Let’s talk money, honey — specifically how to keep MORE of yours in 2023. So often as business owners, we overspend without even thinking about it. It’s easy to just spend, spend, spend! Shiny object syndrome is real. And most of us (myself included) did not study finance, accounting, and bookkeeping in any professional capacity. We might struggle to really SEE where our money is going.    As we move into the new year, it’s the perfect time to evaluate what’s been happening in our business financially and what shifts we can make to improve our finances! Let’s look critically at our business’ finances today to see what shifts we can make to increase our profit margins! I am going to show you 4 areas to evaluate in your business finances to get your profits higher and spending lower for the new year!    Think you want more financial tools to track this kind of stuff? Check out my resource, Profit Sheet! This is the tool I created and have used for years to track my business finances. You can track everything from tax payments, to what you pay yourself monthly, profit margins, and so much more! Buy it at https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/194 - Get QuickBooks at 55% off:  https://elizabethmccravy.com/quickbooks  - Check out Xero (the bookkeeping software I use now): https://elizabethmccravy.com/xero  - Get Profit Sheet for your business: https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Shop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - Why You Shouldn’t Use Personal Venmo for Your Business: https://elizabethmccravy.com/88 

I’m chatting today with fellow educator and podcaster, Laylee Emadi! She’s the host of the So, Here’s the Thing Podcast and the founder of The Creative Educator Academy. I personally really enjoy her podcast, and I was a guest a few months ago. (Links below to that conversation - it was episode #108 on her podcast!)  This interview is so insightful if you are someone who has ever wanted to get into education as a business owner. Whether that is education like speaking at events or being interviewed on podcasts OR things like educational offerings within your business, like courses.  We talk about things like… - Being a multi passionate business owner- How to pitch yourself for conferences- How to get started as an educator- Do’s and don’ts of online courses -  How to create whitespace in your business- Laylee’s unpopular business opinions And so much more!  Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/191 - Check out Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/ - Connect with Laylee on her Instagram: https://instagram.com/laylee_emadi/ - Connect with Laylee on her website: https://layleeemadi.com/ - Hear me on Laylee’s Podcast “So, Here’s the Thing” episode #108 - Blog Post  |  Apple Podcasts  |  Spotify - We chat all about diversifying revenue streams in your business! - Details on The Creative Educator Conference: http://creativeeducatorconference.com/ Thanks to our podcast sponsor, Haute Stock! Haute Stock is my favorite stock photo company, and I use their images ALL over my business. You can get 15% off your subscription with the referral code: ELIZABETH at checkout or by visiting this link: https://elizabethmccravy.com/hautestock  

Today we’re diving into a MUCH requested topic — the visual side of your marketing and business — a.k.a. the images and videos you use on your website and throughout your marketing. This is so important, right? We know that. We are visual creatures and that is true now more than ever. Gone are the days where you can have a website with no images or social media or any other part of your business without using images. The images and videos we use in our businesses express who we are as a brand, they might resonate with our buyers or they might not, and they are a vital part of content creation which we know drives sales.    This episode covers:  - Why your business needs stock photos  - WHAT a stock photo is (and where you might see them)  - How stock photos are different from customized brand photography  - What to look for when using stock photography (and what to avoid)  - My favorite stock photography company (Yes, I’ll just tell you exactly what I use so you can use it too.) - Where I recommend using stock photography versus photos customized to your brand (and what I do in my own business for this) - How to integrate stock photos and brand photos seamlessly into your marketing!    Thanks to our podcast sponsor, Haute Stock! Haute Stock is my favorite stock photo company, and I use their images ALL over my business. You can get 15% off your subscription with the referral code: ELIZABETH at checkout or by visiting this link: https://elizabethmccravy.com/hautestock     Links mentioned in this episode: Get the full show notes at http://elizabethmccravy.com/192  Haute Stock (and 15% off deal!): https://elizabethmccravy.com/hautestock  Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Connect with Haute Stock on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hautestockco/ 

Today’s episode is a fun friend-to-friend chat about Christmas, and I am certainly bringing the Christmas ENERGY in this episode. I’m totally a “Christmas person” and I start getting excited about Christmas in July typically (not kidding). But, let’s talk about the elephant in the room… Resting and actually taking time off for the holidays doesn’t always come easy as business owners. There’s often a lot to do to “close out the year” and at the same time you’re ready to dream about the next year in your business, PLUS you have the everyday to do’s of life to keep up with.    That’s what we’re talking about today. I’m sharing with you:  My time-off and rest strategy for Christmas that I do basically every year, and how you can do this yourself as well! (We’re talking practical planning here!)  Holiday bucket list ideas for you to do to strengthen your faith and enjoy the month of December, even in its chaos.  Tradition ideas – I’m totally a NEW mom, and I don’t have tons of traditions to share for with kiddos. But, I am sharing some traditions you could try with your spouse that we do and some family tradition ideas I love!  I’m sharing Advent resources, books, other podcast episodes, and things I think will help you out as you plan your own holiday season.    So, that is our agenda. This is a GOOD EPISODE, if you often tell me that you wish I did more personal content – this is it. I’m excited to chat. Go get a peppermint mocha, a sugar cookie latte, or some wine and let’s dive into it!    Lots of links mentioned today that you can find below: Get the full show notes at http://elizabethmccravy.com/191  Shop website templates (today is the last day of Black Friday!): https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Connect with me on my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/  Check out our sponsor, Haute Stock and save 15%: https://elizabethmccravy.com/hautestock    Advent Devotionals To Check Out: - The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper - Unwrapping the Names of Jesus by Asheritah Ciuciu - Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp 

What makes a great website? What makes a dud? Besides all the obvious things like don’t make your text too small, don;t use 1,000 fonts at once and things like that… What are the major keys?! No matter what you do in your work, if you have a website — you should be asking these questions. Today I’m sharing 3 things that I consider top things to making a successful website, and they are things people often miss. I’m calling these “strong opinions”, but this could also be called “unpopular opinions” because these aren’t said enough. I hope this short and sweet episode gives you some business and website ideas to run with!  Links mentioned in this episode:- Get the full show notes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/190- Shop website templates at https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop- Take the website personality quiz at https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

