Behind the Business

Affordable is not accessible

In this episode, me and Katie let you listen in on our chat about accessibility and whether or not it's related to affordability, how we feel about the accessibility of our own offers and what accessibility has to do with YOUR business in general (yep, we're talking to you!)
While we are definitely not experts on this topic, we do hope that starting this conversation might trigger some new ideas, thoughts or perspectives that'll help you grow your business with others in mind.
What we chat about:
How our disagreement started this conversation (and why it's a GOOD thing to disagree sometimes)
Why affordability and accessibility are completely different things
What accessibility can look like for service-based businesses
How and why you should begin questioning your processes

Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram
Connect with Katie
Work with Katie 1:1 www.katiechic.com @katiechic_consulting

The moments where you want to quit

We all have those moments when we want to give up when things get hard and in this episode, I chat to my client Emily about the last few years in her business and all the ups and downs she has experienced, including the moment where she contemplated giving up but instead invested in 1:1 mentoring.
What we chat about:
Em's experience of having a baby and how that impacted her business.
Overcoming the mindset and confidence blocks when your business isn't where you want it to be.
The difference in marketing between done for you services and new offers with a slightly different audience in mind.
Podcast sponsor
This podcast is sponsored by KoffeeKlatch, a one-stop contract shop for virtual assistants, digital marketing specialists, social media, online programme creators, graphic designers and more!
I always recommend my clients look at KoffeeKlatch when needing to get their legal bits in check - they even do associate contracts too!
Check them out HERE.

Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram
Connect with Em
emcontentcreative.com @em_content_creative

Hiring an associate

Service providers often get to the point in their business where they are wanting to grow further and so need to start thinking about taking on an associate (or two!)
In this episode, I share my top 5 tips around hiring associates based on my own personal experience and that of my clients too!
What we chat about:
Figuring out who you need to hire (it might not be who you think!)
How to ensure you're still profitable and the financial mistakes often made.
Making sure you hire the right person and what to do if you don't.
Podcast sponsor
This podcast is sponsored by KoffeeKlatch, a one-stop contract shop for virtual assistants, digital marketing specialists, social media, online programme creators, graphic designers and more!
I always recommend my clients look at KoffeeKlatch when needing to get their legal bits in check - they even do associate contracts too!
Check them out HERE.
Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram

3 month VA business transformation

I'm so excited to bring one of my amazing clients Holly to the podcast today! After working together for 3 months, I knew she had so much insight and knowledge to share from running her VA business.
In this episode we chat about the struggles that come with running your own business, what's next for her VA business and what she wishes she'd done earlier.
What we chat about:
Why she has started investing so much money in herself
How she fell in love with doing discovery calls
The importance of working with a mentor and what difference it made over the past few months
Advice for other service providers currently growing their business
Podcast sponsor
This podcast is sponsored by KoffeeKlatch, a one-stop contract shop for virtual assistants, digital marketing specialists, social media, online programme creators, graphic designers and more!
I always recommend my clients look at KoffeeKlatch when needing to get their legal bits in check - they even do associate contracts too!
Check them out HERE.

Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram
Connect with Holly
holly-mccarthy.com @hollymccarthyva LinkedIn

Client chaos to client clarity

In this episode, I chat about something I see regularly within my clients: messy client management that needs to be tidied up in order for the business to continue growing.
If you want to make your business more streamlined, make life easier for yourself, deliver a better service for your clients and potentially grow a team in future, this episode is a MUST listen.
What we chat about:
How client relationships can work better for you AND the client.
Scalability of client management (eg not using email, Slack, WhatsApp, Voxer, text and Facebook messenger simultaneously!)
Why you should be saying no more than you say yes.
Importance of expectation and boundary setting with new and current clients.
My 3 top tips for improving your client relationships right now.
Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram

From £700 to 6 figure business

In this episode, I chat to Sarah who managed to turn £700 into a 6 figure business by simply spotting a gap in the market and grabbing it with both hands (while having children may I add!)
Sarah now has two businesses (one product-based and one service-based) and in this episode, we chat about all the lessons she has learnt along the way and discuss what it is that she believed helped her business grow to the level it's at now.
What we chat about:
How the business idea came from noticing (and being in) a gap in the market.
Why Sarah made the decision to reinvest all profits and not take any pay for 18 months.
What to do when things get difficult and you're ready to give up.
Making the most of your time when you don't have much of it.

Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram
Connect with Sarah
www.thisisgrowth.co.uk @thisisgrowthecom

Learn from my mistakes - hire before you’re ready

This is an episode for those of you who are looking to hire in the near future AND those of you who are often hired by others (service providers, I'm looking at you!)
We all know it's best to hire 'before you're ready' but in this episode, I share how not giving 100% to an investment because I was so busy and overwhelmed trying to juggle everything, meant that I had to pay three times because I didn't have the time and energy to commit to it the first two times.
What I chat about:
My own example of why it's important to hire before you're ready if you want the best results and the best investment financially.
Why it's important not to fully outsource to the point where you aren't involved/aware of what's going on.
How you should be communicating what you'll need from your clients before agreeing to work with them.
Why telling clients what they want to hear can do you (and them) a disservice in the long run.
The importance of taking responsibility for the mistakes you made and holding yourself accountable rather than shifting the blame to the other person involved.
Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram

The self-awareness journey that comes with running a business

In this episode, mindset coach Samantha talks to us about the importance of mindset for business owners and how the mindset work creates an important foundation for the business that we might struggle without.
Whether you're already working on your mindset or it feels like something at the bottom of your priority list right now, I really urge you to give this episode a listen as we share our thoughts and personal experiences on our mindset through our business journeys.
What we chat about:
How Samantha's chronic health issues led her on a healing journey that culminated in mindset coaching for others.
Why money is pointless without the mindset work.
The self-awareness journey of running a business and why it'll highlight all the things you might be avoiding.
What toxic positivity is and how it might be hindering you.
The law of polarity and why the bad moments in business may well be good moments in the long run.
My own personal struggles with my identity in early 2021.

Links
Follow The Ultimate CEO on Instagram
Connect with Samantha
Instagram www.instagram.com/samanthaquembycoaching
Free meditation https://www.subscribepage.com/samantha_quemby_nextlevelyoumeditation