No BS Mastery Podcast

298. The Digital Product Dream vs. Reality (No BS Edition)

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 May 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this week's episode of No BS Mastery, I'm pulling back the curtain on the "passive income digital product" dream — the good, the messy, and the stuff nobody warns you about.

Because it’s a business model that I hear a lot of people gravitating towards when they’re struggling financially: the one to many model. It might be a digital product or a course, and even though those can be very different to implement, the basic principles and pitfalls are similar.

I've sold digital products ranging from $100 to $30,000+. I've done the funnels, the webinars, the ad spend, the course rewrites. I know this world inside and out — and I want you to go into it (if you choose to) with both eyes wide open.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the people who want to hire you are NOT the same people who'll buy your course (I learned this the hard way after thousands of sales and only ONE client crossover)
Why there is no such thing as truly set it and forget it passive income
Why selling a digital product is not the answer to struggling to make sales for your services
What you need to know about profitability, scale, and your audience before you create a digital product

Resources:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

297. Think You Need a Team? Listen to This First.

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 May 2026 03:00:00 -0400

At some point, you look at your workload and think: “I just need help.”

Here’s the truth most people won’t tell you: Hiring employees doesn’t automatically give you more freedom or more profit. In fact, if you don’t fully understand the business model you’re stepping into, it can do the exact opposite.

No one business model is right for everyone and every business model has its benefits and drawbacks. I’ve seen way too many small business owners dip their toes into a bunch of different business models without really thinking through what it entails or why they’re doing it.

Over the years, I’ve run my business following three different business models. So this month, I’m going to break those models down and get really candid about the pros and cons, to help you make an informed choice about a model that fits your business and your goals.

In this episode, I discuss the employee model.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why feeling like you need help isn’t the same as being ready for employees
The systems, processes (and more) that you need before you bring on employees
How employees change the kinds of projects you can take on and how scalable your business can be
The top three challenges owners face with the employee model

Resources:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

296. The First Step I Never Skip (No Matter Who the Client Is)

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

I talk all the time about the power of using the Lead Product process instead of writing free proposals.

But what if someone is ready to hire you right from the get-go, should you skip the LP? Wouldn’t doing the LP slow down the whole process and even put you at risk of losing the client?

All this month, I’ve been answering some of the most common questions I got during my recent three-day bootcamp. And this one is a genuine dilemma. Why would you steer someone who’s ready to roll on a big project to the much less expensive lead product?

In this episode, I break down why I never, ever skip the Lead Product, no matter who the client is.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why even your most qualified, ready-to-buy clients still need a “diagnosis” first
The real reason the lead product makes your projects faster, easier, and more profitable
How to position this step so it feels like a natural next move—not a frustrating detour
And the surprising way saying “not yet” actually builds more trust (not less)

Mentioned:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program

Resources:

Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

295. The Retainer Trap: Why Recurring Revenue Isn’t Freedom

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Predictable income. Recurring revenue. Long-term client relationships. These are the reasons why retainer clients seem so appealing. Who wants to start from zero every month when you could have a committed client?

But the truth is retainer clients don’t actually provide, let alone ensure, financial stability. They might actually keep you from having the kind of business and freedom you really want.

In this episode, I talk about why retainers seem so appealing, and how they’re actually holding you back.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why retainers feel like the “safe” option (and why that’s misleading)
The hidden reason retainers are almost always less profitable than project work
The real danger: what happens when one (or all) of those clients leave
How to create predictable income without relying on retainers
What to do if you already have retainer clients (don’t panic—no burning bridges required)

Resources:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

294. Scope Creep, Sticker Shock and Endless Revisions — Solved!

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

What do I do when a client keeps changing their mind?

What do I do when we're halfway through a project and they want to add five more things?

What do I do when I present a price to a prospect and they get sticker shock and start trying negotiating with me or taking things out?

These were the kinds of questions I heard in the Q & A sessions during a recent 3-day workshop. And while I can and did give advice on what to do in those specific situations, wouldn't it be better to prevent them from happening in the first place?

Anything I could tell you to do to fix those problems as they come up is just a Band-Aid. You have to go back to the source if you don’t want to keep running into them over and over again with future clients. And the source of the problem isn’t your clients. It’s your process.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why so-called “difficult clients” are usually created before the project even starts
The real reason scope creep and endless back-and-forth keep happening
How to eliminate sticker shock (without awkward sales conversations)
What to put in place before you start a project to avoid burnout later
How a simple shift in your process can completely change your client experience

Mentioned:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/

Resources:

Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

293. Aga Siuda: The Power of Positioning in the Nonprofit Space

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

When people hear about the No BS business model for the first time, a lot of times their immediate reaction is, “Sounds great, but that would never work for me, my clients, my industry…”

Aga Siuda is proof that anyone can make the No BS model work. And in this conversation, she shared how she effectively applied the model with nonprofit clients — with typical RFP-heavy requirements and layers of decision-making processes that result in delays and long project timelines — with incredible results.

Aga Siuda is a nonprofit branding and marketing expert and is the founder of Graphroots Design, specializing in user-focused website design to help organizations grow their mission and boost engagement. With over 20 years of experience, Aga collaborates with nonprofits and social good businesses to create intuitive digital experiences that inspire action.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Moving from reactive, proposal-heavy work to confident, value-led selling
How she adapted the No BS Mastery model to work for nonprofit clients with large projects
How to position yourself as a trusted advisor (even in complex industries)
The mindset shifts behind charging more — and being chosen because of it
Building a business that supports your life, not the other way around

Learn more about Aga Siuda:

Graphroots Design: http://graphrootsdesign.com/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agasiuda/

Resources:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

292. Erika Stanley: The Smart Way to Use AI (That No One Talks About)

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Everyone is talking about AI all the time, but a lot of people are still unsure about how to use it and how to make it really work for them.

Which is why I invited Erika Stanley back to the show. She is one of my star-students-turned- incredible-resource and coach within the No BS program, and she is our resident AI expert. She built an incredible tool for us that we’re rolling out in our programs as we speak.

Erika is so good at taking the hot air out of AI and making it something easy to understand and implement in your business. You definitely want to listen in.

Erika Stanley helps women founders stop sounding like everyone else online. As a Human-First Brand and AI Strategist, she’s obsessed with turning fuzzy messaging and generic AI output into sharp, strategic brand systems that actually work.

The founder of Mile End Digital and AI Queens, Erika has spent 20+ years helping brands find their voice, tell better stories, and scale without losing their humanity. Her Brand-to-Bot Blueprint is where brand clarity meets AI strategy — so your message finally sounds as good as your vision.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Erika is using custom GPTs in her own business to help her scale without a massive increase in her overhead
Erika’s process for using a GPT to organize her strategy thoughts and create a draft brief as part of her LP
Why you always have to review and edit what AI gives you
One simple question to get better outputs from any AI
Erika’s top three AIs and how she uses them

Learn more about Erika Stanley:

AI Queens: http://aiqueens.com
Mile End Digital: http://mileenddigital.com
Instagram: @erikatheaiqueen
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejstanley/

Mentioned:

The AI CMO: https://www.aiqueens.com/cmo

Resources:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/program
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

291. Lydia Savramis on Building a Business That Fits Your Life

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

This episode perfectly captures something I think a lot about: what does it actually look like to build a business that supports your life?

My guest, Lydia Savramis, is someone who truly embodies that.

Lydia didn’t start out in marketing or online business at all. She was running an orthotics practice, seeing patients all day, when she started a podcast as a creative outlet back when podcasts were still a pretty new thing. That little experiment ended up opening the door to a completely different career.

But what I loved most about our conversation isn’t the pivot story. It’s the way Lydia has designed her business so that it genuinely fits her life.

We talk about burnout, boundaries, creativity, and what it takes to build a business that doesn’t consume you.

Lydia Savramis runs RTL Productions, a boutique marketing and branding studio in Cumberland, Maryland. She helps non-profits, municipalities and professionals show up clearly and confidently online without all the overwhelm.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What burning out in her first profession taught Lydia about designing a sustainable business
The mindset shift that helps you ride the natural ups and downs of business
Why having more “tools in your toolbox” changes how you experience the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship
What it actually looks like to build a business with clear boundaries

Learn more about Lydia Savramis:

RTL Productions: http://hellortlpro.com
Instagram: @rtlpro

Resources:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/mastery
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

290: How to Scale Solo Without Falling Behind

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

All month, I’ve been taking you behind the scenes of my new program, No BS Mastery that helps you scale your expert-led business without hiring a team or burning out.

In this episode, I’m talking about the thing that actually determines whether you get results or not. It’s not the content, or the strategy. It’s not even the tools. It’s the support structure.

I’ve been coaching for over a decade now. I’ve watched hundreds of brilliant, capable, action-taking experts join programs and still struggle. Not because they weren’t smart enough but because the way the program was structured made it hard to win.

So in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I’ve designed this new program differently based on everything I’ve learned about how humans actually succeed.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why most “watch the videos and implement” models fail
How we’re using small accountability pods (based on personality + work style)
How I’m structuring live calls so everyone gets their questions answered
And the real promise of this program (and what part is on me… and what part is on you)

Mentioned:

Program: No BS Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/mastery
Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com

Resources:

Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

289: The real reason people get stuck (and what I built to fix it)

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

People fail because they get stuck.

They get stuck on implementation. They can’t figure out their messaging. They overthink their pricing. They spin their wheels, convince themselves they need to figure it out on their own and that it has to be perfect before they take action. And then they don’t move forward.

Last week, I gave you a breakdown of the new program I’m launching on March 24th. This week, I want to do a deeper dive on one piece that I mentioned, which is the tools.

Because when I was designing this program, I knew my job was to ask myself, where do people get stuck and how can I help them get unstuck faster? How can I design this program so people don’t even get stuck in the first place?

The tools we built are the answer to those questions.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The app that lets you stop overthinking your pricing and create a strategy to get you to your profit goals
The tool that turns days or weeks of agonizing over your messaging and positioning into twenty minutes
The CRM agent that acts like an executive assistant for outreach, so you can build your referral engine faster

Mentioned:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Sign up for the Scale Solo Bootcamp: nobsmastery.com/bootcamp

Resources:

Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/mastery
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

288. The Rebuild: Why I’m Reinventing My Flagship Program

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0500

It’s official! My new book, Scale Solo, is out in the world! I’m very excited for people to get their hands on it and dig in.

AND… I am also excited to be rebuilding and relaunching my flagship program, No BS Mastery, this month.

Why would I do this to myself? Isn’t launching and marketing a new book enough work?

Yes, it’s a lot of work. But it’s also the only thing that makes sense. And I’ll tell you why. Plus, I’ll give you the scoop on what the new program that launches in just a couple of weeks is all about.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why I’m rebuilding our flagship program from the ground up
What five years of running the program taught me about what actually works
How online training needs to change in 2026
And how this new version is designed to get people into action faster — with less friction and more support

Mentioned:

Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Sign up for the Scale Solo Bootcamp: nobsmastery.com/bootcamp

Resources:

Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/
Program: No BS Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/mastery
Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-mastery
No BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/
The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

287: How to Hit Your Freedom Number: Lever 2

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0500

If you want to hit your financial and freedom goals, you can’t just charge more. You also have to change how you deliver.

Today, I’m breaking down Lever Two of the No BS Business Model: decreasing delivery time. This is the missing piece for so many experts who raise their prices but still feel overworked, burnt out, and stuck.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I once generated a quarter of a million dollars in revenue… and still ended up in debt!

In this episode, I walk you through why longer timelines kill profitability, how faster delivery actually increases value for your clients, and how intensifying your process can completely transform both your business and your life.

This lever is about more than just efficiency. It’s about building a business that supports your financial goals and your life — so you’re not on all the time, constantly juggling, and always reacting to clients.

If you’re ready to make premium pricing sustainable and get your time back, this episode will change how you think about delivery forever.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The hidden costs of stretched-out projects and juggling multiple clients
How faster delivery creates more value (not less)
What intensives look like and why clients love them
What will give you real control over your calendar
How I’ve used this model to take weeks (and even months) off without ongoing clients

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get on the early readers list for Scale Solo: noBSmastery.com/book

Join the March Bootcamp: noBSmastery.com/bootcamp

BIG NEWS: Welcome to No BS Mastery!

Pia Silva — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0500

This episode marks a major milestone and a powerful new chapter.

We have officially rebranded the podcast to No BS Mastery, and in this behind-the-scenes episode, I share exactly why this shift is happening, what it means for you, and how it reflects the evolution of her work over the last decade.

If you’re an expert, consultant, or service-based business owner who wants more freedom, simplicity, and profitability, this episode will give you clarity on where we are headed — and how you can grow with us.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why I’m returning to my original audience of experts and service-based business owners
What I learned from five years of teaching small branding agencies
How the No BS philosophy applies to any high-level service business
What’s coming next

Resources:

Get on the early readers list for Scale Solo: scalesolobook.com
Join the March Bootcamp: noBSmastery.com/bootcamp
Download the Freedom Calculator: noBSmastery.com/price

Ep 286: How to Hit Your Freedom Number: Lever 1

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0500

If you’ve ever known you should be charging more but felt stuck on how to actually get clients to say yes, this episode is for you.

In today’s conversation, I break down Lever One of the No BS Business Model: how to increase the real and perceived value of your offer so premium pricing feels natural, aligned, and ethical.

This is the first step to closing higher-priced clients without pressure, overpromising, or chasing people who “need to think about it.”

If you’ve calculated your freedom number and realized your current pricing doesn’t support the life you want, this episode will show you exactly how to bridge that gap, starting with how you position and sell your work.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why simply raising your prices rarely works on its own
Why free proposals quietly hurt your authority, positioning, and profitability
Why clients often don’t really know what they need — and how to lead them to better outcomes
How to increase perceived and real value without adding more work
What matters more than your online presence

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get on the early readers list for Scale Solo: noBSmastery.com/book
Join the March Bootcamp: noBSmastery.com/bootcamp
Download the Freedom Calculator: noBSmastery.com/price

Ep 285: Your Freedom Number (And Why Your Revenue Goal May Be Wrong)

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0500

Most business owners are chasing a revenue goal that sounds good: six figures, $10-20K months. But those numbers are often vague, misleading, and disconnected from the life they actually want to live.

In this episode, I introduce the concept of your Freedom Number: the true amount of revenue your business needs to generate to support your personal life and business without burning out.

This is a foundational concept in the No BS Model and a sneak peek into my upcoming book, Scale Solo. If you’ve ever felt like you’re making money but still feeling tight, stressed, or unsure what number you should really be aiming for, this episode will give you clarity and a much more grounded way to design your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why “six figures” and “$10K months” are often the wrong goals
How to calculate your Freedom Number
How vague revenue goals lead to weak pricing confidence
The 50/25/25 rule for client work, business development, and freedom time
Why feast-or-famine cycles happen and how to break them

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get on the early readers list for Scale Solo: noBSmastery.com/book
Join the March Bootcamp: noBSmastery.com/bootcamp
Download the Freedom Calculator: noBSmastery.com/price

Ep 284: Help People See You As The Expert That You Are

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0500

Wouldn’t it be amazing if prospects actually saw you as the expert you are?

The problem is many small business owners don’t feel like their clients really see, value, and respect that work.

And this is a problem because not only does does it make it harder to close prospects, it creates all kinds of issues later that lead to projects running way over time and out of scope.

What you’re missing is authority.

And you don’t need a huge platform, a publishing contract, or to be speaking on podcasts or from stages to cultivate it.

This month, I’m going to give you a couple of strategies that you can use right now to build your expertise in the eyes of the world and your prospects so that you can command the prices you want, run profitable projects, and have more freedom and ease in your business and your life.

And in this episode, I’m unpacking the exact first strategy I teach inside No BS Agency Mastery, because it works even if you don’t have a big platform, a book, or a massive online presence.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why free proposals quietly undermine your authority
A simple mindset shift that instantly positions you as the expert
My favorite “doctor” analogy (once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it)
And how a small, paid first step can turn a few-thousand-dollar project into a five-figure engagement

Resources:

Ep 283: Gabrielle (Ral) Dolan: Tell Better Stories or Be Forgotten

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

I’ve got a very special guest from all the way on the other side of the globe to talk about how to tell the right story to make your message stick, why storytelling is more important than ever, and how AI can help.

Gabrielle Dolan is a global expert and highly sought-after international keynote speaker and educator on strategic storytelling and real communication. Her clients include the Obama Foundation, Uber, EY, Accenture, VISA, Salesforce, Amazon and Vodafone.

In 2024 she launched the successful podcast Keeping it Real with Jac and Ral that was rated in the top 5% of video produced podcasts on Spotify.

Gabrielle is also the bestselling author of nine books. Her latest title, Story Intelligence. The Craft of Authentic Storytelling, Made Smarter with AI was released in November 2025.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why personal stories can be more powerful than facts, figures, or case studies
Why you have to be clear on your message before your identify a story
The key elements of an effective story
How a good story can become a rallying cry that connects teams long after the telling
What you can and can’t use AI for when crafting your messaging

Learn more about Gabrielle Dolan:

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 282: 2026 Trends: Why “I Need More Leads” Is the Wrong Diagnosis

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

We all want quality leads in our pipeline.

But these days, a lot of experts tell me they’re having trouble getting leads. The thing is, I don’t think that’s actually their problem. All the visibility in the world won’t help you if your real issue lies somewhere else.

In this episode, I break down one of the biggest (and most expensive) mistakes I see smart, talented experts making: chasing more leads when the real issue is that their message, offer, or positioning just isn’t clear enough to convert the people they’re already talking to.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How lack of specificity about your audience, your process, and your pricing is actually losing you clients
Why “what’s your budget?” is one of the worst questions you can ask
How fear budgets actually work
And how a simple, clear lead product can flip the entire dynamic with clients

Resources:

Ep 281: 2026 Trends: The Need To Be Undeniably Irreplaceably Human

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

This month, I’m talking about the major trends that I am seeing out in the world that are relevant to anyone whose business is selling their expertise.

And lately I’ve been noticing something everywhere I go — in masterminds, at events, in rooms full of marketers, founders, and even AI experts. In a world where AI can crank out polished content in seconds, human relationships are becoming the most valuable currency of all.

In this week’s episode, I’m breaking down a mega-trend I’m seeing right now — one that’s surprisingly old-school and wildly relevant if you sell your expertise:

Analog relationships are making a serious comeback.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the flood of AI-generated content is making it harder for anyone to trust what they see online
Why your network is more important than ever whether you’re selling premium services or scalable products or programs
How the primary purpose of online content has shifted and how to make it effective
Why you have to double down on your humanity and your unique voice in today’s market
Three things you can do right now to strengthen your connections

Resources:

Ep 280: The Trends Impacting Our Businesses in 2026

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

Welcome to 2026!

If you’ve felt like things are all over the place lately — especially if you run a service business online — you are not alone. The pace of change right now is enough to make anyone feel fried.

So to ring in 2026, I thought I’d spend January sharing some of my observations about larger trends in the business world, and how those are likely to impact small business owners, especially those selling their services and expertise, this year.

First up, let's talk about one of the biggest and most distracting trends for business owners right now: AI.

I’m not saying AI is a trend that’s going to die anytime soon, or ever. But I see too many business owners distracted with AI, trying to make it work and failing to actually grow their business.

So let’s dig into what AI is actually going to be useful for, and where it can just be another shiny object that doesn’t move the needle for your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why AI is making a lot of businesses busier, but not more profitable
The difference between efficiency and effectiveness (and why it matters)
Where AI is genuinely helpful and where it robs you of your authority
A behind-the-scenes story of how I tried to use AI to write my next book… and why I ultimately had to stop
What the real differentiators are right now

Resources:

Ep 279: Molly Godfrey: How Service-Based Businesses Should Actually Use LinkedIn

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

Molly Godfrey is someone who I got connected to through our amazing No BS Agencies Mastery community. I have now personally worked with her, and she has shared her absolutely golden insights into content strategy with our community.

She’s just too good and too valuable to not have on the podcast. You’re going to learn so much from Molly about how to make LinkedIn work for your service-based business.

Molly Godfrey is a viral content creator and LinkedIn strategy evangelist. She successfully scaled her first online business in the coaching space to multiple six figures all from the power of writing online. Now she works 1:1 with founders of service based businesses to help them turn their LinkedIn presence into an effective business development and lead generation tool.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why copy-pasting content from other social media platforms doesn’t work with LinkedIn
The importance of nailing your bio headline
Molly’s top advice for making your profile speak to your ideal client
How LinkedIn’s emphasis on quality content over quantity of posts benefits creators
Why LinkedIn is a long game, but one that pays off in high-quality leads and connections

Learn more about Molly Gofrey:

Resources:

Ep 278: Seth Godin With the No BS Mastery Community

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0500

I have a very special holiday treat for you!

I am sharing my full conversation with Seth Godin from our No BS Agencies in-person retreat back in May 2025.

Listening to Seth can really change the way you see your business and he shared so much wisdom and knowledge during this chat. I know you’re going to get so much out of it. We’re still talking about it regularly inside Mastery seven months later!

Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, and most of all, a teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 21 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn), This is Marketing, and This is Strategy. Though renowned for his writing and speaking, Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!). He is credited as the inventor of email marketing (the good kind) and has given five highly popular TED talks.

By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has motivated and inspired countless people around the world.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What it really means to be an entrepreneur, a freelancer, or a small business owner in today’s market
What Seth learned from hundreds of publisher rejection letters
What luck has to do with whether a decision is good or bad
Why people struggle with thinking strategically instead of tactically
Why the right setting is as important to landing clients as the right audience

Learn more about Seth Godin:

Resources:

Ep 277: If 2025 Shook You, Listen To This.

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0500

A lot of us are feeling uncertainty heading into 2026.

As humans, we like certainty. We want to feel like we have control over our lives. Not knowing what’s coming can be scary as hell.

Things are all over the place right now, politically, economically, you name it, and if that’s making it feel extra hard to be a business owner right now, that’s fair and your feelings are valid. But we’re not in a full-on apocalyptic collapse, which means we do have the opportunity to put ourselves in the best possible position to make sales, even when some clients are feeling hesitant.

Today, I want to talk about how I’m approaching all this uncertainty, and share some thoughts on where to double down when everything feels up in the air.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why I’m leaning into the fundamentals of marketing my business
Why sometimes you just have to take a less-than-ideal client or project
Why you need a clear action plan, even when the future feels extra unpredictable

Resources:

Ep 276: The Impact of AI on Your Authority (The Truth Behind Building Authority Part 2)

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0500

I want to make the case for building your authority as essential to surviving and thriving as AI tools become more and more prevalent and sophisticated. Your ability to think and communicate critically and strategically is what will continue to set you apart from everyone else.

How you communicate and build your authority in online spaces is also rapidly changing, and as much as I hate to say it, I don’t have a magic bullet answer for you. So rather than pretending I know what’s coming and how to respond, I’m going to share how I’m approaching authority building strategy for now and the foreseeable future, knowing the tactics can and will change, but that authority is more vital than ever.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why authority content is so vital for expertise-based service providers
How AI is making us more skeptical and human interactions even more important
Why investing in your referral network and relationships is going to be key to maintaining your pipeline
The myth of forever consistency in your business
How the purpose of online authority content is evolving

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 275: The Truth Behind Building Authority Part 1

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0500

What does it really take to become an authority in your space?

If you’ve ever wondered why building authority feels slow, confusing, or downright impossible sometimes, this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale.

In this first installment of a two-part mini-series, I’m pulling back the curtain on my 10+ year journey of building authority — what worked, what didn’t, what took way longer than I expected, and the uncomfortable truths I’ve learned from teaching authority to hundreds of business owners.

And yes… some of it might be hard to hear. It was hard to say. But it needs to be said.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The four different types of authority and why they each matter
How I accidentally built authority in my early years (and why it worked)
The real timeline it takes to be seen as an expert in your industry
Why experience, reps, and client work matter more than any social media hack
The gritty truth about pricing, expertise, and the limits of short-cutting
Why building authority is still one of the best long-term investments you can make

Resources:

Ep 274: Sara Chambers: A Conversation About Bodies, Business, and Being Brave

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Sara Chambers is back to celebrate the launch of her new book, Do It Fat: An Unapologetic Guide to Taking Up More Space Regardless of Your Size.

She has done incredible work opening herself up for her own growth and for the good of so many others around her. I am so excited for you to learn more about Sara and her message.

Sara Chambers is a brand strategist, TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and the CEO of Elly and Nora Creative, a full-service agency that builds brave, bold, brag-worthy brands for entrepreneurs who are ready to lead with purpose and power. With a background in marketing, PR, and communications for nonprofits and a variety of personal and lifestyle brands, Sara has spent nearly two decades helping thought leaders clarify their message, amplify their mission, and own their space. She’s also the founder of Chicks Who Give a Hoot, a nonprofit mobilizing women entrepreneurs as a force for good through media, mentorship, and community.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What set Sara on her journey to grapple with why she (and so many women) struggled to be at home in her body
Why our feelings about our bodies too often keeps us playing small
What Sara needed to let go in order to write with more nuance and depth
How Sara’s experiences with clients brings a unique lens to the book
The invaluable support and accountability Sara received from the No BS community throughout the writing process

Learn more about Sara Chambers:

Resources:

Ep 273: Thoughts About the Coaching Industry (Big Changes Are Afoot: Part 3)

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0500

All this month, I’ve been getting real about the changes that are happening in my business.

There have been so many decisions to be made about how to market, how to design offers, and how I can best help people really do the thing I’m teaching them to do.

Here’s the thing, I don’t really think of myself as a coach, even though I’ve been in the coaching industry for years. I tend to think of myself as a consultant, a guide, or a teacher because I focus on tactics and strategies in our programs. And we have other people do a lot of the “real” coaching.

But even though I don’t call myself a coach, I’m part of this industry. And I have a lot to say about what sucks about it and the big misconceptions people get sold about it.

Today I dig into why coaching isn’t just showing up, giving advice, and collecting enrollment fees in your sleep. Helping people get what they want and achieve their goals is actually one of the hardest–but most rewarding–things I’ve ever done.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The behind-the-scenes practical and emotional labor that goes into coaching
Why coaching is extra challenging if you’ve got even the slightest control freak tendencies
How the coaching industry can take teaching radical responsibility to toxic places
The moments that keep me coming back to teaching, even with the industry’s issues

Mentioned:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey

Resources:

Ep 272: My Challenges With Marketing (Big Changes Are Afoot: Part 2)

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0500

As we’re making big changes in the business, I’m reworking our marketing language and it is bringing up all sorts of feelings for me.

I’ve internally struggled with marketing throughout my career. I want to give people all the nuance behind what I’m offering, but nuance doesn’t tend to fit into an attention-grabbing soundbite. And then I get into my head about it, worrying that I’m somehow adding the culture of crap marketing for snake oil even though I have tons of evidence that our methods really do get results for people.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. So let’s talk about it.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The challenge I had with Blueprint to 30K Months (and why it works)
What I learned about getting people’s attention from my stint in real estate
Why I get tied up in knots about creating messaging that nuanced or punchy
The comments from trolls that still live rent-free in my head
The mindset that I’m working to carry forward through these big changes

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 271: Big Changes Are Afoot: Part 1

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Building a business is not always sunshine and roses. There are hard decisions and challenges, and sometimes the hardest part of all is dealing with the trash talk in our own heads.

Last month, I told you about the No BS Clients Lab, but that’s not the only shift in our business that’s coming down the pipeline. I’m super excited about the direction we’re going, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also really scared.

Over the next few episodes, I’m going to share with you how the business is evolving and all the worries, fears, and challenges that come with it. I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what I’m working on and grappling with because even with a business that is, for all intents and purposes, successful, there are mindsets and habits of being that are hard to shake and I have them too.

I hope it will be helpful for you to hear about some of the raw, unfiltered trash that still comes up for me, even after years of work. Because we all deal with this stuff and you’re not alone in your fears and struggles.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What we did wrong when creating our first course, the Brandup Bootcamp
Why we decided not to scale an online course
Why I’ve hesitated to teach the No BS processes to business owners who aren’t doing branding
How I’m expanding my niche
The big fears about changing my business that I’m confronting, even as I’m excited

Resources:

Ep 270: Carly Jefferson Takes Imperfect Action and Turns Everything Around

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Today, I’ve got an amazing interview with someone who has built not one, but two businesses with us inside No BS Agencies Mastery.

And she’s done it by jumping in and taking action quickly, even when it isn’t perfect, and being able to learn and pivot as she goes. If you’re hungry to shift your business in a short amount of time, Carly Jefferson sets an incredible example.

Carly Jefferson is the Founder of Uncomplicated Brands, helping early-stage tech startups build brands that scale in just 2-4 days. With over a decade of experience in growth marketing and brand strategy, she works with pre-seed to Series A founders preparing to launch or fundraise, combining strategic branding with AI to support lean marketing teams. Based in London, she specializes in tech-for-good founders ready to launch with confidence.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Mastery gave Carly the confidence to shutter her prior business and go solo
The biggest mindset shift Carly had to make when building Uncomplicated Brands
How Carly landed on her niche in tech startups and how it has evolved
The misconception about niching and how Carly proved it
Carly’s biggest wins and where her business is headed next

Learn more about Carly Jefferson:

Resources:

Ep 269: Inside the No BS Ecosystem: How We Help You Win

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I’ve been giving you a behind the scenes look at our new No BS Clients Lab.

I’ve talked about why I decided to create a low-investment way for you to access our game-changing lead product process, who the Lab is for, and how it’s structured to help you find and close more premium clients so that you can have the profit in your business and the freedom in your life that you’ve always wanted.

Today, I want to share how the Lab fits into the larger No BS ecosystem. While the No BS Clients Lab is valuable on its own, this episode will give you a better idea of where we might take you from there.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the lead product process works for anyone selling their expertise
The next steps we teach in Mastery that give you profitability, freedom, and ease
The Mastery community and how it helps you

Resources:

Ep 268: The No BS Clients Lab: Why It’s All About Execution

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

This month I’ve been taking you behind the scenes of our new offer, the No BS Clients Lab. Over the last couple of episodes, I’ve dug into why I decided to make this big shift in my business and why I wanted to make this new program as accessible to as many people as possible.

In this episode, I share the details of what you can learn inside this low-cost membership and the results we’re already seeing after just a few months of the No BS Clients Lab going live.

I’m honestly astounded at the wins people are getting and I’m excited to keep seeing these incredible results for people who join the Lab.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why finding better clients (and closing them faster) is the only strategy you should care about right now.
The “short but mighty” training that gives you scripts, templates, and step-by-step instructions so you can start booking lead products within 24 hours.
How our live calls, community, and monthly quick-hit trainings keep you focused, accountable, and moving forward.