I’ve got a quick tip for you today about your sales page and one thing you should probably stop saying on it. This thing you’re saying might be hurting the potential customer experience and is a lazy marketing habit. It’s a simple change — will take you just minutes, but will make an impact in your business! This tip comes from a mistake I myself made that my copywriter, Emily, pointed out to me. I think you might be making it too, so let’s fix it!  Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes at http://elizabethmccravy.com/189 - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/ - Shop the Showit Sales Page Templates:  https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-sales-page-templates - Shop all of my website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Today’s episode with Angela is so fun, so inspiring, and full of nuggets of wisdom about life and business. So, friends, meet Angela Brown — she’s a talent brand and portrait photographer based in Brighton, Michigan. She was a wealth advisor for 25 years before doing a 180 on her career to become a photographer — proving it’s never “too late” to make a major career shift. Angie also enjoys educating other photographers in building personal brands to attract their ideal clients. She’s got plenty of tips for you photographers listening, but we also talk about her awesome career story, her experience with EM Shop templates, and so much more.    Highlights from this interview: How Angela pivoted to being a brand photographer after 25 years as a wealth advisor  Angela’s experience customizing her EM Shop template - spoiler, she had FUN!  The Showit Blueprint Course and how it guides you through your website build out  Changes Angela made to her template to making it uniquely her own  Why Angela switched from ProPhoto (WordPress) to Showit  Tips and strategies for building a successful business as a brand photographer  Thinking about getting a template from EM Shop like Angela did? Here’s a little blurb with what she had to say about EM Shop: "I am so thankful I found Elizabeth and the EM Shop! As someone who has always hired a designer to customize my Wordpress site, it was a big step to take that responsibility into my own hands. But Elizabeth and her team gave me support when I was stuck. Most importantly, the Showit Blueprint course was simply incredible. I got almost all the answers and best-practices I needed to create my dream site. Even Elizabeth's launch and marketing tips were so helpful! I would recommend EM Shop to anyone looking to up her game!" Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/189  - Check out EM Shop Templates: http://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - Get a free month of Showit:My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

This episode is the short encouragement that maybe you need today, and it is the encouragement I’ve needed a lot in my season of business. And that is that it’s OKAY to not be growing your business. It’s ok to stay put. It’s ok to even “go backwards”. It’s ok to say no to really good opportunities. It’s ok to make less money than you did last month or last year. It’s ok to work less. Simply put: You don’t always have to be growing. And, we’re talking about this often “untold truth” on today’s episode. Press play for the encouragement! I hope this blesses you and encourages you in whatever season you’re in right now.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/187  - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Today I’m chatting with Katelyn Dekle from Launch the Damn Thing. Katelyn and I first connected when she heard me on James Wedmore’s podcast and she sent me the world’s sweetest email. This was BEFORE Booked Out Designer even existed, but later when the course was created, she joined and has been an essential part of our community ever since. We’re talking through her business journey, her advice for niching down and finding clients as a designer, and her experience with Booked Out Designer! I love Katelyn, her unique approach to business and marketing, and her love of teaching what works for her is so evident. I hope you all enjoy this conversation!    Also, today is my 30th BIRTHDAY! You can bet that today I’ll be relaxing, reflecting, and appreciating life and these last 10 years as I leave my 20s and enter a new decade. And perhaps a 30th birthday reflect episode will come later.    Highlights from this episode: - How Katelyn made the free time to work on her business while also being at a 9 to 5  - Katelyn’s story of leaving her day job during the pandemic and going full time in her business - How Katelyn isn’t very active on social media, and 98% of her clients are finding her through Google search - Alternative ideas for “niching down” — Katelyn shares how she niched to a personality-type not an industry  - How Katelyn made $10k after implementing just 2 modules from Booked Out Designer    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/186  - Check out Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Connect with Katelyn on her website: https://www.launchthedamnthing.com - Follow Katelyn on Instagram: My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I’ve been thinking about unpopular opinions lately, as I asked a question about this to guests on my podcast and now I’ve been like “hmmm… what are my unpopular opinions about different aspects of business?” So, here today I’m sharing 3 of my unpopular opinions about branding and website design businesses specifically. So whether you’re a Showit designer, Squarespace designer, Wix designer, brand designer, or maybe you focus on other types of design collateral… this is for you. And aspiring designers, this is for you as well! It is OKAY if we disagree on any of these things, we can still be friends! :) Let me know on Instagram what you think — send me a DM @elizabethmccravy.     Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/185  - Check out Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Get the ASAP Client Booking Guide: http://elizabethmccravy.com/asap   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Today I’m chatting with a friend and member of my Booked Out Designer community, Stephanie Duke! We first connected in 2019 before I ever made Booked Out Designer because she was one of the people I “interviewed” about what they needed help with in their business. Since then, she’s been a long-time podcast listener, and eventually joined Booked Out Designer and has had HUGE WINS from the course. I just love Stephanie, and I think her joy and heart for her work will come through so well in this episode. I know many of you will be able to relate to her story. She’s always been the artsy kid and after years of doing various part-time jobs, ended up going all in on her design business. She also runs a successful Etsy shop where she makes polymer clay art, which you can check out here. (<< Seriously perfect place to buy gifts as Christmas is approaching, and you can support a fellow small business owner!)    Highlights from this episode:  - Stephanie’s experience with always working multiple jobs  - Stephanie’s college experience learning design skills in remote schooling  - The details on her first ever $40 logo project (very relatable designer experience!)  - How Stephanie learned to think like a business owner and learned business skills early on  - Losing her job, applying for jobs and not hearing back, and ultimately following God’s calling through the whole experience  - Stephanie’s business creating polymer clay art before starting her brand and web design business  - Stephanie’s experience going full time in her design business  - How Booked Out Designer impacted Stephanie’s business growth  - Homesteading lifestyle stuff (yep, Stephanie has tons of chickens and ducks!)    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/184  - Check out Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

If bookings are slow for you — whether you’ve been in business for years or just weeks, I’m sharing with you 4 important questions to ask yourself as you examine the situation and strategize what to do next in your business! 3 of the questions are really strategic, and the final one (worth staying to the end for) is a heart check question with some encouragement for you because I know when you’re not booking clients it can be really hard emotionally.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/183  - Check out Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Get the ASAP Client Booking Guide: http://elizabethmccravy.com/asap  - Get the Designer’s Guide to Mastering Discovery Calls: http://elizabethmccravy.com/discovery  - Get 30% off your Dubsado subscription: http://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Today you get to hear from Katy Boykin, who is an incredible brand designer and WordPress designer. My goal with this interview (and the 3 coming next week) is to show you what’s possible in your business. You’ve heard my story time and time again on the podcast, but this time I’m interviewing 3 friends to share their stories with you. These women are all 3 designers who design on different platforms, and have all taken Booked Out Designer. They’re sharing things like how they got into business, their pain points along the way, what helped, what didn’t, where they are right now in their journey, and more!  In this interview with Katy, you’ll hear so much GOODNESS. Here are a few noteworthy highlights:  - How Katy’s time as a yearbook editor revealed her love for design  - Katy’s experience dropping her art major in college for hospitality management  - What it was like quitting her 9 to 5 cold turkey  - Katy’s experience starting and selling a blog  - Katy realizing a call to leave her Christian blog and to website design was just a different way to serve God through helping others  - Katy’s great advice for dealing with imposter syndrome  - Her experience as a WordPress designer using Elementor and Cadence builders  - How Katy joined Booked Out Designer and quickly landed her first $6,000 website design project  And more!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/182  - Check out Booked Out Designer: http://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Get the ASAP Client Booking Guide: http://elizabethmccravy.com/asap  - Connect with Katy on her Instagram: My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

