Being an entrepreneur is hard guys. Like, real hard. Actually, just having big dreams in general is hard. It's lonely, and trying, and at some point, will test everything you have in you and then require more. 

Right now, I'm sitting alone at the kitchen table developing marketing strategies for two new clients while my friends are outside grilling and having a bonfire. Do I want to be out there right now with them? Yes. Am I experiencing a little FOMO? Yes. But I know that if I want to live like no one else in the future, I need to do what no one else is willing to do today. That means sacrifice and dedication. But many times, along with sacrifice and dedication come loneliness and struggle. 

It was my life's goal to become National Champion at an Arabian National horse show. As a child, I rode my horse every single day. So much so that the barn owner would suggest maybe I give my horse a day off here and there (haha). I skipped football games on Friday nights and lake days with my ...

Email campaigns are a great avenue to utilize in marketing your business, but it's only effective if the campaigns are executed upon several important pillars. They are: 

• a sense of community  
• it reads in a personal voice authentic to you 
• offers value that your audience is looking for
• consistency 

If you're not going to commit and build your email marketing strategy upon these pillars, you might as well save everyone time and just put your own email in the "to" box. 

Fostering a sense of community can be done by getting vulnerable with your audience, using your email platform's specific tags to insert people's first names into the copy, or asking questions and inviting readers to reply.

Using your unique voice throughout the email is very important. This might come at the expense of some professionalism but it's well worth it. Your voice will set you apart from your competitors and make you more memorable to those reading your emails. Phrases that you often say when speaki...

How do you know what words and phrasing you should be using in your content? Let me let you in on a little secret. The language you should be using is the exact language that your audience uses. For instance, if you hear them complaining over and over again about needing help meal planning, or not being able to find the motivation to turn off Netflix and get off the couch, create content that not only revolves around those topics, but uses those exact words. Maybe you create a freebie that is titled "Motivate Yourself To Get Off The Couch in 3 Easy Steps." See? In this way, you don't need to come up with your own content! Your ICA will tell you exactly what they want from you without even knowing it. And by using their actual words, you ensure your content will resonate with them too. You could create the same freebie with the title "How To Exercise in 3 Easy Steps" and even though it might contain the exact same content, chances are it won't get nearly as many clicks in the first plac...

Content creation can quickly become this dreaded thing, this thing that makes you feel like you're stuck on a content hamster wheel and can't get off for fear your business will crumble. But I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be that way, and shouldn't be that way. The answer? Repurposing content. However, you have to do it in a way that makes sense and not one that comes off as repetitive and boring.

Here's what a typical content "cycle" might look like for me: 

1. Live video on specific topic on Facebook page. 

2. Save live video and upload it as an IGTV video on Instagram account.

3. Upload live video to Pinterest linked back to my website.

4. Create blog post on same topic. 

5. Share blog on Facebook page and Pinterest.

6. Create 5 different blog post graphics, each with a different but relevant title relating to said blog. 

7. Add one blog graphic to Instagram story and save to "Blog" highlight.

8. Use graphics strategically on Pinterest and Instagram to recycle blog...

There's a very common misconception out there among business owners that you need thousands of followers in order to be successful. I often hear "When I have tons of followers like __________, then I'll be making sales left and right." It's like they're waiting for followers to "happen" to them. You think you know what's coming right, what I'm going to advise you to do? I'm not going to suggest the solution is to go out and make a bunch of followers happen, that "you're in control of your destiny" kinda thing. Nope.  

Here's the deal: a small targeted niche audience gives you an advantage over those with tons of followers. Why? Two words. Customer experience. Even if they're not your customers yet, you can give your followers more of a personalized experience that just isn't possible when you have thousands upon thousands of followers. Use this to your advantage! Here are some ideas you can implement into your follower experience when you're "small:"

1. Start genuinely thoughtful con...