to Build an Effective Team with Emily Perron

I am so excited to welcome my friend, Traci Gibson, to the podcast today. Traci and I met 3 years ago at Blog Life University, where Traci was hoping to learn more about starting a blog around t-shirt quilting. 

She had a business selling the quilts but she soon realized that there wasn’t a whole lot to blog about on the topic. She pivoted to 2 blogs, one of which was a lifestyle blog. And yet it still felt too broad.

So she finally niched down to what she loves which is creating digital graphics.

I want to mention that in all the pivots that Traci took, she was looking for her zone of genius.

Creating graphic templates is a necessary part of an online marketing strategy to get your brand recognized and save you time.

How Social Media Graphic Templates Increases Productivity

Understanding how to run a successful small business as an entrepreneur can often be frustrating which why we're paying special attention to the systems and organization that needs to be in place in order for this to happen.

My guest today, Kate Jones, serves female entrepreneurs by taking on some of those administrative tasks that nobody likes doing so that you can focus your time and efforts on the parts of your business that you’re passionate about and that make you money.

Her goal is to relieve some of your daily stress by creating order and organization in your business.

Considering yourself a small business owner is a mindset shift that needs to be made in order to become a successful small business.

How to Run a Successful Small Business with Kate Jones

I wish when I started there were more podcasting tips readily available, but today we're going to make that happen.

Stefanie Gass runs a female empowerment/educator business as well as a podcast.

Stefanie helps women discover what their calling is and monetize it through ebooks, courses, and podcasting.

Starting my podcast was one of the scariest things I've ever done, but it was also one of the smartest.

Podcasting Tips with Stefanie Gass

One of my favorite conferences to attend and speak at is the Everything Food conference. I recently returned from my third time speaking at this event and it was as fabulous as ever. 

I love meeting my podcast listeners face to face and having the chance to have great conversations with you all, as well as spending time with my membership peeps. 

These tips I am sharing with you today will help you as you work to become a top food influencer.

Having been around top food influencers for a week, there are some distinct characteristics that you need to have in order to successfully navigate the food blogging niche and I'm diving into what those are today!

How to Become One of the Top Food Influencers

Okay, I don’t know about all of you, but I am an avid American Idol watcher. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine that I completely indulge in. 

I love the beginning phases, and while I normally lose interest by this point every year, not this time. I’m still fascinated by this year’s contestants because of how they're changing the game of social media influence.

I'm revealing my top two for American Idol and it's all based on social media influence

How American Idol Contestants are Changing the Game of Social Media Influence

In today’s episode, we are doing a deep dive into being a social media influencer. I am answering some of the most common questions I get asked and I’m even talking about pricing as an influencer, both what you can charge and how much you can make.

If you want more information on how to send your first pitch, how to know which brands to reach out to, and exactly what to say when you do reach out, be sure to sign up for the next session of Pitch Perfect Live.



There are a lot of people calling themselves social media influencers today but what does that mean? 

Social Media Influencers: The Complete Guide

Today I'm diving into exactly how to work with brands so that it works for you and your audience.

Before we dive into the episode, let me remind you that if you haven’t signed up for the next session of Pitch Perfect Live, you need to do so right away. The next session runs from Monday, May 13th through Friday, May 17th, 2019.

Are you tired of being asked to work for free or for a product that has nothing to do with your niche? 

Honestly, does a food blogger need another wood watch? 

Yeah, I don’t think so. That’s why in today’s episode, I am going to share with you some of the ways that you, as a blogger or influencer, can work with brands. 

You can be compensated for the content that you create and the influence you bring to the brand.

Are you struggling with how to work with brands as a blogger or influencer?  Not sure if you're big enough or what you should be charging?

How to Work with Brands as a Blogger or Influencer

The plug-in makes your recipes easily shoppable for your audience.

My guest today is Hillary Reeves. Hillary has been the marketing director at Chicory for 4 years.If you aren’t familiar with Chicory, they are a food tech company based in New York City. 

The company began by making recipes shoppable and that remains the core of their business today. 

Sites like Betty Crocker, Perdue, Hershey’s Kitchens, Food and Wine, and more use the Chicory plug-in to make the ingredients for the recipes they share shoppable.