CONTRACTS…OMG. Do they make your heart beat faster? Maybe you wrote yours yourself and that makes you nervous. Or, maybe your contract is so confusing that you yourself don’t even understand what you’re saying or how to enforce it if needed. Or, the worst… maybe you don’t have a contract at all, and you’re just kinda hoping for the best. Wherever you are — no shame. Seriously. But, I can tell you you need a contract that you understand, is comprehensive enough to protect you, and that is custom to your design business needs.    In today's episode, I’m sharing 2 contract clauses in particular that designers need to have that are very specific to your design business. These are ones you might not think about until it’s “too late” and aren’t ones you see mentioned everyday. And even more specifically, these clauses relate to helping you make more money as a designer, which we all want, right?   Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/181  - Check out Booked Out Designer at https://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Get my FREE resource, How to Find Your 1st (or Next) Paying Design Client Asap, at https://elizabethmccravy.com/asap My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Designer friends, this is for you! If you’re feeling drained by your business or wanting to AVOID feeling drained in your business, these strategies I’m sharing will help. I’m going to teach some mindset tips, some super practical working with client tips, and even some marketing and productivity tips that will help you not be drained (or at least not as drained) by your business because you’re focused on the right things. These 4 tips are all very particular things that have helped me in my business, some literally right now and others in past seasons of my business.    If you’re not a designer, but work with clients in another way, listen up as well, there is plenty in this episode for you as a lot of what I’m sharing relates simply to businesses that work with clients. I hope this episode encourages you wherever you’re at right now and pushes you towards taking action in your business to create a business you LOVE.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/180  - Check out Booked Out Designer at https://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Get my FREE resource, The Designer’s Guide to Mastering Discovery Calls, at https://elizabethmccravy.com/discoveryMy biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Short but, I think, this will likely be a very inspiring episode for you today! Do you know where your best ideas happen? When you think about brilliant ideas (or even just good ideas) you’ve had, when did the idea come to you? And how can you make more time for that place? That’s what I’m exploring in this episode. I’ll be sharing my process and where my best ideas come to me, the research around why our most creative ideas don’t come to us at our desks, and more.    I hope you enjoy this one! Tag me on Instagram (@elizabethmccravy) and show me how you’re applying this to your business and life once you tune in!    - Get the full shownotes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/179  - Connect on Instagram at https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Research I mention in the episode:  https://www.thindifference.com/2018/01/best-ideas-come-shower/My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

I’m so excited to have fellow web designer, Josh Hall, on the podcast today. Josh is a web designer turned educator for designers, and he’s bringing the good stuff today! Josh and I jump all over the place from his business story to his advice for scaling your web design business, maintenance plans, messaging as designers, time management, fatherhood, and so much more.    Josh built his business to 6-figures/year as a soloprenuer, and we talk extensively about this journey and the exact HOW of him doing this. We also talk about his journey as a cabinet maker by day and drummer by night in 2009 to starting his freelance web design journey. He built his web design career as a soloprenuer from 2010-2016 and scaled his web design agency up before selling it in the summer of 2020 to focus full time on teaching others how to build web design businesses of their own.    Josh and I had so much fun together chatting. We actually did back-to-back interviews for both of our podcasts. I interviewed him, and then he interviewed me. So all together, we chatted for about 3 hours. I’ll link to my interview on his show (Web Design Business With Josh Hall) once it airs.    Some highlights we discuss: How to do maintenance plans as a designer (I LOVED this!)  How maintenance plans can work as a Showit designer too  How Josh made over $100k/year as a soloprenuer  Scaling an agency, then selling it and that whole process  Building a team as a designer and working with contractors  What it was like moving from an agency to a personal brand educator  How it could actually be a BENEFIT to you if your business is your side hustle  Connect with Josh and Elizabeth: Get the full show notes for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/178  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

To create this episode, I basically asked myself — What would I want to tell a dear friend who owns a business and now has a baby or is expecting about doing motherhood and business together? And, these are the things I wrote down! Whether you’re an expecting mama, a new mom, or have been doing motherhood and business longer than me, I think you’ll find some great tips you can implement right now about motherhood and business, particularly in the realm of productivity as moms.  I’m approaching this from my own experiences of being a new-ish mom to a recently 1 year old baby boy. I know some of this may look different in your particular circumstances or if you have multiple kids or older kids. Take what you can from my advice to apply to your life and leave what doesn’t work.  I did an episode a few weeks ago that could be considered part one of this! That was episode #172 titled “My Top 4 Productive Mom Hacks for Running a Successful Business with a Baby or Toddler” — so tune into that one after this if you haven’t already. And, I’ve done TONS of episodes at this point about motherhood and business that are worth scrolling through the podcast feed to find and listen to!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/177 - Scroll back to episode #172 for more tips on a similar mom + business topic  - Visit my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/ - Shop Showit website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - Get details on Breakthrough Brand All Access: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bbaa  - Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Technically we ALL have a funnel for our business, meaning the way we’re getting leads into our business and selling, but if your funnel is actually working as well as it could is another question that we’re diving into today. I’m chatting with the brilliant Alexa Cawley, owner of Forever Friday Consulting. She’s the host of the Friday Society Podcast and is a marketing consultant for wellness brands. She’s a 2x EM Shop customer and a long time listener of this podcast. By the way, I LOVE having guests who already listen to this show because they always bring exactly what you all need to hear.    In today’s episode, we’re diving into marketing funnels, and specifically 5 pieces of a successful one and the order in which they come, how to do your own funnel, and so much more. Alexa does an excellent job specifically speaking to new business owners in this as well, and we talk about funnels both from the perspective of service businesses and product businesses. So whichever you are, you’ll hear how to do a funnel for BOTH.    Other things we discuss worth nothing:  - Marketing practices and the stereotype around “bro marketer” funnels - What’s not working anymore and what works in today’s world with funnels and marketing - The current SoulCycle and Peloton battle and some great marketing tips we can learn there - Marketing lessons Alexa learned working with big wellness brands like Lululemon and SoulCycle - And we go through all those steps to a successful funnel    Resources mentioned in this episode:  Get the full show notes for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/176  How to Create a Freebie Guide: https://elizabethmccravy.com/5download  See the Showit Blueprint Course (that comes with template purchase): https://elizabethmccravy.com/course-video  Save on FloDesk: https://elizabethmccravy.com/flodesk-coupon-codeMy biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