Resources:

Ep 267: Burning Down the Old and Building Something New (Part 2)

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In June, I made the executive decision to do something bold (and maybe a little crazy) with my business.

In the previous episode, I dug into how the business has evolved from being an agency to teaching and supporting agency owners as they implement the model we developed. And I talked about when and how I realized that No BS Agencies Mastery needed to make a bold move.

In this episode, I dive into the details of our new offer, why we designed the way we did, and why anyone who’s hustling to get more premium clients needs to come check out the No BS Clients Lab and join us.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The lightbulb moment when I realized I was teaching a process I wasn’t using for myself
The fears I had to overcome about this my business decision
Why I took the leap to share the LP process more widely
Who the No BS Clients Lab is for, what it teaches, and what’s included
How this process builds skills and authority that AI can’t compete with

Resources:

Ep 266: Burning Down the Old and Building Something New (Part 1)

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Big changes are afoot at No BS Agency.

Why mess with something that works? It’s a risk, and trying something new can be scary, but taking leaps and doing hard things is part of having a sustainable business.

This month, I’m going to dive into the whys and hows of shifting our business model and our offerings. In this episode, I share the background and the thinking behind it at this stage of the business.

Later in the month, I’ll dig into the details of the new program and how it fits into the larger context of No BS Agency and the systems we teach that help people get serious results.

I hope this behind-the-scenes look at how my business is changing is a reminder that your business will shift and evolve and sometimes, you have to burn it down and build something new.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the business has evolved and pivoted over the last 14 years
Going all-in on No BS Agency Mastery
Why I believe in taking big swings for myself and my business
How I developed and adjusted the program in real time
The major changes in the industry and beyond that made me realize I needed to shake things up

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 265: Greatest Hits: Marsha Shandur Shows Us How to Tell a Story

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite and most-listened episodes, this month. And in this episode, I’m bringing back this conversation with Marsha Shandur.

Just listening to her tell stories inspires me to dig deeper and I know she’ll make you want to be a better storyteller too.

Marsha Shandur believes that storytelling is the KEY to ethically persuasive communication. A Storytelling and Persuasive Communication Coach and Trainer, she has taught thousands of individuals and groups of executives, entrepreneurs and professionals across the world, and has received rave reviews from clients like Meta, Royal Bank of Canada, HelloFresh, and Shopify.

Before launching Yes Yes Marsha and her career as a Storytelling Coach, Marsha spent 15 years working as a Radio DJ, where she gained a powerful understanding of how to tell stories in a way that fosters connection, trust, engagement and loyalty. Her work has been featured in Forbes, BBC and Mashable.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to use your clients’ own words to connect deeply
Why the popular “are you tired of…” sales copy falls flat and what to do instead.
How tiny stories and emotions can make your copy unforgettable.
The one thing every great opener needs (hint: it’s not “Hi, my name is…”).

Learn more about Marsha Shandur:

Resources:

Ep 264: Greatest Hits: The Pricing Strategy That Gets You To Profit and Freedom

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

How do you set your pricing?

This month, I’m revisiting my all-time most-listened episodes and in this episode, we’ve got one of my favorites. I break down why your current pricing strategy may not be giving you the profit and freedom you were after when you started your business. And I give you instead the formula that will let you hit your financial goals without working yourself into the ground.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why focusing on revenue alone isn’t the way to go
The 50-25-25 formula that gives you the profit, lifestyle, and freedom you want
How the formula accounts for client ebb and flow
What you need to schedule time for (outside of client time)

Resources:

Ep 263: Greatest Hits: Laura Belgray on Writing What Others Won’t Say

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I’m rerunning some of my favorite and most listened-to episodes of all time.

This conversation with Laura Belgray is such an inspiration. She’s a great storyteller and a shining example of the power of finding your unique voice so that your work is unmistakably you, no matter what.

Laura Belgray is an award-winning copywriter, founder of Talking Shrimp, and author of Tough Titties: On Living Your Best Life When You're the F'ing Worst. She's written TV spots for clients like NBC, Fandango and Bravo; and she helps entrepreneurs find words that make buyers go bananas. Her course with Marie Forleo, The Copy Cure, helps you find your voice and sell your anything.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Where Laura took inspiration for her book
How specificity and detail actually makes your writing more widely relatable
Why she shared some of her cringiest moments, and how she navigated writing about real people
How Laura learned to tap her own talent and spot opportunities to shine

Learn more about Laura Belgray:

Resources:

Ep 262: Greatest Hits: How To Get Clients

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

How do I get the right clients?

That’s the number one question I get from service business owners.

Which makes sense, because being able to attract and close clients is a fundamental part of any service business. If you can't do it, you won't have a business. So obviously it's one of the most important things that you need to know how to do.

That’s why today, I’m returning to one of my most-listened episodes, because it is packed with practical short and long-term strategies that you can use to attract and land prospects who are the right fit for your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why relying on referrals puts your business at risk
The short and long-term marketing strategies you need in your arsenal
How to network smarter to actively seek out referrals and new connections
Why content marketing is a long-term investment in your business
How the No BS model stacks clients so you have built-in time to work on your business

Resources:

Ep 261: Leslie Silverman and Daniel Sanders: How Firing Every Client Led to Their Best Year Yet

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0400

The story of Leslie Silverman and Daniel Sanders of Hive180, shows what is possible when you fully commit to implementing the No BS model. Leslie and Daniel went “all-in” and the results have been incredible to witness.

Leslie Silverman is the co-founder of Hive180, a brand transformation studio known for helping certified pros break away from their industry’s status quo. With 25+ years of experience across big brands, agencies, and entrepreneurial ventures, she brings sharp instincts, straight talk, and a refreshingly real approach to strategy. Leslie shows up with audacious authenticity — whether she’s leading a breakthrough or dropping truth bombs on the mic — helping experts finally sound like themselves: bold, clear, and unapologetically real.

Daniel Sanders swapped Houston’s city life for Colorado’s peaks in 2010, diving headfirst into craft beers and fly fishing in Fort Collins like he was born to it. His career has morphed from multimedia guru to a web, AI, and strategic branding & design wizard, making Hive180 clients do double-takes with his digital sorcery. Known for his visual storytelling and occasional snark, Daniel’s the cool catalyst behind transforming the mundane into the memorable.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Leslie and Daniel fired their existing clients when they joined No BS Agencies – and how they rebuilt a list full of right fits
The big mindset shifts about personal growth and money that Daniel and Leslie have made
How the No BS model has brought freedom and ease to their business and their lives

Learn more about Leslie Silverman and Daniel Sanders::

Resources:

Ep 260: What if your job isn't to solve a problem but to cause one?

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0400

What if your job isn’t to solve a problem, but to cause one?

I know, causing problems sounds like the last thing you want to do in your business or in your life. Most of us were taught to show up and help fix problems.

But in this clip from our fireside chat with Seth Godin at the No BS Agencies Mastery retreat, Seth explains that the people who are really winning in business and in influence know how to create tension.

Tension is what makes someone say, hey, I didn’t know this was a problem and now I need it solved! Which is where you come in.

By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has motivated and inspired countless people around the world.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How do you introduce tension and then become the source of relief
Why the real problem is rarely what the client thinks it is
How the Lead Product fills in the story, clarifies the problems, and positions you as the solution

Learn more about Seth Godin:

Resources:

Ep 259: Why Your Work Isn't Selling Itself

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I am sharing some of my favorite moments from my interview with Seth Godin that took place at our No BS Agencies Mastery retreat in May.

Along with Seth’s incredible expertise and wisdom, I’m adding my reflections on how those truth bombs connect to the core strategies we teach inside Mastery.

In this episode, we dive into why people actually buy (or don’t buy) your services. A lot of us–myself included–come into this business believing that the work should speak for itself. But here, Seth breaks down for us why that just isn’t true.

Making the sale is about more than the work itself. Let’s talk about what actually closes the deal.

By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has motivated and inspired countless people around the world.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Seth’s personal experience showing that a product won’t sell just because it’s great
What creates the best conditions for your customers to say yes
How the Lead Product creates trust and confidence in you for your prospects

Learn more about Seth Godin:

Resources:

Ep 258: Was it a good decision? Or was it luck?

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I am sharing something very special with you.

At our May 2025 No BS Agencies Mastery retreat in Brooklyn, I got the one and only Seth Godin to speak as our expert guest. In our private fireside chat with No BS Agency owners, Seth did what he does best, and dropped wisdom left and right.

It was electrifying. Everyone in the room was furiously taking notes the whole time.

So I’ve gathered some of my favorite moments–and trust me, it was so hard to narrow it down!–to share with you and my reflections on how they connect back to the core strategies we teach inside Mastery.

This episode is all about how we make decisions in our businesses.

By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has motivated and inspired countless people around the world.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What you have to remember about good decisions vs have good outcomes
How to evaluate your decisions
A faulty thinking when making or evaluating decisions

Learn more about Seth Godin:

Resources:

Ep 257: Heidi DeCoux on The AI-Powered Future of Solopreneur Finances

Pia Silva — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Heidi DeCoux is someone I’ve gotten to know pretty well while she’s been growing her AI-powered tech company, Cashflowy.

We want to improve our business processes so that we can provide more quality and value to our clients in the most efficient manner, and AI tools like Cashflowy can be a huge step toward making that happen.

Heidi DeCoux is a serial entrepreneur who’s built four businesses with 50%+ profit margins and sold three of them, one of which was a 7-figure exit.

Her latest adventure is launching the tech startup, Cashflowy.ai, an elegant AI bookkeeping, client invoicing, and cash-flow management software for small businesses that eliminates the need for a bookkeeper.

She’s appeared in Forbes and other publications and has become known as “The Optimizer” because she’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs optimize their businesses and lives.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why most bookkeeping is only 70% accurate — and how AI is doing it better
How Cashflowy was designed and trained specifically for solopreneurs
How Cashflowy helps you make smarter decisions for your business right now
Cashflowy features that reduces mistakes and allows for more efficient financial reporting
Why the future belongs to billion-dollar, one-person businesses

Learn more about Heidi DeCoux:

Resources:

Ep 256: Jacob Kleinman Phillips: How a Chicken Suit Changed My Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Jacob Kleinman Phillips is one student of the No BS Master program who I’ve been delighted to watch grow and blossom over the last few years.

He is a shining example of our community in the way that he shows up full of energy, open and ready to share his wins, his challenges, to ask questions, and to support others. I am so excited for you to hear his story.

Jacob is the founder of Touchpoint, a branding studio helping purpose-driven businesses and nonprofits turn their mission into a movement. Known for his strategic clarity and human-first approach. He blends storytelling with design to craft brands that don’t just look good, they move people.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Jacob’s own commitment to giving back shows up in the work that he does and fuels his business
The client experience that taught Jacob to lean in to his niche and good client fits
How the LP interview has allowed him to incorporate unexpected, highly impactful details that perfectly align with clients
What dressing up in a chicken suit taught Jacob
Jacob’s “aha” moment about the difference between a commodity and a transformation

Learn more about Jacob Kleinman Phillips:

Touchpoint Design
Instagram: @jacob.kleinmanphillips

Resources:

Ep 255: Back to Basics: Authority Machine

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

It’s every business owner’s dream: An email pops into your inbox from an excited prospect who is just dying to work with you.

That doesn’t happen by accident.

That only happens when you've put time and effort into building an entire ecosystem dedicated to attracting new people into your orbit.

It’s called an Authority Machine. It attracts clients to you so that you’re responding to excited prospects who want your services. It’s what allows you to build a truly sustainable business for the long haul.

This month, I’m taking it back to the basics and unpacking the fundamentals of building a No BS Agency. In this episode, we dive into the Authority Machine and how it gets your small agency off the where’re my next client coming from? treadmill.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How an Authority Machine is different from the social media content treadmill
Why building your Authority Machine is the “last step” in our No BS model
The elements of an effective Authority Machine
The marketing efforts that just don’t make sense without an Authority Machine in place

Resources:

Ep 254: Back to Basics: Intensives

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Do your projects drag on for weeks or even months longer than you planned? Are you constantly chasing clients for deliverables or feedback so you can move forward?

If you are, I bet you’re pretty sick of it. I was too. So I upended the traditional model.

Now one of the core frameworks I teach in the No BS model is the Intensive. Intensives allow you to make more money, deliver more value to your clients, and reclaim your time and freedom.

No more client limbo. No more endless rounds of revisions. No more scope creep.

In this episode, I talk about why Intensives work and how they create more satisfied clients and give you the life you probably wanted when you started your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why traditional branding and web projects often drag on for months—and what to do instead
How Intensives help you deliver more value in less time (while charging more!)
The exact structure of our $40,000 two-day Brand Up intensives
The role of the “lead product” (like our Brand Shrink) in setting up a successful intensive
Real examples of how Intensives increased client satisfaction and our freedom
What to consider if you want to implement Intensives in your own agency

Resources:

Ep 253: Back to Basics: The Lead Product

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Are you tired of meeting with potential clients, putting time and effort into proposals, and not closing the sale – or worse, getting ghosted?

Maybe you constantly feel like a glorified order-taker and you’re tired of being a pixel pusher.

Today, we’re getting back to basics and talking about why you shouldn’t be giving away your strategy for free and what you need to do instead to get off the client-chasing hamster wheel.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why pitching with free proposals is BS
How free proposals enable scope creep
How the lead product positions you as a trusted advisor
What makes it easier to land premium priced projects
How to avoid the salesy free discovery call

Resources:

Ep 252: Carolyn Herfurth Helps High Achievers Break Their Own Ceilings

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Carolyn Herfurth is a friend, colleague, and coach of mine who has helped me transform my business multiple times over the years. She is a genius at spotting opportunities and crafting new revenue streams for successful business owners who want to get to the next level, but don’t see a clear path.

For 22 years, Carolyn has been instrumental in launching over 100 businesses and accelerating the growth of thousands more. Outlier entrepreneurs hire her as their strategic thought partner to make sense of “all the things” and re/innovate their business model for tighter alignment with who they've BECOME since they started out — and for greater impact.

As co-founder of Impostor Syndrome Institute, Carolyn has played a key role in scaling Dr. Valerie Young’s groundbreaking work on impostor syndrome. Carolyn also enjoys delivering presentations and workshops to world class companies like EY, Dyson, Bimbo Bakeries USA, and Everest Reinsurance.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The pivots Carolyn has made in her own career over the last few years
Carolyn’s question that changed the trajectory of my business
How a third party can help you get to the heart of what you want

Learn more about Carolyn Herfurth:

Mentioned:

The 5 Pillars: Self-Assessment for the Outlier Entrepreneur

Resources:

Ep 251: Mindset Shift #3: Be Decisive

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

One of the hardest parts of being a business owner is that there is no boss. There is nobody to tell you that you’re doing a good job.

When you’re the only person who can pat you on the back and validate that you’re doing the right things, it is so easy to get paralyzed by fear of making the wrong decisions.

This month, I’m sharing key mindset shifts that will help you through the hardest parts of being in business. In this episode, I talk about how indecisiveness thwarts most small business owners, and what you can do to get past the fear and take action.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why waiting for the “right” decision is secretly stalling your business
The story of one massive flop that ended up being one of my best business lessons
How to build confidence when no one’s validating your work but you
Why decisiveness is the not-so-secret sauce behind our most successful clients

Resources:

Ep 250: Mindset Shift #2: Stupider People Have Done It

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I’m sharing the big mindset shifts that have helped me through the hardest parts of being in business.

In this episode, I talk about the little mantra that has gotten me through some of the toughest times, from pounding the pavement as a real estate broker to conquering stage fright to starting No BS Agencies: Stupider people have done it.

It’s a little uncouth, I know, but it was an easy way to remind myself that people who aren’t as skilled have succeeded in all of these arenas before me, so I could do it too. And so can you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why this mantra works
What will put you ahead of the game

Resources:

Ep 249: Mindset Shift #1: Embrace the Right Kind of Hard

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Cold, hard truth: Building a business is really hard and anyone who tells you differently is lying.

No matter how much you love what you do or how experienced you are, there’s always more to learn, more to figure out, and new fires to put out. And if anyone’s telling you otherwise? Yeah… they’re probably full of it.

It’s been incredibly hard for me too. I have cried so many times with frustration and fear that I wasn’t going to be able to make it work, even after I had successful businesses under my belt. When I started No BS Agencies Mastery, I went through growing pains all over again.

This month, I want to share a few mindset-shifting ideas that I have learned and carried with me that have helped ease some of the difficulty.

In this episode, we’ll talk about the first and foundational mindset shift I want you to make. If it’s going to be hard no matter what, you might as well build the business you actually want.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The kinds of hard work that hurts your business in the long run
How checklists and admin work make us feel productive without moving the needle
What the right kind of hard for your business looks like

Resources:

Ep 248: Behind-The-Scenes of Our May Retreat

Pia Silva — Wed, 28 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of one of the most anticipated events in the No BS world — our annual in-person retreat in Brooklyn, NY! With 60 students flying in from around the globe, I share what goes into planning an experience that’s equal parts strategic deep dive and soul-fueling celebration.

You'll hear why in-person connection is a game-changer for business growth, how the retreat is intentionally designed to unlock transformation, and yes, how I convinced a huge name and a hero of mine to come speak to our small-but-mighty community (spoiler: it involves a lot of heart and a little chutzpah).

If you’ve ever wondered what makes the No BS retreat feel like a business homecoming or you're craving a clearer path to a freedom-filled, profitable business, this one’s for you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why I host 60 people at my apartment to kick things off (yes, my bedroom door is open—literally)
The mindset shifts and strategy breakthroughs we create when we get in the room together
The big reach we made this year that absolutely paid off
What past attendees have said about how this retreat transformed their confidence, business, and even led to a TEDx Talk

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 247: My Night as a Rock Star

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

A few weeks ago, I did something that I never thought I would ever do in a million years. It was so out there that I can’t believe that it has come and gone and I did it.

What did I do? I got up on stage as the lead, and only, singer in a rock band.

Am I a singer? Hell no.

So how on earth did I find myself signing up for the terrifying prospect of singing live in front of a room full of people?

Today I’m going to tell you why I did it and why I’m so glad that I did it not only for myself, but for my business and for all of you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The real gift of doing things that scare the crap out of you
Why entrepreneurs need to push their boundaries all the time
Why it matters to me that I walk the walk and do hard things
What's better than doing it perfectly

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 246: Let's not mince words. AI is coming for your creative agency.

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Let’s not sugarcoat it. AI is changing everything. And yes, it’s already coming for your creative agency.

But not everyone is at risk.

Let's talk about what you need to do in order to protect yourself from AI and any other future tech disruptions.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What we can all learn from the rise of tools like Squarespace, Fiverr, and Canva
How leaning in to the value of your process sets you apart
The key skill that AI can never replicate
Three essential steps to future-proof your creative business

Resources:

Ep 245: Selena Soo: Build Rich Relationships, Not Just a Network

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

I’m excited to share a conversation with an amazing teacher of mine, the one and only Selena Soo.

Selena is a wonderfully kind and generous person who wants to lift up others by teaching us how to better show up and forge real, rich relationships with each other.

In this episode, we talk about the insights from her new book Rich Relationships: Create a Million-Dollar Network for Your Business.

Selena Soo is a 7-figure business mentor, who helps experts and authors reach millions with their message. Through dozens of multi-6 figure and 7-figure launches, Selena has generated over $13 million in revenue in her first 10 years of business. She has also built more than 400 affiliate and referral partnerships.

An expert in publicity, Selena has helped thousands of entrepreneurs land media, in places that include O, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Business Insider, and The Drew Barrymore Show.

A former New Yorker, Selena is living her dream life in sunny Puerto Rico.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why building real, intentional connections is more important than being at every networking event
How investing time, creativity, and resources into relationships reaps big returns
Three key phases to seeking and developing a rich relationship
Simple ways to intentionally give and add value to your relationships
Selena’s six circles of connection framework that will help you manage relationships

Learn more about Selena Soo:

Resources:

Ep 244: The Economy Is Shaky. Perfect Time to Stand Out.

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

When the economy is in turmoil, a lot of business owners get really scared. This is understandable!

When we don’t know what’s going to happen, fear is totally normal. And it doesn’t help that we live in a 24/7 news and social media cycle that is most likely feeding you a lot of scary news, information, and opinions.

You might be afraid that your clients are going to disappear, that your business will shrink, and that you’ll find yourself in a really dangerous place financially.

So today, I want to talk about those fears, how I would think about it, and what you can do to shield yourself for whatever turmoil might come along with a more depressed economy.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why pulling back and shrinking down your business is not the answer
Two student success stories on using unexpected downtime to catapult their businesses forward
Why the right clients are always going to be willing to invest for high-value services
What you need to focus on right now to make sure your business weathers the storm

Resources:

Ep 243: Gary Montalvo: Oprah’s Not Coming. Take the Damn Lead.

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

What if the only thing standing between you and the business you actually want is you?

In this firecracker of an episode, I sit down with leadership coach and mindset magician Gary Montalvo, who serves up truth bombs about personal responsibility, entrepreneurial avoidance, and why waiting for Oprah (or referrals) is not a strategy.

This episode is a loving kick in the pants for every creative, coach, or small biz owner who's stuck in "busy" but not making real moves. Gary’s blend of heart, humor, and no-BS wisdom will leave you thinking way differently about your business and yourself.

About Gary Montalvo:

For almost two decades, Gary Montalvo has been a powerhouse behind business strategies and leadership programs for numerous entrepreneurs, startups and corporations. Most recently he worked with LimeLife by Alcone as the Chief Growth Officer, where he worked on the sales and recruitment strategies for the company globally.

He has delivered hundreds of speeches, workshops, and trainings to audiences internationally and is also the host of The Ownership Game Podcast. He brings a contagious authentic energy to his audiences that’s not just feel good, but practical and implementable.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why ownership is the real secret to momentum
How to stop pretending you're “confused” and start making moves
The sneaky ways entrepreneurs avoid what really matters
Why your monkey brain is sabotaging you—and what to do about it
How to follow up, show up, and sell without being creepy

Learn more about Gary Montalvo:

Resources:

Ep 242: But I Just Need to Make Money First

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Tell me if this sounds like you.

Your business is going okay. You’re making enough money. But you want to level up. You want to invest in yourself and your business to get there.

But you just need a little more money before you can justify the investment.

Or maybe your business isn’t going so well. You’re struggling to find and close clients. You know you need to invest in learning the skills it takes to turn your business into a success.

But you need to land one more client before you can think about spending the money to learn those skills.

You see the contradiction, right?

These are two of the most common excuses I hear from business owners about why they can’t invest in themselves and their businesses.

Today I want to break down why so many of us hold onto the idea that we need to make the money first in order to invest in ourselves.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why waiting until you have “enough” money to invest in your business is keeping you stuck in survival mode
Why the fastest path to making more money is investing in your ability to make money
How investing real money in learning new skills makes you take action differently
Why putting off investing in your business costs you money in the long run

Resources:

Ep 241: But I Don't Have a Niche Yet!

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

“I can’t go out and talk about my business until I figure out what my niche is.”

I hear this all the time. And don’t get me wrong, I love a niche and I think you should have one.

But the thing is, obsessing over your niche too early in your business can actually hold you back instead of helping you. If you think you have to be absolutely clear on your niche or your audience before you can put your name out there and look for business, you might be making a huge mistake that will set you back.

Niching only works when you do it the right way. Today, I’m going to explain why that is and how to do it successfully.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why picking a niche can totally backfire if you’re missing this one thing
How working with different types of clients helps you find your niche
What you need to do to validate if a niche is the one for you

Mentioned:

E. 145: Emily Wilkins on How Niching Down and Owning That Niche Allowed Her Business to Thrive

Resources:

Ep 240: But I Need a Website

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

You’re in the branding, design, website, or marketing business, so obviously you want a killer website and branding for yourself. How else are you going to demonstrate that you know what you’re doing and attract the right clients?

This is true.

But if you’re waiting until your website or your branding is perfect before you make any other investment in your business, you are waiting too long.

A beautiful, finished website is not a necessity for getting out there and starting to build your business and make money. Same goes for updating your website if you’re struggling with referrals and closing sales.

Today, I’m going to tell you why and what you need to focus on instead.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why a website is not a sales strategy
The key elements of your business that need your energy long before your website
Why your brand and website will actually resonate only after you’re successfully selling

Resources:

Ep 239: KyAlea Monma: From Corporate Overwork to Entrepreneurial Freedom

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

KyAlea Monma came into No BS Agencies Mastery firing on all cylinders and she has had incredible results with the actions she’s taken. She’s been a consistent example of how it is to show up for yourself, your business, and our community. It’s been truly inspiring to witness her journey and I’m excited for you to hear her story.

KyAlea Monma is a visionary strategist and brand architect, and the founder of HOKU Design Group. With over 20 years of branding expertise, a master’s in media design, and a background leading global teams, she helps founders build bold, magnetic brands rooted in their Brand DNA. Through her Master Brand framework, KyAlea empowers service-based businesses to scale with clarity, influence, and unstoppable momentum—turning ambition into action and action into legacy.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why and how KyAlea rebuilt her business
The problem with niching too soon.
How being part of the No BS community helped KyAlea define her strengths and own her unique approach
How she found her unique voice in a crowded industry
The changes KyAlea made to put more breathing room in her schedule

Learn more about KyAlea Monma:

Resources:

Ep 238: Stop Making It More Complicated Than It Needs To Be

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

I have a sneaking suspicion that we’ve got a fair number of perfectionists in our No BS community. Perfectionism can be an incredible asset. But we, perfectionists, can also get stuck repeating the “right” way of doing something, even when it’s inefficient or overly complicated.

In this episode, I break down how you can simplify your business and free up space in your life.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why complexity doesn’t equal value (and how it can actually hurt your business)
The emotional shift of simplifying your offers (hint: it feels so good)
How clients love simplicity—and why it helps you stand out

Resources:

Ep 237: From Rock Bottom to $500K—And Why We Never Chased It Again

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In 2014, our business collapsed.

Credit cards maxed out. $40,000 in debt. No idea how we were going to get out of that hole.

Flash forward twelve months and Steve and I had generated $500,000 in sales by changing to the No BS Agencies Model. It was a huge milestone for us after we’d struggled so much.

You might have heard me tell that story before. It shows how quickly committing to the right strategy can turn your business around.

What I don’t often share is that we never, ever chased $500K again.

In this episode, I share what happened, why we changed our goals, and why it’s actually a more common experience than you’d think.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The new challenge that comes when you go from not enough money or clients to raking in sales
Why you have to remember your priorities and how you want to live your life when you’re saying yes or no to work
How aiming lower–while still covering your needs–and giving yourself time and space helps your business

Resources:

Ep 236: Jason Knight's Bold Shift From Business Stress to Branding Success

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0500

I’m excited to catch up with one of my favorite students from the early days of No BS Agencies Mastery.

Jason Knight shares his story and how he's used the No BS model to completely transform how he runs his business so that he can live a life of freedom and ease with his family.

Jason Knight amplifies authority. He is a communication expert, branding guru and the owner of AskJasonKnight, an agency helping knowledge experts and speakers make an impact with their ideas by uncomplicating their business from the inside out, all within 30 days.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why running his business under the traditional model was running Jason into the ground
The aha moment that led Jason to making better connections with his audience
How Jason found the sweet spot for his pricing that leaves everyone happy
The key mindset shifts that have dramatically changed Jason’s business and his life

Learn more about Jason Knight:

Resources:

Ep 235: Amira Alvarez on The Core Wounds That Keep Ambitious Women from Achieving Their Dreams

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0500

I know many successful female entrepreneurs who get to certain levels of success but find themselves feeling empty or underwhelmed despite achieving their ambitious goals. I’ve been there myself.

Which is why I’m excited to share my conversation with a dear friend and colleague, Amira Alvarez.

Amira is an absolute powerhouse who has achieved a remarkable five-fold income increase in a single year and has built a multi-million dollar company. But what really makes her special is that she found harmony between ambitiousness, spaciousness, and contentment in her work and life.

This is what she helps others do today. Her methodology for crafting an exquisite life allows the high-achieving women she works with to embrace their inner drive while finding deep fulfillment, and to develop a richer life, inside and out.

Amira Alvarez, founder and CEO of The Unstoppable Woman and host of The Unstoppable Woman podcast, is a celebrated entrepreneur, who inspires already accomplished women to achieve further financial wealth and success while leading fulfilling lives.

Amira challenges the notion that we can't have it all, leading a movement that redefines possibilities, potential, power, and ambition for women.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why tactical moves in your business can only take you so far
The emotional roller coaster of entrepreneurship, including self-sabotage
How the emotional and identity set points we develop in childhood subconsciously impact our businesses as adults
Unlocking the core wounds holding us back
Why Ameera believes it’s easier to make a lot of money than a little money

Learn more about Amira Alvarez:

Resources:

Ep 234: How To Be Seen as an Expert: Niching

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Picking a specific audience to speak to is a fast track to being seen as an expert.

Speaking to a specific audience will help you quickly build authority in that space and stand out from the crowd. Trouble is, most people do it wrong.

We've been talking about how to be seen as an expert by your prospects and clients — even before you’ve built authority online. In this episode, I’m talking about niching. I’ll explain what it really means and share the biggest mistake I see people make.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The best time (and the worst time) to commit to a niche
How to pick a niche (the No BS way)
Why having a niche helps you build authority fast
How a niche helps you stand out to prospects

Resources:

Ep 233: How To Be Seen As An Expert: Your Process

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0500

When you sell anything creative, a client is hiring you to create something custom and new for them, that they’re going to love and that will help them get closer to their goals.

We are asking people to give us their hard-earned cash and trust us. Trust that we're going to show up and do an amazing job. Trust that we’re going to deliver something of value. That's quite a promise.

It's no wonder that prospects are scared about taking a leap of faith and spending large sums of money on hiring us.

So how do they end up trusting us enough to buy?

Tune into this episode to hear:

What helps clients trust in your expertise
How to take control of sales conversations with confidence and clarity
The exact framework I teach to turn six-month projects into two-day intensives (without sacrificing quality)
Real-life stories of businesses that transformed by tightening their process.

Resources:

Ep 232: How To Be Seen As The Expert That You Are: Lead Products

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Wouldn't you love to be seen as an authority figure, a respected expert professional who always has a list of prospects ready to pay the prices that you charge?

This is one of the most common things that we hear from people who join our program, No BS Agency Mastery.

