SmartCookie's Serial Entrepreneur Show with Nicole Schmied

19/08/2024

"Playing it safe is risky." -Tom Fishburne

14/05/2024

*Waiting for a podcast guest to arrive on Zoom*...How long do you wait before emailing to double-check they're joining?

11/04/2024

I don't know who needs to hear this but...

Your business doesn't just need visibility to grow. It deserves a sales *system*

11/04/2024

📣ISO PODCAST GUESTS: Baby Boomers & Gen-Xers who want to sell their business in the next 5 - 10 years -- we want to interview you for a special series.

If you know a business owner ...drop a line here

11/04/2024

Question: When is the best time to hire a part-time or fractional CFO? Answer: Sooner than you think.

Meet Ben Risser. Ben was an aerospace engineer at The Boeing Company. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for business, economics, and finance. He pivoted his career to real estate entrepreneurship, syndicating large multifamily real estate investments. Today he is the founder of Provident Financial Services. His team provides a concise custom financial dashboard for your organization, education that increases financial literacy, and financial perspectives that enrich financial intelligence.

In this episode, Nicole and Ben discuss when it's the right time to hire a CFO, why your business needs credible accounting, and how a genetic retinal diagnosis is helping Ben focus on what matters most — helping others overcome their financial blindness.

10/04/2024

🎉 I've been holding a secret for months! But today is the day! 🎉

One of my business workshops, Warm Up Leads Today, is now featured on the website: The World of Shortcuts.

The method I teach in this workshop has been a secret weapon to help my private clients warm up their paid leads by using a 30-second "red-carpet" video. And now the shortcut is available to even more businesses and small teams. I'm thrilled to be included!

The site just launched today -- so please run over there and catch any typos or other errors on my page. 🤓🍪

Special shout out to Angi Lewis for creating my last round of personal branding photos.

Details found here 👇👇

05/03/2024

POV: my client's Google ads just got turned back on this week and her site is optimized 🤓🍪

05/03/2024

Last month, I started a TikTok Challenge. And shaking up my LinkedIn too. We put the podcast content on YouTube.

Today, Meta just reminded me why.

05/03/2024

*taps mic*
Is this thing on? Marketing meetup on Zoom at Noon CT

21/02/2024

Tomorrow, our podcast hits the big 1-0-0! Join me in celebrating this achievement! 🎉

We started with a couple of mics and now we’ve met entrepreneurs across the globe.

03/02/2024

Spent the week learning how to buy/acquire/invest in businesses with an incredible team at Acquire + The Exit School in Salt Lake City.

Every day (and night!) was a jam packed! I met the warmest group of entrepreneurs and action takers…insta-friends for sure. And yeah… that’s a Starbucks in the parking lot of the venue…they thought of everything 🤭

I even got to meet up with a dear SmartCookie, Mike Lloyd—thank you for sharing your friends with me, Mike!

02/02/2024

Business friends:

I just heard this guy speak LIVE — his delivery, content, and value (in 90 minutes) was unreal. Check him out and tell me what you think??

It can be challenging to step into a conversation and even more challenging to recover from it when it goes poorly. Difficult exchanges can be hard to bounc...

26/01/2024

Sneak peek!

No more weekly email announcements...we're cooking up a round-up, a digest style for our podcast guests --- first one goes out tomorrow!

Send me your feedback...good idea to have a digest version?
DM if you want on the list.

22/01/2024

Just because it hasn’t worked for you... yet.
Doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
Keep going!

17/01/2024

I don’t know who needs to hear this:

“The process is
the shortcut.” 👇🏻

10/01/2024

10 days in and I've had more booked revenue than all of Q4! >

05/01/2024

Finding clarity when everything is unclear ...that's hard. Murky at best.

Why in the world do I talk about numbers?? About data?? All the time?

Because numbers don't lie. They lead.

Figure out your numbers OR lean on someone who can interpret them for you. Let the numbers lead, and let the data create clarity and your next, most confident steps.