In this episode, we are having some fun, talking about how to HAVE fun as business owners. So many of us start a business because we think it’ll be fun. We maybe aren’t enjoying our day jobs, we want a side hustle to go along with being a mom, or we feel really passionate about an idea and want to act on it. Whatever it is, we want to have fun with it typically. But so often our businesses aren’t fun. They can actually become a total drag where we are like a poorly treated employee in our own company and we are the bad boss. I get it that some seasons and moments in business simply are not easy. I have certainly been in those moments myself, but even within that owning a business can still be an overall fun experience. So if you feel like you haven’t been enjoying your business lately, these are a few ideas to put some FUN back into your work.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/175 - Visit my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/ - Shop Showit website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - Get details on my upcoming teams course: https://elizabethmccravy.com/teams  - Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Calling all Showit users and business owners who are thinking about using Showit as your website builder. Showit rocks, and if you’ve been around here for a second, you probably know that I absolutely love Showit. My own website is built on Showit, I sell Showit templates, and I’m a Showit Design Partner. I love Showit — plain and simple.    In my membership, Breakthrough Brand All Access, one of the members asked the what are some cool Showit features that I don’t see people using enough or are under utilized, and we talked about it in our Facebook community and in a member Q&A, but her question inspired me to talk to you guys about this as well. So, I’m sharing 5 Showit features that you maybe didn’t know about that you should try on your website. These are features that I’m loving lately and I think you will as well!    These features and tips are for non-designers and designers, alike. So if you’re listening and thinking “Well that’s cool Elizabeth, but I’m not a designer.” Fear not — you can edit your own website for your non-designer business to do these things too. No need to hire a designer to set these cool features up!    Trying Showit for the first time? Head to https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-free to get 1 month of your Showit subscription absolutely free! And be sure to check out my website templates for an ah-mazing site to go with that subscription.    NEW TEMPLATE DETAILS:  We’re celebrating not one but TWO new templates being release  — the new Kate and Elle templates. (You’re gonna love them.) And in addition to that, I just released a collection of Showit Sales Page templates that match our top selling templates. So no more piecing together a sales page based off another page of your site or struggling with what goes where on the sale page. I’ve got it all set up for you. These sales page templates have over 30 sections (called canvases in Showit) designed to guide you through creating an epically amazing, high-converting sales page for your online course, membership, coaching program, digital product or whatever it is you’re launching.    The sales page templates also have copy prompts throughout to help you not just have designs that sell, but WORDS that sell. I’ve brought the same strategy I use on my own sales pages to you in these templates.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/174 - See NEWMy biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Want to go behind the scenes with me for a week? Seriously I’m sharing it all — the realities of running my business, the realities of mom life, and the mundane moments that kinda feel like “wait, why am I sharing this?” but that’s just what’s actually happening in life. When deciding what week to share, I probably picked a not that interesting one, but often the most interesting stuff is in the mundane, right?    In this episode, you’ll hear me talk about these things…  What it’s like running my new membership Behind the scenes of designing new templates  What I’ve reading right now for fun and for business  TV shows we’re loving lately  What it looks like juggling mom life and my business  Work on our real estate investing business  What the search for a nanny is like  Behind the scenes of 2 team meetings  What meals I’m prepping for the week Behind the scenes of a systems overhaul I’m doing  What workouts I’m loving lately  … And so much more!    If you want to skip around, here are some timestamps: Weekend Recap: [04:30] Monday: [16:06] Tuesday: [32:32] Wednesday: [45:04] Thursday: [01:11:22] Friday: [01:25:15] Saturday: [01:31:24]   Links Mentioned in This Episode: - Get the full shownotes at elizabethmccravy.com/173  - Breakthrough Brand AllMy biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Let’s talk productivity for mamas! For the past year since my son was born, I have either been on maternity leave or running my business very part time. The way I do things, how much time I have, what I prioritize, and my energy output have all changed since becoming a mom. So, my productivity methods have changed too. What used to work doesn’t work as well anymore, and I’ve found myself constantly learning how to make the most of my time and be present in my work and with my son while doing so!    Today, I’m sharing 4 tips with you that have helped me work and do mom life the best I can in this first year of motherhood. These are things I wish I knew before becoming a mom or things I wish I had found out sooner. So, I’m hoping to save you some time by sharing them with you now.    It’s worth nothing, I’m sharing these from the perspective of being a first time mom of a little boy under 1. So, some of you more experienced mamas probably have other tips to add, and some of these tips might not work so well when you have multiple kids or older kids. I can only teach on this from my experience, which is life working with a baby! So, this is what has worked for me in this season of life, and I hope it helps you whatever season of motherhood you’re in!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode and other links mentioned: http://elizabethmccravy.com/172  - Visit my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/ - See all motherhood episodes on my blog: https://elizabethmccravy.com/category/motherhood/  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Scroll back to episodes 152 and 160 from MORE productivity tips from other working moms! https://elizabethmccravy.com/152 and https://elizabethmccravy.com/160  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Brand designers, website designers, and people who want to be a brand and website designer — this one is for you. When you’re first getting started as a designer, it can be absolutely confusing as to what you need to do and how to do it. If you went to college for design, they likely did not teach you any of this business stuff in college. You might be struggling with confidence in yourself that you can do this thing solo. Maybe you’re a self-taught designer, and that can come with all kinds of doubts. Basically, there is a lot going on, and it can be really overwhelming. First I want to say: You’ve got this. You’ve chosen an amazing, fun, exciting, and much-needed field to go into. You’re gonna love having a design business. But, there are plenty of myths out there about starting and running a successful business as a designer. These myths are likely holding you back from really getting going, getting clients, and making money as a designer. This episode is all about BUSTING the 3 myths I commonly see new designers (and even more seasoned designers) believing. These myths could be holding you back from booking clients and seeing results.    MY GIFT TO YOU: Marketing is a huge part of running a successful design business. You gotta get clients somehow, right? I’ve scooped one of my favorite lessons straight from my course, Booked Out Designer, and I’m giving it to you for FREE. Head to https://elizabethmccravy.com/sample to watch a training on Magnetic Marketing Principles for Designers and get some foundations to build your design marketing on. You’ll also get to see what else is included in the course, see some student testimonials, and more. Yep, all free — no credit card required.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/171   - Visit my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/ - Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/booked-out-designer  - Get the FREE Magnetic Marketing training: http://elizabethmccravy.com/sample  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Today I’m sharing a quick product creation tip with you! This is something you really need to be doing before you start building your digital product. I mean before outlining your course lessons, before you start creating your membership content, before you write your eBook, or before you build the template you’re selling. It’s a really simple thing but makes a huge difference later when it’s time for you to actually market and sell this product you’re working on.    This is something I do for every offer I make, and coming off of my membership launch this is fresh on my mind. It’s a bit counterintuitive, and I think many people skip this step, but it’ll make a huge difference in your product creation and marketing journey.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/170  - For more on course creation, check out last week’s episode all about combating the overwhelm of building an online course! (Episode #169 - https://elizabethmccravy.com/169)   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Calling all course creators and future course creators, this one is for you! Creating an online course is NOT easy. It’s daunting, often very overwhelming, and it can be tough to get started and get momentum to keep going. I think online courses are so worth it, but it’s not all “no work and easy money” like some people presume. In fact, it can be hard to fit the time into your business to create a course, and overcoming the overwhelm of the process can be so challenging that you never finish the course.    In this episode, I’m sharing 6 ways to fight that feeling of overwhelm with creating a course and make the process much smoother for your life and business! You’ll hear me share my experience as I created my course, Booked Out Designer, and how these 6 tips came out of that experience of creating a massive online course in just a few months. I hope this gives you a breath of fresh air and motivates you on your course creation journey!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/169  - For more on beta launching, check out episode #110 https://elizabethmccravy.com/successful-beta-launch/ - For a launch walkthrough of Booked Out Designer, check out episode #114 https://elizabethmccravy.com/behind-the-scenes-of-beta-course-launch/My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Does your business need a mentor? I’m talking about a coach, a person in your corner who can help you out and that you can consistently learn from. Let’s find out. In this episode, I’m walking you through 4 signs that it is time for a mentor plus how a mentor can help you in your business. I believe that having a mentor is a HUGE key to business growth and getting unstuck, and I hope this will give you some clarity around whether or not a mentor would be helpful to you.    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/166  - Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/ My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