There are numerous ways to monetize your blog as a blogger, but one of the easiest and most user friendly ways is through the Chicory recipe plug-in which works similar to affiliate advertising and makes your recipes shoppable 

How the Chicory Recipe Plug-In Makes You More Valuable as a Blogger

I’ve been a work from home mom for a while now and I understand the challenges of that lifestyle. I understand the interruptions when the kids have a day off from school, when a kid is sick, or when your husband is home from the office, or like mine - on summer vacation.

That’s why today, I want to give you 12 tips to make working from home easier and more productive. I’ll also be talking about training your family because let’s face it, that will always be one of your biggest challenges whenever you're working from home.

Working from home as a wife and mom can be challenging on many levels. Finding a balance between work life and family life isn’t just a challenge for women who work outside the home; it affects women who work from home as well.

Working from Home Tips for Bloggers

I am so excited to have Melissa Megginson with me on today’s episode of the podcast. Melissa is the community manager at Tailwind, which she says means that her job is to make everyone who uses Tailwind “look really good and feel really good.” 

Melissa has been with Tailwind for over 7 years and has seen the company grow from 50 members to over 300K members all over the world. 

I spoke with Melissa a few years ago and the tips she gave me completely changed the way I used Tailwind, saving me a ton of time. Things have grown and improved so much over the past couple of years though, so I wanted to have her back to tell us the best ways to use Tailwind and how it can help us grow our businesses while saving time.

The Tailwind app saves you time and money when scheduling for Pinterest and Instagram. 

Tailwind App: Instagram, Tribes and Smart Loop

There are so many hats that you wear that when you get to the point where you can hire a virtual assistant you want to make sure you are set up to do so wisely.

Mary Baird-Wilcock is CEO of The Simplifiers which was started in 2003 as an events management company. The company put on large, nontraditional events for clients like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. 

The Simplifiers was begun in the United States but Mary moved it to England and made a pivot toward a podcast and coaching those who work in creative industries. Mary is also the mother of 2 so she totally understands the mom life and how complicated that can be. She gets that we as women, in general, are always going 90 MPH and trying to juggle All.The.Things. 

Over the past few years of running her business, moving it overseas, and becoming Mom to 2, she has turned to a new way of doing business and life. The new way involves doing less to accomplish more.

As a blogger or influencer you need to know how and when to hire a virtual assistant so that you can scale your business.

When & How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

In the past, we have talked about ways to diversify your income with digital products and the importance of doing so, and so in today’s episode, I want to give you some practical ideas on exactly what to sell online. But before we start, I wanted to let you know about a special training that’s coming up.



Knowing what to sell online and the tools to do so can help diversify your income as a blogger or influencer.

What to Sell Online as a Blogger or Influencer

I am so excited about today’s episode! My guest, Julie, from Sparkle Hustle Grow, provides female entrepreneurs with the best resources available to grow your business. It’s the mission of Sparkle Hustle Grow to cut through the clutter to bring you business trainings, tools, and resources for your office.  Not a member yet?  Grab your box here!

If you’ve been curious about how to start a subscription box for your business, stay tuned for all the awesome information that I know Julie is going to share!

How to Start a Subscription Box with Julie Ball from Sparkle Hustle Grow

I need you to stop obsessing and focus on proven strategies that work even better!

I’ll just tell you right up front that I expect to ruffle a few feathers with some of the things I am going to say today. And I’m okay with that because what I am going to share is something that I think needs to be shared.

Are you obsessing over IG swipe up?  

IE 113: Stop Obsessing over IG Swipe Up

You get to authentically share yourself with your audience while building a relationship with them.  You can even use IG stories to help you create a product that your audience wants and needs!

In case you aren’t aware, you have to have 10K followers on IG to get the swipe-up feature in IG stories. I hear constantly from bloggers who think they can’t use IG effectively because they don’t have swipe-up.Well, I’m here to tell you to stop obsessing over it. What if I told you there was a more effective technique you could use than swipe-up?

IG stories can help make or a break a product.

IE 112: How to Use IG Stories to Create a Product

Now, before we jump into how to become an influencer, let’s first determine what it’s not. Becoming an influencer doesn’t mean setting up some social media accounts and posting to them every day. It doesn’t mean doing anything you can to grow your following on those accounts, whether you’re paying for followers or gaining them organically.

No. What we are talking about are the real steps to becoming an influencer. And you know I love to offer you as much value as possible, so I have created a free worksheet for you to use as you listen through this episode.

Being an influencer is more than just taking selfies and becoming instafamous. You have to grow your audience in order to create a loyal community.

Being an influencer is more than just taking selfies and becoming instafamous.