(photo: from a VIP new client at sign-up)

04/01/2024

When people ask me what we do differently to help clients get results:
..we help you read/understand your numbers (what the heck is CTR/CPM/SEO/XYZ telling you anyway?)
..we share short, step-by-step videos (no one needs more meetings or long emails)
..we make your business feel less heavy and less lonely (everything is better with a smartcookie sidekick!)
..we love hitting goals (bring your 2024 goals this way!)

04/01/2024

A client just reached out and shared that her team just planned a month of content + reels in just minutes.

(Normally, it takes them an “embarrassing amount of time” to create 7-second reels.)

Want to see the Once-A-Month Reel Planner I gave them — with a quick how-to video? And for less than 20 bucks.

This is typically something I work on with private clients only, but I might do a fun little New Year promo.

I’ve got all the resources sitting in Google Drive right now…just need to pull ‘em together if enough people are interested.

03/01/2024

you: tell us what you sell

we: write lead-generating ads + emails + content. it's that simple!

31/12/2023

So much to celebrate this month and the year is just about to get started!! I'm super proud of all my marketing clients' results. What really lights me up is the positive change, the ripple effect their work creates in the world.

🌟 Helped a long-term client hit her goal of 500K this year! We’ve supported her with paid ads, email nurturing, automations, SEO/web copy and 36 months after launching her first ad with us—she did it! Growing with consistency has allowed her to create freedom and flexibility for her and her family…and even helped her take a dream vacation.

💫 Completed my client's email and automations funnel. Earlier this year, I got to be a part of their paid ads launch. All of our work together will afford them more time to do the things they love, including hangouts with their kiddos and grand babies. Plus they doubled their monthly income in the first 30-days!

🌟 Wrapped up my client's web audit & SEO training for their new e-commerce brand launch! This program they’ve created is taking a national approach for the first time and will help bring attention to their mission of connecting and employing people of all abilities.

💫 Finalized ad copy and testing for a new client! He’s looking to create a flow of regular leads that will allow him to make consistent income and focus on expanding his business with confidence.

🌟 Completed a marketing project for my client’s latest nonprofit consulting work. She dreams of a world that is more inclusive and fair for all. Our work together means spotlighting any barriers to help families find local opportunities, resources, and how to navigate both.

💫 Just started working through a complete marketing plan... including copy for a home page, Facebook ads, email copy and content/media plans. My work with this client will allow her to push past her plateau by adding commercial projects to her existing base of private clients.

🌟 My incredible team took time off—at the same time!!! Our work together allows us the freedom to create our own schedules and be home with family at the holidays and all year long.

💫 Two long-term proposals are out on new projects and I wonder who else will get added to that list?

Soaking it all up... hooray and cheers to the amazing people in my circle 🥂

Few spots open in January for my launch your plan in a day ▶️▶️▶️ DM me to grab one.

19/10/2023

Are in-person events making a come back?

After being dragged to a networking event by his friend, Leon realized that was the secret to success all along.

Meet Leon McDonald. He is a brand and portrait photographer out of Ohio, a SmartCookie client, and he is a pro when it comes to the in-person and LinkedIn networking game.

Join us for an insightful conversation on the Serial Entrepreneur Show with Nicole Schmied as we tap into Leon's expertise and discover the art of successful networking, both in real life and the digital world.

Find the full episode link down in the comments, up in the bio, or on our website.

18/10/2023

Your business, your rules ;)

18/10/2023

Your uniqueness is your superpower. Whether you're a photographer, a consultant, or any other service provider, what makes you YOU - your journey, along with your specific skillset - sets you apart and helps you stand out.

Don't be afraid to share your quirks, your perspective, and your commitment to your craft.

The online world can be a crowded place, but when you're genuine and authentic about what you offer, and why, you become a lighthouse. Clients and customers are not just looking for services; they're searching for a connection with a real human behind the screen.

