Profit Is A Choice

268: Pricing Your Work Without Emotion On today's podcast we're going to hear a pre-recorded podcast that I did with Ceil DiGuglielmo of the podcast "Sew Much More". Ceil interviewed me and spoke with me about the Pricing Without Emotion course that I have been teaching since 2010. I am so excited for you to hear this as we are getting ready to launch our Pricing Without Emotion course on September 5, 2024. As Ceil says in her intro, even if you are not looking to buy the course or participate in it, there is a lot you can learn from listening to this podcast. So, I invite you to sit back, to think about your pricing, your journey, and your relationship with money while you listen and enjoy. Topics Mentioned: Pricing Strategy Profit Value Key Thoughts: Let's price without emotion. Let's work with the emotion. Let's work with passion, but we don't have to price with it. We can price with more the logic brain, and then we can work with that feeling and emotion brain so that we pour that into it. So, it's not that we're separating it. We're just kind of putting it into place. Michele Williams The first time I took it, it was a question of, can I get the money together to take this course. I knew it was worth it, but did I have the money for it? I made sure I did. And the second time, like, okay, I'm ready. I am putting this money out because I will get it back quickly. Ceil DiGuglielmo If I can get to the point of understanding it, then I can get to the point of ownership. When I can get to the point of ownership, then I have a power. And that means I have the power to make decisions with information. Michele Williams The best time to take this is early on. The next best time is now. Ceil DiGuglielmo Join our Pricing Without Emotion, Group Coaching Program Understanding your pricing is crucial for business success. Pricing isn't just about numbers—it's a balance of math, time, expertise, and value. Beginning September 5, 2024, this 8-week course teaches you how to confidently set prices that align with your revenue goals and reflect the true worth of your products or services. You'll learn to remove emotion from pricing decisions, establish a scalable structure, and effectively communicate your value to avoid bargain-seeking clients. The goal is to master the financial aspects of your business and price with confidence. Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams References and Resources: Work with Me CFO2Go Metrique Solutions Pricing Without Emotion Coaching Program Price Your Work with Confidence by Kitty Stein Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Fix This Next by Mike Michalowicz

267: The Role of Tech in Your Business On the podcast today is Jen McFarland founder of Marit Digital. Jen partners with small businesses and teams as they plan, assess, and improve the digital solutions that help them succeed. She helps with implementing AI to setting up web hosting and digital experience design. Today’s topic is all about tech. Topics Mentioned: Technology Audit AI Key Thoughts: It's the same with your tech. You have to reevaluate that from time to time. You have to make changes, you have to assess, go back and look and see what's working. Jen McFarland All of us are running technology businesses; it's just what product or service you're using technology to sell. Michele Williams It's already past time where when you're talking about investment in tech and budgeting for tech, AI needs to be a line item, and it needs to be something that you're thinking about bringing into your stack. Jen McFarland ... I think there is something to being able to engage with the technology in a way that actually makes you feel empowered. I think that is super important when we're looking at tech is it empowering us to do the next things. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Jen: Website: https://maritdigital.com/ Email: hq@podcastally.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncsumarit/ You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@maritdigital References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions AI Cafe on LinkedIn Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. Learn more

266: The Sales Process Doesn't Have to End Dr. Nadia Brown is the founder of the Doyenne Agency, a global sales and training agency dedicated to educating and equipping women business leaders to pursue their passion, own their power and increase their profits. She is the host of the “Straight Talk About Sales” podcast and is the author of Leading Like a Lady: How to Shatter Your Inner Glass Ceiling and Sell Like a Lady: How to Master Sales with Dignity, Class and Grace. Today we will discuss selling with integrity, how the entire company is involved in the sales cycle, and how not to be a bully in the process. Topics Mentioned: Sales Process Integrity Team Key Thoughts: Sales is a learnable skill, and everyone on the team should understand their role in supporting the sales process. Dr. Nadia Brown Whether the founder or the CEO is the one that's still doing the majority of closing of the sales, it's still important that everyone on the team understands sales, how it works, and their role in supporting that process. Michele Williams Sometimes we only think of sales in that financial exchange when you get to that stage, but you're selling all the way to that stage and you're continuing to sell even after that person becomes a client. Dr. Nadia Brown Even if the product's great, it's the sales system that's not great. It's not about the product. It's not about the person. Nine times out of ten, I like the person. But the process starts to make me feel like I've lost my own agency in it. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Dr. Nadia: Website: https://www.thedoyenneagency.com Email: nadia@thedoyenneagency.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnadia/ Instagram: @IamDrNadia References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Michele’s 3 courses: Pricing Without Emotion, Understanding Your Financials, and Master Your Profit Leading Like a Lady: How to Shatter Your Inner Glass Ceiling by Dr. Nadia Brown Sell Like a Lady: How to Master Sales with Dignity, Class and Grace by Dr. Nadia Brown “Straight Talk About Sales” podcast Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. LEARN MORE

