Entrepreneurship

Everything I Learned at the TQ Vegas Incubator

March 18, 2019 Leave a Comment

Our second trip to Vegas was part vacation and part learning experience. My sales coach, Erica Stepteau, hosted her first conference at the Mirage Hotel and Casino. As a TQ Coach, I had the pleasure of being apart of it.

The Incubator was even better than I expected. I learned a lot, connected with some amazing Queens and had a ton of fun. Here’s my recap of my amazing experience in Vegas!

Vegas Vacation

We started our trip off by arriving a few days early so we can unwind. We’ve been moving for what seems like forever. So, we knew that a vacation was more than needed.

Although there is a ton to do in Vegas, we actually spent a ton of time relaxing. The unusually cold weather also kept us inside more. We walked around the Mirage a dozen times, ate plenty of food and did a little shopping. Oh and visited the Art and Wax Museums!

Team Dinner

After 2 days of doing our own thing, it was time to get together with the TQA team. Myself, Erica, Jacinta, Morgan and Dr. Jackie (plus our significant others) all got together for dinner at Otaro. It was surreal seeing these ladies in person after seeing them online for so long!

We talked about expectations for the conference, what we were excited about and then we spent some time setting up.

Day One

We dove into the basics we need to understand our business on the first day. The foundations of your business is important, so I was happy to rethink some of these things.

After Erica dropped some knowledge on us, we broke up into Time to Slay segments where we masterminded together. As a TQ coach, I led a group which was a lot of fun and led me to get to know the ladies better.

Before, we got into the good stuff, Erica thanked her team with gifts and awards, including me! I’m officially an award-winning content writer and social media strategist!

Related: View video recap on Youtube!

Black Dress Celebration

I had a dress emergency because no matter how much shopping I did, I couldn’t find anything to please my picky self. I brought a dress with me that Brad lovingly told me looked like pajamas. So, I went shopping in the Paradiso shop in the Mirage and luckily found this (overpriced) beauty!

The celebration meant drinks, dancing and connecting with each other outside of the learning environment. We had a blast!

Day Two

The final day really made the biggest impact. Things seriously got real. Erica got more in-depth with her content, some Queens preached inspiring words of wisdom and I was able to join the Mastermind of established Queens!

I got so much inspiration and insight that fired me up the entire week home! Best thing about this conference is the connections made. When I got home, I had at least 5 calls with Queens. Plus, I’ve made over $900 already!

LA Incubator

I had the most amazing time and this was by far, the MOST fun and inspired conference I’ve attended. If you’re looking for a conference built around connection, I’d recommend to join us in LA at the next incubator. Be sure to mention my name when you sign up here.

That Feeling of Wanting to Give Up on Your Business

January 31, 2019 Leave a Comment

If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s pretty likely that you’ve contemplated the idea of giving up on your business.

I know that I have. And in the world of ambitious entrepreneurs, I’ve made some amazing biz besties along the way who have felt the same.

Running a business is hard especially with so many other situations like family, jobs, and money.

That Feeling of Wanting to Give Up on Your Business

Sometimes you wonder, “Why am I doing this?”

I wanted to share my story on giving up because I came so close to throwing in the towel, but I’m so glad that I didn’t.

In November of 2018, I was extremely discouraged. There was barely any money coming in, yet I was overwhelmed with things to do. I had no motivation to do anything business related. There was this huge cloud of doubt and fear following me everywhere.

I even contemplated what I would do instead of being a content writer and social media strategist. Let’s just say that being a Sims 4 gaming streamer, sounded really good at the time.

So here I am, depresses, stressed and looking for what’s next.

This has happened to me before when I was so anxious and sad that my business seemed impossible and I knew it would happen again. So, I had to make a decision.

I could just do what my mind is telling me and give up. Or I could accept that I feel this way and keep moving with what my heart desires.

You see, running a business is a huge risk.

So, naturally our brains try to keep us safe from big risks. And it will throw anything our way to keep us from danger. But, it’s up to us to tell our brains that we are safe and this is a good risk to take (even when it doesn’t feel that way to us).

Okay, so I did something I literally never do.

I opened up and shared with my biz besties, my family any stranger who would listen that I was struggling (pause for gasps). There were tearful sessions with my business coach and I even hired a mindset coach.

This is unlike me. I’m not someone who shares their struggles, but I realized this was necessary for my healing and to be able to bounce back from what I was dealing with.

Let me tell you. When I did this, it was like i was telling the universe, “You can’t get rid of me that easily. I was made for this.” And then the universe was like, “Okay girl! I was just testing you, let’s get back to killing it.

Then, I started getting new clients, partnering on some amazing collaborations and feeling better about all the things.

December 2018, I had my first 4 figure month!