IE 111: How to Become an Influencer

Building relationships with people in real life is so important for your business. I can’t tell you how many times I have met someone and then later when I’m working on a project and need someone to promote it Before I dive into why you need to consider attending a live event, let me tell you that the tickets for my own live event, Influencer Entrepreneurs Academy, are going fast. This event is being held in Charlotte, NC in April of 2019. On the first evening, we will enjoy a cocktail cruise on gorgeous Lake Norman where we can meet each other and have a chance to greet our speakers and our sponsors. The next 2 days will be filled with speakers teaching and then time for you to put their strategies into action in your own business.

Rather than spending 2 days taking furious notes while speakers talk fast, each attendee will be put into a mastermind group of other women. You will sit with these women and you will all work together to help each other implement the lessons.

Now, let’s jump into why you need to consider attending a live event like IEA.

Attending a live event can cost you time and money, but the advantages to a live event far out weighs the cost, which is why a live event is in your future.

IE 110: Why a Live Event

Meredith Messenger’s background is in teaching emotionally disturbed children. It’s the thing she is most proud of. Unfortunately, it’s a job with a high burnout rate. And that’s exactly where Meredith found herself at age 24; burned out and no idea what to do next. She went to work for a medical start-up where she learned about financing, payroll, and IT.

What she discovered is that the start-up world is almost completely dominated by men. She continued to work for start-ups as a consultant and learned a lot about what worked and what doesn’t. New businesses go under every year simply because they don’t know how to sell.

Seeing the impact that knowing how to sell has for entrepreneurial businesses lit a fire under Meredith and prompted her to start her own business teaching these entrepreneurs everything she had learned about selling for success.

Learning how to sell can seem icky, but in reality if you're solving a problem for your audience then you're doing it with soul.

IE 109: How to Sell without Selling Your Soul

Do you have shiny object syndrome?  You get excited about a new idea, but end up losing steam on an old idea and seem to never make any progress?  Once you find your zone of genius there is nothing that will be able to distract you.  Your focus in your zone of genius will even surprise you. During this episode I'm challenging you to find your zone of genius and I have a quiz below to guide you.

The simplest explanation is that your zone of genius is something that comes naturally for you. It’s easy for you and it gives you energy. The tasks in your zone of genius are tasks that you look forward to, that bring you excitement. You don’t dread doing them.

Once you find your zone of genius there is nothing that will be able to distract you.

IE 108: How to Find Your Zone of Genius

One of the biggest struggles I hear from my clients is that they don’t get email list building. They don’t know how to build their list and they need resources and options to understand it better.

I am excited to have Jenn Slavich on the podcast today. Jenn blogs over at Home by Jenn and she also has a business called Simple Email Management. Jenn has been blogging since 2015 and while other bloggers were chasing pageviews, she was always all about her email list. Her new business offers a collection of ConvertKit services to bloggers and online business owners.



Why grow a list if your not going to make any money from it?

IE 107: How to Build an Email List with Jenn Slavich

Anybody who has been working online for 6 months or more can tell you that things change rapidly in the online world. Social media changes, search engines change, businesses change. The things that worked last year don’t work this year.

Today, we are going to talk about how to change along with the online space and how to be up to date on the newest and best ways to work with brands.

You guys, we are squarely into 2019! I want to be sure you know about my live event that is taking place in April of this year. We will kick off the weekend with a cocktail cruise on April 4th of 2019 on beautiful Lake Norman and then on Friday, we will jump right into 2 full days of training.

Influencer Entrepreneurs Academy will not only give you the opportunity to hear from experts in the blogging industry but you will also a chance to put the strategies they teach into practice in your own business. This conference will be unique and not like any conference you have ever attended.

You will have the opportunity to be in a mastermind with other women who will push you forward and who can give you feedback as your target audience. Be sure you grab your ticket today as they are going fast! I hope to see each of you there!

Ready to work on sponsored content.  Find out the latest trends to attract your dream brands.

IE 106: Latest Trends when Pitching Brands 

If you are feeling overwhelmed with everything you need to do to move your business forward, or if you aren’t even sure what you need to do to move your business forward, this is the episode for you.

You guys, we are squarely into 2019! I want to be sure you know about my live event that is taking place in April of this year. We will kick off the weekend with a cocktail cruise on April 4th of 2019 on beautiful Lake Norman and then on Friday, we will jump right into 2 full days of training.