And yes, sometimes that means having lots of unscaleable conversations.

So, let your You-ness out, and watch as you not only make new, genuine connections, but have your best-fit people line up to hire you.

11/10/2023

When you guide your sales conversations with a slide deck, you have your thoughts organized with visual cues ( is great for this!). Here are my top tips for creating and using a Slide Deck

1) Make it visual (keeps the conversation focused)
2) Tell the story (the issue their business may be having, and your service)
3) Be a match-maker (match their need with what your business provides as a service)
4) Give them the steps (what it looks like to work with you)
5) Make it time bound - try to keep it to 7 slides

All of this to say, when you're focused, it helps your potential client focused, and allows thw conversation to flow smoothly.

What tools or techniques do you use for sales calls?

05/10/2023

Is your business ready for national television?

Babies are the cutest, aren't they? They can also be quite a distraction when out with friends at a restaurant — IYKYK. They're always grabbing things on the table or dropping their toys and you're constantly having to pick them up from that dirty (yucky) floor. But new mom, Beth Fynbo, was over it. So after searching Amazon for a solution (and not finding one), she decided to just create something that she and her best friend and their Littles could enjoy.

Meet Beth Fynbo. Beth is an Army veteran and creator of the Busy Baby Mat. Busy Baby has a line of products that keep baby's things within reach and off the floor at home and on the go — Mom-invented, baby-approved. In this episode, Beth takes us through her journey from an idea that wasn't initially intended to go to market to how an accidental email landed her a spot in the tank — yeah, the Shark Tank. She tells us how her 10-year Army career prepared her for entrepreneurial life, how she convinced her brother to quit his job to help her run Busy Baby, and how creative she got to fund the business in the early days with pitch competitions where she won over $100,000 in prize money.

Find the full episode wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and links to listen in the comments and bio

BusyBaby Shark Tank Beth Benike

03/10/2023

So someone declined your offer. You could take it personally. OR you could look at it as information, and ask yourself some questions:

Is it time to update my sales approach?
Did I build trust beforehand (in communication, branding, and marketing)?
Is this the right time for them?

None of these questions is about *your worth* as a person, or as a business owner. It's about self-auditing as you go, which can only help your business grow.

Follow along for more , and share with your small biz friends!

02/10/2023

PSA
You know your business better than anyone else.
Trust your instincts.

02/10/2023

It’s far too easy to create paid ads, but not get the return you want.

I see it happen almost every day with smart, ambitious business owners and marketing agencies. 😭

The 5 most common reasons this happens?

1️⃣ You underestimate the value of ad data because there is so much of it—which metric is important and what the heck is it telling you?

2️⃣ You have too many campaigns. Paid ad platforms are confusing enough. More campaigns is *not* better. Better campaigns is better.

3️⃣ You focus on insta-sales, but not your plan to follow-up. Right now, we’re seeing 60% of sales is happening in the follow-up. Don’t put it off.

4️⃣ You haven’t automated your follow-up, so the extra time and effort is an impossible task for your already busy schedule.

5️⃣ You focus on how you “feel” instead of working a plan that *works.* This leads to procrastination or outsourcing this valuable piece of the puzzle to the wrong person.

But! Don’t be too hard on yourself! You don’t have to be a marketing guru to make this work for you. There’s good news, too! 👇🏼

It’s 100% possible to get results when you know exactly what to focus on.

In fact, one VIP client we worked with went from “why aren’t my ads working” to seeing her revenue increased by 370%…with the *same* monthly spend.

My #1 piece of advice if you want more leads to turn into consistent revenue — have an automated strategy in place. One that works *for* your busy calendar.

And if you want the full roadmap to get there, I break it all down in a Google doc.

DM me and I’ll send it your way. Let’s put these ad mistakes behind you.

30/09/2023

If you see me talking to myself…it’s just a team meeting. 🤭
- Entrepreneurs