January 2019, I’m already set to pass that. If I would’ve given up, I wouldn’t have know what’s in store for me. I wouldn’t have found my killer clients that make me excited about my business. I wouldn’t have this exact opposite overwhelmingly good feeling about the future.

That feeling of giving up is normal, natural, and apart of the process. What makes us successful, is our willingness to push past it.

According to Brittney 2019 Business Goals

January 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

I’m so proud of myself for successfully planning out my 2019. My 2018 goals were a little unrealistic and didn’t actually provide any guidance for the year.

But this year, I really put time and thought into what I want this year to be like for my business, what I struggled with and how I want to grow.

So, I’m happy to be able to share this with you and hope I can help others with their goals!

According to Brittney 2019 Business Goals

1 Masterclass and 1 In-Person Event Per Month

I hosted my first paid masterclasses in 2018 and they proved to be lucrative. So want to be more consistent and do more!

Naturally as a social media strategist, I’m very active online. In 2018, I did a lot of cool stuff like challenges, masterclasses and more but it was mostly online. I want to expand myself locally and be more apart of the Cleveland community. I’ve already got events planned for Q1!

3 Brand Collabs Per Month

Being an influencer is one of the funnest parts of what I do! But, it’s just one part of the many part of my biz. I worked with a lot of great brands in 2018, but want to do more consistently.

Finish Writing my Book By December

Writing a book is something I’ve always wanted to do. Now, I see it as something I can do! I even started writing, but lost focus on the project. This year, I want that book finished!

Get Back into Youtube

Once upon a time, videos were my thing. But, my unrealistic desire to do a crap ton made them fizzle out. Well, I’m turning the sizzle on and bringing back videos this year!

2 Blog Posts Per Month

This blog is where it all started. But, as I started taking on more clients and doing all the things, my posting schedule went from once a week to ??? So, I’ve set a more realistic goal and look – I’m already sticking to it!

Resource and Portfolio Page on Website

This website is always changing and improving. Two improvements that are definitely happening are a page to list all the amazing tools I use (and I use a lot) plus a page that features all my work I’ve done with clients.

Guess what? Portfolio Page is already up!

Monthly Newsletter

To make room for Youtube Videos, I’ve got to scale back on other content. I decided to move from weekly emails to one big newsletter per month that tells everyone what’s going on that month. We’ll see how it goes!

New Client Goals

As my mission get bigger, I’ve got to help more people. So, my goals are to:

Have 5 members in the Content Creation Academy (2 members right now and 2 on deck!)
Have 3 service clients on retainer (I actually reached this goal already but have capacity for about 1-2 more!)
Have 1 Content Mastermind client per month (Already have 2 for January!)

Revenue Goals

My business is slowly growing and so is my income. Last year, I made over 5k in my business. Let’s double that for 2019. Great part is I’m already on track to make that with my current clients!

These goals are attainable, thought-out and overall exciting! I literally cannot wait to see everything in store for me in 2019.

What are your goals this year?

Self Care Guide for Entrepreneurs: Cleveland Influencer Event

October 24, 2018 Leave a Comment

I received complimentary services in exchange for writing this post. As always, all opinions are mine!

If I had to think of one the biggest challenges for me as an entrepreneur, it would be practicing self-care.

Whenever I thought about the word that best described myself, that word was ambitious. From a young age, I had big dreams and big plans for my life.

That’s all great and dandy, but it’s also a double edged sword. Ambition doesn’t just mean drive, goals and potential. It also means disappointment, burn-out and putting your goals before yourself.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who struggles with this, so I wanted to really take a look at self care. What better way to show yourself doing it?

Last weekend, I coordinated a whole event all around self-care including some of my favorite Cleveland businesses and Cleveland influencers! Here’s some great ideas on taking care of yourself as much as you take care of your business!

Link Up with Your Girlfriends

When I’m feeling stressed and overwhelmed, I know talking to my friends will get me relaxed. I’m one to hold a lot in and keep my feelings to myself so a friend who can listen is a friend indeed.

This weekend, I got together with Katie from Kasually Katie who is one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet! We were joined by Stella of The Heart’s Delight who is the person I can talk to about business as she runs her own successful personal styling company. Last but not least, we were joined by Srebrenica from Srebrenica Lejla! She’s a new friend of mine but we instantly clicked!

Leave the Car at Home

I recently realized that when I’m driving, I’m always subconsciously tense somewhere. From making a fist to pursing my lips together, there is always something. So for this day, I opted out of driving!

We had a luxury ride with Company Car and Limousine. I’m putting emphasis on luxury because the van was spacious, clean and even had water bottles inside! Our driver, Tom, was kind, joked around with us and even took a selfie! Their whole team was such a dream to work with! Thanks Nina and Steve!

Retail Therapy

I’m not a big shopper myself. In fact, I rarely shop. I’m not a big spender and I don’t like going to big stores with tons of options (most of which I don’t like because I’m super picky).