265: Managing Your Team Effectively Today's podcast is a conversation with Shelly Warren. Shelly is a women's leadership advisor, and she's the host of the “Stacking Your Team” podcast. Her expertise is in helping small business owners develop and nurture a leadership team so that they can take over the day-to-day operations, giving you, the owner, more time for growth, conversations, and decision-making. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Career path Management Team building Key Thoughts: Defer to your experts, ask them for their point of view, and then you can take that one step further by making sure that you showcase that individual to your clients and your customers. Shelli Warren The company could be terrible, and the manager could be great. We're going to stay because we are somewhat tethered to that manager. They're watching out for us, they're caring for us, they're leading us, they're growing us, but they're acting like a coach for us, and they're moving us around. Michele Williams A players want to work with other A players, and they want to work alongside an A player leader. Shelli Warren The team that got you here may not be the team that will get you there. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Shelli: Website: www.stackingyourteam.com/ Email: shelli@stackyourteam.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelliwarren2/ Instagram: @StackingYourTeam Facebook: @Shelli Warren YouTube: @StackingYourTeam References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Michele’s 3 courses: Pricing Without Emotion, Understanding Your Financials, and Master Your Profit It's Okay to be The Boss by Bruce Tulgan Necessary Endings by Dr Henry Cloud Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success.

264: The Role of Storytelling in Your Email Marketing With me today is Kamala Nair. Kamala is a meticulous copywriter, a brand voice expert, and a published novelist with more than 20 years of professional writing experience. Our focus today will be on email messaging surrounding your conversion and nurture campaigns. Listen in as we talk about the importance of storytelling in your messaging. Topics Mentioned: Email Marketing Storytelling Conversion Campaigns Vulnerability In Business Key Thoughts: Humans are wired for story. It’s how we make sense of the world. Kamala Nair People need the words. They need to sit with the words. They need to chew on the words. They need to absorb them and digest them before they make a move. Michele Williams Email is a much more intimate and direct form of communication than something like social media. Kamala Nair There is a happy medium between no CTA and beating them over the head with a CTA and the Ginsu knife thing. There's something in the middle. And I think each of us has to find where that middle ground is for us and for our leaders. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Kamala: Website: www.kamalanairinc.com/ Email: kamala@kamalanairinc.com LinkedIn: @KamalaNair Instagram: @KamalaNair References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Michele’s 3 courses: Pricing Without Emotion, Understanding Your Financials, and Master Your Profit Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. LEARN MORE

263: Your Financial Personality Impacts Your Decisions Joining me today is Gary Arblaster of Arblaster Consulting. Gary is a finance expert, and he is on a journey to help us recognize our mindset around money and communications. He has created an assessment called the 41 Financial Personality Assessment, which is a tool that links personality traits to financial choices. We're going to talk about money, individual wiring, and how that affects our decision-making and communication around money today on the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Financial Personality Communication Uniqueness Leadership Key Thoughts: I've said it a thousand times, money is amoral. It's what we do with money. Michele Williams We make decisions based on two things, to fulfill an inner need or to protect us from what we fear most. Gary Arblaster If we think about it, the DISC personality test is really saying, here are some of your personality traits that show up in how you work and communicate and everything else. And money is no different in that regard. Michele Williams When fears come out and fears start to set in, that's when we shift. So that's when our mindset needs to be the strongest because those who maintain the strongest mindset make it through the hardest challenges. Gary Arblaster Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Gary: Website: http://www.arblasterconsulting.com Email: team@that1agency.com LinkedIn: gary-arblaster-jr References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Making Millions and Going Broke by Gary Arblaster Find You Why by Simon Sinek Gary’s 41 Financial Assessment Michele’s 3 courses: Pricing Without Emotion, Understanding Your Financials, and Master Your Profit Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. LEARN MORE