We’re walking down memory lane today back to 2015 when I first quit my job and then the process of starting my business. As a business owner who has been in it for a while, it can be easy to forget to share about the early days because you get so focused on what’s going on now. This isn’t going to be one of those “I was at the bottom, now I’m here!” types of stories. But, I do want to just share with you what things were like when I was freelancing and in the early days of making my business official. So, I’m sharing the story of it all + what an actual day in the life was like!    You’ll hear me share things like what our family’s finances were like back then, all the side hustles I did to make money while building my business, what my work days were like between all the odd jobs, and more! I’m even sharing details from a document I wrote in 2015 titled “Ideas for $ freelancing”.    If you’re in that first year of business ownership, thinking of starting a business soon, or are freelancing and you’re not sure what to do next, I hope this encourages and motivates you in your journey! And if you’ve been at it a lot longer, then I hope this will be a fun get to know each other better episode for you. I’ll also be sharing throughout this episode 5 different tips for the early days — those things I WISH I knew back then as a new business owner that I know now, and that I want you to know!    Links mentioned in this episode:  - Get the full show notes for this episode: https://elizabethmccravy.com/165  - Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Love them or hate them, the big influencers have figured out a lot about running successful personal brand businesses, and we can learn from what they do as we build our businesses. I personally enjoy following influencers, whether it’s the lifestyle, fitness, travel, motherhood, or fashion influencer — I enjoy their content and often buy products they share. These men and women are excellent marketers, and in today’s episode, I’m taking social media marketing strategies I see these influencers using and sharing how you can apply it to your non-influencer business!    I get my best marketing ideas from businesses completely outside of my own industry, from places like true crime podcasts to Whole Foods sales calendars, and… influencers too. If you don’t follow any influencers yourself, then some of these strategies will be harder to connect with. But, if you’re like me and you have a favorite go-to influencer, then you’re gonna totally get what I’m saying here! So, cheers to upleveling our marketing with some interesting influencer-strategies.    Links mentioned in the episode: See ways to work with me: https://elizabethmccravy.com/ways-to-work-together  Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Get the full show notes and all links mentioned: https://elizabethmccravy.com/164  Connect on my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

If you know me, you know I love a good calendar and productivity conversation, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today! I’m sharing strategies to help you protect your time, schedule meetings with more efficiency, and think strategically about your calendar and meetings. Whether it’s an in-person meeting, a zoom video call or a phone call, they all take time, energy, and effort. AND, meetings take away from the much needed deep work we do in our businesses. Meetings are a necessary part of running our businesses though, so let’s make it WORK for us instead of being something that slows us down.    I’ve had weeks in my business where I’ve let meetings slow me down and ruin my productivity because there are too many of them or they are poorly spaced out simply because I wasn’t protecting my calendar. So, these are my favorite meeting and calendar management tips from my calendar to yours! Enjoy!  Links mentioned in the episode: See ways to work with me: https://elizabethmccravy.com/ways-to-work-together  Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Get the full show notes and all links mentioned: https://elizabethmccravy.com/163  Connect on my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

In April, I posted a (very cute) video of my baby doing what appears to be a little baby workout, and… it went viral! 3.2 million views at the time I’m recording this, and probably more as you are hearing the episode. It’s had 171k+ likes, 1,532 comments, 125k+ shares, and over 10k saves. (And growing… I’ll add updates to these shownotes as I have them!)    So today, we’re taking a casual look at this reel. I’m sharing what I think helped it “go viral”, lessons learned from this process, what I’d do differently next time, and some random things that have come of this video (like more followers and rude trolls). If you’re interested in growing with Reels, I think you’ll enjoy this conversation a lot. I’m learning alongside you! I love social media marketing strategy, but I’m honestly NOT a “Reels expert”. I’m sharing my experience, but with plenty of tips throughout!    Links mentioned in the episode: Watch the viral reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cb-XXP_AjB-/  Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Get the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/162  Connect on my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/    *UPDATES:* Since recording this episode, the video has passed 4.4 million plays and the new version I made (with new text on video and new caption) has not really taken off, which is interesting to observe. I’ve also been asked to sell the licensing rights to the video by multiple companies, which I’ve been exploring, but will probably say no to.    I hope you enjoy this episode, and I’d love to continue the conversation over on Instagram! Find me @elizabethmccravy. My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I’m answering your questions about MY team specifically and how I do team and systems in my business. If you love learning through hearing what other people do, you’ll love this episode. And, I’ve got plenty of tid bits throughout that you can apply to your business right now. Working with a team and NOT doing it all alone is a huge part of how I’ve built my business, how I’m able to work less hours and still grow, and a way I keep business fun and enjoyable.    Tune in to hear the answers to these questions:  How many members do you have in your team? Are your teammates full-time or part-time employees or independent contractors?  What is the first thing you outsourced/hired out for? What did it look like for you when you first started outsourcing?  Have you ever made a wrong hire? Have you made any terrible hires?  Does your team design your templates? How often do you talk to the people on your team? What does communication look like on the day to day? Was it hard for you to give up the reins in your business to other people, especially fully over maternity leave?   PSST! COOL NEWS: I’ve got a new course coming soon all about TEAMS. This course is your step by step plan to hiring help in your business, and then doing business with a team day in and day out. And when I say team, I don’t mean 10 full time employees. Most of you (and myself included) don’t need that. I’m talking about building your small and mighty team that might just be one part-time contractor. If you want to scale your offers, maximize your time, and grow your business, this is a great way to do so! Head to https://elizabethmccravy.com/teams to take a quick survey and get on the waitlist for this new course. You might hear your questions from the survey on an upcoming podcast, and your answers will help me as I create this course!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Take the teams survey and join the course waitlist: https://elizabethmccravy.com/teams - Get the full shownotes for this episode at https://elizabethmccravy.com/161  - Shop the 20% off template sale: My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Ready to hear 9 different perspectives on productivity and time management as a working mom? This episode is sure to inspire you and give you ideas in your own journey as a working mama!    I asked some business friends to share with myself and you all, how their productivity changed when becoming a mom. Once I started back to work from my maternity leave (episode #157, #158, #139), I realized that so much of the productivity stuff we are taught doesn’t work so well when you’re juggling a baby too! My hours instantly became more limited, I was running on less sleep, and figuring out what to focus on first with my limited time and foggy brain became much harder. Now, I know not every stage isn’t like the newborn phase of motherhood, but regardless… It changes things about how you work.    These mamas are here to speak to that! In this episode you’ll be hearing from these women: Stephanie King, Kate Rosenow, Dawn Patton, Stacey Swan, Becky Hoschek, Abby Powell, Devonnae Williams, and Octavia Elease. And fun thing, Stacey and Abby are both on my core team in my business. And, Dawn is my accountant and Becky is our coach inside of Booked Out Designer! So, you’re getting to hear a little from Team EM on this one! :)    You’ll hear topics like morning routines, our relationship with God, scheduling strategies, “work life balance” stress, exercising as a mom, outsourcing things around your house, working during naptime, block scheduling tips, working part time in your business, routines, and so much more! We’ve got moms who homeschool, moms whose kids are in school all day. We’ve got moms of babies under 1, to toddlers, and all the way to the teen years and even adulthood. We’ve got a twin mama, a grandmother, and so many situations in all these stages of motherhood! ENJOY!  Links mentioned in this episode: - Want to connect with these awesome women? You can get links to their websites and info on how you can connect with them here: http://elizabethmccravy.com/160  - Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Find out ways to work with me: https://elizabethmccravy.com/ways-to-work-together  - Interested in the Full Focus Planner Stephanie mentions? I use that planner too! Linking it here: My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