Influencer Entrepreneurs Academy will not only give you the opportunity to hear from experts in the blogging industry but you will also a chance to put the strategies they teach into practice in your own business. This conference will be unique and not like any conference you have ever attended.

You will have the opportunity to be in a mastermind with other women who will push you forward and who can give you feedback as your target audience. Be sure you grab your ticket today as they are going fast! I hope to see each of you there!

Ready to take your business to the next level?  

IE 105: How to Kickstart your Business

Are you wanting to increase your ad revenue as a blogger?  Amber Bracegirdle from Mediavine is giving you strategies to help you see your income increase.

As a publishing company, Mediavine was struggling to make the most of their ad management company so they decided to build their own. Within two weeks they were earning more than they had been through their top earning ads with the other management company.

Through a series of trial and error using their own sites as the guinea pigs, Amber and her colleagues discovered the best way to display ads and how to make their software work for any site, no matter how big or how small.

Are you wanting to increase your ad revenue as a blogger?  Amber Bracegirdle from Mediavine is giving you strategies to help you see your income increase.

IE 104: How to Increase your Ad Revenue as a Blogger

I am so excited to dive into this topic because I believe imposter syndrome affects millions of women entrepreneurs and many times, we don’t even realize what it is.

Jaclyn Mellone and I met at Podcast Movement in July of 2018 and I knew I had to have her on. Jaclyn is a marketing and mindset coach and she helps experts create profitable personal brands. She has been producing her podcast, All Up in Your Lady Business, for over 3 years and there are currently 300+ episodes you can catch up on. (The podcast will be going through a rebrand in January of 2019 and will become “The Go-To Gal” podcast.)

 Imposter syndrome affects millions of women entrepreneurs and many times, we don’t even realize what it is.

IE 103: Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome with Jaclyn Mellone

Time is always well spent when you're continuing to educate yourself which is why I've put together 15 Best Books for Women Entrepreneurs.  I try to ready every night before bed, but definitely have my fair share of books that I binge read.  Even ones that inspire me so much that I sign up to run a half marathon directly after finishing them.

If you have been hanging around here for any length of time, you may know that I started a book club for anybody who wanted to join in where we were reading a business book per month. And while we read some great books, I heard from many of you that you wanted more books that were coming from the point of view of a mom entrepreneur.

Because of that feedback, I have spent the past 6 months looking for books that take into consideration all the things a mom has to deal with when she starts a business. Let’s face it, men can talk all day about the hustle and the grind; about putting in 80-hour weeks to get something off the ground; about “putting your head down and getting things done.”

But for moms who are also entrepreneurs, there is a lot more to consider than just the business. We have kids who have school and homework. We have meals to make and groceries to buy, doctor appointments to keep and soccer practice or dance, and we as a whole are responsible for the majority of the housework and cooking.

Before we dive into the titles, let me say that some of these books are written by male authors. I personally think it is important to get more than one perspective and each and every book on my list has had an impact on me and my business. So without further ado, let’s jump in.

15 books to get you on to the path of success in your business

IE 102: Best Books for Women Entrepreneurs

Are you an influencer or blogger that's ready to work with brands on sponsored content?  Do you have an influencer media kit? Do you know what an influencer media kit should look like and what it needs to contain? If not, be sure to stay tuned for today’s episode as I am answering all of your questions about influencer media kits and explaining why, as an influencer, you absolutely must have one if you want to work with brands.


Before we talk about what you need inside your influencer media kit, let’s talk about why you need one.

An influencer media kit makes you look professional.

Hobby bloggers don’t need media kits. You aren’t a hobby blogger, playing the social media game, and posting at random times. You are a professional influencer and you need an influencer media kit that represents who you are as a professional.

Your influencer media kit should match your brand in colors and fonts. You should have professionally done headshots that are in your kit. Don’t skimp on the photography when it comes to your own headshots. Hire a professional if you don’t have a friend who is a photographer.

Ready to work on sponsored campaigns?  Find out how your media kit will sell you.

IE 101: Influencer Media Kit for Bloggers & Influencers

When you run masterminds and do coaching like I do, you learn quickly that women are in many different points in their businesses. No matter where your business is in terms of growth, there are specific steps you need to take to scale that business. Let’s jump into what those steps are.

You guys! I can‘t believe we are at episode 100! I just want to take a minute to thank each of you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me here each week, whether you join in live on Facebook every Tuesday morning at 11:00 or you listen in to the podcast when it drops.