262: Big Thinking Big Results On the podcast today is Andrea Liebross. She's a business and life coach who works with high-achieving women entrepreneurs. She's the host of the podcast “Time to Level Up”, and just published a fantastic book called She Thinks Big. We're going to be talking about intention, integration, priorities, and agency in our business journey in our conversation with Andrea. I'm excited to have you join us. Topics Mentioned: Strategy Fear Integration Intention Committed versus Interested Key Thoughts: We have to be intentional about having that necessary ending so that we can have a new beginning, so that we can track a new path and create a new course forward. It takes intention. Michele Williams If you think about a teeter-totter at a playground, that balancing, it's only balanced for a split second before one side goes up and one side goes down. I don't love balance. I really love this thought of how things can be integrated. Andrea Liebross What you own, you can change. I own the decision; therefore, I can change the decision. I own my choice. I could change the choice, but I own it. Which puts me in the power position of, this is my decision to make or my choice to make, and I'm not going to feel like it's happening to me. I'm going to feel like I'm participating in this process. A mental shift of power. Michele Williams You've already created your glass ceiling. We don't need to have that. Let's think beyond. Let's embrace the thought that you are a business owner that in every season your business is equal. There's no downside. So that's big thinking. And if you can make big decisions, it makes these choices easier, which are going to support, ultimately, the big thinking. Andrea Liebross Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Andrea: Website: AndreaLiebross.com Instagram: @AndreaLiebrossCoaching Email: andrea@andrealiebross.com YouTube: @AndreaLiebrossCoaching Facebook: Andrea Liebross Coaching LinkedIn: Andrea Liebross X (Twitter): Andrea Liebross References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Andrea’s Podcast “Time to Level Up” She Thinks Big by Andrea Liebross Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud Seven Primal Questions: Take Control Of The Hidden Forces That Drive You by Mike Foster Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy by Patrick Bet-David It's Okay to be The Boss by Bruce Tulgan Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. LEARN MORE

261: Podcasting as a Revenue Stream With me on the podcast today is Traci DeForge. Traci has over three decades of experience in broadcast media, executive management, and consulting for Fortune 500 businesses. She is the founder of Produce Your Podcast, and she's going to be sharing with us today how creating and having your own podcast can lead to profitable results in your life and in your business. Topics Mentioned: Marketing Authenticity Leverage Key Thoughts: I think people just have to really understand when you make the decision to start a podcast, the fundamental thing that you want to think about is your why. Traci DeForge Podcasts, truthfully, don't have to be ginormous and huge and reach the entire world. It just has to reach your ideal client for whatever purpose you have for that podcast. Michele Williams If you change that person's perspective with one thought and you make a difference to that one person, that could change their life. Traci DeForge I have met some of the most amazing people by hosting them on my podcast and talking to them. I've hired many of the people that I have talked to on my podcast because I'm usually interviewing somebody because I'm interested in what they're doing. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Traci: Website: Produce Your Podcast Facebook: @tracideforge Instagram: @produceyourpodcast Email: traci@produceyourpodcast.com YouTube: @produceyourpodcast LinkedIn: @tracilongdeforge References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Journey to There podcast Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. Learn More