When people don't view you as the expert that you are, you run into all kinds of trouble running your business. Bargaining with people who can’t or don't want to pay what you charge. Clients questioning and pushing back on your work, making projects take twice as long. And struggling to close clients in the first place. It can be incredibly demoralizing and frustrating.

When you think of authority, you might envision someone with a large platform, people with books, speaking engagements, podcasts, tons of followers online. But you don’t have to wait until you’ve built an authority machine out in the world to get the respect–and the pay–that your expertise deserves.

This month, I’ll be sharing strategies that you can implement right now to start building your authority and ability to command the prices you want and run projects that don’t go out of scope and drain your energy and profit.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the traditional proposal process undermines your authority with clients
How the lead product strategy transforms how clients view and value your work—before they hire you.
How I turned a $2,000 logo request into a $20,000 rebranding project by showing up as the expert.

Resources:

Ep 231: Sarah Noel Block on Bringing People Into Your World and Using Events to Grow Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Sarah Noel Block has been thriving inside the Mastery community, implementing our model in her marketing business — showing everyone that even though the model was designed with one to two person branding agencies in mind, the principles can apply to any creative services business.

In this episode, Sarah shares one strategy in particular that anyone could use to support their business: Online Events. Sarah is a master at using online events to bring people into her world, make connections, and generate quality leads. And she tells us how she does it.

Sarah Noel Block has rocked the content world for 16 years. She's supported big shots like apartments.com and Prudential, but her heart lies with small teams. As the creator of the StrategicSpark Workshop, the StrategicStory, and Tiny Marketing Framework, she's a master at helping tiny teams achieve big results. With an award-winning content platform under her belt and features in Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Thrive, Sarah knows her stuff. She's like that favorite teacher who makes learning fun and impactful.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What builds authentic relationships
The tools Sarah uses to bring participants to her events
How to borrow audiences through collaboration to build your network
How Sarah finds the spaces where her dream clients are
How to move from event participant, to prospect, to sale

Learn more about Sarah Noel Block:

Resources:

Ep 230: How to Take Smart Calculated Risks to Grow Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Have you ever missed out on an opportunity because you were scared to take the risk?

We’ve all let chances slip by because of fear at one time or another. Maybe you’ve avoided trying something new or making an investment in your business because you just couldn’t be sure it would work out so why take the risk?

In the last two episodes, I talked about how investing in your business has the best possible ROI you will ever get, and how to break free of your fears around money.

In this episode, let’s talk about how to stop letting fear control your decisions, so that you can take smart, calculated risks that will actually move the needle forward in your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What is not an option if you want your business to grow
The four steps to taking a thoughtful, calculated risk
The value in investments that seem like a failure or a flop
What happens when you take calculated risks

Mentioned:

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, Phil Knight

Resources:

Ep 229: The Greatest ROI: Why Your Business Beats the Stock Market

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0500

If you had $20,000 to invest today, would you put it in the stock market or into your own business?

One of these options could give you a 47% ROI in 5 years, but the other could give you over 1000% ROI. So which option would you choose?

For years, I thought the stock market was the gold standard for building wealth. Until I realized I was sitting on a gold mine of ROI potential: my business.

In the previous episode, I talked about the insecurity, scarcity, and fear that a lot of us feel around money and how simply making more money isn’t what’s going to eliminate that fear. What changes the game is building competence and confidence in your ability to consistently generate money, regardless of the current situation.

To gain that confidence, you have to make investments in yourself and your business.

In this episode, let’s talk about what it really means to invest in yourself and your business..

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the math works: comparing investing in the stock market and investing in your business
How investments in your business compounds in value over time
The mindset shift you need to make about spending money on your business
The only “sure thing” investment there really ever is

Resources:

Ep 228: The Key to Financial Freedom

pia — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Do you worry about money? Are you scared because you don’t have enough? Or maybe you have enough right now but you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and wipe out that stability?

The majority of the people I talk to have been there or are there. And I’ve been there too. I’ve been scared with $40,000 in debt and I’ve been scared with $40,000 in the bank and clients rolling in.

Everybody who works for themselves feels this way at some point and today, I want to talk about why we feel that anxiety and how to free ourselves from that feeling.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why your fear can’t be solved by having a certain amount of money in the bank
The best way to beat anxiety about your finances
The right way to invest in yourself
Why I don’t subscribe to the belief that having no debt is the goal
How I invest in my skills and personal development to benefit my business

Resources:

Ep 227: Our Goal-Setting Process: Soup to Nuts

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0500

How are you going to make this your best year yet?

Every year inside No BS Agencies Mastery, I lead a two-day planning workshop for our students.

If you want to have your best year yet, it’s vital that you envision not only the big picture, but what steps it will take to achieve it.

Today, I’m sharing my vision and planning process, from soup to nuts.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Our approach to identifying “accomplishments”
Two exercises to help you get your big dreams onto the page
How to identify the obstacles and opportunities in your plan
The “Freedom Finder” and why this is crucial
What actually helps you go from your big goal to an action plan

Resources:

BONUS: The Truth About Building Community Programs with Pia Silva

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0500

I was recently a guest on Sara Chambers’s fabulous podcast, Chicks Who Give a Hoot and I loved our conversation. We chatted a lot about Mastery, her experience in it, and talked about other people’s experiences as well. Plus we dug into mindset shifts we’ve both needed to make to be successful in our businesses and lots more.

I wanted to share that conversation here on my feed. I hope you enjoy it and do check out Chicks Who Give a Hoot!

Resources:

Ep 226: Be a Great Boss To Yourself

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Almost all of us have worked for a crappy boss at some point. And even though you have your own business now, you might still be working for one.

Getting away from bad bosses may be one of the reasons you started your own business in the first place. But it is all too easy to end up treating ourselves horribly.

So to close out 2024, I want to talk about how to be a great boss to yourself so you can have the freedom and ease you set out to find.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How old habits and short-term thinking keep us stuck and burned out
One thing we really need from a good boss (and how to give that to ourselves)
How to keep yourself accountable even when things aren’t going exactly to plan
How a great boss deals with mistakes
Why making time for continuous learning and development is related to being a great boss

Resources:

Ep 225: So, 2024 wasn't so great. Here's how I want you to plan for 2025.

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Last week, I talked about how to think about planning your year ahead when you’ve had a wildly successful year.

If you’re looking back at 2024 and feeling like things fell apart instead of coming together, you are not alone. Those same students I talked about last week who had their best years ever have also had years that felt like a total bust.

If things didn’t take off quite the way you hoped and you feel like you worked so hard and don’t have much to show for it, remember, this is the end of the year, not the end of your story. Where you go from here is up to you.

So, let’s talk about planning for 2025 if your year wasn’t so great.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How unrealistic goals and timelines trip us up
The thing about hitting every goal
Planning for the unexpected
The difference between being productive and strategic in your work
How to reflect on 2024 and turn it into a plan to bounce back

Mentioned:

Taki Moore

Resources:

Ep 224: Was 2024 a Great Year? Here's How to Plan for 2025.

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0500

It’s been a year filled with milestone achievements for No BS Mastery students. And the wins aren’t just about bank accounts and booked calendars. It’s taking pottery classes in the middle of the day and bucket list trips across the world and teaming up on a project with a legend in your field. It’s the freedom and flexibility that comes with owning and trusting the No BS process.

So what do you do when you’ve had your best year yet?

If you want to get to the next level, but you don’t want to lose the spaciousness that you’ve found in your life, what do you need to do to achieve those results?

Let’s talk about how to reflect on a big year so you can move into 2025 set up for success as the kind of business owner you want to be.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The common trait that successful agency owners share
Why you need to take time to reflect on the low points of the year, not just the wins
How to find areas of your business that aren’t working and are draining your energy
How to evaluate if you’re ready to scale sustainably
Setting goals and strategizing for the entire upcoming year

Resources:

Ep 223: Jess Dyroff and Katie Koch Jump In Early and Set Their Business on the Right Course From the Start

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Katie Koch and Jess Dyroff are No BS Agencies Mastery success stories. They joined the program soon after they started their business, setting the right course that works for them from the start.

Katie Koch and Jess Dyroff are the founders of Brightside Creative, where they transform nonprofits and mission driven organizations into unforgettable brands, empowering them to put their mission in motion.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Jess and Katie started their business
Why Jess and Katie joined the No BS program so soon after starting their business
How the No BS process made them the trusted partner their clients want
How the No BS model helped Jess and Katie structure their business in a way that works for their business and personal goals

Learn more about Jess Dyroff and Katie Koch:

Resources:

Ep 222: The Boundaries You Set For Yourself

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Let’s see if this sounds familiar: You say yes to everything. You take any project as they come up and you start them as soon as possible. You have too many clients and you’re juggling too much work. You have no work-life balance. And if you’re not up to your eyeballs in client work, you’re stressing and spinning your wheels about the next thing to cross your door.

Burnout is on the horizon.

Last week, we talked about setting boundaries with your clients to successfully manage those expectations and relationships.

In this episode, we talk about something equally important: the boundaries you set for yourself, in your life and in your business that will actually help you grow.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What feeds scarcity and tramples your boundaries
Why you have to protect time to work on your business, separate from client work
The kinds of boundaries you have to set for yourself and your business
The really important thing about small habits

Resources:

Ep 221: The Power of Having Clear Boundaries With Clients

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Many branding agency owners and creative people find dealing with clients very difficult.

In my experience, and after having coached many people through difficult client experiences, I have found that the culprit is almost always lack of clarity around boundaries and expectation management.

Things often go off the rails when you can’t communicate and maintain clear boundaries with clients. That’s when you get urgent after-hours emails. That’s when you get scope creep. That’s how everyone ends up unhappy, you and your clients.

So let's talk about how to have clearer boundaries for yourself and your business and how to communicate those to your clients.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How do you create boundaries and set expectations with clients
How often you need to communicate your process
What ensures project efficiency
What actually happens when you try to be responsive always and please your clients all the time
Why maintaining boundaries around your time makes your clients value it more

Resources:

Ep 220: The Great Thing About Boundaries

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0500

I’ve come to realize that so many people struggle to set and hold boundaries because they are afraid of being perceived negatively.

Whether it’s saying no to a casual invite to a bar when you’d rather not or holding firm to your boundaries in a professional setting, having and communicating clear boundaries can be stressful.

But it is absolutely vital to your business for you to develop this skill.

So that’s what I’m talking about boundaries this month. In this episode, we talk about what boundaries are, why they're so hard to set, and how you can start to practice the art of having them, acknowledging them, and setting them.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What actually allows clients to push your boundaries
What helps create more positive experiences for your clients
How to start identifying areas in your life where you want to have better boundaries and why you don’t
Using low-stakes situations to get more comfortable setting a boundary or saying no

Resources:

Ep 219: Eleanor Hancock on Making the Big Leap, Changing Everything in Their Business, and Finding the Most Valuable Piece of Any Client Project

Pia Silva — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Eleanor Hancock is a star student inside No BS Agencies Mastery and her transformation over the last couple of years has been absolutely phenomenal to watch. She’s an inspiration to me and in the community, and I know you’ll get so much out of hearing her story.

Eleanor Hancock is the co-founder of Number 75 Design, a creative agency that specializes in creating ‘damn fine brands’ and websites for dreamers, rebels, corporate escapees and change-makers. Eleanor’s “75% Rule” encourages action over perfection, helping entrepreneurs discover their hidden potential and take meaningful strides towards their goals.

As a self-proclaimed timid trailblazer and respectful rule-breaker, Eleanor has mastered the art of turning imposter syndrome into a source of strength and she’s all about empowering small businesses to make big waves in their industries.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The state of Eleanor’s business after COVID and before joining the No BS Mastery
Why Eleanor was initially hesitant to join the No BS Mastery
What Eleanor has discovered is the most valuable piece in any client project
How Eleanor and her husband deepened the relationships within the community and their clients
How the Mastery program has also been a catalyst for Eleanor to overcome impostor syndrome

Learn more about Eleanor Hancock:

Resources:

Ep 218: Telling It Like It Is: Hard Truths About Success

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

If you could just make the right social media posts, if you could just make your offer better, if you could just find the people who would pay the high prices, would that make you successful?

What does it really take to be successful as a one to two person branding agency?

Success is about the whole picture: the business you want, the money you want to make and the lifestyle that you want. It’s about experiencing life the way you want to experience it.

This month we're talking all about hard truths that most business coaches are not going to tell you. In this episode, I give you the hard truths about what it takes to be successful.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What is more important than consistency of sales
The non-negotiable action you must get comfortable with if you want to be successful
The importance of setting and holding clear boundaries with clients
Becoming the kind of person who owns the business you want

Resources:

Ep 217: Telling It Like It Is: Hard Truths About Money

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Money. A topic that makes so many people so uncomfortable.

We all have money stories that can negatively impact us. God knows I have spent a lot of time working through those to have a healthier money story and a healthier relationship with money.

So many creatives don’t like talking or even thinking about money. But it is such an important and powerful aspect of your business. If you don’t have a handle on the truth about money and numbers and how it impacts your business and everything else in your life, it can keep you playing really small.

In this episode, I share five hard truths about money that most business coaches won’t tell you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The truth about chasing consistent month-to-month income
When access to capital is more important than profit
The truth that some of your investments in your business will inevitably fail, and what to do when it happens
Why you might not be getting paid what your work is worth
A bonus truth about revenue and profit

Resources:

Ep 216: Telling It Like It Is: Hard Truths About Entrepreneurship

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur these days.

Start your own business! Be your own boss! It might look glamorous from the outside, but small business owners know, the truth isn’t all that.

This month, we’re talking about hard truths most business coaches won’t tell you. And today, I’m going to lay down some hard truths about what it really means to be an entrepreneur.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why being an entrepreneur isn’t for everybody — and that’s okay!
The truth about growth, momentum, and rest
What is inevitable if you go into business for yourself
The thing about giving yourself validation for your work

Resources:

Ep 215: Telling It Like It Is: Hard Truths About Marketing

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Apparently, I have developed something of a reputation for telling it like it is. Students and my friends know that they can expect me to give to them straight.

Sometimes that might come across a little harsh, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think there’s value in giving (and getting) no BS answers. I’ll be honest about what you can expect, what I think you’re doing right, and where I think you need to pivot. And it’s up to you to take that and make your own decisions about how it applies to you and your business.

This month, I’m going to share some of the biggest hard truths that one-to-two person branding agencies need to learn. Once you accept them, it will unburden you from so many challenges and you’ll be able to move forward with more ease.

Today, I’m starting with five hard truths that most business coaches won’t tell you about marketing.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What every killer offers needs
The truth about what “free” marketing costs
The thing you need to have before spending any money on ads
Why you do not need to chase trends trying to go viral on social media

Resources:

Ep 214: Caitlin Lang on Being Ready to Embrace the No BS Way and How it Changed Her Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

I’m excited to share my conversation with a No BS Mastery star student. Caitlin Lang has been an absolute delight to have in our community and it’s been awesome to watch her take action and transform her business.

Today, she shares her journey from the dot com boom to working as a freelance brand designer, to embracing the No BS way after years of struggling with the default way of running a branding agency.

As the founder of Liquid Form Design and hype woman for other female entrepreneurs, Caitlin Lang crafts captivating brands and websites that give her clients the confidence to blast through their business goals.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the intensives model was immediately appealing to Caitlin
The mindset shift that made a major difference in Caitlin’s client relationships
How committing to a niche has made getting referrals and doing outreach far easier and more fruitful
How Caitlin is learning to give herself more space and freedom in her schedule
What surprised Caitlin about the community aspect of joining the No BS program

Learn more about Caitlin Lang:

Resources:

Ep 213: The No BS Way: Following Up

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Following up can not only cost you a lot of time in trying to craft a thoughtful email that will hopefully get a response, it can be emotionally draining and frustrating too. Especially when you need or want the work, it feels like there’s a lot on the line.

This month, we’re talking about the default way that things are done in our industry and The No BS Way.

In this episode, I talk about what the default way gets wrong about trying to get a response from prospective clients and what we do instead.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why a good followup email strips away the BS and gets to the point
What to send if you still haven’t gotten a response and you need to close the loop

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 212: The No BS Way: Scheduling Your Time

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

How do you schedule your day? Do you plan your week out? Do you know what you're working on every single day? Or are you in reactive mode and constantly playing a guessing game for when you’ll hit project milestones?

Been there, done that, and trust me, there is a better way.

This month, we’re talking about the default way that most agencies run their businesses and how the No BS Way can be much more efficient and effective, bringing you the freedom and ease you wanted out of starting your own business.

In this episode, I talk about something that has an immediate impact on how you spend your days: Scheduling.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How intensives simplify your calendar and make scheduling projects a snap
How scheduling “in chunks” gives you time to build your business and live your life
Why the default way of juggling multiple projects at once is creatively and practically inefficient

Resources:

Ep 211: The No BS Way: Retainers

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

A lot of small agency owners learned how to structure and run their businesses from the agencies they’ve worked at in the past.

But what if everyone's doing it in an inefficient, ineffective way?

That’s the conclusion I came to when we found ourselves deep in debt after following the default way things were done.

Now after over a decade of doing it the No BS way and teaching that method to hundreds of people, we've developed our own way of doing almost everything, and it's far from the default of proposals and pitch decks.

This month, I’m talking about some common things that we all have to do as agency owners, and the very different way that we do it inside No BS.

In this episode, I talk about the difference between the traditional retainers model and the No BS way of doing retainers.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How traditional retainers give small agency owners a false sense of financial security
Why retainers are so prone to creating burnout for agency owners
Three rules for handling retainers the No BS way

Resources:

Ep 210: Jeremy Schwartz on How Squarespace Supports Creative Professionals

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

I am a long-time user and proponent of Squarespace for client projects and we’ve used them exclusively for over a decade.

In this episode, I chat with Jeremy Schwartz, Squarespace’s Director of Channel Partner Business, about what makes Squarespace such a powerful tool for creatives and designers and how it can help you build your business.

Jeremy Schwartz is a business leader and Squarespace veteran who conceived, launched, and now manages their channel partner business. When he's not helping creative professionals build sustainable businesses, Jeremy spends his time practicing hot yoga, coparenting his three kids, and getting the most out of living in Brooklyn.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why there will always be a market for professional creatives on Squarespace
How Squarespace helps small businesses create streamlined processes for sustainable success
How the Circle community forums have grown to encompass much more than technical questions

Register for Circle Day 2024:

Squarespace Circle Day 2024: http://circleday.squarespace.com/nobs

Ep 209: Kris Byers: From Frustrated Creative to Positive, Confident Business Owner at the Helm of Horrible Brands

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Today, I’m excited to share a conversation with someone who has been on an absolute rocket ship ride inside No BS Agencies Mastery.

Kris Byers has transformed his business and achieved phenomenal results and become a real leader and inspiration in our community.

So I wanted to talk to him about what exactly he did, how his process changed, and how he’s successfully applying the No BS philosophy to even larger clients with big projects.

Kris Byers is the owner and designer of Horrible Brands, where they use design, strategy, and technology to remove all the horrible things that are holding business owners back, helping them achieve their potential and create a legacy of positivity and progress.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What led Kris to feeling burned out and frustrated
How he built the confidence to trust his business and his pipeline
How an efficient process and transparent pricing is allowing Kris to land clients even huge agencies want
How Kris applies the No BS principles to large jobs with multiple stakeholders
How Kris rebranded his own business and developed his niche based on personality and mindset

Learn more about Kris Byers:

Resources:

Ep 208: Don't Do This: On Niching

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

All this month, I’m talking about some of the most common and frequent mistakes I see people make in their one-to-two person branding agencies.

Today, I want to talk about choosing a niche.

Yes, you need a niche and I love helping businesses find theirs, but it’s not as straightforward as it sounds. Niching is about more than just picking an industry you want to work with.

In this episode, I talk through three big mistakes I see people doing both inside our program and out in the world when it comes to niching.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What is important to have before you commit to a niche
How the size of the businesses you work with impacts your projects and why it matters
How niching early and building your authority helps you go broad later

Resources:

Ep 207: Don't Do This: On Pricing

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I’m digging into some of the mistakes I see one-to-two person branding agencies make over and over again. And today, I want to talk about pricing.

Pricing your services is an art and it’s something people struggle with all the time inside the No BS Mastery program and out in the world. It also happens to be one of my favorite things to help people reconsider and fix so that they can build successful, sustainable businesses full of the flexibility and freedom they desire.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you should never base your pricing on what you think someone can pay–even if they gave you a budget number
Why looking to the market to set your rates is a lost cause
Why you need to be flexible on your pricing when you’re starting out and/or need cash and clients

Resources:

Ep 206: Don't Do This: On Selling

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

When you spend a lot of time working with one market, you start to notice patterns.

I’ve worked with hundreds of one-to-two person branding agencies over the last few years, and I see people make the same mistakes over and over again. No matter how we address it in our curriculum, or how many times I talk about it, there are certain things that people in our industry gravitate towards doing that aren’t doing them any favors.

This month, I want to dig into some of the mistakes I see people make all the time, in our program and out in the world, that I think you should avoid at all costs.

Today, we’re going to talk about three things you absolutely should not do when selling.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you should never send an email pitch for your services
How a Fit-Call eliminates being salesy and puts you in control
Why you shouldn’t talk about services before they’ve answered all of your questions

Resources:

Ep 205: Erika Stanley on Launching a Business During the Pandemic, Unlearning Agency Practices, and Going the No BS Way

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Today, I’m sharing a conversation with one of my star students-turned coaches, Erika Stanley.

Erika has truly mastered the No BS model. She's done an amazing job finding more freedom, space, and enjoyment in her life in a way that I know so many entrepreneurs wish they could. She’s also become a highly-valued and much-loved member of our No BS community.

In this conversation, she shares her story of going from agency employee to No BS owner.

Erika Stanley is the Founder, CEO, and AI Evangelist at Mile End Digital, and she's on a mission to help small business owners lead with their values and make a difference in the world. With almost 20 years in the industry and now in her fourth year of business, Erika blends heartfelt storytelling with cutting-edge technology to create a digital presence that’s both genuine and competitive. Erika’s mantra: Live your truth, make a difference, and dive into every adventure life throws your way.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The agency habits and processes Erika had to unlearn when she struck out on her own
How Erika realized she needed help leading clients confidently through projects
What helped dramatically improve Erika’s efficiency and helped level up her creativity
What money mindset shifts Erika needed to make going from an agency salary to agency owner
How the No BS model has brought Erika financial and time freedom and flexibility

Learn more about Erika Stanley:

Resources:

Ep 204: My Motivations: Why I Built a Training Program

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

“If you can make $30,000 or more in just a few days of branding work with Worst of All Design, why would you ever start a training program?”

This month, I’m talking about my why. Why I do what I do, what motivates me, and what has made me the business owner I am today.

And today, I’m going to answer one of my most frequently asked questions. Why start No BS Agencies Mastery?

It’s a fair question and I’m going to share how I got from successfully running my own agency, to sharing our method, and how it all ties back to creating meaningful impact in the lives of others.

Tune into this episode to hear:

My slow realization that teaching the No BS model could be my unique way of creating positive impact for others
Why it matters to me that the No BS program impacts more than just students’ bottom lines
How running a business helping small agency owners helps me invest in other causes I care deeply about

Resources:

Ep 203: My Motivations: The Bigger Mission

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Sometimes people ask me, “If you’re so successful in your agency, why are you doing this training program?”

To really answer that, we’ll have to rewind a bit, to my introduction to the concepts of microlending and social entrepreneurship, and how they taught me that seemingly small actions could have major positive impacts.

Continuing this month’s series on connecting with your “why” and getting clear on your motivations, today I’m going to share how my mission to create meaningful impact has shown up in my life and work over the years.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How I was introduced to and got invested in social entrepreneurship
How I realized that the nonprofit world wasn’t for me, but I still wanted to have an impact
Why I found it’s key to play to my strengths and what I love doing in service of my greater mission

Resources:

Ep 202: My Motivations: Why I Do What I Do

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

There’s a daily journaling exercise that I suggest to everyone who joins No BS Agencies Mastery.

There are four questions in the exercise, and it takes as little as five minutes to complete, but one question in particular is critical for success: Why are you doing this?

There is no right or wrong answer, and your response might change every day. There are a lot of reasons to build a business. But the key is connecting with your motivations.

This month, I’m going to talk about the big “why” and how it’s so powerful for keeping you going through the tough times. I’ll be sharing my own personal and professional journey getting clear on why I’m doing what I do.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How connecting with your why every day helps you through the ups and downs of starting and running a business
How I realized that some of my best, most satisfying work has been as a facilitator
Why I’m so passionate about helping others find their confidence

Resources:

Ep. 200: Critical Mindset Shifts for No BS Agency Owners: Ease

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Does your business ever stress you out?

Silly question, right? Of course it does!

Being a business owner can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming. The responsibility can be heavy and when things aren’t going well, it can feel like your entire world is imploding. I know I’m not the only one who’s been brought to tears with stress and frustration and worry in the course of running a business.

So what’s the opposite of crying at the kitchen table?

Peace. Ease. Even if you haven’t quite articulated it, that’s really what we’re all hoping for. We want to feel at ease in our businesses, no matter what’s going on at any particular moment.

And achieving that sense of ease is what I want to talk about today, because it’s one of the most crucial mindset shifts you can make.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Three key elements of creating ease in your business
Why your habitual feelings of stress and overwhelm might be lying to you
Why you need to make actionable habits out of your plans and goals
How to break out of the employee mindset and think about revenue annually, not month to month
Why true ease has nothing to do with what’s in your bank account

Resources:

Ep 199: Critical Mindset Shifts for No BS Agency Owners: Freedom

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

When you decided to hang your own shingle and be your own boss, did you imagine that you’d finally have the kind of freedom and flexibility that you never did as an employee?

But how much freedom do you actually feel? Are you tied to your business at all hours, constantly answering emails, afraid to leave your phone or laptop for even a day?

If that’s you, you are not alone. It’s a phase of business that everyone goes through, and the only way out is through clear, intentional action to change the way you do business.

Today, I want to talk about three mindset shifts you have to make if you want to stop being constantly tethered to your business and start having the freedom you’re looking for.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to build real freedom into your schedule
Why freedom is a mindset as much as it is time in your schedule
The relationship between profitability and freedom

Resources:

Ep 198: Critical Mindset Shifts for No BS Agency Owners: Profit

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

If you’ve been running your business for a while and still feeling underpaid and overworked —you are not alone.

There are three things that most people are looking for when they decide to build a No BS Agency: Profit, Freedom, and Ease. We can teach them all of our strategies, tactics, and action plans to make that happen. But none of it will work unless they are able and willing to make some critical mindset shifts.

This month, I’m digging into those mindset shifts. Today, we're talking about the shifts you need to make when you think about profit.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How we define profitability within the No BS Agency framework
Why you have to separate value delivered from hours worked
Why your highest-priced offer isn’t necessarily your most profitable
Why and how to say no to unprofitable projects

Resources:

Ep 197: Ben Guttmann on Why Certain Messages Work and How to Design Them

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

What makes messaging stick?

Today, I’m digging into that question with marketing and communications expert, Ben Guttmann. Plus we’ll talk about his experience of growing and then selling an agency, and the opportunities that have opened up as a result.

Ben Guttmann is a marketing and communications expert and author of Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win–and How to Design Them. He’s an experienced marketing executive and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. Ben is former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast NBCUniversal, The Nature Conservancy, and other major clients. Currently, Ben teaches digital marketing at Baruch College in New York City and consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The story behind the sale of Ben’s agency
The intangible benefits of having taken an agency through a sale
Five key qualities of simply, effective messaging
What we can learn about effective messaging from political campaign slogans
Why designers need to remember that design is first and foremost about business

Learn more about Ben Guttmann:

Resources:

Ep 196: FAQ: "But Pia, How Long Will It Take to Build My Authority Machine?"

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I’ve been talking about the value of building an Authority Machine, what it is, what it can give you and your business, and what you need to focus on to make it successful.

So at this point you might be asking yourself, “So how long is this going to take?”

Here’s the truth: It’s not simple, fast, or free. Building an Authority Machine that produces results takes time, effort, and consistency that isn’t accessible to everyone.

That might sound discouraging, but I actually think it’s part of what makes an Authority Machine such an impactful asset for your business.

So today, I’m going to explain why “how long does it take,” is the wrong question

Tune into this episode to hear:

The difference between creating content and building authority
Why there is no one guaranteed timeline to building your Authority Machine
Key skills that are part of building authority
How having a community around you is so beneficial to sticking through the process

Resources:

Ep 195: What Nobody Understands About Building the Authority Machine

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Over the years, I have taken a lot of people through the process of building their Authority Machine.

One of the most common reasons people get stuck or can’t even begin is the thought that they don’t have anything new, unique or interesting to add. Others know what they want to say, but feel like an imposter and not successful “enough” to share their point of view.

But there’s a big secret that no one knows and almost everyone has a hard time understanding when they first get going on building their Authority Machine.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How building an Authority Machine hones your process and your voice
What actually builds your authority
Why waiting to become an authority before creating the Authority Machine isn’t a good strategy
Why using AI will never help you build your authority

Resources:

Ep 194: FAQ: How Can An Authority Machine Lead To Stability and Freedom in Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Most entrepreneurs I meet built their businesses because they want more agency over their lives. They want to make more money and have more freedom over how they spend their time.

And yet, starting a small business usually comes with anything but financial freedom and stability, at least at first. But once you nail down your processes you’ll start to feel like you’re the boss of your business instead of being employed by it. That’s what the first two phases of building a No BS Agency are all about.

The third phase, building your Authority Machine, is really the key to building long-term stability.

The reason I love teaching people how to build an Authority Machine is because I have personally experienced just how much financial independence and freedom the Authority Machine grants you.

Today, I share how an Authority Machine can give you the freedom and independence you want.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How an Authority Machine does the heavy lifting of bringing in and nurturing leads
How your Authority Machine leverages supply and demand to allow you to consistently raise your prices
How an Authority Machine builds an audience large enough to diversify your income streams

Resources:

Ep 193: FAQ: What Exactly is an Authority Machine and How Do We Start One?

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Everybody wants to be seen as an authority or an expert, whether you use those words or not.

Why? Because being seen as an expert or an authority is what allows you to continuously raise your prices, sell more and more profitable projects, and achieve higher and higher levels of freedom and ease in your business and your life.

Inside Mastery, we talk about building an Authority Machine as the third phase of building a No BS Agency. So this month, I’m going to tackle the most common questions I get about it, starting with, “What is an authority machine, anyway?”

