The Game On Girlfriend Podcast

Why are some people more successful faster? Do women really support each other? How big does my online presence need to be? What do I do first to make money in my business? Can I really make money starting my own business? How important is social media? Am I going to have to work 24/7 to make a real living? Welcome to the Game on Girl friend podcast where we answer all of these questions through behind-the-scenes podcasts, interviews with successful business owners like you and direct coaching from veteran entrepreneur, Sarah Walton. We’ll share industry insider tips on influence, productivity, confidence and always * always * motivation. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you could’ve acted on your dreams, but you didn’t. Sarah believes you were given your dreams, ideas and wishes for a reason. You’ll come to consider this podcast a gentle nudge to remind you that you matter, your work matters and your dreams deserve a chance. But the best part? We’ll actually talk about how to make that happen. This isn’t your practice life. The game is on and you’ve got one shot and making it your best. Game on, Girlfriend…game on.

143. 3 Biggest Time Wasters for Business Owners 09/27/2022

143. 3 Biggest Time Wasters for Business Owners Time is one of the most precious resources we have. When I think about successful people, sometimes I’ll ask, “do they have a couple of extra hours each day?” As business owners, there are days when you feel hyper-productive, and so much gets done! But we can also get really tripped, and there are some activities that feel important but are just time wasters. I do want to highlight two very important considers before we get into those, though: 1) You already know which activities you’re good at. Recognize what those are and let go of the other tasks. Delegate them. 2) Remember your revenue-producing tasks must come first. On the daily, it can be easy to get distracted. Today, I want to get those top three business time wasters out of the way, so you can focus on the revenue-generating tasks. Let’s break down the top three time wasters in business: 1. Social media is not free I know this won't come as a shock to anyone, but social media is not free. It can take up so much of your time. Ask yourself if you’re spending more time on social media as a consumer or as someone who produces content. Social media is addictive. Be aware of where your attention and awareness are going. I'm going to ask you: if you are working on social media and you don't yet have a team who can support you with posting, schedule the time. Set a timer. 2. Comparison despairing game It feels horrible to compare your business to other people's businesses, especially if we are comparing ourselves to other people's social media feeds. We all know that's not real. Some people will even ask me how I manage all my social posts. I’m not doing that. I write the posts, and sometimes I help choose the graphics, but I have a team. I’m very grateful for them. I delegate. We know what people are posting is gorgeous to look at. But if you're going to see that and consume it as if you're not enough because of the way your life looks or business looks, that is a waste of your time and energy. As I've shared with you guys so many times, 80% of success is your headspace. Only 20% of success is strategy. If you are going to spend time on a platform consuming content to the point that you feel bad about yourself, that is a double whammy. Now you've lost the time; you can't get it back, and your head's not in the right space. 3. Redoing things The biggest time waster for most business owners is redoing things that have already been done, and there are a couple of ways this manifests. You might be a productive procrastinator. If you’re worried about something new that you’re going to launch, you might be nervous. When we’re nervous, we distract ourselves. Redoing things is a fantastic way to make us feel like we’re being productive when we’re just avoiding what needs to be done. I’m talking about rewriting your About page. Renaming your programs. Changing your brand colors. If something no longer fits or you've really advanced your business and it's time for a complete overhaul, please don't do it once a year. Once every five is enough, maybe three. There's so much that we could be doing with our time, but we spend so much energy being concerned that we're not “doing it right.” If we do something different in our business, if we talk about our brand differently, or if we take on new strategies, we're not “doing business right.” That is a lie. The only people who've been truly successful at business are the people who break the mold, the people who say, “Oh yeah, I see everybody doing that thing over there. I'm not doing that.” They are the ones who win, so do not be afraid of having to “do things right.” Trust yourself. Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out: Are You a Productive Procrastinator? https://sarahwalton.com/amber/ 6 Tools I’d Use If I Started My Business Today: How to Create Before You Compare and Despair: Must-Have Tools To Show Up Online And Feel Good Doing It: You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! Learn more about your host by visiting Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts. Then we’ll get to inspire even more people! /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24484824