260: CFO2GO Success Story With me today is Kate Wood of Worth Preserving. Kate partners with property owners, designers, architects, trades, and others to rescue, rehabilitate, and determine what is worth preserving in historic homes and buildings. Recently, Kate completed my CFO2GO program, and the results that she has had in just a few short months have been astounding. In this episode, we're going to talk to Kate to understand a little of her journey to reclaim the love she has for her work, to be able to make money doing it, and to have the ability to make magic as she works with her clients every day. Topics Mentioned: Loss Leaders Financial Planning Shifted Orientation Practice of Financials Key Thoughts: It is the merging, that intersection between the strategy and the plan and who I am and what I'm trying to do and how I'm going to price it and how I'm going to manage the money and how I'm going to run it through my company. That intersection is where the magic happens for the business owner and for the business as a whole. Michele Williams I go back to my final report and I am in Metrique every month putting in my numbers and making adjustments. Kate Wood Thinking about our financials as a practice gives us the ability to continually practice getting them and keeping them in alignment with all the things that we're doing. Michele Williams It is a constant tweaking and evolution and I'm just excited about the business now because I do think of it as a business that has value and not just to me, but to other people. Kate Wood Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Kate: Website: Worth Preserving Instagram: @worthpreserving Email: kate@worthpreserving.com YouTube: @KateWoodWorthPreserving References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Worth Preserving: Weekly Newsletter and Free Download for Interior Designer Unfiltered Wisdom: Free Coaching from Michele’s Keyboard to You Are you hungry for more? Subscribe now to receive two free coaching emails per month, personally crafted by Michele! Delivered every two weeks, these emails are packed with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and thought-provoking ideas to guide you on your business transformation journey towards greater success. LEARN MORE

259: The Power of Feasibility Robyn Thomas is joining us today on the podcast. Robyn has an architecture degree from Auburn, and she has merged that education with her love of design to provide a one-stop architecture offer specializing in design completion and optimization. She calls it the master of done. I love that so much. Today we're going to delve into feasibility, what it is, why it's needed, and when is the right time for the conversation around it. Enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Metrics Processes Project Management Teamwork Key Thoughts: We sometimes get so enamored with the result that we don't look at the result and then backpedal our way through it to get to the beginning Robyn Thomas I'm all about feasibility... It's really saying, what are the resources available and how can we best use them? Michele Williams There are indicators and metrics that we can pull into our discovery call, or consultation process that we want to introduce early, way before we get into what color are the walls. Robyn Thomas I think that in feasibility, sometimes people again have the idea that they're fighting against you to get something done, even though it's not you, it's what you're bringing up, the budget, the timeline. You're the representation of those things. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Robyn: Website: www.robynstudios.com Facebook: rs.homeguidestudio Instagram: @rs.homeguidestudio Email: robyn@robynstudios.com Pinterest: robynstudiosga/ References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions

258: 4 Strategies to Stop Being Underpaid I am so excited to be talking to you today. I'm actually so excited that I didn't wait and get all dolled up to be on the video part of the podcast. I decided in the middle of my work session just to stop and go ahead and share this message. So, I hope you are excited as I am, because we are going to talk about four strategies that will stop you from being underpaid. Do you know what it means to be underpaid? It means a high tolerance for low pay. I think that it is a problem, especially for creatives and certainly in the interior design industry. Now, some of you may be listening to this podcast and you may be thinking, hey, no problem here, I get paid all the time. But my question would be, do you take the money out of the company with ease, without feeling stressed? Some of you may be listening to the podcast and thinking, oh yeah, I have a high tolerance for low pay. Instead, I'm a people pleaser and I want to do great things for other people. Stay tuned because we're going to talk about the four strategies that will help you not be underpaid, but to be paid fairly and to be able to have a profitable company - at the same time Topics Mentioned: Value Worth Pricing strategy Career path Key Thoughts: People are paying you for what you know, or they're paying you for what you have the ability to learn and to know. Michele Williams People are willing to pay you for what you know. Michele Williams Time is a currency that we spend in our calendar, and people will pay us for the time that we have available to devote to their project. Michele Williams We're all looking at what we can hand off to somebody else's task list. Stress relief is a big deal. Michele Williams Understanding pricing and understanding your attitude around it is really going to allow you to move forward with confidence and not cockiness. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams References and Resources: Work with Me CFO2Go Metrique Solutions

