Scale Up Strategies: The Business Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers
We're your hosts and Business Coaching experts Mary Fain Brandt and Laura Bashore
We’re sharing all our mistakes and insider tips from our 20+ years in business and
how we successfully scaled up our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.
Sure you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success
OR
you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts because we promise there
are some.
Scale Up Strategies: The Business Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers
Finding Balance with Gratitude in Business and Life
Ever wondered how embracing gratitude could transform your business and personal life? As the season of Thanksgiving approaches, we dive into heartfelt conversations about the power of appreciation in our entrepreneurial journeys. We share personal stories that highlight the unwavering support of our husbands and the invaluable role of a strong support system, be it family or a cherished group of friends. It's easy to get swept away by the pursuit of business goals, but taking a moment to recognize the strength and love from those around us can be profoundly grounding. Reflecting on how our social circles have evolved, we discuss the significance of nurturing relationships that empower both our personal and professional lives.
As we explore the ever-evolving landscape of business, we tackle the challenges and opportunities brought by AI, emphasizing the importance of niching down and delegation. The shift from daily operations to strategic growth is a journey filled with personal development and the need for collaboration. Aligning our passions with our work is highlighted as a key to staying inspired and effective. We wrap up by expressing sincere gratitude to you, our listeners, for being part of our path. Your engagement and feedback are vital, and we invite you to continue this journey with us by subscribing, sharing, and connecting on social media. Your support means the world, and we can't wait to grow alongside you.
Thank you for listening to Scale Up Strategies: The Business Growth Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers.
If you enjoyed the show - follow, rate, and share our podcast with your network!
We'd love to hear directly from you:
bizscaleuppod@gmail.com
Connect with Laura and Mary on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraobashore/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryfainbrandt/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/scale-up-strategies-the-business-growth-podcast
Thank you to our Sponsors:
BuzzSprout
Thinking about starting your own podcast or leveling up by switching hosts? Use our code: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2110162
Receive $20 through BuzzSprout's Refer a Friend Program
TEAM Referral Network - SD
https://teamreferralnetwork.com/san-diego-region/
You're listening to Scale Up Strategies, the business growth podcast for coaches, consultants and speakers. We're your hosts and business coach experts Mary Fai Grant and Laura Bay Shore.
Laura Bashore:We're sharing all our insider tips from 20 plus years in business, including how we successfully scaled our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.
Mary Fain Brandt:Sure, you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success. Or you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts, because we promise they're really awesome.
Laura Bashore:So grab your favorite cup of coffee, tune in and let's start the show. Hey, listeners, this episode is going to be all about what we're thankful for as business owners. We always focusing in on how we're going to get to the next level or what our next strategy is, and we forget often to take time to sit back and reflect on the things that matter to us. And November is the perfect time to talk about this because, let's face it, we've got Thanksgiving, giving Tuesday, veterans Day. These are all different ways that we think and reflect on how we interact with our community and those in our lives, and so today we'd like to share with you a couple of things that we're thankful for. So thanks for listening.
Mary Fain Brandt:Well, Laura, there's a lot of things I'm grateful for. Let's just be honest. One of them is all the Black Friday sales specials that are coming up.
Mary Fain Brandt:You know I like a good deal, so I am thankful for all that, but, in all honesty, you're right Like as business owners, it's always what's next, what's next, what's next? What can I do to make some more money? Who do I need to meet with? So it's really good, as a business owner, for us to take time and pause and reflect on what we're grateful for. I am super grateful for my husband, joseph. He is my cheerleader, he supports me 100%. You've met him, um, and not just because he's my husband and my grateful. But, like, being an entrepreneur is a bumpy ride at times.
Mary Fain Brandt:You know when, when things are great you're like woohoo, and when things are not going the way you want, I'm like, oh, joe, and he always supports me in my decisions. He goes on business trips with me so he can bring stuff down from the hotel room that I've forgotten, like that just happened in Vegas. He, you know, he helps keep me sane, uh, and he also. What I love about my husband is that he really supports my vision, like our house, like, oh, let's knock out a wall or let's do the bedroom. So, besides, uh, being really thankful for my husband, and he's really is my rock and that sounds a little weird coming from me, because if you knew me, 20 years ago, I was such an independent woman right, I wasn't married. I was so independent to think that I actually depend in some level on him. Now is we were talking about that and it's. It's really weird anyways.
Laura Bashore:I would just say that, um, there's strength and independence in that too, though you're just looking at it in a different way now, right, yeah, so definitely because you chose the right partner for yourself, so I'm grateful that I was able to learn and grow and let go of I have to do everything myself.