142. Why Zigzagging Your Path Means More Success, with Susan Hamilton Meier 09/20/2022

142. Why Zigzagging Your Path Means More Success, with Susan Hamilton Meier The idea that you can only pursue your career or business success in one way is blatantly false. In today’s episode, branding expert and career coach Susan Hamilton Meier explores why we feel guilty about wanting to zigzag as women. The path to the top isn’t always a straight line, and we don’t need to feel nervous about changing or exploring new things, or sharing artistic or creative sides of ourselves with the world. Susan helps women find the through-line of their work history; write a focused, memorable elevator pitch; and design a vision and action plan for the next phase of their journey. As more and more people reassess their work and how they work, it’s time to challenge some of the stories we tell ourselves about how our career is meant to grow. Susan highlights this idea that your career is supposed to be a straight line, like a ladder you’re meant to climb. She says people — herself included — get insecure because they didn’t go immediately from point A to point B — they zigzagged. She challenges people who wonder if they “got far enough fast enough” to really reflect on their choices, because she guarantees there are good reasons to back them up. She says when people understand that choices were intentional and that they were being true to who they are in exploring their interests and passions, a sense of integrity results. Susan shared what she thinks are the top three benefits of zigzagging: More skills, a larger network and more ideas. She says the more innovative organizations are ones who have people who are generalists, not specialists, because innovation comes not only from mistakes, but also from this kind of cross-pollination of one sphere and another. And that realization brought us to an amazing topic: the kill the competition aspect. While there is some value in considering what the competition is going to do and where your position in the marketplace is, to be effective, you must focus on who you are, who your customer is, what they need. When you’re watching somebody else succeed, you might think “I want to succeed too, so I'm going to be like them” as opposed to “I can be successful showing up as me.” How willing are you to show up and be there when people call and say, “This is how I help”? Susan agrees. It’s not your logo, your tagline, or your business. She says your brand is a relationship. Your brand is the friendship that you’re building with the people who you know, who are kind of in your client base, and the people you haven't met yet who are in your client base. There’s trust, there’s authenticity, and there’s consistency. ===== Mentioned ===== 5 things you can start doing tomorrow: ===== Next Steps ===== Finding “Happiness” (What the Heck Does That Even Mean?) : What’s Causing the Results You Have Right Now? : Best ways to THINK About Your Small Business: ===== Connect with Susan Hamilton Meier ===== Website: LinkedIn: Twitter: Instagram ===== Connect with Sarah ===== Facebook: Instagram: Game on Girlfriend: Most business owners don't know how much money they actually need to make to feel free. It's time to break that trend. Download my free Freedom Calculator and figure out the perfect number for you: /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24417528

141. 6 Tools I’d Use If I Started My Business Today 09/13/2022

141. 6 Tools I’d Use If I Started My Business Today One of the most popular questions I receive is: “Sarah, What do I need to actually launch a business, and how do I do that without slapping a bazillion dollars on my credit card?” I love that question. You really want to take tangible steps, and I’m going to give those to you today. Before I get into the tools I use, let’s be honest about one thing: A business is simply an exchange of value for money. That’s it. You need to understand the finances and make sure you’re making a profit. If you’re just starting out and you’ve got your business idea but you’re scared to get it off the ground, please hear this: Add value and learn how to explain your value. Now, let’s get into some tools that are efficient without breaking the bank. 1. ConvertKit (https://convertkit.com/email-marketing-fresh-start): I am an affiliate of ConvertKit, that’s how much I love them! They give you powerful tools for online marketing. You can tag each customer based on their behavior. Here is an example: Let’s say you’re just starting out and you were a guest on someone’s podcast. You share that podcast episode with everyone on your newsletter list. ConvertKit will let you tag the people who listened to the episode, so the next time you’re on a podcast you think those folks will enjoy, you can send them a special message. It’s such a great way to take care of your people and show you understand them and what they are interested in. The other reason I really love ConvertKit is they give you the tools you need to build landing pages and form with freebies and lead magnets. You don’t even need a website. They will track the data for you and tell you whether or not the pages are successful so you can grow your newsletter list. Cost: Free up to 300 subscribers | $9/month for growing creators 2. Stripe (https://stripe.com/): Next up, you need to be able to accept money. And Stripe is a great company that happens to integrate with ConvertKit. You can log into Stripe to create products and services that you can link to directly in your emails. People can make purchases right from their phone, and your business will look professional. Cost: 2.9% off the purchase price (at the time of this recording). 3. LegalZoom (https://www.legalzoom.com/): Now that you’re accepting payments into your bank account, I’m going to assume you’re incorporated. Getting incorporated might not be necessary yet, but my recommendation is to check out LegalZoom.com. Depending on the state you live in, it will cost about $400 to get your incorporation papers. You’ll take those papers to the bank to set up your business banking account, which you’ll also set up in Stripe. Easy, right? Cost: About $400 4. Basecamp (https://basecamp.com/ ): Now that you’re set up with your newsletter and payment system, you’re going to want a project management system. Why? You want to be able to go back and understand how you’ve created things and where they are living. I love Basecamp. You can assign deadlines and tasks to people. There are a lot of alternatives too, like Asana and even Google Sheets. If you’d rather have a customer tracking system, I recommend HubSpot (https://www.hubspot.com/products/marketing/free). I use this to keep track of all our members, their birthdays, gifts we’ve sent, cancellations, etc. I want customer service to be number one — and I’m sure you do too. HubSpot is free up to a certain amount of people and lets you track how you’ve worked with them. Cost: Basecamp free up to 3 projects | $99/month unlimited features 5. Canva (https://www.canva.com/) and Hautestock (https://hautestock.co/): Beautiful graphics are key if you’re going to sell online. Canva is something we use in our business all the time. You can put in your brand colors, and the free version gives you access to templates. If you find you need stock photos, I recommend Hautestock — I have an annual membership — for their photos and videos, which you can then import into Canva to create beautiful graphics. It’s so classy, and it’s important in this online world that your content looks fantastic on social media. Cost: Canva free | Pro and Teams plans for additional features. Hautestock: $399 a year 6. Websavers (https://clients.websavers.ca/whmcs/aff.php?aff=282): Once you’re ready for your website, I’m going to recommend Websavers — I’m an affiliate by the way. And yes, they are a Canadian company. First of all, their customer service is fantastic, and their pricing is competitive. Use Websavers for your hosting, and then find a designer. One of my favorite things to do is to go online and find fantastic Facebook groups that support moms and women and ask anyone in the group if they have a web designer they’d recommend. And what I love about doing that is you might get someone who's new, so the price will be a lot less. But you're also helping someone else start their business. I love doing that. Cost: Plans are low as $3/month So as you can see, you don’t have to break the bank to get started. I think anytime you're adding value, you can usually do that by communicating well online. Once you start making money, once your business is actually profitable, I would highly recommend two things: Learn how to write. Learning how to communicate your value well online is critical. There is so much nonsense out there. (I know this is self-serving, but I absolutely mean it with all my heart) Invest in a coach because success is 80% mindset and 20% strategy. You can get all these incredible tools and have them at your disposal, but if you start thinking negative thoughts, you're already out of the game! I can give you every strategy in the whole world, and it's not going to work because your head's not straight. So, the second you are able to get yourself in a course with a coach or to hire a coach, please do that for YOU. More resources to help launch your business: Legal support: Coaching support: Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out: Best ways to THINK About Your Small Business: How I’m Investing During Our Biggest Year Yet: How to Manage Emotions When You See Your Balance Sheet: You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! Learn more about your host by visiting /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24352752