257: Design the Life You Want Nicole Comis is a life and mindset coach, and she's passionate about helping driven professionals achieve their career goals without sacrificing their personal lives. She's certified by the International Coaching Federation and she's also a neurolinguistics programming master coach. Nicole's goal is for those that she works with to recognize that success comes from living a happy, healthy, and balanced life, whatever that might look like for them. If you're feeling tired or overwhelmed or not sure what to do next, this is the podcast for you. Topics Mentioned: Health Success Balance Mindset Key Thoughts: The reason why we burn ourselves out and the reason why we work our butts off is because it's our programming. Whether it's a fear or a limiting belief or that's what dad did, that's what mom did. We are programmed to think that that's what we need to do, whether it's, I need to prove myself, I need to prove I'm worthy or not, that's just what is done, or you've got to work your butt off to make money. Nicole Comis That makes me think of what grace has been bestowed upon me and upon my life and upon those I love or those I'm watching. Seeing the grace that we get every day, that is what makes me joyful. Michele Williams The more that you can identify your fears and your limiting beliefs and understand where those come from, the more aligned you feel, and I do tell my clients, too, to really practice making decisions based on your vision and your values. Nicole Comis When other people's ideas and influence get like that, we have to turn it off, and then we've got to be intentional about the influences of the people that we let speak into us. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Nicole: Website: https://www.nicolecomis.com Facebook: NicoleComisCoaching Instagram: @nicolecomis Email: nicole@nicolecomis.com LinkedIn: nicolecomis Tic Tock: @nicolecomis References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud Life Fulfillment Exercise Sew Much More Podcast Podcast with Jennifer Looney: Creating a Board of Directors that Support You

256: One Size Does Not Fit All One size does not fit all. Okay, I just said it. I know that's going to be hard for some of you. But in our haste to get things done, to keep moving, to provide a service, often we're looking for that shortcut to success. We're looking to ride the elevator to the top instead of taking the stairs. Today, we will explore how to choose the right offer for our company and ultimately, for our customers. Topics Mentioned: Templates Metrics Problem Solving Business Solutions Key Thoughts: I've used templates. I have templates. I think they're awesome, but they're only as good as they know how to be used and how to be tweaked. Michele Williams Simply purchasing a template without a complete understanding of the problem that it's solving is just going to create more busy work for your team, leave you lacking in the outcome desired, and it's honestly going to cause frustration. Michele Williams Our goal here is to help you truly understand the challenge that you have and the problem that you're solving. Michele Williams What we are dedicated to is empowering you to know how to read the signs, know how to determine what's needed, and knowing how to adjust your systems, whether they're purchased systems or created systems so that they can grow with your company. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams References and Resources: Work with Me CFO2Go Metrique Solutions

255: Ignite Your Passion in Your Business With me on the podcast today is Jacqueline Green of Behind the Design company. Jacqueline is a coach, and she helps people move from a hobby into the business that they want that can be profitable. We're going to have a very robust conversation today on how to identify areas that we're passionate about and how to give ourselves the freedom to move from one direction to another, not to stay stuck. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Passion Pivot, Growth Mindset Key Thoughts: As you build wisdom, as you build your knowledge base, what was important to me in my 20s versus what's important to me in my 50s is completely different. That's what's so unique and fun, is really seeing what could this really be. And getting out of whatever mindset that we were kind of stuck in from our past. Jacqueline Green Giving ourselves the freedom to even go through that discovery process, I think is really what you're inviting us to here, is to not feel that we have to be stuck, no matter how far we're in business, no matter where we are. Michele Williams It's giving yourself permission to put yourself first on occasion to really look at what you really want in life and how you are going to get there. Jaqueline Green I see one thousand opportunities within this industry to build a business, doing the parts that we always have, parts we don't love, but focusing on what you love. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Jaqueline: Website: www.behindthedesignco.com Facebook: behindthedesignco Instagram: @behindthedesignco/ Email: jgreen@behindthedesignco.com LinkedIn: behind-the-design/ LinkedIn: jacquelinereed/ References and Resources: CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Financial Courses with Michele Williams including “Understanding Your Financials”, “Master Your Profit”, and “Pricing Without Emotion” Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud