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why an Authority Machine is not the same thing as creating content
The three main elements of an Authority Machine
Why your point of view has to be unique and specific, now more than ever
How an Authority Machine brings people into your orbit for the long haul
Why building an Authority Machine is the last step in the No BS process

Resources:

Ep 192: Sara Chambers Levels Up Her Business and Goes From Good To Great

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Today I’m talking with one of my star students turned No BS Mastery coach, Sara Chambers, about ditching proposals, committing to the No BS process even through bumpy times, and how she’s been able to up level her business since joining the program.

Sara Chambers loves collaborating, community, and coffee. Alliteration is clearly her favorite literary device and she’s a fierce advocate for the Oxford comma. Before Sara founded Elly and Nora, she spent the greater part of her career helping non-profits, authors, and lifestyle brands in marketing, public relations, communications, and everything in between. She is passionate about helping her clients achieve results that grow their income and ultimately their impact.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the lead product process helps Sara build trust and rapport with clients
The “hole” Sara fell into when her retainer work slowed down
How Sara went from “Who am I to charge that?” to embracing value-based pricing

Learn more about Sara Chambers:

Resources:

Ep 191: FAQ: "But Pia, What if I do the work and the client hates it?"

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

What happens if the client hates the work you bring to their Intensive?

Presenting your work to a client is always a little nerve wracking. You’ve put time and effort and love into it and it’s hard not to take it personally when the client isn’t excited about it.

So of course when I tell people that we do entire branding projects in one-to-three day intensives, their biggest question is, “What happens when the client hates the work?”

Let’s break this down.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What it really means when the client accepts or rejects your work
The key process that minimizes (and practically eliminates) the risk that clients will reject your work
The magic of the Magic Hour
Why you shouldn’t ask your clients, “What do you think?” and what you need to do instead

Resources:

Ep 190: FAQ: "But Pia, can you actually do quality work in an intensive?"

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Can you actually do quality work, bespoke custom brands and websites and amazing copy in an intensive? For real?

Today I’m going to break down the three major assumptions behind that question. Because absolutely yes, you can do quality, custom work in an intensive, and I wouldn’t do it any other way.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the time your clients pay for is not the hours you put into each project
How intensives allow you to immerse yourself in one project at a time and lead to better work
Why you don’t want to give clients a ton of time to consider the work
Why laboring over a project doesn’t always make the end result better

Resources:

Ep 189: Intensives 101: What Exactly Is It and How Exactly Do You Do It

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

How do we put a stop to dragging project timelines and scope creep? Intensives.

Intensives are a core piece of the No BS model that I talk about on this podcast and inside our No BS Agency Mastery program. But a lot of people have preconceived notions about what intensives are and what they aren't.

So today I want to tell you exactly what intensives are and how they can help your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How intensives stop scope creep, client indecision, and dragging timelines
What 1-3 days means on the client side and on your side of the equation
Why the lead product to intensive model makes clients actually excited to say yes to your work
How we deliver intensives

Resources:

Ep 188: Chris Do Drops Truth Bombs on What It Takes to Play on the Big Stage

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Chris Do is a major name in the industry with a massive following across social media and YouTube.

And while we have very different philosophies about scale and how we work with clients, there actually is a lot of overlap between Chris’s methodology and the No BS way.

So we had plenty to talk about during this conversation that I’m so excited to share with you today.

Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The difference between being a soloist and a conductor in your business
Chris’ recommended hiring approach as your first hire
How to go from being an order-taker to developing strategy
Why designers need to become aware of their cognitive biases
How to overcome clients seeing hiring you as a risk
How to build real clout

Learn more about Chris Do:

The Futur
TikTok: @thechrisdo
YouTube: @thefutur
Instagram: @thechrisdo

Resources:

Ep 187: FAQ: "But Pia, I tried networking and I didn't get anything out of it!"

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Picture this: You get all dressed up and drag yourself to a networking event. You spend a couple of hours meeting people. Maybe you have a few nice conversations. You leave at the end of the night exhausted and wondering why you even went to the event and if there was any value in it.

Last week I talked about how connecting with people in real life and building your network is the go-to strategy for finding new leads for your business, especially in the first couple of years.

But maybe you’ve tried it and you felt like it just didn’t work and wasn’t worth the effort.

Today, I want to talk about why it didn’t work for you and what you can do to change your approach so that when you make the effort to connect with people, it really will translate into prospects and sales.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Setting the right expectations for meeting people who are the right fit for you in any given event
All the things you need to be crystal clear about to be “memorable
Why you need a clear, specific ask and a commitment to following up
How to make the most of the connections you made

Resources:

Ep 186: FAQ: "But Pia, Where Do I Find The Leads?"

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

“How do I get leads?”

It’s the million dollar question. When you have a business, you need sales. To make sales, you need leads. And finding them is probably the biggest challenge that small business owners face.

Maybe right now you’re taking whatever work you can get and relying on referrals to bring in new business. But when you rely on referrals, you have no idea when the next one is going to show up and you have no control over your business or how much money you make. Which means you’re stressed out all the time.

So how do you stop relying on referrals and start finding leads? That’s what I’m talking about today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why different lead generation tactics are required at different stages of your business
Why you have to get comfortable building your network and letting people know you exist, sorry introverts
The key to closing more sales
The right time to start your authority machine (and why jumping the gun doesn’t usually work)

Resources:

From The Archives: How Do You Sell Something That All Your Competitors Are Giving Away for Free?

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Back by popular demand, here's an episode that answers a question I get asked all the time.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to use a lead product to stop doing proposals and start getting paid
How to create a lead product that is clear, actionable and valuable for your clients
Why a lead product sets you apart as the expert even in a sea of free proposals
Why signaling that your time is valuable from the outset means less client sticker shock and more free time to really develop your business

Resources:

Ep 185: Marsha Shandur: A Masterclass On Storytelling

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

If the idea of selling and asking people to buy from you makes you nervous, this one’s for you.

My guest today is going to explain how storytelling takes the ick out of making sales, through what she calls “ethical persuasion.” No tricks, no gimmicks, no bait and switch. Just connecting with your clients over the issues they’re facing and how you can help.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How storytelling and ethical persuasion help you make sales and build solid relationships with your clients
How to connect deeper and make people feel like they’re not alone.
How to find clients who are the right fit using more “human” language
The difference between telling an effective story and chatting with your friends
How to make prospective clients feel like you really heard and understood them

Learn more about Marsha Shandur:

Resources:

Ep 184: You're Already a Badass: Loving Yourself As You Build Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

For our final episode of love month, I want to switch gears from talking about client love to a different kind of love: self-love.

Building a business is freaking hard. Why else would there be so much content geared towards making it easier?

As you’re growing a business, it’s so easy to feel like you’re never doing enough, you’re never doing it right. And that can take a toll on your self-esteem.

Today, I want to talk about how to show yourself some love, even when things aren’t perfect.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why constantly nitpicking and criticizing your work doesn’t help your business
Why you have to accept that there will always be new challenges–and new failures
Why unhooking your self-worth from your business is so important

Resources:

Ep 183: Love Bank: Withdrawals You Must Avoid

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

In honor of February, the month of love and Valentine’s Day, we’re talking about generating love and goodwill with your clients.

In the first episode of this series, I introduced the love bank, or as I call it, the trust bank — that is the bank of goodwill that you build with anyone that you’re in a relationship with, clients included. Last week, I talked about different ways you can make deposits into that bank to strengthen your relationship with your clients so that they love and trust you.

In this episode, I’m diving into the other side of that coin: withdrawals.

Let’s dig into what they are, especially the ones that aren’t so obvious, and why you need to avoid them whenever humanly possible.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How communication can build your love bank up, or draw it down
How boundaries can set you up for deposits or withdrawals
The importance of making it super easy for potential clients to connect with you
How to set your deadlines to ensure you don’t inadvertently make a withdrawal
Simple things to strengthen your relationship with your clients

Resources:

Ep 182: Love Bank: Let's Talk Deposits

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Who doesn't want their client to love them and all the work that they do?

This month we are talking about client love.

Last week I explained the concept of the love bank and how it applies to how we build relationships with our clients so that they absolutely love and trust us. Because love and trust go hand in hand.

In this episode, I talk about what it looks like to make deposits and give you some ideas of the easiest ways to make deposits into your client's love bank so that they are overflowing with trust and your clients love working with you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How setting, communicating, and meeting specific expectations builds up your love bank
The right time to deliver anything
How to build trust during and after any client calls
Two ways to build authentic connection with your clients
Why it’s important to create opportunities to build trust as early as possible

Resources:

Ep 181: The Love Bank in Your Client Relationships: The Concept of Deposits and Withdrawals

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

February is the month of red hearts and candy and chocolates and showering the people you love with affection.

On that note, I wanted to talk this month about something called the “love bank”.

The love bank is a concept that actually came from a book on romantic relationships, but it can be applied to any of the relationships in your life, including with your clients.

Today I’m laying out what the love bank is, how it works, and how it applies to your relationships with your clients.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What makes us deposits and withdrawals with our clients, and why these two aren’t equal
How we make deposits and withdrawals with our clients
How building up deposits in the love bank contributes to client trust

Resources:

Ep 180: Kelly O'Connell: From No Business, No Niche to a Profitable Business in Eighteen Months

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0500

I’m excited to introduce you to an incredible addition to the No BS Mastery community and a shining example of what’s possible for any small branding agency.

When she started with the program, Kelly had barely started with her agency. She’s made amazing leaps and bounds since then, and we’re going to dig into her journey today.

Kelly O’Connell is the Founder of the Kind & Funny Brand Shop, where she builds dope-ass brands and iconic marketing for small businesses ready to grow. Her superpower is combining empathy and design excellence to showcase the unique brilliance of her clients. Embracing the No BS approach has allowed her to transform her life and own her mission of making the world a better place through authenticity and kindness.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Kelly’s journey from leaving her museum job through building a sustainable business in 18 months
How Kelly made a niche out of the kind of people she wants to work with, not the industry they’re in
How having developed confidence in the LP process and the creation of the brief helped Kelly land a big new client
Why Kelly believes in really celebrating the wins along the way

Learn more about Kelly O’Connell:

Kind and Funny
Instagram: @bekindandfunny

Resources:

Ep 179: What Does It REALLY Take To Be Seen As An Expert

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Being seen and hired as an expert is the holy grail. It's how you get paid top dollar. It's how you work with clients in a way where the project is easy, where they trust you, where they go along with your work.

A client hires you to rebrand their business, to build them a website, and they let you take the lead. They listen to what you say. They say yes to the work you show them.

That’s the dream, right? But it's the opposite of what we've all experienced when we first started our businesses.

So what does it take to be seen as an expert, a trusted advisor, to really be seen as a professional so that clients really listen to you and take your direction?

Tune in to find out!

Tune into this episode to hear:

The importance of playing the long game of building social proof and your authority machine
The role your process plays in helping clients see you as an expert
How to develop trust by asking the right questions
How to use the “fit call” to demonstrate expertise

Resources:

Ep 178: How to Raise Your Prices When Your Clients Won't Pay As Much

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0500

I see so much content out there telling people to charge more. "You're worth more! Charge what you're worth! Raise your prices!"

But what if your clients are unlikely to have the budget for a higher price? How can you charge more if you’re already having a hard time closing clients at your current prices?

What are you really supposed to do?

I get these questions all the time, and the answer isn’t as simple as you think.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the advice to raise your prices isn’t for everyone, and can actually hurt your business
What factors impact how much you can or should be charging
What really matters when it comes to how much your clients will be willing to pay
Key steps towards confidently and successfully raising your prices

Resources:

Ep 177: Make 2024 Your Best Year Yet

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0500

At any moment, we can change direction. But we don't often think about it because we’re busy or consumed by what we’re doing.

January is a great time to consider what we're doing and where we're headed, and where we may need to make a change.

Today, I want to take a minute to reflect on what we’ve done, how far we’ve come, and where we want to go next. I’m going to share things I do every year to make sure that my years keep getting better and better.

So much possibility and opportunity is in front of us as we step into 2024. What are you going to do with it?

Tune into this episode to hear:

The 2-day process that Steve and I follow every year to reflect and set goals for the year ahead
The start, stop, keep exercise that helps us shape how we’re spending our time
How we set freedom goals
How I set intentions for every aspect of my life, not just my business

Resources:

Ep 176: Philip Morgan on the Road to Developing True Expertise and the Risks of Becoming a Category of One

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0500

I’m thrilled to share a conversation I had recently with returning guest, Philip Morgan.

Philip Morgan's work on specialization, cultivating expertise, and monetizing IP helps independent consultants thrive. His Expertise Incubator program helps indie consultants cultivate expertise, a point of view, and IP. His book, The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants has helped thousands transform their businesses.

In this episode, we dove into what it means to be a category of one, the risks involved, and why service businesses struggle with this common advice.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The risks of creating a whole new category for yourself
The unique challenges for service businesses versus product businesses
The difference between positioning and differentiation, and why you need both
Why true expertise requires balancing confidence, uncertainty, and communication

Learn more about Philip Morgan:

Resources:

Ep 175: What I'm Excited About in 2024

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0500

A couple of weeks ago, I shared behind the scenes stories of how we built the No BS Agencies Mastery program, and last week I shared some of our big wins along with wins from students.

In this episode, I’m looking ahead and sharing what’s in store for 2024.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why we’re focusing on continuous improvement for No BS Agencies Master
Our plans for the May 2024 No BS retreat
How we’re growing our community and educational opportunities in 2024
What we’re planning for our next-level students who have owned the process and built their authority

Resources:

Ep 174: Celebrating A Year of Wins

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0500

In honor of the holidays and the end of the year, I thought I would do something a little different this month and talk about the year in review.

Last week, I took you behind the scenes and looked back on what it took to build the No BS Mastery program.

Today, I'm feeling pretty festive, and I thought I would share some of the biggest wins that we've had inside Mastery in 2023.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Three major ways we invested time, money, and energy that seriously paid off for us and our Mastery students
Some big student wins from our in-person retreats in New York and Miami
How our students are killing it with lead products and intensives

Resources:

Ep 173: Behind The Scenes: Building the No BS Mastery Program

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0500

The No BS Mastery Program is about to celebrate its three year anniversary. So, this month, I want to share some behind-the-scenes details about the origins of the program, what it took to build and grow it, and celebrate some of our wins with you.

In this episode, I share the backstory of No BS Mastery, how and why I started it, and why I decided to go all in on it.

In addition, I’ll also share some key lessons I learned in the process — insights that I know will help you if you ever consider offering a one-to-many program (e.g., a course, etc.) in a profitable way.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What we learned the hard way about building and marketing a course
Investments that I made up front in order to figure out how to profitably sell a course
Why I completely overhauled my business, even after we had started selling the course
Key differences marketing and selling a done-for-you services and one-to-many offerings
What you need to do before creating a one-to-many service offering
The key lessons I learned and skills I had to build to transition into a new business model

Resources:

Ep 172: Carl Wilson on Implementing the No BS Agency Model in a Larger Organization With Multiple Decision Makers

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we explore if the No BS Model can be implemented in larger organizations with larger projects with multiple decision makers (Spoiler Alert: YES) and how it can be successfully executed and tweaked for best results.

I had the pleasure of working with Carl Wilson and his partners at Luum Studio inside No BS Mastery and he’s going to share his experience applying the No BS principles to a 3-person agency that tends to work with larger clients.

Carl Wilson is one part coach, one part design thinker, on a mission to help turn big ideas into favorite brands. With a knack for translating the complex into the actionable, Carl empowers entrepreneurs and business owners to imagine solutions that are both distinct and meaningful. Along with his partners at Luum Studio, Carl believes the opportunities to create a better world are all around us—they just have to be designed.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the partners of Luum Studio got together and started the company
How Carl communicates the value of the process and a shorter timeline to potential clients
How Luum’s lead product naturally translates into their Intensives process
Why Carl says it’s key to bring clients along on the journey with you to build trust
How the intensive model actually makes working with multiple stakeholders easier

Learn more about Carl Wilson:

Luum Studio
Instagram: @carlswilson, @helloluum

Resources:

Ep 171: Didn't Meet Your Goals This Year? Here's What I Want You To Do.

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0500

It’s that time of the year when many of us are starting to look at what we’ve accomplished during the year. And you may be realizing you’re not going to hit the financial goals that you set for yourself.

About the same time last year, I recorded an episode where I talked about the three things I want you to do to put your situation in perspective, and to set yourself up for success for next year.

In honor of the holidays, I’m pulling it out of the archives as it’s just as applicable this year as it was last year. Enjoy.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to not let one disappointing number paralyze you
The difference between motion and action when it comes to your business and goals
How to give yourself a reality check about the opportunities you have in your business
How to set yourself up for success in the new year

Resources:

Ep 170: The Trap That Retainer Clients Often Create (And How To Avoid It)

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0500

This month, I’m sharing the pitfalls of chasing after retainer clients as a one to two person branding agency.

Today, I’m sharing a story that illustrates just how much relying on retainers can negatively impact your business, even when it looks like you’re successful on paper.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How sudden drop offs in retainer clients can tank your income
How retainer clients can distract you from building a reliable pipeline
The outsourced employee trap of working on retainer
How a project-based model allows you to build a more sustainable business

Resources:

Ep 169: The Thing About a Retainer Clients Business Model That Could Kill You (And How To Fix It)

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Whenever I rail against retainer clients, I get comments from people swearing that the model works for them. And that’s great if it does!

But in my experience, for one to two person branding agencies, the retainer model creates huge headaches.

All month, I’m talking about why the retainer model doesn’t work, and why project-based work offers more flexibility, more freedom, and more profit for your agency.

Today, I’m digging into the business structure of retainer clients model and what about this structure is problematic particularly for one to two person agencies.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How retainer clients can trample boundaries and treat you like a glorified employee
Why retainers can make sense for larger agencies
How the No BS Agencies Model helps you build a sustainable business whether you want to stay small or grow a team

Resources:

Ep 168: Why Building A Business Based On Retainer Clients Is Riskier Than You Think

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0400

As a small business owner, retainer clients might seem like the holy grail. They pay you every month and all you have to do is show up and do the work. You don’t have to worry about getting new clients because you have a steady income from your retainer clients.

Right?

Wrong.

Relying on retainer clients actually puts your business at financial risk. This month, I’m talking about why this model is so risky and what you should be doing instead.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How retainer clients undermine your ability to build a sustainable, resilient business
Why you can’t rely on retainer contracts to keep money coming in
What you really need to do to build a reliable business

Resources:

Ep 167: The No BS Agency Mastery Isn’t For You If…

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

In this podcast, I'm always talking about different strategies and tactics that I've used inside my No BS Agency, and how I teach this to other people inside our program, No BS Agency Mastery.

This month, I’ve been laying it all out there, sharing the details of the program. In this final episode of the series, I'm digging into who isn't a perfect fit for the program.

The truth is, you won’t get the results you’re looking for or that we’re promising if the program isn't for you. So, let's talk about it.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The five key traits of small business owners who won't be a perfect fit for Mastery.
What we focus on and teach in the program
Our #1 rule

Resources:

Ep 166: Are You A Perfect Fit for the No BS Agency Mastery?

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

You’ve heard me mention the No BS Agency Mastery Program on the podcast, and maybe you’ve wondered, “What the heck is she talking about?”

This month, I’m pulling back the veil and sharing high-level details about the program for those of you who are curious. I’ll also talk about who would be a perfect fit for us and who wouldn’t be.

Today, I’m sharing who would be a perfect fit for the program. Who are the kind of people who would benefit the most from implementing our model and are a great fit for our community?

Tune into this episode to hear:

What I mean when I say “one-to-two person branding agency”
How we help people realize the potential of their strategic thinking
The 5 characteristics of entrepreneurs who are the perfect fit for Mastery

Resources:

Ep 165: What is No BS Agency Mastery

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

I often mention our program, No BS Agency Mastery on the show. And you may be wondering what I am talking about!

Maybe you do know a little bit but you’re not sure what would make someone a great fit or not. Maybe you’re curious if it’s for you, but you don’t want to get on a phone call to find out.

So this month, I’m pulling back the veil and sharing some high-level details about the program.

Today, I want to answer the basic question, what exactly is the No BS Agency Mastery program?

Tune into this episode to hear:

The three-step framework we teach in the No BS Agency Mastery program
How the No BS Agency Mastery program teaches you to scale your profit
How the program will help you unhook from the day-to-day grind and increase your freedom
How we teach you to generate more ease
How the program is delivered and what you get when you enroll

Resources:

Ep 164: Leilani Wells on Creating Engaging and Creative Social Media Content That Shows Your Personality

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

To have a successful small business, you need to be seen. You have to make sure that you can be seen by your prospects if you want them to know you then like, trust, and ultimately hire you.

My guest, Leilani Wells, is the perfect person to talk about, not only how to be seen, but in what context we’d like to be seen.

Leilani Wells is a Visibility Expert and Brand Manager specializing in social media marketing, video content creation, and getting you SEEN. She is especially known for her signature program, "GET SEEN."

Leilani has the ability to recognize the magnitude of your gifts and capabilities almost instantly. After identifying her clients potential, she guides them to it, increasing their confidence and clarity along the way.

Leilani's clients are recognized throughout social media platforms and online. Their gifts are amplified in the process, and in turn, they get to enjoy a more fulfilling business experience.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What it takes to pre-plan and create a year’s worth of content
How Leilani sets up a whole calendar of content with her clients
The reason your video background matters
Why you need to know what your goals are for your content before you hop on a viral trend

Learn more about Leilani Wells:

Resources:

Ep 163: Keys to Eliminating Revisions: Show The Finished Product

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Getting clients to approve creative work on the spot isn’t just a time saver. It’s how it should be if you’re doing your job well.

If you are putting in the strategic and creative thinking behind your work, there’s no reason why you should go back and forth with a client.

This month, I’m talking about the different ways that we make sure clients are getting the highest level of service, the best value, and the best custom work that we can offer, ALL while eliminating the revisions process.

It saves time, it saves hassle, and it’s a core tenet of the No BS model.

This week, I’m sharing the third and final key to eliminating the revisions process and that is only showing your clients a finished product.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why asking for input on the creative direction doesn’t work
How we use principles of Gestalt design to get clients to see the big picture of their brand
How piecemeal decision making turns into a total time suck for your projects
How the magic hour process makes decisions easier for your client

Resources:

Ep 162: Keys to Eliminating Revisions: Flush Out All Ideas From The Beginning

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

No doubt, being able to limit all client projects to two rounds of revisions would already be a huge relief.

But what if you could get rid of the revisions process entirely? That’s what I’m talking about this month: how to eliminate revisions so that you can shrink your timelines and deliver amazing work using an Intensives model.

There are three things you’ll need in order to make this work, and today, I’m talking about the second key: flushing out all of the ideas right from the very beginning.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What it takes to really understand your clients’ goals at a deeper level
What happens when you don’t suss out the details, even if you’ve worked with a client before
How the Lead Product process helps you get to the deeper information you need
Why taking every client through this process builds authority and trust

Resources:

Ep 161: Keys to Eliminating Revisions: Present All Your Work Live

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

One of the core tenets of the No BS Model is delivering projects in an intensive model.

If you’ve worked the traditional way, you’re used to doing an entire brand and website over the course of three months, six months, sometimes over a year and the No BS Model gets that timeline down to just a couple of days.

How do you possibly do this and still be effective, deliver high value, and have clients who are happy with a truly custom brand and website that they can be proud of?

You have to cut one of the biggest pieces of BS from the traditional model: revisions.

This month, I want to talk about the different ways the No BS Model almost entirely eliminates revisions and how we get clients to say yes on the spot to entire brands and websites.

If you’re used to running your projects the traditional way, you’re probably pretty suspicious right now. But I promise you, it works, and I’m going to break down how we not only get clients to say yes, but to do it happily.

In this episode, we focus on the first key: presenting your entire work live.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Three key concepts that you need to nail down to eliminate revisions
Why you shouldn’t send work over email
How to lead your client through the work live so that they say yes
One of the big reasons why clients come back with revisions, and how presenting live avoids it

Resources:

Ep 160: Terri Trespicio Challenges and Drops Truth Bombs About Following Your Passion

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

How many times have we heard that we need to find and follow our passion?

What if that wasn’t true?

Today, I’m talking with Terri Trespicio about why you shouldn’t chase after having a passion, the question you need to ask yourself instead, and making intentional choices so you can live your life and career on your own terms.

Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, and the author of Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life that Matters to You, which the Washington Post called one of the best feel-good reads of the year. Her TEDx talk, “Stop Searching for Your Passion,” has been viewed nearly 8 million times. Terri helps leaders, professionals, business owners, thought leaders and more stop searching for their passion and start making things happen. Her courses, workshops and retreats help you unlock your creative genius to fuel your stand out ideas.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How insecurity gets in the way of doing the real work of helping people
Why you need to ask yourself what problems you want to solve
How following what you’re good at can lead to career fulfillment
How passion gets too much credit in success stories
How to ask yourself why you want to pursue a goal to get to the bottom of the desire

Learn more about Terri Trespicio:

Resources:

Ep 159: Iron Mike Steadman on Never Giving Free Proposals (And Getting Ghosted) Ever Again, Setting His Business North Star, and Taking Action

Pia Silva — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Turning education into action can be a struggle for entrepreneurs.

Not so for today’s guest.

When I first met Mike Steadman, I knew he was a doer. Which is why I wanted to have him on the show today to talk about how he’s implemented the No BS Model and how it’s impacted his business.

“IRON” Mike Steadman is the Founder of IRONBOUND Media, a brand strategy firm serving veteran-owned small businesses. He is also the founder of IRONBOUND Boxing, a nationally-recognized nonprofit that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education and employment opportunities to youth and young adults in Newark, New Jersey.

A three-time National Collegiate Boxing Champion from the United States Naval Academy, Mike also served as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer with deployments to Afghanistan and Japan/Philippines. Mike’s dedication to the community and his corporate partners is an unwavering reflection of his military background.

A champion for community, entrepreneurship, social impact, and economic development, Mike has established himself as a high-profile, relentlessly vocal advocate for Veterans and opportunity youth.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The proposal that made Mike say “never again” to giving away his expertise for free
How Mike quickly implemented the lead product, and raised his prices
How the No BS model is helping Mike build the foundation of his business so he can reach his “North Star” goals
How the lead product process also helps Mike get his small team on the same page
How the agency model gives Mike the freedom and flexibility to pursue his passions within his community

Learn more about Iron Mike Steadman:

Resources:

Ep 158: The No BS Blueprint to 30K: Phase 3 - Authority

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

This month, I’m breaking down my No BS Blueprint to $30K — the process that I’ve developed over many years, and currently teach in my program, to scale your business to $30K-months without employees.

In this episode, we’re talking about the third and last phase of the Blueprint, which is building your authority.

Who doesn’t want to be seen as an authority in their field?

Being seen as an authority and as an expert means that people believe you have a lot of value to offer to help them solve their problem. And when people believe you have high value to offer, they’re willing to pay you more.

Having authority is one of the best ways to keep increasing your profitability without having to change anything about your business structure.

Let’s dig into why this third and final phase is key to creating sustainable freedom and profitability in your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The three parts of Authority
Why you first and foremost need to learn to do the heavy lifting of communicating your ideas and perspective to a wider audience
Why your content needs your voice, not ChatGPT’s
How to multiply your content to spread your ideas across different platforms and media
Why your email list is the best marketing you can do

Resources:

Ep 157: The No BS Blueprint to 30K: Phase 2 - Intensives

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I’m giving you a deep dive into the second phase: Intensives.

Most people who sell graphic design services, branding services, copywriting, or a combination of all of these, pitch the traditional model of having a project delivered in phases. This is how I used to do it, too.

But with this method, there is an opportunity at every phase for the project to go off course. You spend most of your time project managing and comparatively little time doing the actual creative work.

And that’s why I teach Intensives in the No BS Agency Model to $30K Months. Because Intensives get rid of 80-90% of the BS of project management so you can do the creative work that you actually got into this business to do.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the first step is reviewing your business model and how much you need to profit to sustain the life you want
Why time constraints are great for your creative process
The difference between an art project and client work
How we turned the branding process upside down and why it works for us and our clients
Breaking down the client management process you need to run your intensives

Resources:

Ep 156: The No BS Blueprint to 30K: Phase 1 - Clients

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I discuss in depth the first phase: Clients.

Clients are the necessary foundation because without clients, we have no business.

The question is how do you get clients? How do you find the prospects especially if you don’t have a huge audience base.

And once you find them, how can you qualify and convert them into clients without spending hours and hours responding to proposals that may never go anywhere?

Tune into this episode to hear:

Common pitfalls of the traditional way of landing clients
The best way to find prospects when you’re starting out and don’t have a big network
The three sections of the Clients phase of the No BS Blueprint to 30K
How to stay top of mind of your ideal prospects
How to leverage and optimize the referral process

Resources:

Ep 155: The No BS Blueprint to 30K: Overview

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

What does it really take to scale a one to two person branding agency to $30,000 months without employees?

Every business has a lot of moving parts, and most of us have tried different things to make it work, but it really does come down to some fundamental truths.

The No BS Blueprint to 30K, which I developed over years of experience and that I now teach to agency owners, breaks it down to three phases that are specific to our industry.

Before we dive into each phase, I’m going to give you an overview of what it takes to scale an agency without employees, so you can take your business to the next level.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The three phases of a $30K-month small agency
How client marketing differs from authority marketing
How the $30K Blueprint gets you out of the feast and famine cycle
When and how to build authority

Resources:

Ep 154: Laura Belgray on Writing With Your Voice, Sharing Your Stories, and Being You in All Your Work

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Everybody wants to be authentic and to have a unique voice in everything they do — from their blog posts to social media updates to their podcast episodes. But how does one find and develop their voice?

This episode is brimming with voice. But just like Laura Belgray’s recently published book, this isn’t a “how to” episode. Instead, this conversation is a shining example of how it is to be ‘out there’ with your own flag, with your unmistakable voice, and just being you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Excerpts and behind-the-scenes from her recently published book, Tough Titties
How to add context and connection to your writing without losing your audience
How Laura got around the challenges of writing about real people from her life
How Laura tapped into her own talent and what that really looks

Learn more about Laura Belgray:

Resources:

Ep 153 : On Selling Digital Products and Other "Passive Income" Products

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0400

It’s tempting to think you can create a digital product, sit back, and let the money roll in.

But it’s not that simple.

Selling digital products and other forms of “passive income” takes a LOT of work to get up and running. There’s nothing passive about passive income.