Mary Fain Brandt:I'm also really grateful for all of my friends. As we get older, our friends circles tend to shrink right and I have my core group in San Diego and you've met a few of them, and so that core group of girls. I'm really thankful that they come out and visit. Not all my friends have come out and there's a few that have made the trip out to Arizona a few times and that means more to me than anything and I just am really grateful for my friends and family.
Laura Bashore:Yeah, that's a really good point, you know. For my friends and family. Yeah, that's a really good point, you know. So I've I moved away from my home and I've been in my, my San Diego. I've been in San Diego for 20 years but when I first came, it was so important especially those first like two to four years to have people who would come and visit me and support me in that way. So I love that you highlighted that, because people get really nervous when they're looking at moving. But you just have to remember that as your circle of close friends shrinks, it also makes those bonds a lot stronger.
Laura Bashore:You do a lot more for one another, so that's something to really be grateful for. Like you, I'm very thankful for my husband. He allows me to be able to go out and do what I want and what I need to do for my business and also socially. I think we're very opposite and I'm actually thankful for that, because I need somebody to let me know, like, hey, it's okay to take a step back and calm down for a minute.
Laura Bashore:And to also regulate me on, just like when I get these ideas. You know, you and me, mary, are very much in the same vein with that, and sometimes they get these ideas and I'm like run off with this. It reminds me to kind of calm down and I'm thankful for that because it helps me refocus. And and then also having children, having a really strong partner in a man um, it's not always that case, so I'm very thankful for that.
Laura Bashore:I have somebody who's like a partner, um, and allows me to do what I do, um, I'm thankful for my family, so my friend circle is already quite small. I've just. When I was younger it was not, and so I was very much out and all over the place, and so I feel like people always refer to me as an old soul, and I guess it's just because I did a lot when you were younger like when I was younger, in my late twenties or whatever I I thought more was better and like I had this huge circle of friends.
Mary Fain Brandt:I remember throwing a birthday party at mission Bay Laura and we had 125 people, like it was for same. It was like we were there at five in the morning with tables and chairs. But you know, I used to think more people was better. I'm more popular, I'm more loved. But as I go through life, this core group, that means more to me than having, you know, 50 friends. Yeah.
Laura Bashore:Well, and I'll say, you know, as entrepreneurs how you mentioned we kind of blur that line Many times. We become very close with those who we're professionally involved with. So I mean, I loved our trip at the beginning of this year and like getting to spend time with one another in a completely relaxed way, but then also going to the conference during the day, right, and then nighttime was like, oh, we'll just do what we want. And but it was great to um, cause I was nervous before we we got there, right. I was like, oh, maybe she won't like me, like in person, or like what if we don't room well together, you know it's different when you're rooming with someone for the first time and you're going across the United States.
Mary Fain Brandt:We were in Florida. We'd never, I mean, we hung out socially a few times but an overnight trip for like three days, going to a conference, packing all these clothes, and you know it can be I've heard horror stories, right, and it could be awful, but for us it was bliss. I'm really grateful for that opportunity for you and I to have that one-on-one time together to really get to know each other on a deeper level and then hang out and do the conference scene. That was so much fun.
Laura Bashore:Yeah.
Mary Fain Brandt:I agree, yeah. So professionally, besides hanging out with you at the conference and doing all this stuff, I'm also really thankful for the Glendale Chamber. So it's the chamber that I joined and it has been really good for me to get out there and having like a place to go, being in a new state. Not only has the Glendale chamber been great for me professionally growing my business, it's also some of those people have become friends. I do business with them, but they've also become friends. They're invited to my holiday party. That's when you know, like when you get the invitation to the brand's annual holiday party, you're in.
Mary Fain Brandt:And I'm really thankful for the clients this year that said yes to me managing some of their LinkedIn content and doing reels. I have a gentleman that's a little older and I'm like we got to do some video reels and he's like what Right? And I took him on a VIP content day and he's like, okay, mary, whatever you say, I'm like bring a golf, golf club, bring some hiking shoes, like just props, and he's like, okay, I'm going to trust you. So I'm thankful for the clients that let me do my job Right, like I know what I'm doing. The other professional thing that I'm really grateful for is Victoria Kramer from the Marriott, who spotted me on LinkedIn, liked what she saw and hired me to speak at the Marriott conference. That was just in October and that was such a great experience for me.