254: CFO2GO for Your Business On the podcast today, we're going to consider the work of a CFO or a chief financial officer. Given that most of our businesses are too small to hire this as a full-time position, we've begun to see the rise of fractional offerings in this space. Today, we're going to talk about what a CFO does, and if you need one. Topics Mentioned: Financial Planning Budgets CFO Metrics Key Thoughts: What does it mean to hire fractional? It means to share time. So that's really all that we're saying is you're sharing time with another company to have someone come in and perform those services. Michele Williams But as we know, all CFO services are not the same, just like all design services are not the same. Michele Williams Why would we name it CFO2GO? Because our goal is to help you understand how to do this work and then let you go do it, not to hold you tied into some long-term engagement. Michele Williams There's nothing worse than either not knowing how to pay yourself, having the money in the account, not knowing if you can take it out, not knowing what it's meant to do, and not having a plan. We can help you solve every bit of that. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams References and Resources: Work with Me CFO2Go Metrique Solutions Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

253: Removing Fear from Video in Your Business Joining me today is Jasmin Bryant with Fear No Video. Jasmin has had a very varied background. She has worked in television, as an actress, and in the news. She is going to share with us today how we can show up on video without fear. One of the things that Jasmin and I are going to focus on is how to remove some of the self-talk that we have before we ever do it, how to get ourselves ready to go on video, and how to make sure that the message is something that we want to share. So, I invite you to listen in. Topics Mentioned: Fear Messaging Confidence Critique Key Thoughts: One of my mentors said something that blew my mind, which was, perfectionism is a first cousin to procrastination. Trying to get everything perfect just leads us to putting it off and putting it off until we don't do it. Jasmin Bryant I don't think it's possible for us to criticize other people at a really high level without turning that focus and criticism on ourselves in an extremely negative, hurtful, hold us back kind of way. I just don't see that being positive. Michele Williams For anyone who's watching, anyone who's listening, you take those breaths, and you'll feel calmer. Your message will be clearer, and you'll be surprised at how much better your video is. Jasmin Bryant I memorize the points in order so that I know this is kind of the route that I'd like to take as I'm sharing and then you just speak from the heart. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Jasmin: Website: Rock That Video Facebook: Fear No Video Instagram: @fearnovideo Email: jasminlbryant@gmail.com YouTube: Fear No Video LinkedIn: Jasmin Bryant References and Resources: “Five Keys to Beat Camera Shyness” free e-book CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Financial Courses with Michele Williams including “Understanding Your Financials”, “Master Your Profit”, and “Pricing Without Emotion”

252: The Intersection of your Financial and Strategic Plans On the podcast today, we're going to be talking about the intersection of your financial plan and your strategic plan. It's not enough to have one or the other. We really need them in combination to make our business as healthy as possible. So, listen in as we talk about that overlap between the two. Topics Mentioned: Cost to everything Ability to evaluate and prioritize Budgets and financial systems support Strategy first Key Thoughts: I would always start with strategy first, especially in a planning phase, and then look to what it's going to cost and then back up. Michele A company could have goals that are even bigger than what the current strategic plan is. Michele This intersection of the finances and the strategy is once you have the financials set to your strategy, it gives you something to measure. It allows you to set KPIs, or key performance indicators, the things that you want to measure. Michele. Metrique Solutions allows us to pull in that financial data from our financial accounting software, and then it allows us to do things like manage the data, analyze the data, model the data where we don't have other tools to do that. Michele Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams References and Resources: Work with Me CFO2Go Metrique Solutions