I am so grateful for your support and your kindness in sharing this podcast with your friends and fellow bloggers and for the awesome reviews and ratings you take the time to leave for me on Itunes. It all means so much to me. Without you all, there would not be a 100th episode so thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Now, let’s get on with the training!

IE 100: The Steps You Need to Take to Scale Your Business

I don't know about you, but I want my girls to live in a world where we show ourselves as well as other the kindness that we all so desperately long for.  In today's episode, I want you to push yourself to find little ways that you can show a little kindness to yourself, your family and other bloggers that are on a similar path as you.  No one understands how lonely and frustrating that blogging can be better than another blogger.  Lift each other up!

If you are listening to this episode on the day it’s released, the date is December 3, 2018. I’ll be honest with you, the older I get, the more nostalgic I get. And since my birthday is December 4th, I am really feeling it right about now.

Watching my girls grow up right before my eyes is not the easiest thing in the world. We didn’t have an easy time having our girls so they are a special blessing in our lives and something that I never want to take for granted.

Being a blogger or influencer is hard work, but sharing kindness only takes seconds.

IE 99: Show a Little Kindness

If you read the title of this episode and thought, “Wait, Jenny! I can’t think about 2019 yet. I haven’t even finished cleaning up the Thanksgiving dishes. I have yet to put up my Christmas tree or even buy the first gift. Why are you asking me to think about 2019?”

Listen, I get it. As the mom of 2 little girls, a husband who works in the school system, and a business owner, I completely understand. But I know this - you can’t wait until January to start thinking about the new year. You need to start planning now in order to storm into the new year with a plan and a focus.

Who's ready to scale their business in 2019?

IE 98: Taking 2019 by Storm as influencers and bloggers

If you think that you need a million followers on Instagram in order to get the attention of brands, you are wrong. In today’s episode, we are going to talk about how to get the attention of your dream brands, even if your following is on the smaller side by getting more Instagram Story Views.

If you have been procrastinating on Instagram, I want you to get started. It is the hottest new player on the social media block and brands want you there engaging with your audience. If you think that IG is all about showing your perfect pictures and how together you are, think again.

The beautiful thing about Instagram is all the different features available. Yes, your regular feed needs to be more curated but Stories is where you have the opportunity to be yourself. Stories give you the opportunity to share more of who you are and it gives your audience the opportunity to get to know you better and to decide whether they like you or not.

Wait, Jenny...don’t I want everyone to like me?

No! Listen to the episode I did with Phil Pallen on what is branding to hear why you definitely want to repel some people while attracting others. Yes, you actually want to repel some people. I know that may feel weird to think about but once you think it through, it will all make sense, I promise.

Start attracting your dream audience with your Instagram Stories

IE 97: How to get more Instagram Story Views

As bloggers, some of us tend to rely on only one form of income. Maybe you rely on ad income or affiliate income. In today’s episode, I want to talk about why it is so important to have multiple streams of income and how to use digital products to add another form of income to your business.

I am certainly not saying that you shouldn’t have ad income as part of your business. If you have a blog and you are doing well in page views, absolutely take the ad income if you can get it. If you have people coming to the blog, you might as well be making that passive income off of them.

The problem comes when you rely solely on the ads. As we well know, one algorithm change can affect your traffic almost instantly. If that happened tomorrow, how much of your income would you lose if you were solely relying on those ads?

Don't just rely on ad money for you income!

IE 96: Diversifying your Income with Digital Products

Have you heard the term “brand ambassador” and wondered what exactly it is? Do you have questions about the factors that go into getting a brand ambassadorship? And if you did get one, what would that look like and what could you expect?

I think there is a ton of confusion circling among bloggers about what a brand ambassadorship actually is and I am excited to dive into it and answer your questions.



Creating a relationship as a brand ambassador results in consistent work and pay.

IE 95: What is a Brand Ambassador?

Wondering what is branding? As an influencer and blogger you need to know your personal brand and the components that it consists of.

I met today’s guest at the Everything Food Conference where we served on a panel together and he kept us all in stitches the entire time. Phil Pallen is a brand strategist who works with television personalities, politicians, and business owners.

As a brand strategist who is focused on personal branding, Phil focuses on 3 things 

Positioning
Building
Promoting

Phil is always working in one of these 3 areas with his clients who range from a shark on Shark Tank, to a dentist, a jeweler and a Nobel peace prize winner.

Knowing your personal brand can set you apart online.