As the title of this episode says, and as I’ve talked about a few times recently on this podcast, I work part time hours in my business (typically 15-25 in a week right now), and my business brings in multiple five-figures each month in profits. I don’t think my business hours will be this way forever. However, as a new mama, I WANT to work less to have more time with my son. And, at least right now, my husband and I don’t have outside help for childcare. So, that’s the info, and I’m sharing the HOW. Specifically, 5 ways I’ve built my business to work this way, and how you can work towards this too. I’m getting super practical as to HOW I’m doing this exactly (like how it works to have a business that earns well and not be working myself into the ground everyday to make it happen).    Maybe you only have part-time hours to work in your business because you’re a stay at home mom or maybe you work another part-time job, or maybe this episode caught your eye simply because you’d like to work less! Whatever the reason, I think these tips (and seeing how I’m doing things) will help you build a successful business working the amount that you desire for this season of your life. (Again, seasons change and each SEASON of business brings new and different things!) I hope these 5 things I’m sharing encourage you and get your mind spinning with ideas for growing your business!    Psst… I am also sharing a little sneak peek into a new course I’m working on. You’re hearing it here first — literally! I’m not going to share about this anywhere else for now, so tune in to hear about it and to hear how you can join the waitlist + take a survey to tell me what you want to learn on this topic.    Links mentioned in the episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode here: https://elizabethmccravy.com/159  - Episode #129 on scalable business models https://elizabethmccravy.com/129    Are we connected on Instagram? I’d love to hear what you think of this episode and anything else you’d love to hear covered on the podcast! https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/    And as always, please share this episode with a friend who you think would benefit! Thanks for being here!  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Last week we talked about early motherhood from a postpartum life perspective, now let’s talk about those early days from a BUSINESS perspective. I’m sharing all the nitty gritty details of my 5 month maternity leave. (It was about 5 ½ months total - including the time before Colin was actually born, which we’ll get into in this episode!)    On episode #139 (What I Did To Prepare For A 2 ½ Month Maternity Leave As An Online Business Owner), I told you all about how I planned a maternity leave from my business! Well, now maternity leave is over, and Colin is 6 months old!    I’ll be sharing… - What taking so much time away from my business was like - The hilariousness of the early days of my maternity leave while waiting on Colin to be born  - The experience of working a little bit but not “a lot” (because you never really “stop” as a business owner) - 3 ways I’ve built a business that allows for this much time away while still thriving  - How did all my planning actually play out in real life - How much I worked/didn’t work  - What it was like executing a Black Friday sale while on leave (and what I’d do differently next time)  - How my desires for my work life changed when becoming a mom  - My team members review of the leave  - Plus, plenty of random tips for you throughout!    This is in no way a COMPLETE picture of my maternity leave. I wish I could share every important detail, but the truth is… I forget a lot of things and this outline is already 10 pages as it is. I hope you’ll enjoy this casual and very real episode. And, I pray it helps you in some way as you plan time away from your business, whatever that looks like for you!    Links mentioned in the episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode here: https://elizabethmccravy.com/158  - Episode #139 - Details on planning my maternity leave: https://elizabethmccravy.com/139  - Episode #158 - All about my postpartum journey: https://elizabethmccravy.com/157My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Let’s chat like friends over coffee as I share parts of my postpartum journey as a first time mama, with plenty of tips and takeaways throughout! A few months ago, you heard Colin’s birth story on the podcast (episode #148), and you guys LOVED it. Thank you for all the kind messages and feedback on it. If it was impactful to you in some way, I’m grateful! That was my prayer in sharing all of it.    And now, I want to share about my postpartum journey! I’m sharing what those early days and weeks were like with a newborn. We’re talking about things like family visits, breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, relationship with your spouse, exercise, postpartum healing, and so much more. And, if you’re not a new or expecting mama, I’ll also be sharing some ways you can help and offer grace to the new mama in your life.    It’s easy to forget what those early days are like with a newborn. I definitely have forgotten plenty already! But, I outlined the majority of this episode when Colin was 3 months old, while things were very fresh! And now I’m recording it when he’s almost 6 months old. I’ll be focusing on those EARLY days, and not so much life right now. I’ll save that for another episode.    I want to acknowledge that everyone’s situation is so incredibly different, and I am sharing from the lens of my own experience, which is likely different from yours. Some of the topics I talk about on this episode are sensitive ones and we all have our own opinions and experiences. I hope you’ll have grace for me as I try to vulnerably share my experience (and offer advice) the best I can!  If you want more postpartum and motherhood episodes, please do let me know. You can message me anytime on Instagram @elizabethmccravy. And let me know what you think of this episode by sending me a message or writing a review!    All links I mention are linked in the full shownotes here: http://elizabethmccravy.com/157 (plus, some additional book and clothing recs that I don’t mention in the audio!)  Connect with me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/ My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I know I’m not alone in this, but this winter, my Instagram story views totally tanked for a bit. As in less than 1% of my followers were seeing my stories. Things felt so quiet that I could hear the crickets!  It was frustrating, confusing, and made me feel very unmotivated to share. Instead of sulking about it and being mad at Instagram, I considered: Is what I’m posting just not engaging? And then also, what strategies can I try to fix this?!    So, I did some things differently. I tried all sorts of things, and I want to share with you today what worked! So if your story views aren’t where you’d like them to be, this episode is for you. Also worth noting: the majority of these tips are based on my personal experience with the app so not necessarily any hard “research” or things heard directly from Instagram. It’s just what I’ve WATCHED work. I hope these will help you like they did me!    To get the full show notes head to https://elizabethmccravy.com/156  Come engage with me on Instagram and tell me what you think of this episode: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Shop website templates at https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Here’s part TWO of ways to make more money in your service business. I hope you enjoyed part one because we are taking it deeper here with even more tips. ’m sharing 4 more ways that you can make more money in your business as a service provider.    And, good news: I’m focusing on ways you can make more money without abrutively changing your biz model, without adding products, and without reinventing the wheel. I’d highly encourage you to take notes on this one! When there’s a tip that you think will work in your business, jot it down, and do it after! You’ve got this.    And, exciting news… Booked Out Designer is open right now for enrollment through 2/11!  If you’re a designer who wants to earn more money, book more clients, and streamline your processes — you need to join me in this program. Booked Out Designer is more than just a course. It’s a 90 lesson transformational course AND coaching from me AND coaching from a certified life coach AND a supportive Facebook community of other designers. This program will help you change your business for the better or start your design business wayyyyy ahead of the game. Get info at https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod and join today!    If you’re not a designer but you’re looking for coaching + courses from me, listen to this episode for some deets on stuff coming in 2022. :)    Links mentioned in this episode:  Get the full shownotes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/155  Get info on Booked Out Designer at https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod   Connect on Insta at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Get excited for double episodes this week as we’ve got a part one and part two here! If you want some simple, not too obvious ways to make money more in your business — this is your episode. I’m sharing 8 ways that you can make more money in your business as a service provider — whether you’re a designer, copywriter, podcast producer, event planner, photographer, coach, whatever you do for your service… These tips will help! A few of these ways *might* seem obvious, but I’ve tried to focus on the ones you likely aren’t thinking of. So, we aren’t talking about things like adding a new service or starting a digital shop. I’m focusing on ways you can make more money without abrutively changing your biz model, without adding products, and without reinventing the wheel.    I’d highly encourage you to take notes on this one! When there’s a tip that you think will work in your business, jot it down, and do it after! You’ve got this.    And, exciting news… Booked Out Designer is open right now for enrollment. (2/7-2/11) If you’re a designer who wants to earn more money, book more clients, and streamline your processes — you need to join me in this program. Booked Out Designer is more than just a course. It’s a 90 lesson transformational course AND coaching from me AND coaching from a certified life coach AND a supportive Facebook community of other designers. This program will help you change your business for the better or start your design business wayyyyy ahead of the game. Get info at https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod and join today!    If you’re not a designer but you’re looking for coaching + courses from me, listen to this episode for some deets on stuff coming in 2022. :)    Links mentioned in this episode:  Get the full shownotes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/154  Get info on Booked Out Designer at https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod   Connect on Insta at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/ My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Get ready to hear 8 systems and processes (and some boundaries) you can set up in your design business that will give you more freedom and more time back to focus on other things! Try them all, or just try the ones that resonate with you. These are all systems and boundaries I’ve used as I’ve built my own business that truly have worked for me and I think they’ll work for you as well!    It’s sometimes counterintuitive, but more structure = more freedom. And these are all simple ways to get more time back and create more freedom — all while still working with clients.    Psst… Booked Out Designer is opening again soon. Mark your calendar for February 7th! This is my course and coaching program for brand and website designers on building an in-demand design business. And, tune into this episode to hear some of the cool 2022 additions to the course (i.e. more coaching support from me!). Get on the waitlist at https://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD to get emailed when the doors are open!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes at https://elizabethmccravy.com/153  - Join the waitlist for Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/BOD  - Get the Designer’s Guide to Mastering Discovery Calls Freebie: https://elizabethmccravy.com/discovery  - Check out Dubsado (and use code “elizabeth30” for 30% off!): https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/ My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I have a TREAT for you today! I haven’t had an interview on the show in a little while, and I’m back with not 1 but SEVEN incredible guests for you to hear from!    Our guests today are Callie Ammons, Kelsea Buddo, Ellen Wagner, Amber Housley, Emily Conley, Jess Jordana, and Madison Brown. These women are sharing the ways they have help with their kids, business and household while running successful businesses!    As a new mom starting back to working from my maternity leave, I realized working with kids whether you own a business or work for someone else, is an entirely different ball game from what I was used to! I needed all the tips, and I didn’t know where to go to get them because I don’t think enough people are talking about the realities of working full time as a business owner and a mama.    So, as I watch other business owning mamas, I’ve consistently wondered “How do they do it all? Do they work a limited schedule? Is their baby in daycare or with a nanny? Are they working all day and then cooking dinner every night or is there a hack for that? How do they do it?!” I know many of you wonder the same.    Balancing motherhood, your household, and your business is a lot of work. The women you’re about to hear from are all moms, all business owners, and all in different stages of motherhood from new moms like me to moms of older kiddos. They are all bringing you their top tip for getting help in motherhood, their business, and their household!    Some highlighted topics you’ll hear about: - Advice from families where both parents are working full time or where their spouse owns a business too.  - Thoughts on nannies, daycare, schools, and other ways people find outside help with their kiddos.  - The experience of having your child at home “full time” while you also work full time.  - What it’s like to run your business AND work another job full time - Tips on outsourcing household tasks and growing your team within your business  - Ways to organize your calendar as a family  - What finding help looks like in the early days when you don’t have family nearby  - The different seasons of motherhood as a working mama  - And so so much more!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Want to connect with these awesome women? You can get links to their websites and info on how you can conneMy biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I’ve got a short and sweet episode for you today! We are talking about how and why you shouldn’t create a business that is the “right fit” for everyone — the art of attracting some and repelling others. And, this topic is inspired by a funny and extremely rude email I got during my Black Friday sale from someone who my products are not right for!     So, volume up for the story plus my tips for how to differentiate yourself and be less vanilla in your business!    To get the show notes head to: https://elizabethmccravy.com/151 Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Get on the Booked Out Designer waitlist: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod  Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-website-templates My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