251: Year End Wrap Up Joining me on the podcast today is Ceil DiGuglielmo. You probably recognize Ceil as she has been with me multiple times since 2018. She is the owner of the Curtains and Soft Furnishings Library and the host of the Sew Much More podcast. Every year, Ceil and I get together to talk about what has happened over the last year. We share our business and life experiences, our highs, our lows, what we're most proud of, and what we're looking forward to the next year. We hope that this authentic conversation that you can listen in on between the two of us will spark an interest in you to have that special someone that you can share some of your business highs, lows, and what's happening with as well. Enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Work life balance Definition of success For Now Key Thoughts: When life has struggles in it, you do need a little decompression from that, too. As high performers, I think we just keep going. We just keep going. Ceil DiGuglielmo It's been a year of recognizing the exhaustion from those things and learning how to set those things down. Michele Williams I love that the mindset has changed, and I love that people are dropping statements like, yeah, cash flow is a big problem for me and that's because I just did this or just did that. Ceil DiGuglielmo When we are in business and the impostor syndrome kind of rears up, we need to stop and say to ourselves, wait a minute, I was never tasked with knowing everything. I was tasked with having a company that would do research and development to find the answer. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Ceil: Website: The Sew Much More Podcast Website: The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library Facebook: The Sew Much More Podcast Facebook: The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library Instagram: @ceildi Instagram: @csf_resource_library Email: ceilwdi@gmail.com References and Resources: “The Gap and the Gain” by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan “How to Grow Your Small Business” by Donald Miller “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara “Getting Things Done” by David Allan “Buy Back Your Time” by Dan Martell “Strong Like Water” by Aundi Kobler “Try Softer” by Aundi Kobler CFO2GO Work with Me Metrique Solutions Financial Courses with Michele Williams including “Understanding Your Financials”, “Master Your Profit”, and “Pricing Without Emotion”

250: Financials are the Foundation to Work Life Balance Joining me on the podcast today is Val Duvick. She is the owner of Val Marlene Creative. She is a Profit First coach and a business coach for those in creative industries. We're going to have so many awesome things to talk about today including Profit First, what it is like to be a creative, how to balance the energy between our left logical side and right creative side, as well as how to get to a happy, medium place where our financials are easy to look at and simple to maintain. I invite you to listen in. Topics Mentioned: Work life balance Definition of success For Now Key Thoughts: I tell people I'm allergic to numbers because it feels so intense that my brain just does not want to understand them, but I realized I had to if I wanted to have the type of business and work-life balance that I wanted. Val Duvick The power of the numbers is what gives us the freedom to build the fence and to build the boundaries around our lives and our business. Michele Williams We need to know the minimum, and we also need to know where you're headed. Once we have that in mind, we can fill in the rest, and it makes it more attainable. Val Duvick I think part of success is recognizing those blessings so that we're not so always caught up on how much more we have to do and build and grow, but being thankful for how much more we already have. Michele Williams Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams Contact Val: Website: www.valmarlene.com Email: val@valmarlene.com Instagram: @val_marlene_creative References and Resources: The Gain and the Gap by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan CFO2Go Work with Me Metrique Solutions Financial Courses with Michele Williams including “Understanding Your Financials”, “Master Your Profit”, and “Pricing Without Emotion”

249: 5 Financial Mistakes Made at Year End On the podcast today, we're going to be talking about the five mistakes that business owners make at the end of the year. I want you to listen in and see if you are finding yourself falling into any of these traps so that you still have time to do something different. Topics Mentioned: Cash flow Budgets Debt Key Thoughts: I would say nine times out of ten, we're more likely to overspend a budget than to underspend a budget if we're not watching it and being accountable to that budget. Michele If you find yourself in a cash flow negative situation, remember, that you always have to get cash flow neutral before you can go cash flow positive. Michele Lifestyle creep is where every time you make a little more money, your lifestyle raises, and then you need more money, and then your lifestyle raises versus keeping your lifestyle where it is and letting the money be made and then letting it be saved. Michele Businesses that get themselves in trouble don't manage that money properly, which means that they don't have a strong cash reserve. Michele Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams References and Resources: Work with Me CFO2Go Metrique Solutions Episode 179: Setting and Revising Your Financial Goals Episode 189: Reviewing Your Profit First Strategy Episode 209: Metrique Solutions is Your Financial Partner in Business Episode 234: How to Manage My Money in My Firm Episode 243: Managing to a Budget in Your Design Firm Episode 247: Using Debt Strategically in Your Business