Laura Bashore:So, professionally, I'm really happy that you know she sought me out and that there's opportunity there you know she sought me out and that there's opportunity there and it shows that you know when you put your mind to things and when you put your passion behind it, you're going to get recognized for it, whether you're pushing it or not, right? So, yeah, exactly, that's really good. Sorry, I had a late night last night, as you know. Okay, so I think you know professionally something that I'm actually really grateful for. That is new.
Laura Bashore:That just happened is I bit the bullet and I hired a virtual assistant and went through a company to bring them on. But what I mean by bit the bullet is I've committed to 20 hours a week with this person and just they've. They're still on boarding with me, but even just the last few weeks has been extremely helpful. I would not have been able to pull off some of the things, like our second annual nonprofit gala, without having this person over here able to do the admin things that I just did not have space for. And while I'm great with Canva, I do not compare to what this individual is able to do. So I'm looking forward to building in on that more. And then I'm really grateful for the professionals who are in my network, so outside of our relationship too. You know I've joined two boards within the last year and that has expanded those relationships and got me more into I don't want to say that corporate mindset, but just bonding with people over strategies and that bigger leadership missing.
Mary Fain Brandt:I feel like you've moved into that leadership role with these board positions and I'm so proud of you for that. Like I just see the growth there and that's amazing.
Laura Bashore:Thank you, and it has instilled in me a lot more confidence that you guys sometimes you lose when you've left the corporate realm. So it's nice to pull that back. And then just with my business of team referral network, I just surrounded by amazing people who are really philanthropically driven as well, and it's wonderful to be able to enjoy what I'm doing. And now I've got a clearer path for what I'm looking to do with it over the next two to three years, and that feels good. You know, I feel like I've got a plan.
Mary Fain Brandt:I like it and speaking about being around like-minded people and finding the right groups, the right people to hang around. You know, one of the lessons I want to say, one of the lessons or challenges that I continue to have, is the ability to say no.
Mary Fain Brandt:So one of the lessons that I have learned is when my gut is telling me to say no, even if I have other people trying to push me into something, I need to listen to that. So earlier this year and I love to network I've put on my own networking events, you know that, and I was approached to be like a lead in this networking group that was already established but they were rebranding over here in Arizona and they were going to have multiple chapters, expand my network and more visibility, and it's what I like to do. But as I was going through and learning and there was some training, it didn't feel right to me for a couple of reasons. It didn't feel right the way it was rolling out, uh, that people like I just they're not bad people. It just wasn't the right group of people for me and I was like no, no, no. So I, I bowed out. Uh, a couple of weeks before they were going to do their launch, I was like you know, I don't think this is the right opportunity. And there were, there were several leaders, so what I saw is like a lot of chiefs as a you know, a lot of people running it, and I was like, no, that's, that's not the right fit for me. So a lesson was to say no. So that was a lesson that I continue to learn is I like to say yes to a lot of things and I'm learning to say no so I can focus on what's important.
Mary Fain Brandt:I think another lesson and opportunity for 2024 would be AI. It's a blessing, right, and it's a challenge. The reason it's a challenge is because it's so new, it's unknown and people fear it right and rightfully so because they don't know it, so, of course, they're going to be fearful. But it's also an opportunity for me to educate my network on how to effectively use AI. So that's why I say it's a challenge and a blessing and a lesson learned. The lesson is there's a lot to learn and it changes every day, so I can't. So what I think what I want to say is that I love AI. I can't learn all of it. There's too much of it, so I need to figure out, like, what are the five things that I want to be the expert in Exactly?
Laura Bashore:Niching down a little bit.
Mary Fain Brandt:And.
Laura Bashore:I will say you know, had you not talked me into just coming on and helping you out with a beta test and figuring out what you were doing just coming on and helping you out with a beta test and figuring out what you were doing, I would not have as much freedom in my business right now and as much opportunity as I've been able to realize taking it from oh, let me not just get this training from Mary, but let me go get certified myself too. But it has been. A challenge on my side is figuring out exactly what you were saying. Right, there is well. What are the things that I want to do with AI so that I can add this as a revenue stream for my business? Where are the areas where I want to be seen as an expert with it, and how can I best serve my clients and my future clients? Right, because our clients always evolve too. So that's a challenge to think about is getting the long-term planning, which leads into something else for me Taking over a team referral network in 2023,.