140. Know Your Numbers to Break Through What’s Possible, with Danielle Hayden 09/06/2022

140. Know Your Numbers to Break Through What’s Possible, with Danielle Hayden The numbers on your books are nothing to be scared or ashamed about. In today’s episode, I chat with reformed CFO Danielle Hayden about how data can empower you and your business. After spending 10+ years in the boardroom as a corporate finance officer, Danielle has now found her sweet spot as the CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., where she helps business owners with bookkeeping, financial analysis, and education. She is also the author of the Profit Planner book series. Tracking and understanding the data changes your mindset, says Danielle. She says as business owners, we have a tendency to make things seem worse off than they really are. But looking at the data, you can track the numbers to progress and find strength and encouragement. Once you can pin down your numbers, you can make tactical decisions regarding questions like: Am I ready to hire? … How much can I pay them … How much do I pay myself? … Can I afford to join this coaching program? Danielle reminds us there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to the numbers. Entrepreneurship is not a pass or fail system. You can separate the person from the business and ask yourself: What worked? What didn’t work? How can I use these numbers to improve? Use the numbers for data points. Use the numbers to grow without judgment. Danielle believes in creating a culture of financial accountability and throwing out excuses like, “I’m a creative, I’m not a numbers person.” You can likely build strategy for business decisions with data you have on hand already and own your success. Pop in those headphones, and let’s get to it! ===== Mentioned ===== Free gift for listeners: Guide to create a financial dashboard: ===== Next Steps ===== Transcend Your Money Beliefs, With Michelle Arpin Begina: Reveal Your Money Story With How You Spend: You Can Make Money Without a Following: ===== Connect with Danielle Hayden ===== Website: Facebook: Instagram: ===== Connect with Sarah ===== Facebook: Instagram: Game on Girlfriend: Most business owners don't know how much money they actually need to make to feel free. It's time to break that trend. Download my free Freedom Calculator and figure out the perfect number for you: /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24225891