IE 94: What is Branding?

A great way to get increased media exposure and traffic to your blog or social media channels is via a media pitch for television.  Laura Saltman is giving specific examples of a media pitch for multiple niches so that you too can take advantage of the exposure.

I couldn’t be more excited about today’s guest, Laura Saltman. Laura has many years of experience working in the media, including television shows such as Access Hollywood, Today, and E! News. She is the author of 3 books and uses her experience working in media to get herself in front of the camera now instead of behind it.

I met Laura in person at Connect Her in Las Vegas this summer and I left feeling like I was meant to meet her. Laura talks a lot about pitching to the media through her experience of being pitched as a media person for so many years. As she says, “I was used to people asking me to put them on TV; now I pitch to be on TV!”

Increase exposure and your expertise through traditional media

IE 93: Examples of a Media Pitch for Television

The number one question I get asked by bloggers, influencers and podcasters is how to get sponsored as an influencer.  No matter what niche, influencers are trying to learn how to create paid partnerships with brands that they know, use and love.  Today we're diving into exactly how to get sponsored with Jillian Leslie of Catch My Party.

Today’s guest on the podcast, Jillian Leslie, owns the largest party planning site on the web. Catch My Party was started by Jillian and her husband 9 years ago and chances are if you've been to Pinterest for party ideas, you have most likely ended up on Jillian’s site.

After 7 years working with the site, it was obvious that Pinterest was going to continue to be their number one traffic driver so Jillian’s husband built a pop-up for the site that invited their blog visitors to follow them on Pinterest. The pop-up worked so well that they decided to roll it out to others and to also integrate it with Instagram, Facebook, and email lists, and now YouTube.

Jillian compares her two businesses to having two children; she loves them both very much and can’t decide on a favorite. She also has a podcast called The Blogger Genius Podcast, which is how she and I met as I will be on an upcoming episode. Make that three children.

Learn from top influencers how to get sponsored by your favorite brands.

IE 92: How to Get Sponsored as an Influencer 

Launching a product or service for the first time can be overwhelming and intimidating. That is unless you know my system for how to launch.

As many of you may know, I recently closed out the latest launch of my course, Pitch Perfect Pro. The thing you may not know is that Hurricane Florence came through right in the middle of the launch. And even though it wasn’t nearly as bad an outcome as they had predicted, it was a very stressful thing thinking that we were about to get hit by a Category 4 hurricane.

The thing is, I wasn’t stressed over my launch because I had a launch schedule in place. It worked so well for me that I knew I had to share it with you all. This will work for many different types of businesses. You could use it to launch a product, a service, a course, some type of online training that you will be doing, or even something like an ebook.

Honestly, you could even use this method successfully if you are doing some type of in-person classes. No matter what type of business you have, I know that you will get a ton out of this so let’s jump right in.

Ready to launch your product or service with zero stress?

IE 91: How to Launch without Stress

Tired of hearing crickets on Facebook?  Facebook Live stream provides a way to increase your reach while building your list.  Plus, you'll build your brand in the process because you're audience will like, know and trust you.

In today’s episode of the podcast, I am talking to Meg Brunson. Meg first dipped her toe into the world of entrepreneurship shortly after her third pregnancy. The pregnancy was life-threatening and when she came out of it, Meg knew that she wasn’t going back to a regular job but rather, she was going to spend as much time as possible with her family.

Meg started a mom blog which was absolutely life-changing for her and her family. Meg and her family were at their lowest point as a family financially. The blog provided opportunities to build their way out of the slump they were in. It also gave them back a quality of life that they had been missing.

Facebook Live stream provides a way to reach your audience while building your list.

IE 90: How to Use Facebook Live Stream to Increase Your Reach with Meg Brunson

Many people want to know how to monetize a blog and I'm always surprised that bloggers often assume that age can be a limiting factor.  I'm diving into how to monetize a blog no matter what your age with Cathy Lawdanski of My Side of 50.

I am so excited for this episode of the podcast because I have a very special guest with me. Cathy Lawdanski is one of the awesome ladies in my membership and she has been absolutely rocking her business so I wanted to get her in here to share with you guys all the successes she has had and some of her secrets to that success.

Cathy blogs at My Side of 50, which is a lifestyle blog for women in midlife. She started the blog when she was 57 and chose the name so that it could apply to women on either side of 50. Cathy was having experiences common to most women in midlife; things like caring for aging parents and dealing with their deaths, her own health issues, and more. She wasn’t finding any help for what she was going through so she decided to provide at least a conversation around it.