Today I’m digging into the biggest misconceptions about “passive” products, what it takes to create and sell them, and what you should be doing instead if you want to make money in the short term.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The real math behind creating and selling my online courses
How passive income marketing only gives you a snapshot of the truth about selling digital products
The time, effort, and investment that led to being able to sell courses without paying for ads
What you should be doing to bring in profit in the short term and how it benefits the long game of passive income products
Why it’s worth working with experts to level up your game, but you still need to be the special sauce in your product

Resources:

Ep 152: On Selling Premium Services

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The experience of the seller when selling low-priced services may be different from their experience when selling high-priced services.

But from the buyer’s perspective, it requires the same thing: Trust.

This is why the Lead Product is the best first step to let the buyer experience your authority, process and solution to their problem. When the Lead Product experience is done right, you’ll be able to guide them to see that you’re the person they’d want to hire.

Today, I want to talk about what it takes to convert your Lead Product clients to your premium-priced service. And not just saying yes, but saying yes without pushback.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How lack of trust drives pushback in the traditional proposal process and how the lead product process builds that trust
How asking thoughtful questions and really listening in the interview call builds trust
Why a clear, concise brief makes it easier for clients to sign on for premium services

Resources:

Ep 151: On Selling Low-Priced Services

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Why did you start your branding agency?

I’m guessing it was because you love the creative work you were doing as a graphic designer or copywriter at an agency and you loved executing the work so you decided to strike out on your own.

And I’m going to guess that selling your services is your least favorite part of running your own agency.

I talk about sales here a lot precisely because so many people hate it. And you can’t have a successful business if you don’t know how to sell your services.

My goal with all of the No BS Agency strategies is to help you take the ickiness out of sales so you can connect with people who are a great fit for your services. I want you to be able to make it feel less like a sales transaction and more like a meeting of the minds. If you can do that, you might even start to like the sales process.

So for the next month, I’m going to break down the process of selling low-ticket services, high-ticket services, and digital products, because these three areas are very different experiences for you as the seller, and for your buyers.

Today I'm gonna talk about what has to happen when you're selling a low-priced service.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Who you’re really marketing low-priced services to
How to structure a fit call
Why low-ticket services need to be clear, concise, and ready to offer
Why you don’t want to pitch the whole project before you build trust

Resources:

Ep 150: Amanda Dahler On The Mindset Shifts That Allowed Her To Grow Her Business Exponentially

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

I am so excited to welcome a very special guest to the podcast today, Amanda Dahler.

Amanda is the founder of Outspoke Design. She is an audience experience architect and communication expert who specializes in engaging events and experiences. She uses brand, experience, and visual design to create awesome audience content for transformative coaches, consultants, and leaders. Her services amplify the power of your work, increase your credibility, give your audience an unforgettable experience, and grow your business.

Amanda’s journey with the No BS Agencies Mastery Program started even before I officially launched it. And by using these methods, she has not only doubled her revenue but cut her working hours in half.

I have loved watching Amanda level up her business and seeing her make incredible breakthroughs that had huge impacts on her revenue, income, and lifestyle. I love how Amanda’s brain works, and I'm excited to share her story with you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The major shift Amanda had to make in her mindset to allow her to go from billing hours to billing projects
How Amanda makes the Lead Product process work for her
How freeing up time to focus on more valuable projects doubled Amanda’s profitability
Why you need to take a big-picture view of your business and not get bogged down in the day-to-day

Learn more about Amanda Dahler:

Outspoke Design

Resources:

Ep 149: Revenue Versus Profit: What's The Diff

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Chasing profit is not the same as chasing revenue.

But most people in the small agency world confuse the two. And I believe this is one of the main reasons why they are not as successful in their business as they want to be, or should be!

It’s only by prioritizing profit that you can build a business that gives you the freedom and flexibility you want.

But this requires not only differentiating profit from revenue. It requires a change in mindset, a different way of looking at your time, and how you price your services.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The number one thing people leave out when calculating profitability
Doing the math on revenue versus profit in two scenarios
Why you have to account for the time it takes to grow your business, not just your client work
The difference between owning a business and being an outsourced employee

Resources:

Ep 148: Standing Out Versus Shining: What's The Diff?

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

“We'll help you stand out from the competition.”

That's what most branding agencies say they're going to help you do.

And yet, these days standing out feels harder and harder. Everybody’s trying to stand out. And when everybody does what makes them seem different, it starts to all look the same.

One of the first things I teach inside the No BS Agency Mastery Program is the importance of shining to your ideal clients.

And while there is some overlap with standing out, it’s actually a different approach.

So today, I’m breaking down the difference between shining and standing out.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How shining connects you with your ideal clients, versus just standing out from the crowd
How getting super specific about what you do and who you do it for makes you shine
Why it pays to let your personality and point of view shine in your marketing and branding

Resources:

Ep 147: The Service Provider Versus The Expert: What's The Diff?

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Everybody wants to be seen as an expert. But that’s only going to happen if you have expertise and you position yourself as an expert.

Think about your worst client experience ever. We’ve all had “nightmare” client scenarios. I’ve been in many of those myself.

But once I started showing up as an expert, things changed.

It turns out that I had something to do with those nightmare client scenarios — despite my best efforts and intentions. I wasn't managing expectations, and I wasn't managing the process like the leader that every project needs to succeed.

I was acting like a service provider instead of acting like an expert, and that was the reason that my clients were driving me nuts.

What I learned later is that the transition to expert is the key to eliminating the nightmare clients from your life forever.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why being an expert means leading your clients, not taking their directions
The key differences between service providers and experts, from how they charge to how they manage projects
Why keeping your clients happy doesn’t always lead to the best outcomes for the project
How to set yourself up to transition from service provider to expert even if you’re just getting started

Resources:

Ep 146: VIP Days Versus Intensives: What's The Diff?

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

This month, we are comparing and contrasting ideas from the No BS Agency Mastery model with the way people commonly do these stuff out in the world.

First up, what’s the difference between VIP Days and Intensives?

When I say that we build entire brands in one-to-three day intensives, people often think of VIP days. Which makes them question how we can possibly build an entire brand and a bespoke website–not a duplicated template–in one to three days.

How is that even possible?

It’s possible because we’re doing intensives, not VIP days. And today, I’m going to explain the difference.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The benefits of VIP Days for your hourly rate and your projects
The risks inherent in VIP Days
When VIP Days are the best answer
The benefits of Intensives for you and your client
The drawbacks and biggest risks to Intensives
Why Intensives is the better model long-term

Resources:

Ep 145: Emily Wilkins on How Niching Down and Owning That Niche Allowed Her Business to Thrive

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

I'm so excited to introduce you to one of my favorite students, Emily Wilkins.

What I love about her story and her evolution in the No BS Agency Mastery Program is that she didn't waste any time going all in on a niche once she realized it was the niche for her.

When she first came into the program, she was working with everybody. But after going through the “niching” exercise, it became immediately obvious that job shops were the niche for her. By narrowing her audience so specifically, her business thrived quickly and she built herself up as an expert and authority in the space. Her story is a perfect example of what happens when you own the obvious niche.

Emily Wilkins, founder and CEO of Marketing Metal, spent most of the first decade of her career in marketing and sales support roles at job shops, both internally and from the agency side. Noticing the unique struggles they faced and the huge disconnect around the marketing function, Emily developed a radical new process that gets these vital small businesses exactly what they need and empowers them with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to build a successful business that will thrive long into the future.

Marketing Metal is the “anti-agency” here to help small shops become magnetic to the humans they need to get there–to create real positive impact in their communities and the world. She speaks at industry conferences and on podcasts about the magic that happens when job shops have a rad brand they’re proud and excited to shout about.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Emily realized that retainer clients were far from the key to financial stability
How she uncovered her niche and went all in
How Emily has leveraged her connections to build her authority
How the No BS method has impacted Emily’s business and life

Learn more about Emily Wilkins:

Mentioned:

Resources:

Ep 144: Lead Product: The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Executing This Strategy

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

I've been teaching how to successfully close and deliver a Lead Product for about eight years now. Over the years, I have read tons of Lead Product briefs. I have seen all kinds of ways that people and I have seen the same mistakes happen over and over again.

So today, I want to share the top five mistakes that I see people make when they execute a Lead Product.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How giving the client too much information in the LP brief actually makes it harder to close the bigger project
Why you don't want to include any execution as part of the brief
How to make your ideas in the brief as specific as possible
Why a brief is not a proposal and you shouldn’t be using it to pitch for additional services
The importance of bringing in the client's 'why' into your brief

Resources:

Ep 143: Lead Product: The Origin Story

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The Lead Product is a fundamental part of the No BS Agency model.

It's something that I have been teaching for over eight years, not just in the branding space but in other industries as well. I've had people implement this in finance, in law, in all kinds of coaching, and more.

The Lead Product continues to be one of the biggest game changers in business. And I want to share with you how it all came about and how it evolved over a few years until it became what it is now.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How I learned to provide context when presenting creative work
Why it’s key to get clients to buy in and sign off on direction and scope before you do any creative work
How I realized that putting in the work on a brief was worth charging for in itself
How the Brand Shrink briefs saved time and hassle and converted clients

Resources:

Ep 142: Lead Product: The Basics

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

One of the biggest challenges that small agencies have is closing clients on big projects.

It’s hard to get clients to pay the premium rates you want them to pay in order to deliver your highest value. And on top of that, a lot of small agency owners hate sales!

Well, have I got an idea for you.

I want to tell you about the Lead Product method.

This is a process that I implemented in my business over 10 years ago and that I have since taught thousands of people with incredible results.

All month on the podcast, we’re going to talk about Lead Products, and today I’m going to share the basics of how it works.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The biggest reasons why free proposals end up sucking your time, energy, and resources for not enough return
The main sections of a Lead Product
How the LP saves time, builds trust in your expertise, and takes away the pressure of selling high-price projects
How the LP process delivers value your clients might not have even known they needed
Why you should never include execution in your LP

Resources:

Ep 141: Lisa Greensill On How The No BS Agency Mastery Program Impacted Her Business and Her Confidence Level

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Today, I’m delighted to share an interview with one of my favorite students, Lisa Greensill.

I loved working with Lisa because she showed up and took action, and her results reflect that. And what I love about her story isn’t just that she was able to make more money in less time, but it also impacted how she enjoys her life with her family.

Lisa Greensill is a brand and copy strategist and co-creator of Brandover® - a creative collaboration focused on taking the bland out of financial brands. She translates adviser and broker speak into client speak with an approach that focuses on purpose and personality to make businesses relatable, memorable and referable. In 2022, Lisa was named Independent Financial Advisers Marketing Consultant of the Year and Women in Finance Marketing Professional of the Year.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Lisa struggled to transition from freelancing at hourly rates to pricing bigger projects
How Lisa has radically shifted how she approaches projects and customized No BS principles to work for her business
How Lisa has built her referral network through strategic partnerships and authority building
How the No BS framework has given Lisa the confidence to hold her boundaries with clients

Learn more about Lisa Greensill:

Resources:

Ep 140: [Money Talk] How To Calculate Your Price To Freedom: The 50-25-25 Formula

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The day I realized that we were $40K in debt was a major turning point in our business. We had maxed out credit cards, had to fire our two employees, and had to figure out a completely new plan for the business.

Changing our business model to selling intensives worked, but we were still hustling all the time, even though we were now making more than enough money to support ourselves, the business, and the life we wanted.

So why keep hustling? I was shell-shocked and scared after going so deeply into debt.

But on our first real vacation later that year, I had two very big realizations: One, I needed a plan that didn’t involve saying yes to every project and hoarding money. Because two, having plenty of cash in the bank wasn’t making me feel more financially secure than I did when we were in debt.

Which led me to two even bigger conclusions: the key to feeling financially secure wasn’t going to be cash in the bank, it was knowing that I could absolutely generate money when I want to. And, I needed to really figure out how much money we needed to live and support our business, while having the life that we wanted.

And that’s how I developed the 50-25-25 Formula for Profit and Freedom. It changed my life and I’m sharing it with you today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why growing your audience and authority is key to knowing you can generate cash when you want and need to
How I came up with the math that gave us the time and financial freedom our business was supposed to support in the first place
How the formula breaks down time and money to do you work, invest in your business, and live the life you want
Why you need to know your number and what it means to you

Resources:

Ep 139: [Money Talk] Revenue, Income, Profit: What's the Diff and What You Need to Know

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Back in 2013, I joined the Accelerator Program of EO (Entrepreneur’s Organization) as an investment to grow my business.

I learned a ton from the program, made great connections and some great friends. But one major thing I learned through that experience wasn’t something they taught.

Through the program, rubbing elbows and networking with other members, I learned that people whose businesses were making way more money than mine, were actually taking home less money than I was.

That lesson shaped my whole perspective on how to build a business that gives you what you want in life. The top-line revenue isn’t going to determine what kind of business and life you have.

So let’s dig into the differences between revenue, profit, and income and why you have to distinguish them in your mind.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Doing the math on revenue, profit, and income to get to the life you want to live
The two types of profit that I include in the Freedom Calculator
Why a sole focus on increasing your revenue will actually diminish your profit

Resources:

EP 138: [Money Talk] Five Money Mindset Issues That Will Stop You From Growing Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Born on third, thought they hit a triple?”

It refers to somebody who was born into wealth or privilege, or has some sort of advantage over other people, but they don’t recognize it. They think they got where they are on their own.

Or have you ever admired somebody’s success in business only to find out they had a partner who had a successful corporate executive job, or because they came from wealth and they had a trust fund to support them while they grew their business?

You might feel a little cheated and think that it had to have been so much easier for them to do all of the things that you’re trying to do with so much less.

Yes, some people do have a competitive advantage.

But there is one competitive advantage that you can absolutely do something about.

Your money mindset.

Everyone's got money mindset issues, whether they own a small business or not. But there are specific money mindset issues that plague small agency owners and these can be the difference between growing with ease and profit and staying stuck exactly where you are.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How a scarcity mindset impacts the choices you make for your business
Why you have to stop thinking about your income like it’s a salary
Why you can’t wait to invest in your business, and it might mean borrowing money to do it
How short-term thinking about money leads to devaluing your time and stalling your growth
Why you have to get over your fear of digging into your numbers

Resources:

Ep. 137: [Finding Leads] Amanda Dahler on The Most Effective Way To Do Lead Generation

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Amanda Dahler has been a student of mine who has had so much success implementing the program that she’s now helping me scale No BS Mastery!

She’s especially good at lead generation and finding new business. That’s why I have her on the show to wrap up our month-long conversation around lead generation.

Amanda Dahler is the founder of Outspoke Design. She is an audience experience architect and communication expert who specializes in engaging events and experiences. She uses brand, experience, and visual design to create awesome audience content for transformative coaches, consultants, and leaders. Her services amplify the power of your work, increase your credibility, give your audience an unforgettable experience, and grow your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Amanda believes that direct communication is the most effective way to bring in clients
How Amanda reframes sales calls to make them way more comfortable and a lot less salesy
The keys to approaching conversations with potential clients
The whiteboard system Amanda used to keep her revenue on track when she was starting her business

Learn more about Amanda Dahler:

Outspoke Design

Resources:

Ep 136: [Finding Leads] Why I Vote Nay on Free Strategy and Consultation Sessions And What To Do Instead

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0400

A lot of people in the service industry use the free consultation strategy to get leads.

You have most likely seen this on websites: “Book a free 15-minute consultation!” or “Book a Free Strategy Session!” Maybe you even do this yourself.

To be blunt, I hate this strategy. And in this episode, I explain why I strongly believe that you should never give away free consultations to get clients and a more effective approach that you should do instead.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How free consultations set up clients to devalue your time and your expertise
How free sessions make pitching your services more uncomfortable, not less
How a fit call puts you and your potential client on the same page, protects your integrity, and makes selling easier

Resources:

Ep 135: [Finding Leads] What to Do When All Your Leads Come From Word of Mouth

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Do most or all of your leads come from word of mouth or referrals?

Do you feel lucky that you've never had to market before because they always come?

Word of mouth is one of the most common ways that small one-to-two person branding agencies get their clients. In fact, the majority of the people I talk to say that 90% or more of their business comes from word of mouth or referrals.

Which is great, until one day you realize that you have no clients and you have no idea what to do about it.

So today, I’m talking about what you should do if all of your leads are coming from word of mouth or referrals.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How relying on word of mouth can create stress in your business and your life
What it really means when you're closing "every sales call"
How it is possible to build a sustainable business based on word of mouth and referrals

Resources:

Ep 134: [Finding Leads] Busting Lead Generation Myths

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0500

The sales and marketing part of your business is the lifeblood of your business.

Without marketing and sales, you have no lead generation. Without leads, you have no business. Because that’s what it takes to get clients to pay you. And a business without paying clients is not a business.

So of course lead generation is on the forefront of everybody’s minds. It’s something that even when you’re successful at it, you still have to think about it constantly.

Because of that, there are a lot of stories and myths out there that might actually be holding you back.

Getting your mindset right about it is one of the most important secrets to generating leads. In this episode, I am busting some of the most prevailing myths that are out there about lead generation.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The real secret to lead generation
Why strategies that tell you that you can get leads without showing up are BS
Why outsourcing lead generation and sales doesn’t work for small agencies with high-touch services
Why you have to suck it up and learn to market and sell your business

Learn more about Pia:

EP 133: [Finding Leads] To Social Media or Not? That is the million-dollar question.

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Should you invest your time and money on social media to get leads for your branding agency?

That is the million dollar question that we are gonna be dissecting today.

Last month, we talked about clients and how to build great relationships, full of communication with them so that you can get amazing results for your projects. But in order to have clients to build those great relationships with, you have to have clients in the first place.

So this month, we’re talking all about finding leads.

And today, I want to dig into using social media to find clients and if you really should or shouldn’t invest time, energy, and money into social media to get leads.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why social media is never going to be a quick fix to get leads
The first place you should start when you need clients now
How to use social media to build up your audience and potential client base over time
The right way to build a social media strategy

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 132: [Client Love] How To Delight Your Clients

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0500

How can you turn all clients into raving fan clients who love working with you and cannot stop telling all their friends about you?

That has been our topic this month. In the last two episodes, I talked about two important ingredients, trust and communication.

Today, I want to talk about the third and final main ingredient, which is delight.

Of course, we want to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients. We want them to not only be happy with the end result but overjoyed with it. And we want them to feel a sort of appreciation for us as well.

How can you add an experience of delight so that clients don't only get what they hoped for when working with you, but they get more?

Tune into this episode to hear:

What you’re really going after when you give a client a gift
What a thoughtful client gift should look like
How to use your automated emails to add little points of delight
Why it’s worth spending a little extra time to anticipate and fulfill clients needs before they even think of them

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Ep 131: [Client Love] A Communication Framework That Fosters Trust and Eliminates BS

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Last week I talked about the importance of building trust with your clients in order to have a great client relationship.

If you're in a relationship or you've ever been in a long-term relationship, you know that communication is key to having great relationships with people. Now, that might be true with a spouse, but it's true with anybody in your life, and it's definitely true with clients.

So today I want to share a really simple framework that you can use with all of your communication with clients to ensure a great outcome at every step, and so that you don't waste time with all the things that can happen when communication goes astray.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why having to refer to the contract means you’re not communicating effectively
How using “bookends” brings clarity to every client conversation
Why it’s important for a client to have the next steps clearly written out

Learn more about Pia:

EP 130: [Client Love] Building Trusting Relationships With Your Clients

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Think back to the last client you truly loved working with. What did you love about it?

For me, I love to work with clients who trust me implicitly. They get a ton of value out of working with me. We vibe, we jive, and we make something truly amazing together. They are the people that I’m excited to get emails from, and who I enjoy communicating with in our meetings or phone calls.

Imagine if you loved all of your clients like that. What would that do for your business?

In honor of February, the month of love, I want to talk about client love. Specifically, I want to talk about three different aspects of a client relationship that can take us from a business transaction to something truly magical, something that lights you up, that energizes your clients, and results in much greater outcomes for your delivery.

Today I want to talk about the first ingredient in an amazing love affair with a client: trust.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How clear, consistent communication builds trust
How setting and meeting expectations for even micro-interactions turns your word into truth
Why how you interpret deadlines and send deliverables matters in building or breaking trust
How a client questioning or nagging you is a symptom of lack of trust

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

ERPR GROUP

EP 129: The What, Why and Where of BS in our Businesses (And How to Get Rid of Them)

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0500

This podcast is called No BS Agencies, but what exactly do I mean by BS?

Where does it come from? Why does it happen? How much of it is acceptable in our businesses? And most importantly, how do we get rid of it?

I think a lot of people use the term BS in their marketing because it makes them sound like they’re no-nonsense. They cut to the point. They’re not going to BS you or waste your time.

But frankly, a lot of people who say they have no BS have a LOT of BS in their processes and their businesses.

So let’s get into what I mean by No BS, what a No BS agency is, and what kind of BS we’re all dealing with.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How BS sucks your time and energy as a creative and a business owner
How bad project management enables BS from clients
Why pitching for free is BS
Two ways to avoid the BS of scope creep in your projects
How to navigate pricing BS and get paid what you’re worth

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 128: This Will Make You Think Differently About Business Stress and Overwhelm

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Do you ever feel, as you grow your business, that you are white-knuckling it?

You feel like you’re driving a jalopy, the door's falling off, you're putting duct tape on it, and you're just hoping it gets you to your destination.

In many senses, I’ve been white-knuckling it right along with you over the last two years as I built the No BS Agency Mastery program. Yes, I started with more authority, a bigger audience, and more confidence than someone at the true beginning of building a business, but I still started a new business with a totally new set of skills to learn and a brand new business model to learn and grow.

Through that process, I’ve had the opportunity to go back to how it felt in the beginning, and how it felt to drive that jalopy with the door hanging off.

Today I want to talk to you a little bit about why that feeling is not only okay, It's actually a sign of positive growth.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why growth can feel stressful
Why if you’re not feeling some stress, you’re probably playing it too safe
How to reframe stress as a good sign in your business

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 127: 5 Lessons from 12 Years in Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0500

As Steve and I head into our 12th year in business, I’ve been thinking about all the incredible highs I’ve experienced in this business. AND the terrifying lows that have come along with it too.

Today, I want to share five of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the last 12 years that I know will help me make the next 12 years not only more successful but also full of more ease.

Hopefully, you’ll take some of these lessons to heart faster than I did, so they can help you achieve success and add more ease to your business faster.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you have to get comfortable with testing out your ideas and with those ideas failing
How to let go of treating your income like a salary and look at the big financial picture
Why focusing on the process, not the outcome, frees you up to do your best work
How to put the lows of entrepreneurship in perspective
Why you have to think of your business like a marathon runner, not a sprinter

Learn more about Pia:

EP 126: Three Things To Do In January To Set Up Your Entire Year For Success

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Happy 2023 and welcome back.

Do you wanna be successful in 2023? I bet you do.

January is the time when many of us set our goals for the year. People set big ambitious goals and then a lot of times those things fall by the wayside come February.

And we do that in all aspects of our lives. Case in point: If you’re a regular gym-goer, you’ll notice the place is full in January, but by February, most of those new faces have tapered off.

So how do we avoid that big January push that doesn’t go anywhere?

Today, let’s talk about three things that you should do in January to set up your entire year for success.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you need to set aside time in January to map out the why and how behind your goals
How to start with the big picture and work your way back to what needs to happen month to month
Why you should identify at least three things in your calendar that you can say no to
How to make space yourself in your schedule
Why 2023 should be the year you surround yourself with a community of other entrepreneurs and business owners

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 125: Strategies for Not Working and Taking Time Off (and Not Feeling Guilty or Overwhelmed)

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0500

When you work for yourself, it’s hard to turn it off, right?

It’s hard not to think about the client who just emailed you, or the project that’s on hold, or the check you’re waiting to clear.

But working and thinking about work 24/7 is not the key to financial and business success.

As we head into the holidays, and for our last episode of 2022, I want to talk about the idea of turning off, especially when you’re stressed and maybe things aren’t going as well as you want them to be and strategies to help you really get some rest and recharge for 2023.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you need to have a plan in place to keep your time off, off
How to find a place for everything you need to get done in your calendar
Why you should plan for how you’re going to pick up where you left off
How to communicate with your clients about your availability
Why your notifications need to get turned off

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 124: The Argument for Why Packaged Services and Standardized Pricing Make Total Sense

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0500

How should you price and package your services when your services are often custom and bespoke and specific to the client you're working with?

Should you even package them when every project is different?

We just had a very lively conversation about packaging and pricing inside the No BS Agencies Mastery program, and most of my students left saying that they were so excited to package their services and to raise their prices.

Today I’m sharing the same ideas with you in hopes that it will inspire you to package your services and raise your prices.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How custom pricing based on deliverables works against you in two major ways
How package pricing lets you charge based on your experience, not your time
Why package pricing creates an environment where you can do your best work
How to determine a profitable package price and standard deliverables

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Freedom Calculator

Ep 123: Does thinking about taxes get you down? Here are 3 things to do to change that!

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0500

As the year comes to an end, one of the things I'm thinking about is taxes.

It’s not a sexy topic I know. But I do love thinking about it because my taxes are a representation of how much money I made.

There's nothing wrong with looking to minimize your tax due. But I actually feel good about paying high taxes because it means that I was profitable.

So today, I want to share how I think about taxes, and specifically how I think about taxes in December, and what I'm doing to prepare for taxes while also minimizing them.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How I build taxes into my revenue goals and pricing for the year
What’s worth spending money on in December to get the tax break, and what’s not
How to shift your revenue at the end of the year to minimize your tax bill

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Freedom Calculator

Ep 122: Didn't Meet Your 2022 Revenue Goals? 3 Things You Can Do To Set Yourself Up For 2023.

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0500

There is one month left in 2022.

The holidays are upon us and many of us are starting to take inventory of what’s happened over the course of the year. And sometimes we don’t like what we see.

Maybe you started out strong in January as you set out ambitious goals. It’s easy to get excited in January about what you can do in the months to come.

But the end of the year can be more of a let down.

If you’re looking at your bank account right now and realizing you didn’t meet your revenue goals for 2022, what should you do to make a final push in December (and actually enjoy the holidays)?

And how can you set yourself up for success in 2023?

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to stop staring at the number that scares you and give yourself a reality check
Why you should revisit and revise your goals during the year
Why it’s harder to account for the value of investing in your business, but it’s totally necessary and worth it
How to take your goals and make a plan to achieve them in 2023

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Josh Thomas: The Do Zone

Ep 121: Word of Mouth and Referrals are Great. Here's Why They're Also Dangerous.

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0500

How do you get your business?

Do you get most of your business (or all of it) from word of mouth and referrals?

95% of small branding agencies I talk to say word of mouth and referrals.

They tell me that they have a steady flow of referrals and they have a great close rate on those referrals. “I've really never had to market. I've been very lucky," they say.

And it feels good that people are sending you business and that you’re closing most of them.

But.

Can you really rely on word of mouth to keep your business going?

Today I want to talk about why referrals are one of the best places to get new business. And also why it can put your business in serious danger.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How relying on referrals leads to "piece-mealing" your income
How building your business of word of mouth can rob you of the confidence to charge what you’re worth
A client case study of what happened when a business owner got too comfortable relying on referrals and retainers
Why you have to start taking charge of your pipeline now

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 120: Worried About The Recession? Here's What I Want You To Do.

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0500

If you’re hearing rumors that there is a recession coming, or that we might even be in a recession right now, and you’re thinking this maybe isn’t the right time to invest in your business, this one’s for you.

I want to tell you a story of what happened in our businesses the last time the proverbial sh*t hit the fan: March 2020.

Today I’m sharing how members of my 2020 group coaching program responded when COVID hit, and what the most successful strategies were.

Hint: It wasn’t playing it safe.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why tripling down on building her authority machine and refining her lead product helped one member land over $100K in new business for Q1 2021
How going all-in on a new program made one business owner bounce back after losing her biggest client in March 2020
Why now is the time to double down and invest in your business

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 119: How Can You Guarantee and Promise Benefits That Are Not 100% Contingent on Your Work

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Anytime you’re selling services, especially to small businesses, it’s important that you connect the work that you do to the outcomes and the benefits that the client is going to get.

When we’re selling branding, marketing, or design services, we usually want to connect our work to some sort of return on investment.

What can they expect to get in return? Usually they’re investing in branding and marketing because they want to make more money. They want to sell more services or products at higher prices.

Sounds simple, right?

But do you ever worry about promising results you don’t feel like you can guarantee?

If you’re uncomfortable about promising an ROI as a result of your work, listen up, because that’s what we’re talking about today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Reframing what you can actually guarantee your clients so you can feel confident about your promises
How to connect what you do with how it will earn the client more money, if they do their part
One question that will build your confidence in promising an ROI

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 118: Building Your Authority Machine: What and When to Outsource

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Building an authority machine that is going to send you high quality leads every single day takes a big upfront investment.

And one of the most time-consuming things is creating the foundational content that communicates all of your biggest ideas and your most important insights into your industry. That’s what’s going to make you an authority.

But creating enough content so that it will build your authority online and off can be challenging purely because there’s so much to do.

In the No BS Agency Mastery community, we’re always talking about when and how to outsource content creation. When should you hire copywriters or ghost writers? When does outsourcing help, and when does it actually do more harm than good?

So today, I’m sharing what I think works and doesn’t work when it comes to outsourcing content creation, how you can leverage other people’s time to help you build your business, and when it really has to be you, in your own words.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you have to be the one laying the foundation with your unique ideas and perspective
How creating content will help you refine and articulate your thoughts and processes
When to outsource, and how to do it effectively

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Taki Moore

Ep 117: Where and How to Start Your Authority Machine When You're Starting From Scratch

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0400

If you want to build your authority, but you have zero posts and no online presence, where do you even start?

Last week, I talked about the difference between networking and outreach and building your authority as two different marketing mechanisms for getting clients and building your business. I talked about when you should be doing outreach and when you should build authority, and how there’s a time in between when there’s a lot of overlap between the two.

So if you’re at that point where they start to overlap, and you’re ready to start building your authority machine, what’s the first thing you should do?

This is always a hot topic in the No BS Agencies Mastery program, and in this episode, I’ll walk you through exactly how and where to start.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why showing up and creating content isn’t enough
Questions to help you clarify not just your positioning, but your unique point of view
How creating core content with a clear point of view sets the foundation for consistent, strategic, intentional authority building

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 116: Networking or Authority Building: Where Should You Focus

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Being seen as an authority can make sales so much easier.

So of course it seems like something you should invest your time in as soon as possible.

It can be really hard to attract and close clients when you have no authority in the world, when people don’t know who you are, and they don’t know, like, and trust you.

But building authority takes time.

So when is the right time to spend your time and energy building your authority? And when should you focus on short-term marketing efforts like networking that are going to bring sales in the door quickly?