Laura Bashore:I had these grandiose ideas and I thought that I knew exactly where it needed to be, to grow it and to do what I want. So you know, I'm always like the achiever mind. So I'm over here thinking, okay, by this time I'm going to quadruple this and that. But even though I purchased a franchise, it's still starting your own business. You're still starting and learning that. So a great thing is two things. How I mentioned earlier bringing on a VA, yeah, I realized it's time to pull myself out from the business. Now I was in it. Now it's time to start working on it, because I grew it to over. Like 130 members when I, when I started, when I took over, there was like 45.
Laura Bashore:So we've done a huge thing, right? But you see how I just pass it over, right. I'm like, but but what I'm doing now? So that took me a minute to realize. And now I'm like okay, in order to get to the next level, I have to start behaving next level.
Mary Fain Brandt:So so that's the lesson that you learned. That's the lesson is yeah you have to, you have to delegate and there's a right time to get the virtual assistant or executive assistant or outsource whatever you need to outsource. If AI can't do it for you, then get a virtual assistant and I would say, make sure your virtual assistant knows AI as well, that's another.
Laura Bashore:Yes, that was a component that we went through. I said what tools are you already utilizing or playing around with? What are you familiar with? Because I was prepared for it. Now, when I went into my interviews, I was like here's the way that I like to communicate. Well, actually, I asked them how they like to communicate to see if that was compatible and then listed through everything. So, yeah, I'm really excited for what's coming because I'm positioned now.
Mary Fain Brandt:I love it. That was cool. Well, finally, I'd love to wrap up with how I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful that we continue on this journey of working together, whether it was on our audio event, the podcast, the conference, different memberships, our upcoming webinar, because we are in two different states and now two different time zones. We both have our own businesses, but we love working together and we complement each other so well. So I'm very grateful that we have hiccups, just like everyone else, you guys. So you might listen to this podcast and think, oh, they've got. You know, nothing ever goes wrong. We're entrepreneurs and business owners, just like you. We have hiccups, we have challenges, we have time mix-ups. You know we overcomplicate our schedule sometimes, but we don't give up. So, you know, and we pivoted A lot of people don't pivot when they're by themselves.
Mary Fain Brandt:They're afraid of that, and we have pivoted. So what I'm thankful for, laura, is in January, when you and I were at Podfest and I was sitting there and I turned to you and I said I don't want to do career journey stuff anymore, and you were like me either. I'm thankful that we seem to be on the same page, even though we don't know it, and that I feel comfortable. I was like I got to tell her, like it just wasn't in my heart anymore Because I had pivoted to the AI. So I'm really thankful that you're always open to new ideas, to new projects, and we just figure it out together.
Laura Bashore:Oh, I love that. I feel the exact same way, because what you didn't know is, I was also thinking that we were wondering why we felt like we were in a rut, and it's because we were no longer passionate about the topic that we were pursuing together, and it was getting harder to find out. Remember, it was getting harder to figure out what do we want to talk about, and it's like because we weren't talking about that anymore on a day to day. We were moving into a different space, and so I think that's a great way to put that to is surround yourself with people who can evolve with you.
Laura Bashore:Yes, but also want to evolve with you because you never know where it's going, right.
Mary Fain Brandt:Yeah, I think you said that perfectly. Surround yourself with people that want to evolve with you. Some people want to hold you back. They're so afraid of change that they're just going to like hold you back so that you can't grow. So find people that can evolve with you. Oh, that's gotta be a quote, laura, like that just needs to be blasted everywhere. I love that, and so I'm going to get my VA.
Mary Fain Brandt:Yeah, get that VA. Make it pretty now, help me, yeah. So you guys, we just want you to take the opera. Take this time to reflect on what are you grateful for this year, what lessons did you learn, what challenges did you go through and how that spun around into a positive way. You might have lost some business, but it opened up a door for something bigger. You might have a partnership might be broken, but now maybe you're feeling more in control of your time or your business. We don't know, but we'd love for you to share with us. What are you grateful in 2024?
Laura Bashore:Excellent. We'll share those with us, and we want to just thank you, our listeners, and share our gratitude with you, joining us on this journey and evolving with us as well. And one thing that we could ask of you is, if you're thankful for this podcast and the time that we're putting into it and spending with you weekly, please share this out. So subscribe, share this out with your network and then, yeah, when you see our social media out there, comment on it. Let us know your feedback. Feel free to reach out to us through email too. So I think that's wrapping us up for this week.
Mary Fain Brandt:That's wrapping us up. You guys take care and we'll see you next week. If you enjoyed the podcast, show us some love. Please rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, and if you have any feedback, go ahead and share that with us too, because we want to hear from you. Until then, stay focused, stay motivated and stay caffeinated.