139. What Happened at the Sales Mastermind Virtual Retreat 08/30/2022

139. What Happened at the Sales Mastermind Virtual Retreat I just wrapped up the Sales Mastermind retreat, and I wanted to tell you about the absolute magic we experienced! I was so moved and so inspired. We had so much fun. So I wanted to share why I truly believe in masterminds and group programs like this and retreats and the rundown of what went on over the weekend. To give you some background, I flew out to Las Vegas with my good friend Michele Wang. She’s a YouTube influencer, and the two of us are accountability buddies. During one of our check-ins, we decided to have a little business retreat with just the two of us, and I decided I wanted to host my own retreat with the Sales Mastermind cohorts. I’ve been doing a lot of research into retreats and how to create an atmosphere of bonding, inclusion, and excitement. We started off the day by setting intentions such as what we wanted to get out of the retreat, what the participants wanted to receive, and their personal intentions. Then we started working on the BIG goal. You know the one — it scares you. By the time that exercise was done, we were seeing things like, “I want to double my revenue … wait, that’s not enough. I want to double that number.” It’s so exciting to see people get LIT UP about what’s possible for women. Next up was a full-on business assessment with what I’m going to call “the Sarah Walton process.” I think it’s a bit different because I always include the human inside the business. So we really spent some time breaking down nine different aspects, and at the end, I had everyone pick three things to work on, pair up, and talk about what they needed to do to make it happen. You’ll have to listen to the rest of the episode to hear about the other amazing things we did over the course of the day, but what really moved me was knowing that all these women are up to AMAZING things. These businesses are heart-centered. We all were so pumped and excited about what we’re going to create out there in the world, how much money we want to make, and what we want to do with that money to make the world a better place. You know I say this all the time, but what you’re here to deliver matters. If you’re not mastering the skill of sales, you’re selling the world short of your gifts. We need you. You’ve got to get out there and deliver on your promise. Your promise is your expertise, your experience, and your talents. Pop in those earphones, and let’s get to it! Sign up for the Sales Mastermind: Testimonials from the virtual retreat: “That was the most amazing virtual retreat I’ve ever been to. It was just so perfect. I’m absolutely renewed with hope, and I’m so inspired and so happy to know that the world we’re leaving behind is going to be better because there are beautiful women doing so many amazing things. Each person I got to hear speak was just so powerful. I’m so excited — I got SO much out of this retreat! Now I’m off to get my tasks done! Thank you, Sarah!” “I learned in the first hour of this retreat that I can sell any time I want! I used to think I had to plan it out or set a whole bunch of time aside to sell. But during the retreat, I got it done! Right then … and it was even a little bit fun! I wasn’t expecting that. I loved this retreat!” “The retreat was wonderful. It definitely renewed my faith in goodness and my excitement for what I’m doing. I’ve never been one to join groups, but I see now that I’ve never been with the ‘right’ group. I could be fast friends with any of these lovely women. Thank you for doing what you do.” “Thank you for such a great day, it went by SO fast! What a great group and I loved the exercises. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out: Interview with Michele Wang: Want to Start a YouTube Channel? Listen to this first: My Daily Routine and Habits: What to Do When Money Isn’t Motivating You: Best Ways to THINK About Your Small Business: You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! Learn more about your host by visiting /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24186999

138. What’s Life REALLY Like After Menopause, With Dr. Cari Schaefer 08/23/2022

138. What’s Life REALLY Like After Menopause, With Dr. Cari Schaefer Menopause doesn’t happen to women; it happens for them. It doesn’t always feel that way, but today we’re demystifying the changes with Dr. Cari Schaefer. Dr. Cari is a nationally certified herbalist and primary care provider of Chinese medicine by the Medical Board of California. She founded the platform Wise Woman Emerging to help women through menopausal change. Dr. Cari’s vision for the platform was born out of her own menopause journey, when she discovered that this time in a woman’s life has all but been lost to society and traditional medical establishments. Women are offered few solutions, and many are left to suffer alone. Cari’s experience involved being sent to an extreme detox center, where she developed a phobia of flying on the way home and attended a lecture where she was told women are “done” post-menopause. (EXCUSE ME?) In today’s episode, she walks us through the three major hormonal shifts in a woman’s life and explains the biology behind what drives women, and what gets in the way as these shifts happen. She hits on the imbalance that can emerge from the survival instinct to care for others instead of caring for ourselves and the role of stress and weight gain. (More stress in an already stressful time? It takes a toll.) Listen for Dr. Cari’s tips, including screening panels you can do to check your hormone levels and get the support your body — and you — need. Pop in those headphones and let’s get to it! ===== Mentioned ===== “The Food Solution” by Dr Cari Schaefer: ===== Next Steps ===== Changing the Conversation: Aging Is HOT, With Sheilisa McNeal-Burgess: How to Deal With Mom Guilt and Achieve Balance: How to Biohack Your Business Success: Mindful Living Isn’t Just About Yoga and Green Drinks, With Diana Firth: ===== Connect with Dr. Cari Schaefer ===== Website: Facebook: ===== Connect with Sarah ===== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahwaltonpage Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesarahwalton Game on Girlfriend: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_Jen-dhtrcPvkgdjasgiyAk1NgPbZYRS Most business owners don't know how much money they actually need to make to feel free. It's time to break that trend. Download my free Freedom Calculator and figure out the perfect number for you: /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24120765