That’s why places like Fetch & Co work so well for me. Fetch and Co is affordable, has an easily navigable store with a select amount of options. So someone like me always finds something I like! Plus the owners, Abbey and Julia are a so nice and so passionate about inclusive style.

Check out some of their fashions at stopfetchandco.com and use my code “BRITTNEY10” to treat yourself to 10% off!

Related Post: The Importance of Taking a Break

Skincare and Facials

Something that helps me feel more passionate about my business is hearing and working with people who are passionate about their business! So meeting with Nicole of Harmych Facial Plastic Surgery was perfect! She spent some time teaching us about skincare, showing us her amazing space and sent us with some products to use at home! Plus, I’ll be seeing her next month for a full Dermaplane Facial!

After hearing about skincare, we were excited to have mini facials from Irene at North Coast Aesthetic. Their was nothing mini about the experience she game us. I was totally relaxed during my fire and ice facial. She tailored the treatments to each person’s skin and we all felt amazing after! Plus, Traci McBride from TeeMcBee Image Consulting gave us some style advice and a bunch of goodies including her styling book. I learned that I was an hourglass shape so look out world!

Want to experience this amazing facial or some of Irene’s other services? Mention me (Brittney from According to Brittney) to get 20% off your service!

Chow Down

Food is probably the first thing I think about when I think self care. We had the pleasure of having delicious food at North Coast Aesthetic provided my Irene and her amazing staff (Shoutout to Tami!) Pretty sure I went back for seconds and thirds!

Plus, we have a lovely blogger brunch at Fetch and Co! Yes, including mimosas! Plus some delicious treats from Anne of Annie’s Signature Sweets! Fun fact: you can host a private shopping party and feel like a VIP while you browse the fashions like we did!

Get Glammed

After our skin was feeling amazing, you want to feel pretty for the rest of your day. Nothing says self care like looking and feeling good. So, we stopped into Ohio’s first membership salon and got hair and makeup touch ups at Urbane Society from Suzanne and Tamra!

This place had us all obsessed because it was so cute! We took amazing photos and had a great time talking with Suzanne and Tamra. The concept of the membership was so unique and different. Unlimited services for one flat price a month? Golden.

We took self care to a whole other level with these amazing Cleveland businesses! These ladies left me so relaxed that I went to sleep right after I got home!

The more I focus on self care, the better my business gets. You are your business, so you must be in a good place to operate well. Take some time today just for you. How will you practice self care?

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5 Things You Need to Create a Content Calendar

October 10, 2018 Leave a Comment

I may be bias, but content is one of the best ways to reach your audience. People are normally online to find information (like you right now!) which can lead them to your content. But organizing content itself, can be a nightmare. A content calendar can come in handy, but the process of creating one can be a hassle.

When creating a content calendar, there a 5 main things you need to make it work to your advantage. Don’t let a calendar stop you from creating amazing content and reaching your tribe!

Calendar Template

Surprise! The first thing you need is a calendar template. Don’t make it complicated if you’re just starting out or dread this part of the process. Find or create something that gives you everything you need. The dates for when you’re posting, an idea of what you are posting, and the content you need to supply.

You can download my free calendar template here. It’s super simple and all you need is Microsoft Word. Perfect for beginner’s or someone who just needs the basics!

Content Strategy

I’m sure you knew this was going to be on the list. Your content strategy will help guide you through the process of creating a calendar that works for you. Just like with anything else, you need a plan that you can stick to.

Your strategy needs to include your purpose. Why are you creating this content?To get engagement, to grow traffic from your site?

Next is your type of content. What content will you create? Texts, videos, images, etc.? Testimonials, story-telling, promotions?

Now you need to include your post schedules. How often are you posting and when?

Lastly, you need your goals. Measurable goals that will help you understand if you’re strategy is working or if you need to make adjustments.

Content Pillars

This is a huge part of your content creation process. What are you going to write about? If you’re struggling to create content, then you need to create content pillars. Pillars, or buckets, are the foundation of your message. Decide what your message is all about. This may mean that you need to find a niche or get more specific.

Here’s an example – me! So, marketing is my general field. I have experience in plenty of marketing, but my focus is content marketing. So, from there, I developed what my main pillars of my business and content are. Those are visibility, influence and an engaged audience. All things I help accomplish through content marketing. So, these three words help me shape my content.

Branding and Messaging

Having an established brand will greatly help your content especially when it comes to visuals and graphics. My brand is pink and sparkly so when I’m creating content for myself, I know exactly how my content will look. In fact, I’ve created a brand guideline to ensure that my brand is consistent. You can find how to create one for yourself here.

Of course, you can’t forget about your messaging. Your content pillars will guide you on what to write about, but your messaging will determine how you say it. Develop a writing style, tone and voice (More on this in the above guide). You want to keep this consistent, as well, so your audience will know who are each time they read your content.