It’s that time of year where we are all goal setting. Today I’m sharing ONE simple strategy I use to create new habits in my life. In a little by little sort of way. It’s simple, yet powerful. I believe this episode will be the motivation you need as we move into a new year to really GO AFTER those crazy goals and create change for yourself. I want you to not just get all excited with a goal on December 31st then quit, but actually carry it out throughout the WHOLE YEAR. Habits are the way to do it.    So volume up for a short and sweet episode to motivate and inspire action in your life using the power of habits. And if you’re catching this episode at some random time in the future... still tune in. This strategy is timeless, and you can get started at absolutely any time!    This is a recast of episode 98 that aired at the end of 2020! Here we are a year later, and it’s just as relevant as ever, so I want us all to hear it again. (Myself included!) Tune into the beginning too to hear a fresh intro and a little life update from me on what’s happening as we start 2022.    If this episode impacts you, please share it with a friend who needs it too. Let’s get the word out! And, I’d love to hear from you. What’s your takeaways from this episode? Come tell me over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/    Get the full show notes for this episode at http://elizabethmccravy.com/98  Shop website templates at https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  Join the waitlist for Booked Out Designer at http://elizabethmccravy.com/bod    * If you love the Breakthrough Brand Podcast, but haven’t left a rating and review yet, would you mind taking a moment to do so? It helps other people like you find the show and means the world to me! *  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I personally love these types of episodes — don’t you?! And I’ve done this yearly recap content on my podcast or blog typically every year, but skipped 2020. So, I’m back though to recap 2021 with you in this casual, fun episode with plenty of biz tips throughout!    I’m sharing some highlights from the year both personally and in my business, plus 4 specific business lessons I learned. I’ll also be talking about revenue numbers from this year compared to 2020, what WASN’T working for me this year and some things that were frustrating. And, at the end, I’ll be sharing what’s on the agenda for my business in 2022!    I hope you enjoy this casual episode! And, as we close out another year, I want to say THANK YOU for being here. Thank you for being a podcast listener. I appreciate you more than you know! If you’ve never reviewed or rated the show, would you mind doing so today?! It just takes a moment and helps others find this podcast.    I’d also love to hear from you in my annual survey. Take that here: http://elizabethmccravy.com/survey — You’ll be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card for your time!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the full shownotes and all links mentioned: http://elizabethmccravy.com/149  - Take the annual survey: http://elizabethmccravy.com/survey  - Join the Booked Out Designer waitlist: http://elizabethmccravy.com/bod  - Shop templates: http://elizabethmccravy.com/shop    Episodes mentioned:  - Recapping the Booked Out Designer launch: Episodes 110, 114  - Colin’sMy biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