This has been a hot topic inside our community in No BS Agencies Mastery, and it’s what we’re digging into today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to prioritize networking and authority building depending on where you are in your business
The inverse relationship of outreach and authority
How to balance short and long-term marketing so your sales don’t drop off a cliff

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 115: How to Start an Authority Machine: My Story

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0400

How do you build a business that is not constantly struggling to find clients?

That’s the million dollar question. And I believe I have the answer.

All month long, I’m going to share different ways that you can build your authority machine, so that you never have to look for clients again.

I talk about building an authority machine a lot because it is the third phase of the three-pronged approach of building a No BS Agency.

Building an authority machine is key because it’s the phase where we create systems and a strategy so that we are constantly being seen by more people, and they are able to see who we are, get to know us, get to love us, and most importantly, want to hire us and pay us.

And all of that can happen without you actually being in the room.

When you build an authority machine, you create an ecosystem and an environment where new people can come in every single day and get to know you really well, to even feel like you’re a friend. And it won’t take up any more of your time.

It’s the only way I’ve found to build a business that is sustainable and will bring in clients for the long term.

Today, I’m going to share a little bit about my own story and experience with building my authority machine.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The very first decision I had to make to start building my authority
Why I had to get comfortable showing my face and owning my online presence
How I leaned on coaches and a community of peers for support

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Ep 114: How to be a Great Client

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I'm usually on this podcast talking about how to find great clients, turn people into great clients,and manage people to become great clients.

But today, I want to talk about how to be a great client.

I’ve hired lots of companies over the years for a variety of tasks. And I have been an amazing client and I have been a terrible client. Usually how good of a client I am has a lot to do with how good the process is of the person I’ve hired. That’s why I’m always harping on the idea that if you have a great process, you can turn almost anyone into an amazing client.

That’s the dream, right?

But when it comes to being a great client, being people’s favorite client over and over and over again? I’ve got a secret and I’m sharing it with you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The one simple thing you can do to make yourself everyone’s favorite client
Why it works for both you and the person you’ve hired

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 113: How to Raise Your Prices Sustainably and What Premium Pricing is Really All About

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I know you’ve heard this advice before: “You should raise your prices because charging premium prices is the best way to run a business.”

And premium pricing does give you more profitability, flexibility, and freedom in your business and in your life.

But where are you supposed to start? What happens when you do raise your rates? How are you supposed to muster up the confidence to charge five or ten times you current rates when you’ve never been paid that?

I think that this advice — "Just raise your prices because you're worth more than you're charging" — is the worst advice you can get.

Today, I break down my experience raising my own prices so you can review your rates confidently and raise your pricing sustainably.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What your client really hears when you go back to them with your old, lower rate
The two parts to premium pricing
The strategy for raising your rates without getting cold feet
The catch-22 to avoid when you’re balancing pricing and value

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 112: Dan Gingiss on What Makes a Memorable Customer Experience (Which Does Not Mean Expensive)

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

You might not think of customer experience as marketing, but it is.

If you’re a small agency, you might not be thinking about building long-term customer loyalty. Clients come and they go.

But if they had a killer experience with you? They’re probably telling their friends. And if they had a terrible experience with you, they’re definitely telling their friends.

Today I’m sitting down with Dan Gingiss to find out why creating a memorable customer experience is part of marketing your business, and what makes an experience stand out.

Dan Gingiss is an international keynote speaker and coach who believes that a remarkable customer experience is your best sales and marketing strategy. His 20-year professional career included leadership positions at McDonald’s, Discover and Humana.

Dan is the author of two books, The Experience Maker and Winning at Social Customer Care, and also co-hosts the Experience This! podcast.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why it’s worth it to invest in your customer experience
Why customer experience is a key way to compete in a crowded market
How to make yourself memorable without spending a ton of money
When a gift is a gift, and when it’s really marketing

Learn more about Dan Gingiss:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

EP 111: Five Sins You Must Avoid If You're Looking For More Money From Your Clients (and What To Do Instead)

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

How do you get a client to spend more money with you, give you more work, and basically give you a raise?

When I googled this question, everything that came up was advice for how to negotiate a raise from your boss in the corporate world.

And while there were some decent pieces of advice in the articles I found, it doesn’t translate that well to people like us, who run our own businesses and are looking to get a raise from our clients.

As somebody who has lots of clients, and who also pays lots of contractors, freelancers, and employees, I’m sharing my perspective on the best way to get your clients to give you more work, and/or pay you more money.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you should keep your personal life out of your ask
How to find simple ways to add value to your work when you’re asking for more money
Why inflation is not a sales pitch
Why asking for more work or money is often best handled over the phone or video chat
The five things you should be doing when you’re asking for more work, money, or both

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 110: Where Financial Security Really Comes From and How You Can Build It

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I see loads of ads online for growing a million dollar business or building passive income products and all sorts of investments opportunities that will make you rich!

And yet, when I talk to most of my people–small agency owners–you know what most of them say they want? Financial security.

Sure, making $30,000 a month or more sounds great, but that kind of money is really icing on the cake.

What they really want to be able to do is to make enough money to live their lives comfortably, take care of their families, and just be able to stop worrying about money.

Not only do I think this is absolutely doable, but I believe you can get there a hell of a lot sooner than you think.

And today, I’m telling you how.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why confidence in your skillset is key to truly feeling financially secure, not how much money you have in the bank
How to build confidence by investing in the skillset of your process
Why the authority machine is the concrete foundation for your marketing and bringing in new clients
How to use that confidence to invest in yourself and keep building your skillset

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Break Bonus: Dorie Clark on Playing the Long Game

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I’m taking the month of August off to be with my family, and I hope you’re taking some time to do something amazing and relaxing too.

For the whole month, I’ll be sharing clips from some of my favorite episodes that you’ll enjoy revisiting as well.

Today, I’m replaying a section from my interview with Dorie Clark where we talked about playing the long game and being really intentional about how you build your platform.

What’s exciting about hearing from someone with so much credibility and authority is to understand how much thought and intention went into building that. Which means you can absolutely do it too.

It takes time, but if you stick with it and play the long game, I promise you will see results.

Dorie Clark is an adjunct professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, the New York Times described her as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” A frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, she consults and speaks for clients including Google, Microsoft, and the World Bank.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Dorie started intentionally building her platform
How she developed her strategy from blog posts on her own website to regular contributor and published author
How she was able to produce content at the volume she needed to establish her authority

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Break Bonus: Kia Abrera on Recognizing Burnout and Creating Her Own Work-Life Balance

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I’m taking the month of August off to be with my family, and I hope you’re taking some time to do something amazing and relaxing too.

For the whole month, I’ll be sharing clips from some of my favorite episodes that you’ll enjoy revisiting as well.

Today, I’m revisiting my conversation with Kia Aberra where she talks about recognizing burnout and finding her own work life balance.

Kia Abrera is a video marketing strategist and producer, and the co-founder and CEO of Braveworks Inc., a 6-figure video strategy and production company that specializes in videos with attitude and scroll-stopping content that takes brave expertpreneurs from ME TOO to GO TO.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The moment Kia flipped the table on her agency job
What Kia learned from her grandfather about entrepreneurship, craft, passion, and a life well-lived
Why she includes pricing on her discovery call intake form

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Break Bonus: Ediuska Laurens on Leaning Into Your Big Vision

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I’m taking the month of August off to be with my family. I hope you’re taking some time to do something amazing and relaxing too.

For the whole month, I’ll be sharing clips from some of my favorite episodes that you’ll enjoy revisiting as well.

Today, I’m revisiting my conversation with one of my dear clients, badass business owner, Ediuska Laurens.

This clip is about standing out by not following the crowd and leaning into your own big vision.

Dr. Ediuska Laurens wants to use the magical powers of science and know-how of industry to help the most vulnerable populations. She is an entrepreneur, innovator, and two-time patent holder with expertise in medical device product development, regulation, and quality.

She is the founder of Genius Shield, a compliance management and regulatory readiness company that shields and de-risk medical innovators and investors so they can launch compliant medical solutions seamlessly and safely to the global market.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Ediuska bridges the regulatory knowledge gap between big med tech companies and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas
Why she embraces a front-facing role as a communicator in the male-dominated industry of medical technology
Why Ediuska has both a personal brand and a brand for Genius Shield

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Break Bonus: Michael Roderick on Building a Referable Brand

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I’m taking the month of August off to be with my family, and I hope you’re taking some time to do something amazing and relaxing too.

For the whole month, I’ll be sharing clips from some of my favorite episodes that you’ll enjoy revisiting as well.

First up, my interview with Michael Roderick, the king of connecting.

We talked about what true influence is and how to build a truly referable brand.

Michael Roderick is not only the KING of networking and connecting but he’s also the CEO of Small Pond Enterprises which helps thoughtful givers become thought leaders by making their brands referable, their messaging memorable, and their ideas unforgettable.

He is also the host of the podcast Access to Anyone which shows how you can get to know anyone you want in business and in life using time-tested relationship-building principles. And his background is pretty unique—he went from a high school English teacher to a Broadway Producer in under two years until shifting into the entrepreneur he is today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The difference between networking and building a referable brand
How to open up your “container words” and craft your message
How curation serves your clients and improves relationship retention
Why you need to “find your Celine”

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 109: #SpainBrain and the Importance of Taking Time to Rest and Recharge

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Whenever we talk about success in business, it’s usually about how to make more money, how to make more profit, how to get more clients, better clients, improve your process, improve your systems.

What we don’t often talk about is the personal side of business success.

Can you call it a successful business if it’s draining you personally and physically?

We build businesses because we want to have lives we’re proud of and that we enjoy living. And your personal and physical health is absolutely a part of that.

But how do you maintain both? How do you find balance without sacrificing?

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why it’s so hard for business owners to turn off and stop working
How we implemented #SpainBrain at home and how it changed our productivity
Questions to ask to help make space for taking care of yourself

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Alex Hormozi on Instagram: @hormozi
Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing,Bronnie Ware

EP 108: How to Get Disciplined, Stop Endlessly Exploring, and Call Your Creative Work "Done"

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I got this question in the Facebook group the other day: How can I get more disciplined to get to a point where I can call it done and stop exploring ideas?

I get why it’s hard to stop exploring. You want to give your clients the best work possible. Sometimes you don’t believe that what you’ve come up with is good enough, so you keep working and working and never feel like it’s good enough.

When you hear that we build entire brands in just a few days, do you think to yourself, yeah, I could never do that. I could never box in how much time it takes for me to create a brand.

Today I’d like to give you a different perspective that won’t leave you feeling restricted, but will actually give you more focus and insight into how you can shrink your process, without losing the creative genius you have to offer.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you have to untie effort from value
Why you’re never really starting with a blank page–and that’s a good thing
How to tell if there’s a better idea or just a different version of what you already have

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 107: Did You Know You Can Make Great Clients? Here's How.

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Have you ever wondered why everyone you talk to is a challenging client, and everyone you talk to doesn’t have a budget, yet so many people online seem to be working with these mystical ideal clients?

Here’s the secret: The people who are always working with those ideal clients? They’re not finding them from some hidden paradise. They know how to make great clients.

And so can you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How fit calls and lead products position you as the leader of the project
Why selling lead products helps you bypass the “I don’t have the budget” conversation
How communication, setting expectations, and following through creates great clients

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 106: How Vincent Kitirattragarn Built Dang Foods, an Award-Winning Asian Snacks Company, From Scratch

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0400

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my 20th high school reunion.

And while I was there, I had the chance to catch up with lots of old friends, but I was especially excited to chat with Vincent Kitirattragarn.

I’ve been watching his journey building Dang Foods from afar for the last ten years. Those delicious coconut chips at the end of the aisle at Whole Foods? That’s Dang Foods.

So today, we’re sitting down to dig in further to his journey from popup restaurants to having shelf space in over 10,000 grocery stores.

Vincent Kitirattragarn is the founder and CEO of Dang Foods, the largest healthy Asian snack company. Dang’s coconut chips, rice chips, and nutrition bars are found in over 10,000 grocery stores and have earned many industry awards including the coveted SOFI “best snack” award multiple times.

A Cornell Graduate, Vincent is a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee, and Gold List A100 awardee. His journey was featured on NPR’s “How I Built This” podcast in 2022.

Vincent has been an active member of the Asian-American community for decades, organizing an annual Thai-American youth camp, supporting local organizations advancing justice for underrepresented ethnic communities, and supporting Bay Area food banks.

In the natural food industry, Vincent advocates for Asian issues like the recognition of lunar new year and AAPI heritage month. He is also a board member to JEDI Collective, an industry group promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Vincent went through several business models, from food trucks to popups, before landing on snack foods
The growing pains of a rapidly scaling business and how they found out the hard way about following someone else’s playbook
How they leaned in to their family story and found their positioning
Why Vincent says focus groups aren’t worth it
Why he’s not a growth at all costs entrepreneur

Learn more about Vincent:

Dang Foods

Learn more about Pia:

EP 105: Getting Paid to Pitch: The Lead Product Method

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Pitching your work, writing proposals, sending out proposals and never hearing back from clients, or hearing from clients that “this is more money than we have budgeted for.”

To me, these are some of the worst parts of running your own business.

What if you could eliminate all of that? What if you could get rid of the free proposals and all of the pitching and get it down to a 15-minute phone call where you could make the sale on the call?

Sounds magical, right?

Well, I have a strategy for that, and it’s a cornerstone of the No BS Agency method.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the lead product replaces the proposal process–and gets you paid for your work
How a lead product puts you in control of the project, not the client
How the LP prevents scope creep and helps you sell bigger packages
Why a flat-rate lead product takes the pressure out of selling

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 104: Building the Authority Machine in Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0400

How would you like it if you could sit back and clients — hungry, excited, motivated clients, the kind of clients you want to work with — simply came knocking on your door, blowing up your inbox, asking to work with you?

That’s the dream right?

You didn’t get into this business because you wanted to be a salesperson. You started doing this because you’re a creative person and at some point you said, “I can do this for clients directly and make a lot more money and have a lot more freedom.”

At no point did you probably think, “And I really want to go find my own clients.”

So let’s talk about what it looks like to sit back and have clients come to you, because living the dream is possible, if you do it right.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The two major marketing buckets that will bring your clients to you
Why paying for organic marketing with your time and effort is totally worth it
How to build your authority machine

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Melanie Spring on Instagram

Ep 103: Are You Interested in The Idea or Are You Committed to Making It Happen?

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Are you interested or are you committed?

This was the question posted by my friend, Melanie Spring the other day. And it really got me thinking about two those simple words that have profound consequences.

Running your own business is so sexy from the outside. But if you've ever run your own business, you know that it is messy, full of ups and downs and everything in between.

If you haven't run your own business, you probably only see the good parts. You see your friends who are living a life where they have complete control over their schedule. You see them post their wins on social media.

You think, "I'm interested! I'm interested in having my own business, working for myself."

I'd venture to guess that the majority of people who are looking to grow a business are really interested in building a business. The question is how many of them are actually committed?

Are you?

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why commitment means being okay with getting uncomfortable
Why it’s okay to just be interested in things, but only if you’re honest with yourself
How to stay committed even when things aren’t going well

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Melanie Spring on Instagram

Ep 102: Josh Thomas on the Difference Between Being in Motion and Being in Action, and Why One of Them Gets You Results

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Today, you get to meet one of my secret weapons, one of the magic bullets behind my business.

Josh Thomas is my business coach.

I wanted to have him on the show because we are aligned in so many no-BS ways. Josh has a way of cutting through the crap that even I can’t do. And you know me, I cut through BS better than most.

Josh Thomas is an entrepreneur, business consultant and real estate investor who is passionate about helping business owners create time freedom and financial freedom through business fundamentals, systems, and leverage. He’s the host of the popular podcast, “The Do Zone” and has worked directly with more than 2,500 entrepreneurs in 30+ industries across the globe.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why it’s so hard to cross the line between motion and action
Three key boxes to check so you can confidently take action
How to build self-confidence with tools, guidance, and experience
Why you have to find ways to connect with mentors and peers

Learn more about Josh Thomas:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 101: My 50-25-25 Pricing Formula to Profit And Freedom

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 May 2022 03:00:00 -0400

How do you determine the prices you charge for your services?

Do you give yourself an hourly rate and estimate how many hours a project will take to build a quote? Or do you just charge hourly and make less money if the project takes you less time?

Or do you try to figure out what the client is willing to pay, or what your competitors are doing, and price the project from there?

Whatever the formula you use, if your goal is just to charge as much as possible to as many clients as possible, you might actually be putting yourself at a disadvantage and setting up your business for failure.

Having a strategy for pricing your services so that it sets you up for success is the only way to get off the hamster wheel of feast and famine.

And I’m going to tell you how I do it.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How focusing on top-line revenue instead of profit sets you up for failure
Why you should focus on profit before you think about scale
My formula for setting your prices to give you real freedom in your business and your life and why it works

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

The 50/25/25 Rule to Profit and Freedom™ Mini Course

Ep 100: The Evolution of a Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 May 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Have you ever struggled to make decisions about your business?

Whether it’s investing in your business, crafting your messaging, focusing your niche, or packaging your services, business owners are faced with a ton of decisions.

And it can be easy to get stuck thinking, “if I knew it would work, I would…”

You worry about it not working, or changing your mind, or getting pigeonholed.

For our hundredth episode, I want to talk about why those worries shouldn’t keep you from making decisions, because guess what? Your business can and will change.

My business–and this podcast–have changed dramatically over the last two years. And in the two years before that. And the two years before that.

So if business is continuously changing, how do you plan things? How do you decide what to focus on?

That's what I want to talk about today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How doing intensives supported us while we went through multiple versions of the business
Why it’s worth it to invest in your business, even when money is tight
How all of the pivots add up to the experiences that help you create the business you want

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Online Marketing Made Easy, with Amy Porterfield
Caitlin Bacher
Events - UGURUS

Ep 99: What is Strategy? And Why Does It Feel So Hard and Elusive?

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 May 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Do you do graphic design or do you do branding?

Do you do visual branding or do you do strategic branding?

Do you do brand strategy? Do you even know what strategy is?

Strategy is such an elusive concept. Everybody means something different when they say it.

And if you're somebody coming in to deliver strategy to your clients, how do you know if you're delivering it at the right level for them?

Well, that's what I want to talk about today. Because it doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it out to be.

So, what is strategy and how do you get good at it?

Tune into this episode to hear:

What strategy really is and why it’s not as complicated as people think it is
Why you shouldn’t use the word strategy with your clients
Why you need to keep learning tools and building experiences to craft thoughtful, well-tailored strategies for your clients

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Ep 98: Justina Cerra Lucas Breaks Down What Marketing Really Is and What It Isn't

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 May 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Doing marketing can really suck.

It can suck your time. It can suck your energy. And a lot of marketing out there well, kind of sucks.

Which is where today’s badass business owner comes in.

Justina Cerra Lucas is the founder of 218 Creative, where she helps creatives and entrepreneurs book more clients with marketing that doesn’t suck.

Justina doesn’t believe that there’s a one-size-fits-all solution to your marketing, but she also believes that it doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. In fact, she says over-complicating it is one way that leads to sucky marketing.

We’re going to chat about what it looks like to create a marketing plan that doesn’t suck, especially for creatives, agencies, and people who are out there selling branding and marketing, but just can’t do it for themselves.

Justina Cerra Lucas is a marketing professional by day and cat mom by night. With over a decade of experience in marketing across industries ranging from nonprofit to Hollywood entertainment and everywhere in between, she found that her favorite people to work with are other creative small business owners. She's been around long enough to bring thoughtful strategy to the table and knows that marketing doesn't necessarily have to be complicated in order for it to be successful. Empowering others to be able to carry out their marketing confidently is her jam.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you have to stop taking generic marketing advice from other business owners
How to stop asking yourself what you should be doing and think like your target audience
Why agency owners need to focus on building a real marketing strategy, not getting on TikTok
How to set your marketing budget with the ROI in mind

Learn more about Justina Cerra Lucas:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 97: The One Killer Outreach Strategy: What Is It and How to Implement It

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0400

When you’re networking and connecting with people in the early stages of your business, it’s easy to slip out of people's minds unless they have someone they can refer to you right now.

It happens to all of us, even if we mean really well.

When I was networking, I had so many lunches and coffees with people where I genuinely thought I was going to find someone for the insurance agent or real estate broker I’d just sat down with. Then two days later, back in my own world, I’d forget.

So what do you do to stay on someone’s mind?

How do you continue to connect with people, learn more about them and what makes their business tick, and share more about yourself?

Enter the killer outreach strategy.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to turn asking for a referral into a really valuable offer
Why free webinars, workshops, and masterclasses still work
How to use your list of one hundred for customized outreach

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Duck Donuts

Ep 96: How Do You Get Clients? Here's How: Short and Long-Term Marketing Strategies

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Being able to attract and close clients is a fundamental part of any service business.

If you can't do this, you won't have a business.

So obviously it's one of the most important things that you should know how to do. But when I ask people, “How do you get clients right now?”, so many people don’t know what to do.

In fact, the number one question I get asked is “How do I find clients?”

I get asked by people who don’t know how to get clients at all and they’re struggling to close any clients. And I get asked by people who have plenty of clients but really want to know how to get better clients.

Either way, you have to be able to go and find clients consistently if you want to have a business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why your business needs both short and long-term marketing strategies to succeed
The first thing you need to do for short-term marketing
Why content marketing is a long-term strategy
When you should focus on short-term strategies and when your business is ready to shift to a long-term focus

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 95: No BS Truth: What You're Focused on Right Now May Not Be The Right Thing to Do Based on Where You Are in Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0400

When you think about your week, what are the most important things you focus on to move your business forward?

Maybe you want to get posts up on social media so you can grow your audience. Maybe you want to tweak your lead magnet. Maybe you’re so busy with client work and you want to hire a freelancer so you can outsource some of the work.

Those aren’t bad things to do. Posting on social media is a great marketing strategy. Working on your lead magnet so people happily hand over their emails builds your list. Using freelancers that you up-charge the client for so you can free up your time is a great idea.

But the question is, are those the right things for you to do at this moment in your business?

Maybe not.

If you’re working too many hours for too little money, I can pretty much guarantee you that at least 50% of the things that you do each week are probably not going to help you make any more money or work any less.

Imagine if you could identify 50% of the things you were doing that aren’t helping you grow your business and you could just stop doing them.

You can. And that’s what we’re talking about today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to tell if you’re in the right place to implement a long-term strategy like social media content or building a better lead magnet
Why I put authority building last in the No BS Agency Mastery Program
Why hiring a freelancer probably isn’t the right choice
What your top priority should be to beat overwhelm and bring in more clients

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

No BS Agency Podcast EP 92: The Difference Between a Freelancer and an Expert And Why You Want to be Intentional in How You Position Yourself

Ep 94: Shannon Mattern Differentiates Spending vs Investing and Explains Her Criteria for Making Investment Decisions has been deleted.

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0400

No entrepreneur goes straight up the ladder to success. And no entrepreneur achieves success without investing in themselves.

But how do you know what’s an investment in yourself and your business and what’s just spending money?

On today's episode. I'm so excited to host my new friend and bad-ass business owner, Shannon Mattern.

Shannon teaches solopreneurs how to DIY their website and mentors web designers on how to package, price, sell and run premium web design projects with boundaries (not burnout).

Shannon’s also the host of Pep Talks for Side Hustlers, a podcast for side-hustlers who want to become self-employed (without taking a pay cut)!

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Shannon gives the honest truth on her podcast about what she spent and what she earned
Five questions to ask yourself when you’re making an investment in yourself
Pros and cons of credit, loans, and debt when it comes to investing in your business
Why you need to be able to invest what you’re asking clients to pay

Learn more about Shannon Mattern:

ShannonMattern.com

Instagram: @shannonlmattern

Pep Talks for Side Hustlers

Web Designer Academy

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn

Ep 93: Truth Bomb: Delivering The Work in Less Time Delivers More Value for the Client

Pia Silva — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0400

The No BS Agency model is about doing projects in intensives. This means short timelines.

A lot of people wonder, "Won’t shorter project timelines result in less valuable work for the client?"

When I tell people that we deliver entire brands and websites in a two-day intensive Brand Up, many people assume we’re delivering templated work, that the work must be shoddy, that it’s rushed, that there’s just no way you can deliver high quality work in a short amount of time.

Not only is that not true, but it’s actually the exact opposite.

We have found that you can deliver more value in less time. If you play your cards right.

Today I’m going to tell you why.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why hard work and busy work don’t equal great work
How making art and designing a brand aren’t the same thing and don’t require the same process
How jumping from project to project breaks your focus and wastes time

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 92: The Difference Between a Freelancer and an Expert And Why You Want to be Intentional in How You Position Yourself

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Do you feel stuck charging low prices for your work?

Do you feel like people around you just don't ever want to pay more than you're asking for? In fact, they don't even want to pay the prices that you're pitching them.

Well, that may be because you are stuck thinking about yourself and pitching yourself as a freelancer.

If you want to charge higher and higher prices–those premium prices that everybody's talking about–then you need to evolve from a freelancer into an expert.

What’s the difference? That’s what I’m going to tell you today, plus how to start positioning yourself as an expert and stop pitching yourself as a freelancer.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What people really hire freelancers to do, and why you don’t want to a hired hand or an outsourced employee
Why experts guide and even challenge their clients
How a lead product helps position you as the expert
Why positioning yourself as an expert allows you to charge based on value, not deliverables

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 91: How to Gain Financial Safety and Feel Financially Secure (Even if You Don't Have Lots of Money in the Bank)

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0400

I bet you have a number you want to make each month. Maybe it’s the holy grail of making six figures. Or maybe it’s the amount of cash you want to have in your bank account.

We all have some number in our heads that we think, "When I have that amount, when I’m making that much money, then I will feel safe. I will feel secure and stable and I can breathe in my business."

When we first started in 2011, $10,000 a month was our holy grail number.

I felt like if I could get to that level, everything would feel solid and I would feel okay.

And I hustled to get there. We opened for business in March, I started networking in June, pounding the pavement meeting everyone I possibly could, and by August 2011, we hit our first $10,000 month.

And it felt like such a sweet victory to have made it there.

The problem was, that was now my benchmark. The months after that when I didn’t hit $10,000, I felt like a failure. And it didn’t get rid of my stress, because I had to hustle for that money every month.

After many years in business, many nights stressing about money, and lots of personal work to shift how I felt about that security I was chasing, I have come to a very different conclusion about what it means to feel financially secure.

What I’ve realized is that it’s not about how much money you’re making in a month or in a year, or even how much money you have in the bank. None of those things is going to make you feel secure if you don’t know how to generate money.

So let’s talk about how to do that so you can be financially secure and financially free.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What bartending taught me about financial security
The pieces your business needs in place so you can feel confident about generating income
Why reinvesting in your business and building your skills will lead to more money in the bank than when you’re saving small amounts

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No, Alex Hormozi

Ep 90: The Real Deal About Creatives And Their Art And Why Perfectionism Doesn't Help Your Clients

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

A designer recently told me they’re very intrigued by these one-to-three day intensive models, but their issue was they "can’t stop designing”.

“My problem is being a perfectionist. I don’t know when to stop designing. How can I get more disciplined to get to a point where I can call it done and stop exploring ideas?”

It’s a great question.

People tell us that building an entire brand in one to three days is impossible because they have no idea how long it’s going to take to do their brilliant creative work.

I get it. Steve used to spend upward of 60 hours on just a logo. But we’ve honed our process and we deliver high value for our clients. And I know you can do it too.

So how do you deliver for your clients and maintain boundaries on your time so your business is actually profitable?

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why the wrong focus is taking you down the rabbit hole and sucking up time
How your lead product should put the right kind of constraints on your projects
Three ways to rein in the amount of time your projects take
Why you need to develop your ability to curate as well as create

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 89: Rochelle Moulton and Jonathan Stark Dive Deep on Productized Services, Fixed and Value-Based Pricing, and Building Authority

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Productizing your services is a hell of a great way to run a business, make better money and live a more sustainable life.

For me, it was the answer to years of chasing clients and struggling to keep my branding projects profitable for my small agency.

Productizing my services completely turned my business around within just a couple of months and I went from $40,000 in debt to $500,000 in sales in just 12 months.

But like any business model, there are constraints. Where are those constraints? And what value or opportunities might be left on the table when you productize?

After listening to Rochelle Moulton and Jonathan Stark talk about productized services on their podcast, I knew I had to invite them over to dig into it some more. We’ll talk about constraints of the model for a small agency and where we’ll have to agree to disagree.

Rochelle Moulton turns independent consultants into authorities. The author of The Authority Code: How To Position, Monetize And Sell Your Expertise, she has been called “an emotional Red Bull” for her balance of inspiration and practical advice. She co-hosts The Business of Authority and is a leading voice in the independent consulting space.

Jonathan Stark is a former software developer who is on a mission to rid the world of hourly billing. He is the author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts, the host of Ditching Hourly, and writes a daily newsletter on pricing for independent professionals.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Rochelle says productized creative services can lead to mediocre work
Where Jonathan says you might be leaving money on the table with a flat fee product
Why value exists in the transformation, not the tools or the labor
Key differences between productized services and value-based pricing and how they can work together
How building your authority builds value into into your products and into your business

Learn more about Rochelle Moulton:

Learn more about Jonathan Stark:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 88: Truth Bombs About Retainer Models and Why They Are Not Profitable

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Retainer model clients. Are they the holy grail of small agencies? Or the source of their eventual downfall.

So many small agency owners are stuck in a feast or famine cycle with client work and marketing. They’re either spending all of their time on client projects or they’re spending all of their time hustling for clients and not making money.

It’s a stressful way to run a business.

Eventually, a lot of business owners get to a point of asking themselves, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to put some of these clients on retainer? A monthly fee for ongoing work would stop the feast or famine work/client chasing cycle, give me a steady income, and give me a sense of security.”

It makes logical sense.

And yet, I still get contacted by a lot of one to two person branding agencies, who have clients on retainer, and they’re still working all the time and they’re still not making enough money to actually feel safe.

And they still ask me if the answer is to get more retainer clients. To that, I always say, NO.

I am avidly against retainer clients for small agency owners. And I’m going to tell you exactly why I think they give a false sense of security and are the absolutely wrong strategy to implement if you want more profit and more freedom in your life.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why it’s almost impossible to make a real profit on retainer clients
How retainer clients can leave you feeling like an employee with no benefits
How retainer clients can hurt the foundation building of your business by giving you a false sense of security
How to get off the retainer treadmill and sell profitable, project-based work

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 87: Why Focusing on the Money to Earn More Money Isn't Going to Make You More Money (and Where to Focus Instead)

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Everybody wants to make more money without working more hours. That's the dream, right?