Find out how to monetize a blog to make it your business.

IE 89: How to Monetize a Blog No Matter What Your Age

Tyler J McCall is sharing with us How to Grow our Instagram Followers with an Engaged Audience that Grows our Business!!

I am so excited to have a very special guest with me for today’s podcast. Tyler J. McCall is an Instagram guru with more than 10 years experience in marketing, for both businesses and nonprofits.

I joined his membership site to get all the awesome help he offers for growing your Instagram followers. He has taught me how to build relationships with my followers and how to build a real community on IG.

Tired of followers on Instagram that don't engage?

IE 88: How to Grow Your Instagram Followers with Tyler J. McCall

I have done several episodes of the podcast where I talk specifically about how to use your influence on Instagram or how to be more successful on Facebook. In today’s episode, I am covering it all. That’s right, let’s talk about how to be a successful social media influencer.

If you have ever heard me talk about social media influence, you already know that I am not a believer in the numbers game. We talked in episode 83 about how to monetize Instagram stories and how it is not necessary to have 10K followers to get started. Then, in episode 85, I covered the exact steps you need to take to become an IG influencer, even if you are still small.

Do you think you've got what it takes to be a social media influencer?

IE 87: How to be an Effective Social Media Influencer

Business organization of an online business is essential, but what data matters the most and how do you go about using that data to improve your business?

My guest on today’s episode is someone that I have been working closely with for the past few months in my Mastermind groups and as it turns out, I have learned a ton from her so I knew I had to bring her on here to share with you all. Jenn has been blogging at Home by Jenn for the past 2+ years about rustic DIY projects, organization, and cleaning.

Every time I speak with Jenn, I come away inspired and motivated to get my business more organized. She is a pro at business organization so if you struggle with that, this is the episode for you.

Getting your business primed for optimum performance needs to be about the numbers.

IE 86: Business Organization for Bloggers

Everyone wants to be an Instagram Influencer, but do you have what it takes?  Do you know the role you need to take with your audience as Instagram Influencer?  I'm breaking down how to become an Instagram Influencer with actionable steps to take.

I recently got back from speaking at a conference in Las Vegas and one of my sessions was about, you guessed it, working with brands. The funny thing is, sometimes a brand will actually have one of their people sit in on my session just to see what I’m telling the bloggers to do. My favorite part is after the session when they tell me that what I am teaching is exactly what they want all bloggers to know.

It’s just so fulfilling to know that I am on the right track with what the brands expect from bloggers and with what I am teaching you all. I’m gonna share with you some of what I learned from the brands about what they’re looking for as far as an Instagram Influencer, but first, I want to start by asking a question.

Actionable steps to make you an Instagram Influencer

IE 85: How to Become an Instagram Influencer

Instagram Influencers come in all follower sizes and just because you don't have 10k followers doesn't mean that you can't monetize your influence.

Before we start talking about the reality check that many of us need when it comes to being Instagram Influencers and page views (there’s a hint!), I want to be sure to let you know that I am going to be doing a new session of my FREE training, Pitch Perfect Live in September.

10k followers does not make or break you!

IE 84: A Reality Check for Instagram Influencers

Once I cracked the code on how to monetize Instagram stories my opinion of Instagram shifted greatly.  I no longer cared about driving traffic as long as people were watching my Instagram Stories then I could monetize it.

I have mentioned in the podcast a time or two before how I was not a fan of Instagram for the longest time. I didn’t see the purpose of it, it didn’t drive traffic, I couldn’t sell anything. As a lifestyle blogger, everything I did online was for the purpose of bringing traffic to my site. I just didn’t get it.  



A way to make money on IG without the swipe up feature!

IE 83: How to Monetize Instagram Stories

One of the things that I wished I hadn't dragged my feet on was finding a business coach that was right for me.  I just didn't know where to begin and I don't want this for you so today we're diving into how to find a business coach that is right for your online business.

The topic for today’s episode came up while I was at the Haven conference recently when another blogger began to tell me about the negative experience she had with business coaching.

I was so glad that she felt like she could be honest with me about her experience, even though it wasn’t me, and I really wanted to take some of the things we talked about and that I shared with her and share them all with you so that you get the biggest bang for your buck if and when you decide to hire a business coach. Let’s jump right in and talk about the things you need to know before you hire a coach…