Ready to hear Colin’s birth story?! My sweet son Colin entered the world on September 2nd, 2021, and I’m here today to tell you that story, but more importantly to tell you how God showed up in a difficult birth experience. My labor was long, scary at times, and not what I “wanted”. Things didn’t go according to MY plan, but the story is beautiful nonetheless!    Instead of focusing on the nitty gritty details of my labor experience, I’m going to hit the highlights and then tell you the 10 ways God showed up in the birth story. I want to encourage you to stay until the end too because I’ll be sharing some tips/takeaways for any expecting mamas! Plus, I saved one of my favorite ways God showed up for the VERY end… so stay until #10!    I’m recording this episode solo, but Adam was by my side the whole time and was such an amazing birth partner. I wish you guys could hear his perspective too, but us both sitting down to outline and record this together might have taken hours and we have a newborn to care for, haha.    I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you for holding space for me to vulnerably share my experience with you, and I hope hearing Colin’s birth story points you to the goodness of God. I feel so blessed to be his mama, and stay tuned for more motherhood content on this podcast in the near future!    To get the show notes head to: https://elizabethmccravy.com/148  Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Near by Sally Lloyd-Jones: https://rstyle.me/+3191VYglcRZ8aC6rlgjFiQ  Scripture mentioned: Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 6:30-32 My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM

I run a pretty lean business — meaning lower expenses, higher profit margins! I’m proud of that. That’s a PRO of online business, we can be lean! However, so often we overspend without even thinking about it. It’s easy to just spend, spend, spend! Shiny object syndrome is real. And most of us (myself included) did not study finance, accounting, and bookkeeping in any professional capacity. We might struggle to really SEE where our money is going.    As we move into the new year, it’s the perfect time to evaluate what’s been happening in our business financially and what shifts we can make to improve our finances! Let’s look critically at our business’ finances today to see what shifts we can make to increase our profit margins! I am going to show you 4 areas to evaluate in your business finances to get your profits higher and spending lower for the new year!    Think you want more financial tools to track this kind of stuff? Check out my resource, Profit Sheet! This is the tool I created and have used for years to track my business finances. You can track everything from tax payments, to what you pay yourself monthly, profit margins, and so much more! Buy it at https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet    Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/147 - Get QuickBooks at 55% off:  https://elizabethmccravy.com/quickbooks  - Get Profit Sheet for your business: https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Shop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - Why You Shouldn’t Use Personal Venmo for Your Business: https://elizabethmccravy.com/88  My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

You asked, I’m delivering! I keep hearing that you all want podcast content around SEO! That’s what this episode is all about. I am sharing some ways I specifically drive organic traffic in my business. These 3 things work for me, and they can work for you as well. I think through exploring these “SEO hacks”, it’ll give you a better understanding of SEO — especially if you’re someone who feels like SEO is “too over your head”. It might be a lot simpler than you’re thinking!    Our EM Shop Black Friday sale is underway RIGHT NOW! This is the biggest sale of the year. Haven’t had a sale this good since Black Friday 2020, and we won’t again until Black Friday 2022. All templates are 35% off and you’ll get 2 amazing bonuses with your purchase absolutely FREE. I’m also doing some fun giveaways for customers throughout the sale as an extra special treat. If you’re thinking about buying an EM Shop template, now is *literally* the best time of year to do so! To see all the sale deets go to https://elizabethmccravy.com/bf  Be sure to sign up for emails as well so you can get details on the sale as it’s happening. I hope to see you join the EM Shop family soon!    Links mentioned in this episode: - Join the email list and get the Black Friday deals: https://elizabethmccravy.com/black-friday  - Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/146  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Shop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop   My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF! 

Two episodes in ONE WEEK?! So fun right! I’m here with part two of our Showit Templates Q&A time. I’m answering the top questions I get about using Showit, my template shop, and other website design questions. These are coming to you straight from our inbox, and I’ll be answering them in the most easy to understand, non-techy way possible!    If you are interested in a template from me but have some questions first — this episode will likely (hopefully!) answer some of those questions. And, if you missed part one… scoot back to episode #144 for that! You don’t have to listen to both, but both will be helpful to you in understanding templates.    You’ll find time stamps below, so if you want to skip around this episode to find just what you need - you can!     [02:39] Do your templates integrate with (fill in the blank software)?  [06:03] I am struggling with which template to pick, I really love X one but also X one! How do I pick?  [09:43]Who are your templates not right for? [12:17] Who all uses your templates?  [14:54] What happens if I run into an issue and can’t figure something out? [19:25] How is the SEO game with your templates? Links mentioned in this episode: - Get the blog version/full show notes for this episode: http://elizabethmccravy.com/145  - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  - Shop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  - You can try Showit out for a month absolutely free, no strings attached with my link:  https://elizabethmccravy.com/showit-coupon-code  - See a full tour of the Showit Blueprint Course: https://elizabethmccravy.com/course-video  - Save on 30% on Dubsado: My biggest sale of the year is coming soon! Mark your calendars for 11/22/2024 for Black Friday! This sitewide sale includes my website templates and courses PLUS I'm launching 4 new add-on templates you won't want to miss. Join the waitlist for info + to shop a little early at elizabethmccravy.com/BF!    Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family LOVES using CHM for our healthcare! You'll save tons of money with CHM, and CHM shares 100% of eligible medical bills. Learn more: elizabethmccravy.com/CHM