That's what I sell: How to make more and more money while working fewer and fewer hours. It’s a great goal and it’s absolutely achievable.

But here’s the problem, and why people struggle to get there.

When you want to make more money without working more hours, what’s the first thing you think to do?

You focus on the money. You raise your prices or you bring on more clients, maybe even both.

But when you focus on the money, it can actually end up being the reason you get stuck working all the time without making enough.

So what’s the answer to this conundrum? Profitability, not revenue.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How scope creep and outsourcing eat the revenue from raising your prices or bringing on new clients
Why you have to have systems in place to be profitable before you add more people to your business

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 86: Step Inside the "Non-Sales" Sales Conversation and Learn Why It's The Only Sales Convo You'll Ever Want to Have

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Raise your hand if you hate sales.

It's probably the most common thing that people struggle with when they're building a small agency. It's also the most important part of building any business. Because if you don't have sales, you don't have a business. You have a hobby.

People hate sales, they feel icky. They feel like they're not very good at it. They don't want to pressure people. They don't want to even learn sales techniques because sales techniques feel icky.

Believe me, I feel the same way. I hate sales. In fact, I could argue that the entire no BS agency business model and all the authority I built online was all my attempt to avoid selling.

And in many ways it did.

Today, I’m sharing how we turned that long, laborious, awful sales process that most small agencies go through to try to close a client into a simple 15 minute conversation and we close people on the spot.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How a fit call eliminates chasing leads with free meetings, calls and proposals and gets you to the sale faster
Why free consultations don’t work and give you the icky sales feel
How the fit calls leads to a clear, specific next step that the client pays you for
The three parts of the non-sales sales conversation

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 85: Jennifer Anastasi Implements the No BS Agency Model and Tells Us All About it: The Good, The Bad, and The Awesome

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

What does shifting from the old default model of working with clients to using the No BS Agency model actually look like?

Super badass business owner Jennifer Anastasi is here to tell us. In this episode, she reveals how she implemented the model that changed everything for her — from projects that dragged on for six or nine months at a time to projects that were delivered in just a couple of days intensive.

Jennifer is an engineer turned brand strategist who empowers service providers to find a clear brand and online presence using her background in tech mixed with creativity. Her superpower is turning the intimidating into easy to understand ideas.

She is also one of my star students in the No BS Agency Mastery Program, who had a take no prisoners approach, and today she’s sharing her journey from looking for flexibility in being self-employed that corporate jobs just didn’t have to gaining the freedom and flexibility of being a No BS Agency.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Jennifer’s early VIP days didn’t work
How implementing the LP boosted Jennifer’s confidence and her revenue
Why Jennifer manages all of the creative elements of her branding projects, from writing the copy to directing the photo shoot
How intensives have improved the quality of Jennifer’s work

Learn more about Jennifer:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 84: Five Principles for Eliminating Never-Ending Revisions and Banish Scope Creep Forever

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

The never-ending revisions process and project scope creep are two of the key reasons that most small branding and creative agencies are not profitable. It’s why creatives seem to be working all the time for not enough money.

It's easy to see how this happens.

Your clients are paying you good money and you want them to be happy. So what’s another revision, right? Maybe you have a stipulation in your contract about the number of revisions before you'll charge additional charges, but how often do you actually enforce that?

The client needs something different and you want to please them. So you do the extra work. What’s another hour? The problem is these extra hours add up very quickly.

When I tell people that we have eliminated the revisions process and that clients accept our deliverables without revisions, they’re both amazed and highly skeptical.

Today, I’m letting you in on how we do this and how it’s not just a better path to creating a more profitable business, but it’s a better path with better results for your clients too.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why your clients don’t really want revisions
How confidently presenting your work eliminates revision requests
Why building trust with your clients is essential to getting rid of revisions
Why you have to let clients in on the thought process behind the work

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 83: Exactly What BS Did We Cut and How Were We Able to Do It

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

“How is it even possible to do it that fast? Aren't you sacrificing quality? You must be selling templates.”

These are just some of the biggest questions I get whenever I tell people that we deliver entire branding projects — projects that typically take 6-8 months to complete — in just one to three days.

People think it’s impossible. They think our work must suck or that we’re duplicating our work and selling the same thing over and over.

Today, I want to tell you that not only is it possible to work that fast, but we actually believe we’re delivering better quality for our clients in these intensives.

Spoiler Alert: We’re not selling templates and our projects are not all the same. But they do have some similarities, which is what I’m going to tell you about today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What’s the BS in a No BS Agency model and how we were able to eliminate it
What our client projects have in common that helps us streamline our process
Why you should be charging for your expertise, not your hours
Where it is okay to use templates

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 82: How Do You Sell Something That All Your Competitors Are Giving Away for Free?

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

In the creative agency space, almost everyone follows the same process to close clients. I did too.

First, you network to find potential clients. Then when you find the client, you have multiple meetings, hold free consultations and free strategy sessions or phone calls to figure out what the client needs and wants. Then, you create a proposal that finally (hopefully) wins you that client.

I don’t know about you, but my proposals were incredibly detailed and specific and it was a TON of work. And whenever you don't win it, all that time that you spent with that one potential client is gone. Lost.

I knew I had to stop spending so much time and energy writing proposals for clients who were never going to close.

So I quit doing proposals for free. And you can too.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to use a lead product to stop doing proposals and start getting paid
How to create a lead product that is clear, actionable and valuable for your clients
Why a lead product sets you apart as the expert even in a sea of free proposals
Why signaling that your time is valuable from the outset means less client sticker shock and more free time to really develop your business

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 81: You Are The Hero Of Your No BS Agency

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

It's the beginning of January, which means a lot of us are thinking about goals and what we really want our next year to look like.

What’s your vision for your business in 2022?

How do you want to evolve personally and professionally? How do you want your relationships to evolve? How do you want your business to evolve?

Most people do this kind of goal setting once a year. They come up with some really loft goals and then struggle to stick to the plan.

You go to the gym every day for a month! And then you stop…

How do you set yourself up so that you don’t simply come up with some intentions for the year and do them for a couple of weeks and forget about them? How do you actually set yourself up to achieve those things in the next twelve months?

There are a few ways to do that, but today I want to talk about visioning.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Prompts for brainstorming your big goals for 2022, in your life and your business
Why your income goal should be one among many goals for the year, not THE goal
An exercise for envisioning the future

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 80: Exciting Business Goals for 2022 and Going All-In on What's Next

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Every year, I do at least one, if not two, full days of strategizing and planning with Steve.

And it’s not just imagining what we want for ourselves in the coming year in terms of our business, but it’s about strategizing every aspect of our lives.

We’ve been doing this for years and it’s an amazing opportunity to take a step back, take a deep breath and look at everything we’ve accomplished over the last twelve months and really intentionally think about what we’re going to do for the next year.

We talk about our personal goals, our relationship goals, our family goals, goals for what we want to do with our friends, and of course, our business goals.

Last year, when I was doing my strategy work and intentions for the following year, and I thought about what I really wanted to accomplish, I realized I really wanted to help people on a much grander scale.

I realized that this business model is really powerful and I wanted to help other people implement it.

So for the past year, I have been building the no BS Agency Mastery Program, which is a group program where I teach other small branding agencies how to build a much more profitable, flexible, sustainable business.

And next year is where I'm really going to be able to take it to new heights and places that I want to go.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why I went all-in on a brand new business in 2021
Why depth and focus are the key to big impacts for mission-driven business owners
Big changes coming to the podcast in 2022

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 79: The Business Model You Need if You Want Work-Life Balance and The Secret Behind a Successful Passive Income Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Last episode, I told the story of how Steve and I started Worst of All Design and how it evolved into the No BS Agency model.

Today, I want to share one more reason why that model is so valuable.

When you’re running an agency, the hustle is constant. Constantly trying to fill your pipeline, constantly pitching, constantly chasing and closing clients, then all the work for those clients you landed. Plus communications, various fires that always need putting out, meetings…

People build these agencies because they love creative work and because they want to help clients, but they build it in a model that inherently makes work-life balance almost impossible.

The truth is the agency life is hard. Which is one reason why Steve and I had to create another way forward.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the intensives model gives us the freedom and flexibility we always wanted
How we use chunk and stack to manage our schedule
How intensives eliminate client anxiety and give you back your personal life
How intensives let you make upfront investments in time, money and audience for building passive income products

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 78: Getting Out of the Fear Place, Selecting a New Business Model, and Fundamentally Changing the Way We Do Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

A couple of months ago, I started running Facebook ads again. And with Facebook ads, come all kinds of comments and Facebook trolls.

Pissy comments don't upset me. But they show me what triggers some people and why! They have been a wonderful breeding ground for ideas about what I want to share with you here on the podcast.

So today, I want to take you back to how this all started—the challenges and opportunities that Steve and I experienced that led us to change our business model so drastically.

And I'm going to address some of the biggest misunderstandings that small business owners I come into contact with have when it comes to what I preach.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How we got to our first $10k month, and what it cost physically and mentally to get there
The impact that being stuck in "fear place" had on me and how I got out of it
Why we changed our business model and turned the way we do business on its head
What's different about our business model compared to typical branding agencies and why it matters to you whether or not you run a branding agency
How intensives deliver tons of value with less friction

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 77: Julia Pimsleur Dives Into Why Mindset is the Key to Achieving Our Big Goals and the Mindset Practices She Encourages Us All to Adopt

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

We make assumptions all day long. And those assumptions dictate how we respond to people and situations around us.

Whether it’s assuming the tone in your boss’s email, or not following up because you didn’t get a response the first time, or a client who says yes but then disappears, the assumptions we make about the people around us have major impacts on our business.

But what if instead of assuming that your boss is being curt, or the person you reached out to doesn’t want to talk to you, or the client who disappeared changed their mind, you stopped to notice your assumptions?

We can spend so much energy on these stories we tell ourselves about other people, especially when they’re negative.

And that hurts your business.

Today I’m chatting with a friend and mentor about her new book Go Big Now: 8 Essential Mindset Practices to Overcome Any Obstacle and Reach Your Goals, and how even small shifts in your mindset can have big impacts in your business and your life.

Julia Pimsleur is a scaling coach, mindset expert, speaker and best-selling author. She is founder of Million Dollar Women, a New York City-based online membership community helping one million women get to $1M in revenues. Million Dollar Women recently celebrated its five year anniversary and has helped thousands of women entrepreneurs scale up their businesses.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The three things you need to go big, and why mindset is the hardest one
How Julia went from considering shuttering her first business to building into a multi-million dollar company and becoming a coach
Julia’s simple tips for slowing down and noticing your thoughts and assumptions so you can change your mindset and level up your business
Why mindset is an ongoing practice, and the things that still trip us up

Learn more about Julia:

Million Dollar Women
Instagram: @milliondlrwomen
Facebook: @JPimsleur
Connect with Million Dollar Women on LinkedIn
Go Big Now: 8 Essential Mindset Practices to Overcome Any Obstacle and Reach Your Goals
21 Day Go Big Mindset Course: Use code GOBIG50 for 50% off!

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Ep 76: Hillary Weiss on Finding, Visualizing, and Showcasing the Thing That Makes You Special in the World

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

What’s holding you back from putting yourself out there, whether in articles, on social media, in videos, or just sending emails to your list?

If you’re waiting to be good enough, spoiler alert: you’re never going to be good enough until you start doing it.

Yes, you'll probably feel embarrassed by your earlier efforts and outputs. I feel the same way! But this is an unavoidable part of the journey on the way to mastery and finding that thing that makes us unique.

To chat about developing your unique voice and putting yourself out there online, among other things, I’m talking to Hillary Weiss.

Hillary Weiss is a creative director, positioning coach, and founder of Statement Piece Studio. She’s also the co-host of the cult-favorite Youtube marketing talk show Hillary and Margo Yell at Websites (#HAMYAW), and has had her work featured on Business Insider, The Next Web, The Observer, and more.

Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of brands all over the world get seen and heard (and make serious cash) through her one on one client work, writing, coaching, and videos. Nowadays, she’s on a mission to help more small businesses define their “statement piece”, a.k.a. the bold point of view that makes them radically relevant to their perfect people.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Hillary built her copywriting experience into brand and positioning coaching, and why you need a position before you have copy
How being able to notice and explain your unique process helps you develop mastery and differentiate yourself in the market
Why content marketing is like insurance for your business
How to develop visual language that supports your brand

Learn more about Hillary:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 75: Focus on Process Over Product and Build Your Resilience

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re in a constant state of not knowing.

No matter how much you know, there is always more to learn. You can’t know everything, because the landscape is always changing.

And not knowing isn’t always comfortable. When you’re doing something for the first time, when you’re learning a strategy that runs counter to everything you were taught, you’re bound to get frustrated and uncomfortable.

But if you want to build a business, you have to build resilience in the face of not knowing.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why learning to be acknowledge and sit with discomfort is a key skill for entrepreneurs
How focusing on process over product helps you meet your goals
How taking action even when you don’t know it all builds resilience

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 74: Seth Erickson Shares His Research and New Book on Why Storytelling in Business Works and How We Can Tell More Engaging Stories

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

You know you’re great at what you do. You know how to deliver value to your customers. But when it comes to communicating that, you’re struggling.

A lot of people suck at communicating to their customers so that they stand out.

But there is a method that is as old as humanity, and is ten times more effective than just telling customers what you do: Storytelling.

I’m sitting down with Seth Erickson to talk about how to use storytelling to connect with your audience, whether your brand is business or personal, and why your story evolves with your business.

Seth Erickson is the owner of Storify Agency and the author of How to Hack Humans: Storytelling for Startups. He has built a career merging business creativity and wit and he trains startups to use storytelling to communicate their value to investors and to the marketplace. His goal is to reduce the number of startups that fail–90%!–by incorporating storytelling so their presentations and products stand out.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why it’s 10x more effective than just telling customers what you do
Why personal brands need different stories than business brands
How your story can and must evolve over time in a changing marketplace

Learn more about Seth:

Storify Agency
How to Hack Humans: Storytelling for Startups
Read the first chapter of How to Hack Humans for FREE: https://www.storifyagency.com/pia
Connect with Seth on LinkedIn
Instagram: @OriginalSethErickson

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Winning the Story Wars, Jonah Sachs

Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, Donald Miller

Ep 73: How to Guarantee Your Own Success

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0400

If you absolutely knew you were going to be successful, to have the business and the life you want, what would you pay to get there? What would you be willing to sacrifice?

What failures would you endure, if you knew it was all going to pay off?

I’ve been thinking and talking to a lot of people recently about the idea of whether or not you can guarantee success.

I interact with a lot of business owners who are so scared of making the wrong decision or the wrong choice or going in the wrong direction that their doubt paralyzes them. They can’t make decisions or take action because they’re plagued with doubt and they end up stuck.

Sound familiar?

I want to give you a different perspective and hopefully change your mindset.

I want to free you up to make decisions and take action. I want to tell you how you can guarantee success in your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why committing to showing up and doing the work is the guarantee of success
Why the work has to include honestly assessing where you need to improve your skills and face your fears
How a community, mentor, coach or other sounding board can help you see where you’re holding yourself back
Why you need big picture goals and milestones so you don’t get lost in the day-to-day

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 72: Jared Kleinert Peels Back the Curtain on His Processes, Habits, and Relationships That Have Allowed Him to Accomplish So Much at 26

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Do you have a clear set of goals for your business each year? Or a systematic way of orienting your business toward your goals each quarter?

I’m a huge fan of annual, quarterly, weekly and daily planning to maximize the time you spend each day on high value tasks that move you toward your goals.

Implementing a business planning strategy means you can make better choices about how to prioritize your time, whether with your own schedule, or figuring out what needs to be delegated to someone on your team.

Which is why I’m talking to badass business owner Jared Kleinert.

Jared is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and consultant with a range of high-profile clients. He was a delegate to President Obama's 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Malaysia, and is the author of multiple books, including the upcoming NETWORKING: How to Meet Influential People, Deepen Relationships, and Become A Super-Connector.

His insights on entrepreneurship and networking have also been featured in major media such as Forbes, TIME, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, NPR, Entrepreneur, Mashable, Fox Business and more.

He’s been in the game for over 15 years and he’s only 26!

Jared shares his story and how he’s managed to do so much at such a young age, how he manages and thinks about his time so he can make all this happen, and his advice on hiring support even when you don’t need or want employees.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Jared's upbringing helped him embrace entrepreneurship at a young age
How his early experiences with mentorship and networking shaped his trajectory
Why consulting or service-based businesses make great launchpads into businesses that scale
How Jared prioritizes daily, weekly, and quarterly objectives in his schedule with tech tools and strategic processes

Learn more about Jared:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 71: Philip Morgan Explains Why Our Relationship to Risks Matters a Whole Lot When Picking Our Business Strategy and Specialization Area

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 03:00:00 -0400

How much risk are you willing to take?

For some, the idea of taking a giant leap of faith is exhilarating. For others, the idea instantly makes them queasy. Where you land on that continuum will change depending on the greater circumstances of your life, too.

Your relationship to risk affects your business and the choices you’ll make.

When it comes to finding your niche, your comfort with uncertainty and risk will have a major impact in the direction you choose to go. Or the directions you can even imagine going.

All businesses come with some level of risk and uncertainty. So how do you manage your relationship to risk in your business so that you don’t get mired in indecision or leap headfirst into an unproven venture?

To talk about risk, I’m catching up with Philip Morgan.

Philip Morgan is an expert on experts. He works with independent consultants to help them hone their area of specialization, cultivate their expertise, and monetize their IP. His book, The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants has helped thousands transform their businesses.

We talk about building authority and expertise, how to find your niche and positioning, what it takes to build an expert business and some self-psychoanalysis in the process.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Shifting your mindset to what you’re gaining instead of what you’re losing when you’re trying something new
The relationship between risk tolerance and how you choose to specialize
Imposter syndrome and finding or making space in your niche
Two challenges Philip uses to help clients build comfort with their expertise

Learn more about Philip:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

The Prosperous Coach: Increase Income and Impact for You and Your Clients, Rich Litvin and Steve Chandler (Author)
Write Useful Books: A modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction, Rob Fitzpatrick

Ep 70: Jeffrey Van Dyk on Finding Your Perfect Market, the Work Only You Can Do, and the Messaging That Hits The Bullseye

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Everyone wants to find their one perfect square inch of the market where they can go a mile deep, do good work, and make good money.

You could chase what you think the market wants and jump into a niche that seems hot right now.

You could choose a market segment based on what your degree is in, what you’ve done before, or what you think you should be doing.

You could jump from niche to niche to niche and never see the kind of success you’re looking for.

Or you could find the work that only you can do.

Today, I’m sitting down with Jeffrey Van Dyk to talk about his process for finding the square inch that only you can inhabit because of your history and experiences and emotional and behavioral patterns. Patterns that you also happen to share with your best clients and customers.

Jeff is an international speaker, strategist, and guide who works with highly successful leaders and founders in the second half of life who know that they are meant to transition into their life’s legacy and have a meaningful, lasting impact on the world.

Jeff currently helps spiritually-guided celebrities, business leaders, and founders become more powerful leaders and create the work that only they can deliver to the world.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Jeff’s journey from coaching anyone on anything, to helping entrepreneurs and coaches connect their passion, purpose and history to their market and messaging
Why trust is necessary for commitment and risk-taking
What your core wounds have to do with your business, how you position yourself, and how you connect with your best audience
Questions that will help you identify patterns of feelings and behaviors that will help you find “your people” in the market

Learn more about Jeffrey:

Learn more about Pia:

Ep 69: Nate Bagley on Nurturing an Amazing Relationship With Your Romantic Partner and Why This Is So Important in Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Whenever people ask me how I built a business with my husband, they usually add, with an eye roll, “because I could never do that with my partner.”

And I always kind of laugh and say, “Lots of therapy.”

Which is the truth in many ways. Though it’s not just therapy, it’s both of us actively working on having a healthy, loving, energizing, communicative, successful relationship.

And I believe that having fulfilling relationships in your life really do lead to more business success. And that’s true even if you aren’t running a business with your partner.

Which is why today, we’re veering away from our usual topics and talking about relationships with Nate Bagley.

Nate is on a mission in life is to rid the world of mediocre love. He is a marriage researcher and educator and host of the Growth Marriage Podcast as well as a kickass Growth Marriage YouTube channel.

And I am just so excited to share this conversation with you, where we are going to talk about how your relationship plays a role in the success of your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Nate turned a string of disappointing relationships into a cross-country road trip research project on happy marriages
Why having a fulfilling romantic relationship is important to running a successful business
Two key principles for relationship success
What to do when your partner doesn’t want to put in the work on your relationship
The connections between anxiety, control and burnout and how it impacts your relationships and your business

Learn more about Nate:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down, Kathleen Smith

The Gottman Institute

Dr. David Schnarch

EP 68: Talia Koren on How an Intentional and Wildly Successful Instagram Strategy Fueled the Growth of Her Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0400

What really goes into building your platform?

Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or another site, building an audience for your business through social media presence can be a key piece of marketing your business.

Actually getting traction and followers, however, can seem like a mysterious process. It’s not often that someone with a large following opens up about just how they did it.

Which is why today’s episode is super valuable.

Talia Koren is the founder of Workweek Lunch, a blog and digital meal plan subscription that helps thousands of people all over the world master meal prep. Talia is a self-taught home cook and she started WWL in 2016 to teach her peers how to cook easy, balanced meals to save time and money. Since then, she has grown her Instagram following to nearly 500k followers.

And she’s willing to share the details of how she did it.

We’d all like to have secret weapon to get attention and sales with minimum time and effort, and Talia’s approach is not that. It’s going to take time and effort to get the kind of results Talia did.

But you can build an intentional strategy that will pay off, that will make you money, and will bring new opportunities to you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you should focus on just one or two metrics in your analytics
How to track trends and translate them for you brand to create highly-shareable content
Why you can’t blame the algorithm if you’re not experimenting with your content
Why point of view and consistency are the two most important things in your control
Why you need to show your face and show up in your DMs and comments, and how that can shift as your brand grows

Learn more about Talia:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Talia’s Blog: What Actually Goes Into Growing An Instagram Account To 100k
Talia’s Blog: Insights From Doubling My Instagram Following In A Year (150k-300k)
Help A Reporter Out
The Financial Diet
You Need a Budget

EP 67: Dorie Clark Drops Truth Bombs About Playing the Long Game and How to Make Your Own Luck

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0400

What are you willing to do to get to what you really want?

And how many times are you willing to hit a wall in the process of achieving it?

You need clarity about what you want, but you also need to get clear on your expectations for the results of your actions.

If you reach out once and assume not hearing back means no, if you pitch a major publication with three articles on your blog, you have to adjust your expectations.

Success is a long game that requires tenacity and consistency.

Today I’m so excited to catch up with the brilliant and badass Dorie Clark.

In this conversation Dorie shares a behind the scenes look at how she built an impressive and far-reaching brand and reputation online and off, as well as her upcoming book, The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World, and what it means to stay steady on a path to build the business and life you want.

Dorie Clark is an adjunct professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, the New York Times described her as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” A frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, she consults and speaks for clients including Google, Microsoft, and the World Bank.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What Dorie learned about endurance and persistence from working on a presidential campaign
How to maintain a strong brand message while continuing to learn and grow
The importance of being a beginner and learning to practice
The intentional strategies Dorie developed to build her platform and credibility
Why content creation is a key piece of becoming a recognized expert

Learn more about Dorie:

DorieClark.com
Twitter: @dorieclark
Facebook: @DorieClarkAuthor
Instagram: @DorieClark
Clubhouse: @DorieClark
Follow Dorie on YouTube
Connect with Dorie on LinkedIn
Free Entrepreneurial You Self-Assessment Workbook
Courses

Learn more about Pia:

EP 66: Dominic Monkhouse Gets Real on What it Takes to Build Grit, Resilience, and Really Strong Teams

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Growth is challenging because growth requires change. And many of us are stuck in our ways and we don’t even know it.

Which is why it can be so helpful to have other people ask you questions that will push you out of your comfort zone.

In a coaching program, boot camp or mastermind, you can have someone else force you to really look at yourself and ask, “Am I willing to adapt and grow and change to get the business that I want? And am I getting in the way of what I want?”

And the answer is usually yes.

Today, I’m talking with a business coach who helps his clients and his audience get comfortable with being uncomfortable. He’s got so much to share about business, how to manage teams, and how to think about growth in your business.

Dominic Monkhouse is an architect of business growth and a business coach to some very impressively large IT companies. Before becoming a coach, he headed up and grew multiple multi-million dollar IT companies. Prior to his career in IT, Dominic held positions in a number of industries, including selling gold, diamonds, women’s underwear and chickens. Dominic now helps other businesses as a coach and works with his clients and their teams in the “Management Lab” on his farm near Salisbury. He also hosts the weekly podcast, The Melting Pot, where he shares nuggets of value and conversations with business leaders about what’s working today.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Dominic decided to proceed with his controversial book title
Dominic’s approach to coaching and consulting for high-performing IT teams
His advice for pricing increases — especially if you’re nervous about upping your prices
What it really takes to build strong teams that can meet their potential
Why Dominic tells new clients he’s going to make their business “difficult” in the beginning

Learn more about Dominic:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

The Melting Pot: Badass Your Brand and Show Your Business Who’s Boss with Pia Silva

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, Kim Scott

EP 65: Melanie Spring on Building the Business and Life You REALLY Want and Nothing But

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0400

When was the last time you visualized the details of what you want from your business and your life?

Did you have a clear, specific picture of what that actually looks like? Not just the money or a title or recognition, but what it looks like day to day. When you see the picture, does it show the life you really want?

Getting clear and specific about your goals avoids you chasing a dream that doesn’t fit you.

What you want will evolve over time as your life changes, which is why it’s a great idea to check in with yourself periodically.

Today, I’m chatting with an entrepreneur who’s had multiple successful careers and many evolutions in her business, from brand strategist to “Approachable Badass.”

Melanie Spring is an international keynote speaker and public speaking trainer. She and her crew travel the world creating branded experiences for humans like you to find your stories, build your confidence, and amplify your voices.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What it took Melanie to get high-paying speaking gigs all over the world and what that life really looks like
Why letting go of assets and offerings is a key piece of building the business you want as your wants and needs evolve
How to get comfortable with being a personal brand
Why backtracking the specific steps from your goal will help you clarify what you really want

Learn more about Melanie:

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Quickie: Michelle Mercurio on Letting Go of Things (Even if They're Working)

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Letting go is hard. It hurts when it’s time to retire something you worked really hard on and that you’re proud of, especially when it’s working. But sometimes you have to let go of things that are good to make room for something great.

Those good enough things might be filling the space and time you need to grow and expand into new places that will lead to even greater success.

Saying no to clients and to money now so you can grow in the long term is difficult and scary. But if you are set on continuing to grow and nurture and nourish a business that serves you and serves your goals and your mission, you have to get used to the idea that you will have to turn down projects and opportunities in order to make space for bigger and better projects down the line.

Which is why today’s summer quickie comes from Episode 27 with Michelle Mercurio. She shares about her struggle to let go of things in her business that were doing well and making her lots of money and how she ultimately decided that they really did have to go.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Michelle applies the concept of expiring information to her business decisions
Why evaluating how a piece of your business fits into your greater purpose can help you let go

Learn more about Michelle:

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Quickie: Melanie Gow on the Getting to the Core of a Story

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 03:00:00 -0400

There is so much talk about story.

What’s your story? You need to have a good story for your brand. Blah, blah, blah.

I think a lot of people don’t actually understand what “story” really means and how to use it to build your brand.

So today, I wanted to revisit a clip from Episode 23 with Melanie Gow, the brilliant mind behind my TED Talk last year.

Melanie understands story deeply. She is so good at cutting through the BS and getting to the core of what somebody’s story is — where they came from and how that has shaped who they are and how they see the world.

I hope this clip inspires you to think about what other stories you have inside you that have shaped who you are and how those stories can be brought out to add color and depth to your brand and your brand story.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why beliefs and context inform all of your stories

How the process of unpacking your sociocultural influences can reveal stories

Why it’s more than just changing the stories that don’t serve you, you have to replace or reframe them

Learn more about Melanie:

Awaken the Legend Within

Twitter: @MelGow

Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Learn more about Pia:

No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group

The Show Your Business Who's Boss Crash Course

Start reading the first chapter of my book

Piasilva.com

Summer Quickie: Rachael Wonderlin on Creating Your Destiny

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 03:00:00 -0400

What if you reimagined the norms of your industry? Said no to the conventions that don’t work for you and worse, kept your business from being profitable?

People will say it can’t be done, that the industry model exists for a reason, you’ll never get clients, and on and on.

But what if breaking out of the mold meant you could actually produce your best work for your clients?

There are opportunities to do things differently from how everyone in the industry does it. If you allow yourself to explore, you may find a better way of doing things. Or a way that fits you better, something you enjoy. This can be your most exciting opportunity to build something really special and unique.

In this Summer Quickie, I’m revisiting a conversation from Episode 25 with Rachael Wonderlin of Dementia By Day.

Rachael is one of those people who stared her industry in the face and said, “I don’t think this is how it needs to be.” She saw a better way and wasn’t afraid to try something new and figure it out on her own.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The conversation that made Rachael determined to “make that job exist”
How Rachael evolved her offerings from her first stitched together proposal to a thriving consulting business

Learn more about Rachael Wonderlin:

Learn more about Pia:

Summer Quickie: Amanda Silver on Getting Off Defense and Taking Control

Pia Silva — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 03:00:00 -0400

What do you want your business to look like?

What would it take to stop playing defense and start getting into offense?

When you’re operating in default mode, relying solely on referrals, you’re operating from a defensive position. You need a system that allows you to consistently take action to get business.

You need to flip the script and ask yourself the hard questions about what you want your business to look like, who you want to work with, how you want to work with clients, how much money you want to make. When you get that clarity, you can make a plan.

It’s a lot easier said than done.

In this summer quickie, I’m going back to an episode with Amanda Silver.

Amanda Silver is a leadership consultant, coach and trainer for social change leaders and organizations. She is passionate about creating thriving teams and cultures that get things done. Her unique approach focuses on heart and mind leadership and draws on expertise in mindfulness, emotional-intelligence, and strength-based mindsets.

She shares how she used to be completely reliant on referrals for her business, which meant that she couldn't say no to clients. She had to take what she could get. And she was always scared. She didn't know where her next clients were coming from.