137. You Asked! My Daily Routine and Habits 08/16/2022

137. You Asked! My Daily Routine and Habits I’m going to pull back the curtain to explain how I structure my day and the 15-minute morning routine that has completely changed my life. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it effective? Absolutely. My alarm is set for 5:35 a.m. Why? I think it was a typo, and I never changed it. It's set for 5:35 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I meet my trainer at 6 a.m. on those days. I have a new routine that has absolutely changed my life: I go for at least a 15-minute walk by myself and practice deep breathing, express gratitude and visualize my day. I do the deep breathing exercise for 30 seconds, maybe a minute, and then sometimes I'll listen to music that makes me super happy—I mean we’re talking PUMPED UP. Yes, Backstreet Boys are included. Sometimes Taylor Swift. That’s when I do little bit of gratitude and go through all the things that I want to accomplish. A recent mindset switch is this idea that what we produce here at Team Sarah is worth the financial goal we made. I keep saying that over and over. I truly believe that; I think that’s what it’s worth, and I'm so excited we’re able to offer it. I’ll let that idea flood over me. I’ll think about the clients I’ll be coaching that day or the classes I am teaching and really dive into that. This is going to go well. People are going to hear what they need to hear. It’s going to be an absolute joy to deliver. Once I get home, I usually open my email and load up Voxer to check in with my clients and the Sales Mastermind students. The next thing I’ll do is focus on my next big goal. (Spoiler: We have another launch of the Sales Mastermind coming out, and I'm going to be hosting a free workshop for it!) So, I’ll look at that goal. I’ll stare at it, and I’ll ask myself: What are the three things that I need to get done today to get closer to that goal? Once that's clear for me, I’ll look at my schedule to see which clients I’m going to be working with and supporting and whether I’m teaching or coaching. And then I'll hop in the shower. (Yes, I do shower.) And that all happens before noon. I was a bit embarrassed to talk so much about myself in this episode, but listen in for more about how I work with clients, what I do to stay present and energized in all those coaching calls, and the exciting work we’re getting ready to launch. Pop in those earphones, and let’s get to it! Free workshop: Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out: This Is Why You Keep Giving Up: Never Ask “So, What Do You Do?” Again, With Networking Expert Colleen Biggs: How to Attract Clients, With Hailey Rowe: Show Up and Own Your Space: You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! Learn more about your host by visiting /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/24040167

136. Healing the Hustle (You Don’t Have to Keep Up), with Jessica Butts 08/09/2022

136. Healing the Hustle (You Don’t Have to Keep Up), with Jessica Butts We’re getting raw and honest about what’s happening at large for women. Jessica Butts is a psychotherapist and Myers‒Briggs expert, a three-time author, and a corporate trainer. Her mission is to help us all “heal the hustle.” You know I talk all the time about the idea of how women “aren’t really supposed to handle money” and that undercurrent in our society. The idea that we women can make our “cute little money” with our “cute little businesses,” but when it comes to the “real money,” that’s for the men. Well, we unpack all that energy and the business trauma women face in today’s episode. I know. Get ready, we’re going deep. Jessica shares her story of transformation after years of suppressing who she was and running headlong into the hustle. She remembers it like an addiction. Then COVID hit. Her next move? Selling everything she owned to do the work of figuring out what was important. Jessica talks about how the hustle hooks into women viciously because we are taught to feel good about ourselves based on how much we produce—and we don’t even get paid properly for it. She says her work isn’t about ambition but about balancing the being and the doing. It’s about doing the internal work to maintain who we naturally are amid the chaos thrown at us. Stop trying to change your environment or the people around you. You can only change yourself. We get candid (we swear a bit) about the toxicity of comparison and the trap of pretending you’re perfect. Beautiful people, you hear me say all the time that no matter what work you choose, you do not get to lift yourself up out of your humanity—and if you want a better understanding of what that means, pop in those headphones. Game on! If you’d like to follow Jessica on all the socials … here’s where you can find her: Website: Instagram: Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out: How Values Make You Money: How do I Find Work-Life Balance? : I Should Work for Free Because I Help People. (WTF?) : You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! Find out more about your host by visiting /episode/index/show/gameongirlfriend/id/23972385