Scheduling

Now, that you’ve created your calendar and gotten a better hold on your content, it’s time to schedule out your amazing creations. That’s where tools like Hootsuite and Later come into the picture. These tools will help you automate your content posting, so you can spend less time posting and more time creating.

Use your calendar to help you plan out what you’re scheduling. Create your content in batches, schedule it out, then focus on engagement rather than continuous creation. Grab my free guide which includes a tutorial on how to schedule content using Hootsuite here. (I know I have a lot of freebies about this stuff!)

Now, that you’ve got what you need to make it work, create those content calendars! If you’re looking for more one-on-one help, visit my work with me page!

Everything I Learned at Bloggy Conference 2018

September 25, 2018 Leave a Comment

This week I had the absolute pleasure to attend and speak (twice!) at the Bloggy Conference at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio! My first speaking at a conference! So, I’m sure you can imagine that I was both terrified and excited.

My best friend, Mariah, volunteered to take the road trip with me. Of course by volunteer, I mean she had no other choice in the matter! So, we headed out from Cleveland for a one hour drive to Cedar Point.

Hotel Breakers

I’ve literally been to Cedar Point a million times as a kid and never heard of or seen Hotel Breakers. Staying overnight was never a thing for my family. It was mostly day trips. After staying at Hotel Breakers, I don’t think I can ever not stay overnight. This hotel was fabulous!

We stayed in a room with two Queen sized beds that overlooked the park. The room has a nice little bathroom, fridge, microwave, desk and a tv. The beds were nice and the room was roomy. The best part was the multiple restaurants and pools inside (and outside) the hotel! We walked straight down to T.G.I. Fridays our first night and couldn’t believe it.

Cedar Point

A really cool part about the conference is you receive a complimentary pass to the park if you stay at their resorts. Since we stayed at Hotel Breakers, we had a great 3 day pass to the park. After soaking up knowledge at the park, we were able to spend some time riding rides.

My absolute favorite part of blogging is truly being able to share the amazing things I receive with my loved ones, so being able to do this was so rewarding for me. But, I must admit. I am NOT a thrill seeker. Plus, with the opening of Halloweekends, there was extra thrill at the park. Plus, with my first time speaking, my anxiety was on an extra high. But, we still enjoyed a few thrillers and we ate Chick-fil-a, so I was content.

Bloggy Conference

Okay, let’s get into the good stuff! The reason we had this awesome reason is because of the Bloggy Conference. This amazing conference is put together by Tiffany of Bloggy Moms and is for bloggers in all niches, from all backgrounds, and at each level. I found this conference after a friend posted about it in a blogger group on Facebook. I checked it out and saw they were looking for speakers, so I applied because they wanted more topics geared toward social media.

The conference already has some cool factor because it’s at Cedar Point, but then it decided to be right on the beach for perfect views. Then, you throw in some awesome speakers and I’m sold! This is one of the best conferences I’ve been to and I’m definitely will go again!

Speakers

I seriously learned so much from so many awesome ladies this weekend.

The keynote was given by Rachel Brenke who literally had me tearing up with how real she was with not letting your business come before your more important priorities like family. She also gave some great advice on protecting your blog legally, creating your Ava avatar and being specific in your brand and selling proposition.

Claudia Krusch gave an enlightening talk on developing your content strategy. The biggest takeaway was to be authentically you! Elayna Fernandez laid some serious pitching knowledge on us. I loved her quote “The answer is always no unless you ask.”

The last presentation I saw inspired me to take a closer look at my content strategy. I’ve been wanting to get back into video and Cielo De la Paz taught us how easy it is to use your smartphone to create amazing video content. Pamela Frost enlightened me on how I should be using my messenger bot even more!

My Talk

bloggy conference — Photo by KHA Lifestyle Photography

Even though I was the one teaching, I learned so much about myself during my first time speaking at a conference. I’ve been to so many conferences in the past and speaking has always interested me. I’ve even been to conferences where I know I’d present the topic better, but still my introvertness and utter lack of confidence held me back. But, when I saw this conference was looking for speakers, I took a leap and gave not one but two sessions!

My first presentation was so great, but prior to I was a nervous wreck. I practiced a million times, had stress dreams and literally felt like I was going to throw up or shit myself the whole day. Then, I did it. At first I was nervous, but I knew this stuff back and forth. I talked all about Facebook groups which is my jam. I was so happy that everyone seemed to really love the talk.

The next day, I did a live demonstration on how to use Later and Hootsuite to schedule out your social media content. Luckily, I was less nervous for this one and it also went well.

Bloggy Con was truly a great experience. The people, the fun, the location! All made this event a great one. Already can’t wait for next year. What’s one of your favorite conferences?

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