And she’ll share how she evolved her business to get the clients she really wanted and do the work she loves doing.

Tune into this episode to hear:

When Amanda recognized that her offerings and reliance on referrals needed to change
How surrounding herself with badass friends helped ease Amanda’s fears about transitioning her business
How even small shifts in how you present yourself and your work online can impact who you bring into your orbit

Learn more about Amanda Silver:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 64: Michelle Mazur Drops Truth Bombs on Messaging, Copywriting, and Bro Marketing

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

How’s your messaging?

If you’re struggling with marketing your business and every time you sit down to write copy–any copy–feels like an epic slog because you don’t know what to say, you’ve got a messaging issue.

Everyone wants their marketing to connect with their audience, but if you’re unsure of what to say or not say, or you’re winging it every time, the problem isn’t your copy, it’s that you don’t know what your message is.

Distilling what you do into a consistent, clear, impactful message that is reflected in every piece of marketing you produce isn’t easy, but it will make your life–or the lives of anyone you hire for marketing help–easier once you figure it out.

To help us get there, I have the Communication Rebel herself, badass business owner Michelle Mazur.

Michelle works with brilliant business owners who are shaking things up, but having trouble talking about it. She combines the tools of successful social movements with the qualitative research skills she earned in her Communication Ph.D. to help them craft their powerful, captivating message.

She's the author of the 3 Word Rebellion and has been featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Michelle knows that speaking about what you do in a clear and captivating way is the key to reaching the people you could help the most and making more money in your business.

We chat about the problem with bro marketing, lament about the prevalence of online courses from people who did something once and Michelle helps clarify the difference between messaging and copywriting.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why crafting solid, thoughtful messaging lets you leave behind manipulative “bro marketing” tactics
How consistency and staying on message allows you to bring nuance and simplicity to your marketing
How consistency builds the authority and trust that makes you an expert, not an influencer
Why marketers and copywriters are not there to craft your message, but how having the right outside help can give you the distance to get clear on your messaging

Learn more about Michelle:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 63: Matthew Capala Gets Real About Website Psychology and the Modern SEO Way

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

SEO can easily become a massive distraction for the small service lifestyle business owner.

Yes, it has value, but with changing algorithms and conflicting advice and best practices out there, figuring out when and how to spend your time and attention on SEO is confusing at best.

And what’s the one thing that really matters when a potential client lands on your website?

The same thing as when you meet them at a networking event. Trust.

The split second impression that clients have of you and whether or not they trust you and want to learn more, happens when they see your website.

Look at your website. Would you trust you?

Everyone has SOMETHING that they can put front and center to demonstrate that other people trust them, and therefore, that you the viewer should trust them too.

To help you figure out what those trust symbols are, I brought an old friend and colleague, badass marketer and business owner, Matthew Capala to the show.

Matthew Capala is keynote speaker, entrepreneur, the founder of Alphametic, an SEO marketing agency in Miami, and author of the new book The Psychology of a Website.

And he knows more about SEO than anyone I know.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How search algorithms are changing to monitor user behavior, not keywords and backlinks
Three key things your homepage needs to establish trust
How the user experience of your website affects your search ranking
Tips for using transactional keywords to drive quality search traffic
How to build a website with SEO in mind from the beginning

Learn more about Matthew:

About Matthew
Alphametic
Instagram: @searchdecoder
Twitter: @searchdecoder
FREE SEO Toolbox
The Psychology of a Website: Mastering Cognitive Biases, Conversion Triggers and Modern SEO to Achieve Massive Results, Matthew Capala

Learn more about Pia:

EP 62: Jane Sagalovich on Creating Courses That Make a Difference and her Hybrid Approach to Online Courses

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

If effortless passive income were possible, you’d be on a beach somewhere with a margarita right now, or whatever your fantasy vacation looks like.

But passive income takes a lot of effort up front. You have to build an audience, the course, the funnels, the ads. And you have to keep selling the course once it’s out there.

Maybe you’re hitting your capacity for clients with the services you’re currently selling and you want to scale up. Maybe you want another revenue stream that’s less intensive than done-for-you services or one-on-one coaching. Creating an online course is a great solution.

But what if trading one time and energy-intensive service for the time and energy-intensive process of setting up and selling an automated online course doesn’t sound like a good trade?

On today’s episode I am excited to speak with badass business owner, and Founder of Scale Your Genius, Jane Sagalovich.

Jane is a business strategist and scaling mentor and she is on a mission to rid the world of crappy online courses–I think we can all second that! She has helped hundreds of experts create their high-quality online courses and programs with clarity, confidence, and ease.

She teaches a hybrid course model that allows service providers to leverage their time by combining the elements of a good self-paced course, a good group coaching program, and a one-on-one coaching experience to create an offer that gets clients great results, without needing to build the whole funnel system that is required to sell online courses.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why building a hybrid online course can be easier and more profitable than a fully automated offering
Audience considerations when you’re going from done-for-you services to mostly-DIY online courses
Why you can’t recycle existing content unless it fits the client journey you’re building in the course
How to avoid info-dumping when you should be focusing on guiding

Learn more about Jane:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 61: Bruce Eckfeldt on Leveraging Opportunities, Scaling Your Business, and Breaking Into a New Field with Maximum Impact

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Do you know what you really want from your business? It’s not enough to say “I want more money,” or “I want to scale.” What is your life going to look like when you get there?

What role do you want to play? What do you want to do every day? CEOs can bottleneck a company faster than anyone else when they’re not actually doing the right job.

There’s no one right answer but there is an answer for you. Knowing what that is will help you make strategic decisions about how, when, why or even whether to scale up your business.

Strategic thinking and planning is something most small businesses don’t do enough of, but getting that clarity can set you up for success. And really, you aren’t going to get where you want to go if you don’t know where you are going!

Dream big! Then make strategic decisions and actions to turn it into a concrete reality.

Like today’s guest, badass business owner Bruce Eckfeldt. Bruce has settled into a life and a business where he gets to play, and pick and choose projects of all different kinds, which is my total dream scenario.

After building, scaling and selling his own technology consulting firm in 2003, Bruce became a strategic coach and advisor to early-stage CEOs and their leadership teams. He hosts two podcasts, Scaling Up Services and Thinking Outside the Bud and writes weekly for Inc.com on leadership and strategic business growth.

I always get inspired talking with him so I’m excited to share his wisdom and decades of experience.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why scale isn’t just about the number of people on your team and why a CEO needs to think like a coach
Why figuring out your role in your business drives strategy decisions
How to keep boredom out of the equation when focusing strategically for scale
How to level up your client base by leveraging your knowledge of your current clients’ needs

Learn more about Bruce:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Dream Team Predictive Index Workshop

EP 60: Iman Khan Spills Selling Secrets During Online and In Person Events, the Danger of Under Pricing, and Working on His Abundance Mindset

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Pricing conveys value. If a potential client is wondering if they’re going to get bombarded with upgrade offers once they sign up, they won’t sign up. Being underpriced can and does hurt you.

When your price reflects the value of the service or package, your clients can trust that they’ll get what they’re paying for.

But how do you know when your price reflects your value?

On today’s episode I’m excited to have badass business owner and former business coach of mine, Iman Khan.

Iman and his wife Afrin own Red Elephant Inc, where they are on a mission to empower people to empower others to make real change in the world by finding their platform and voice.

I’ve known Iman and Afrin for nearly 10 years, from back when they still lived in New York and their events were one of the places I turned to most to find MY voice.

When they were building their business and honing their system, Iman and Afrin tweaked and tested and tweaked again until they found what works consistently, and that includes pricing.

And while their core system hasn’t changed, those adjustments, tweaks and pivots have been more key than ever for them in the last year as their business moved from live events to online with hundreds and hundreds of Zoom rooms.

They definitely succeeded, and today Iman is going to share some of the strategies they used to make online events engaging, entertaining and most importantly, impactful.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• How reviving and restructuring the delivery of older programs helped Red Elephant pivot quickly when the world shifted online

• How their network pushed their business to evolve from producing events to teaching entrepreneurs how to sell from the stage and run their own events

• How tweaking and testing led to a system that works, and why they don’t mess with it now that it does

• What makes in-person, multi-day events worth the investment of time, energy and the costs of hosting

Learn more about Iman:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

The Landmark Forum

EP 59: Jeff Bajorek Talks About His Sales Philosophy, Salesmanship, and the Sales Mindset

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

How do you feel about your sales process? How do you want to feel about it? Could it even be something you enjoy?

So many people say they don’t want to be sales-y. They don’t want to be pushy. It doesn’t come naturally, etc. etc. But you do, in fact, need to be selling in order to have a sustainable business.

And you can do that in a way that feels good and authentic to you. No scripts. No manipulative tactics. No pretending to be someone you’re not.

How?

You have to change your mindset.

I still tell people I hate sales and that I don’t sell. The word “sales” is still associated with pushiness and desperation in my mind.

Obviously, I do sell, but it doesn’t feel that way because I completely changed how I view it. I’m never trying to convince someone to do something they don’t want to do. The only thing I want to find out is if I can genuinely help the person on the other end of the line.

It didn’t happen overnight, but making that shift made it so much easier to talk to potential clients.

On today’s episode we’re turning the topic of sales on its head with badass business owner, Jeff Bajorek.

Jeff is a sales trainer and consultant, the author of two books and the host of two podcasts. Jeff helps salespeople perform better by helping them rethink the way they sell. Jeff also offers weekly live training and more on his community site Rethink the Way You Sell.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why you should approach potential clients and customers with genuine curiosity throughout the sales process
When to let the conversation drop, when to circle back, and when to nudge without feeling pushy or manipulative
Jeff’s simplified, mindset-shifting definition of sales as being part of all of our interactions and relationships
Short and long-term strategies to connect with clients through networking and building authority

Learn more about Jeff:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 58: Mike Michalowicz on Authorship as a Vocation and Why Your Book Isn't Just a Glorified Business Card

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

A lot of us are scared to share our best stuff because then we think people won’t hire us or pay us for it. But why would we want to hide our best stuff behind a paywall?

Yes, some of your audience will take your expertise and go the DIY route. But if you use your ideas to build your platform, know that some of the people watching will want more from you. And they’ll pay you for it.

That’s the top advice from today’s guest. I’m delighted to have the one and only Mike Michalowicz on the show. Mike is going to share some behind the scenes stories about his rise to fame as an author and entrepreneur, and some of the things that did and didn’t work along the way.

You probably know Mike as the author of six, soon to be seven, incredibly influential books for entrepreneurs including Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan, Fix This Next, Clockwork, Surge, and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. His next book, Get Different, is out in September and available for preorder now.

But what you may not know is where he got all these crazy ideas. Before we wrote his first book, by his 35th birthday Mike founded and sold two multi-million dollar companies. Confident that he had the formula to success, he became a small business angel investor…and proceeded to lose his entire fortune.

That’s when he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Since then Mike has devoted his life to the research and delivery of innovative, impactful entrepreneurial strategies to you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Two audience segments who will buy your book, and why sharing ALL of your expertise matters to both of them
Mike’s licensing model of collaborating with experts to write books and create service offerings that allows everyone to do what they’re best at
A look inside publishing today, from self-publishing, whether you really need an agent, to success on the backlist and expanded editions of older books
Why marketing best practices quickly become invisible as they’re used more and more widely
Two pieces of tactical advice Mike gave Pia when she was about to release her book that she still swears by

Learn more about Mike:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 57: Evelyn Powers on Evolving, Adapting, and Making Good Choices–in Business and in Life

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Are you evolving in your business? With your industry?

Or are you fighting it, scared to take the steps you need to take to build the business you know you want?

Sometimes it’s learning new skills, sometimes it’s learning new softwares.

It can be especially challenging when you’ve been in business for a long time and you’re ready to just know how things work.

But really, that’s what business is — a constant evolution. And if you don’t get used to including the learning and evolving as part of the process, you may very well get stagnant and wonder why the business isn’t growing in the direction you want.

On today’s episode I’m excited to have badass business owner, and super badass woman that I have had the pleasure of working with over the last few years, Evelyn Powers.

Evelyn founded Design Powers 25 years ago, and her business has evolved from being a graphic design firm serving mid-sized companies and nonprofits with print work, to a web design firm for professional small businesses and entrepreneurs.

I’m excited to share her story of starting her business because she wanted to be home more for her two then-young children and how she’s evolved and grown over the years to keep up with the total transformation in the design industry from print to web.

Today, Design Powers is in the midst of a complete rebrand to niche further in on small business creatives, founders and experts who have “legit” businesses, but uncommon and unconventional offers, and seek authority through excellence and conviction.

We talk about the need to evolve, the challenges that come up, and how if you want success, getting comfortable with evolving and adapting is critical.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The lessons about failure and breaking bad habits and making good ones Evelyn learned from quitting smoking in her 20s
Why she took the leap to taking on large web-based projects, and why now she’s narrowing her focus to work with creatives and “brands of conviction”
How balancing the relationship of time and price in your offerings helps you balance business and life

Learn more about Evelyn Powers:

Design Powers
7 Power Tools Brand Guide, Logo File Format Guide and More
Instagram: @designpowers
Facebook: @designpowersinc
Connect with Design Powers on LinkedIn

Learn more about Pia:

EP 56: Justin Esgar on Generating Ideas on the Fly, the Genius of Multiple Revenue Streams, and the Hard Climb to Profitable Conferences

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Where are your blind spots?

Is there something you love doing anyway that could make you a few extra dollars with minimal setup or maintenance costs? Can you leverage your audience to support your passion project or side hustle?

I tend not to think things are worth my time if they aren’t going to produce significant revenue. That has served me well, of course, but it may also close me off to new ideas that are actually really good.

Today, I’m chatting with a badass business owner and entrepreneur whose approach is almost exactly the opposite of mine.

Justin Esgar has more ideas than he has time to implement them but he does it anyway, whether it’s parking a domain for later or putting T-shirt designs on Threadless and being delighted by every single $6 sale.

Justin originally built a successful IT consulting company over 10 years ago called Virtua Consulting Group, which he still runs and owns. But like so many entrepreneurs, Justin has IDEAS.

First, running a successful IT company wasn’t enough, so he started the ACES Conference to teach IT consultants how to build better businesses. Fun fact, I actually spoke about branding at the first ACES Conference in New Orleans!

But as you’ll hear it didn’t stop with the conference. Justin is always looking for new ideas, creating new streams of income, and enjoying himself in the process. I’m looking forward to catching up with him and seeing what irons he’s got in the fire right now.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why even if you can’t do the job, you can still do the work
The double-edged sword of responsibility and being a “fixer”
The challenges of building a conference from the ground up, from hotel block fees to $85 coffees
How Jason has used add-on services and leveraged relationships to build multiple income streams
How making T-shirts for fun has led to surprising connections and opportunities

Learn more about Justin Esgar:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

ACES Conference
Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes
Managed Services in a Month: Build a Successful, Modern Computer Consulting Business in 30 Days, Karl W. Palachuk
Paul Green’s MSP Marketing Podcast

EP 55: Tara McMullin on What Simplification in Business Looks Like in Practice and Playing the Role You Want to Play While Having Fun With It

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 May 2021 00:00:00 -0400

What have you overcomplicated in your business recently?

Are you trying to solve problems by adding more to your plate rather than taking something off?

It’s not just you. There’s a human tendency to add and look for more things to do whenever we have a problem that needs solving, when subtraction might be the best solution.

Add a culture where what we do is who we are, and overwork is treated as equivalent to good work, and it’s easy to see how that tendency gets amplified.

On today’s episode I’m excited to have badass business owner, Tara McMullin.

Tara McMullin is a coach, community builder, podcaster, producer, and writer. She’s the founder of What Works, a digital platform for small business owners who are building strong, resilient and sustainable companies.

AND she’s the co-founder of Yellow House Media, which you might recognize from the credits at the end of this show every week. That’s right, that’s how I know Tara, because her company is the reason I have a podcast every week.

She’s a brilliant thinker, writer, strategist, she has her own podcast, What Works, which has been downloaded over 2 million times, she’s an international speaker and she’s been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, Inc, and The Huffington Post.

I’m delighted to share this conversation with you where we go deep on topics around being overworked business owners, what it really takes to find that freedom and flexibility and how simplicity is usually the answer to business challenges.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Tara is simplifying her social strategy by only posting “remarkable” content, and how it’s working
Why the question, “who are you without the doing?” totally knocked her for a loop
How building structures in your business that reject overwork can only take you so far if you’re not doing deep work to shift your mindset
How knowing what values motivate you can help you lean into your strengths and identify your weaknesses

Learn more about Tara McMullin:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

EP 54: David Mammano on Letting Go to Find Opportunities, Building a Career Based on Joy, and Always Starting With The Right Intentions

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 May 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Entrepreneurs can be a pretty Type A bunch. But what if letting go–even just a little–lets in your next big thing?

Are there opportunities right in front of you that you don’t dare explore?

Sometimes we, and I definitely mean me too, can be so myopic in our thinking that our business needs to look a certain way, that we miss the opportunities right in front of us.

On today’s episode I’ve got serial entrepreneur and badass business owner, David Mamanno. David is a 7-time business owner who now helps others achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.

He’s also the host of the Gonzo Experience podcast, the author of Crash & Learn, a three-time Inc. Magazine 5000 Growth Company winner, a TEDx speaker, an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester.

He is also a big believer in being open to opportunities and making work a joy by taking the time to try new things in pursuit of finding your calling.

Whether it’s stand up comedy, a networking and speakers group for local businesses or starting a podcast, even the paths and opportunities that didn’t end up being your calling are experiences and skills you can use. And David has done all of those things and more.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why following your passion first and figuring out the money second might disappoint your parents, but can lead to more joy and more success
How David still calls on his time taking comedy classes at Second City in Chicago in the work he does today
How his next business idea practically fell in his lap and his best advice for how to find your next big idea
How starting with integrity is the difference between grand idea and delusions of grandeur

Learn more about David Mammano:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

*Crash and Learn: Lessons in Business*, David Mammano
Email David at david@davidmammano.com for a free copy!
Small Is the New Big: And 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas, Seth Godin
Show Your Business Who’s Boss Ep 15: The Joy Of The Smart Hustle, Building Fan Base, And Thriving In The Life You Want With Ramon Ray

EP 53: Kia Abrera on Starting Up a Video Production Company and Addressing Marketplace Misperceptions By Being Transparent with Pricing

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 May 2021 03:00:00 -0400

From burned out to noped out, was there a moment that made you realize you’d had enough?

Today, we're going to talk to Kia Abrera about her journey from burnt out, working until four in the morning at her high level agency job to finally calling it quits and starting her own thing.

Kia is the co-founder and CEO of Braveworks Inc., a 6-figure video strategy and production company that specializes in videos with attitude. She creates scroll-stopping content that takes brave expert-preneurs from ME TOO to GO TO.

I met Kia last year when she joined my Badass Business Bootcamp, and then leveled up into working with me in my group coaching program, so I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her and her business intimately. She is such a great example of how it takes more than expertise in your field to build a successful agency.

Today, we'll talk about the challenges of selling creative services in a market that sees the tangible output, but doesn’t understand the value of the creative process.

And we’ll discuss how the perception and expectation of “cheap” labor in the Philippines has created additional challenges for her business when selling premium services to an international market.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The table-flipping moment that made Kia realize she had to quit her ad agency job
Why she puts her pricing on an intake form, before a discovery call is even on the calendar
How your content marketing needs to account for three levels of audiences
How Kia is finding work-life balance on an international schedule by packaging video services into intensives

Learn more about Kia Abrera:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 52: Matt Inglot on the Truth Behind Membership Sites, When a Business Truly Becomes Passive-Income, and One Advantage of an Agency Over a Service-Based Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 May 2021 00:00:00 -0400

On today’s episode I’ve got serial entrepreneur and badass business owner, Matt Inglot.

Matt owns several businesses, including Freelance Transformation that helps freelancers become more successful, and Tilted Pixel, his agency that helps grow membership website companies.

I met Matt years ago when he invited me on his podcast and we’ve stayed in touch since just because we are so aligned in our philosophy on business, and because he was also solely focused on helping service businesses grow for the longest time.

We talk about the importance of iteration and of taking the opportunity with every client, every project, to take what you’ve learned and do it better next time, so you can raise the value–and the price–of your services.

We also talk about how Matt found his niche with membership businesses and how he grew his skill set so that he could grow his offerings and his business.

You’ll never get it perfect on the first try, but if you take each experience and learn from it, you can build a REALLY BOSS business pretty quickly.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Matt’s evolution from agency to product business back to agency, and why he made the shifts that he did
The surprising math behind membership pricing models
The hard truth about moving from service business to passive income business, what it takes to succeed, and why it can feel like an interest-free loan to your future self
How over-the-top marketing messaging is messing with our brains

Learn more about Matt Inglot:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Freelance Transformation Podcast Ep 113: From Failure to $500,000 in Client Work with Pia Silva

EP 51: Jennie Nash on the Book Proposal Process, Writers and Their Passion, and Writing Books That Impact People Through Time and Space

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Do you want to write a book?

Do you know WHY you want to write a book? Do you have something you absolutely have to get on your soapbox about? Or do you wonder why your voice should even be the one to tell this story?

Without clarity on WHY you want to write a book, you probably won’t be able to create the kind of book that can really move people, change them, inspire them.

On today’s episode I am delighted to share the brilliant and badass Jennie Nash.

Jennie is a highly sought after book coach whose clients have landed top New York agents and six-figure book deals with Big 5 houses such as Penguin, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette. She herself is the author of 9 books in 3 genres and is the creator of the Killer Book Proposal Method.

Given that amazing resume, it’s no wonder that she is now on a mission to raise the bar in the book coaching industry as the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, which has trained and certified more than 70 book coaches in both fiction and nonfiction.

We had an eye opening conversation about the power of a book to transform the reader, how to think about writing your book, book proposals and agents and just everything you didn’t know you needed to know about writing a killer book and proposal.

We also talk about the current state of publishing, Jennie’s biggest book-related pet peeves, and what a book coach actually does. If you think you have a book in you, you definitely want to listen closely.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Debunking common misconceptions about how agents and publishers actually buy books
Why following your passion is smarter than trying to follow the market
Why she believes there’s room for everyone’s stories, and why not everyone should write a book
How a book coach takes you from idea to manuscript or proposal with one on one support you won’t get at an agency or publishing house

Learn more about Jennie Nash:

Jennienash.com
Author Accelerator
Book Coaches
Instagram: @jennienashbookcoach
Twitter: @jennienash
Facebook: @jennienash
Connect with Jennie on LinkedIn
Grab your copy of I How an Idea Becomes a Book

Learn more about Pia:

EP 50: Aga Conboy on Niching Down, Nailing a Lead Product, and the Personal Growth it takes to Command Premium Pricing

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

On today’s episode, I’m excited to chat with badass marketer and business owner, Aga Conboy.

Aga is an incredible example of what’s possible when you do the work and show up for your business.

Aga believes that busy professionals have been cheated into believing that just because some forms of marketing are now accessible by anyone – social media – they should take on their own marketing on top of trying to run a business.

She believes that just because you can, doesn't always mean that you should.

Aga’s company Agaland Brand launches epic marketing for busy professionals, taking them from None to Done in 90 days— you know I love that!

She started her business less than 3 years ago and, as you’ll hear, found my stuff really early on, joined my Bootcamp, and basically set up her business in my Badass Model and never looked back.

Fueled by her music-loving nature and the belief that you can’t have a rocking brand without rocking content, Aga pulls her clients’ marketing out of the shadows and into the spotlight with her 90-day method.

Her clients don't have time to get quickie degrees in marketing, but they wanna reach rockstar status in their field, so they bring in Aga’s rockstar team to do it.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Aga used the confidence she got from doing a free lead product for a friend and turned it into a $600 product
A badass personal development book we both swear by that you must read
The money stories we get from our parents, especially when they are immigrants
And what it’s like to grow a business when you literally live in paradise

Learn more about Aga Conboy:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

Ep 49: Carl Gould on Having The Guts to Make the Obnoxious Offer No One Else is Willing to Make

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Today, I'm bringing on a serious badass in the coaching and consulting world.

Badass business owner, Carl Gould.

Now, it seems like everyone and their mother is a business coach these days but Carl is going to put us all to shame.

First: he built 3 (!) multi-million dollar businesses by the age of 40.

Then, he started and launched the super successful business and coaching advisory company, 7 Stage Advisors, where, since 2002, Carl has mentored the launch of over 5,000 businesses and has trained, certified, and accredited over 7,000 business coaches and mentors.

Carl has written 9 books, co-authored books like Blueprint For Success with Ken Blanchard and Stephen R. Covey, and he has spoken at Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within seminar. Plus, he has run the New York City Marathon twice!

So, yeah. He’s done some things.

On top of all this, he's just a really cool, laid-back guy with a lot of great war stories and I am so excited for him to share them with you.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How building a business that addressed the main customer complaints in the landscaping industry was the Genesis of the Obnoxious Offer
How it’s the job of a CEO to push limits and that when you reach the edge of your comfort zone it’s time to redefine, recalibrate your goals.
Why people are always willing to overpay - bragging rights! – and why overpaying creates a partner in success
How Carl’s contribution to the coaching and consulting community has become some of the standards in the industry
And why in the beginning, not being afraid to make it all about you helps create a story that clients can relate to

Learn more about Carl Gould:

Learn more about Pia:

Resources:

Pia’s Forbes article - Guaranteed Press, Obnoxious Offers, And A Better Way To Qualify Prospects

Ep 48: Dr. Cynthia Armand — Practicing Medicine, Teaching, Podcasting, Activism, Performing: Doing It All and Having a Ball

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

I’m really lucky to know a lot of amazing people.

And there are a few that aren’t technically entrepreneurs!

Dr. Cynthia Armand is my dear friend from college. We met our freshman year at the auditions for the prestigious dance troupe Precision and we were the only two freshmen to get in.

We became fast friends and eventually co-directed the dance group as seniors–something that I am extremely proud of.

These days Cynthia is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Montefiore-Einstein and the Fellowship Director at the prestigious Montefiore Headache Center here in NYC. She is on the founding board of the Society of Haitian Neuroscientists, where she also serves as Vice President.

She is the current web editor at JAMA Neurology and the host of the JAMA Neurology author interviews podcast. She is also heavily involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work and headache education with the American Headache Society.

Cynthia is an avid lover of neurology and health news with a strong interest in patient education as well as social media as a valuable means of patient empowerment and knowledge.

In college, it was clear that Cynthia was always going to be a doctor. She loved acting and performing but becoming a doctor always came first. It was exciting to talk with her about how these two loves came together.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Cynthia made room for dance even while attending med school
How, despite all of her successes, she still struggles with imposter syndrome, and what she has done to address this
What she is doing to address the stigma and misconceptions around migraine disease
How can we improve healthcare around headache medicine when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Learn more about Dr. Cynthia Armand:

Instagram: @cynplifiedmd
Twitter: @cynarmandmd

Learn more about Pia:

EP 47: The Best of Show Your Business Who's Boss – Jesse Sommer

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

I invited Jesse onto the show right after he came back from a seven month stint in Afghanistan which happened to coincide with COVID happening so he came back to the States to a very different world and that was pretty fascinating.

I had him on because I wanted to see how he was doing and I knew he'd always have some good stories and it ended up being really applicable to a lot of the things that I find entrepreneurs are dealing with.

He starts by sharing about the first five times that he jumped out of a plane in Army Ranger school and how terrifying each of those five jumps were. I mean, literally risking his life but also almost dying in every single one and managing to keep going back. I don't know how he did that.

And that was 55 jumps ago.

It’s so powerful to hear this story, because even though it's a really different kind of fear than maybe what you and I experience every day, it reminds me of all the times I’ve done things that really scare me—and how I can’t even really remember how I felt scared of them now since I’ve done them so many times.

We’ve been revisiting past episodes that really stood out and today is the last episode in that series

Make sure to go back and re-listen to the full episode with Jesse, EP 20: Contracting Coronavirus In Afghanistan, Engaging With Fear, And A Different Approach To Personal Growth With Jesse Sommer

Learn more about Jesse:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 46: The Best of Show Your Business Who’s Boss – Brett Lavender

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0400

We’ve been revisiting past episodes that really stood out and today I am bringing back my dear friend and speaking coach, Brett Lavender.

If you like the way that I sound on this podcast, you can thank Brett, because I think I would sound very different if I had not worked with him for so many years.

I want to replay this clip for you because Brett just dropped so many gems about how to adjust how you speak to be more powerful, to be more influential, to make your message land and have people perk up their ears and listen and see you as an authority.

No matter what business you're in and no matter if you're going to be a professional speaker or just always speak to people one-on-one, there is a CLEAR difference in how people react back to you when you are speaking from a position of power and when your voice carries power and conviction.

To go back and relisten to the full episode with Brett, you can listen to it by clicking here!

Learn more about Brett:

thepersuasivelion.com
LinkedIn: Brett Lavender

Learn more about Pia:

EP 45: The Best of Show Your Business Who’s Boss – Jean Tang

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0400

We’ve been revisiting past episodes that really stood out and today I am bringing back Episode 10 with my dear friend Jean Tang.

Jean is the owner of MarketSmiths, a copy and content writing company which now employs twenty people!

I’ve known Jean since almost the beginning, back when she was just a one-person shop. She actually wrote one of the first iterations of our website copy—I think we even bartered with her—and Steve drew the cartoon images for her TedX talk.

In this episode, we talked about creating content and copy for your brand, which you can apply to your business and we talked about the act of creating content and copy with a client, which is more about the management and presentation of creative work to clients, which you can apply to your business in a different way.

To go back and re-listen to the full episode, you can listen to it by clicking here!

Learn more about Jean:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 44: The Best of Show Your Business Who’s Boss – Amie Sheridan

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0500

I was recently visiting some old podcast episodes and I found a few gem moments in our conversations that I want to replay for you now and elaborate on a little bit.

The first one that really stood out to me was a conversation I had back in June with Amie Sheridan in episode 6 (you can listen to the full episode here.) We were talking about something that really hits the nail on the head when it comes to the challenges we face as entrepreneurs: the experience of doing something new over and over and over again.

It feels like as an entrepreneur, I am pushing myself off of a cliff almost daily and having to grow wings on the way down—and that's by design. As entrepreneurs, we are constantly growing as people and also looking for ways to evolve our businesses. Because if your business is not growing and changing and evolving, then it's going to be stale and stagnant.

Marketing is changing constantly, and if you're not able to adapt, if you don't get comfortable with change, your business is going to go out of business at some point. As somebody who does a lot of marketing, I am at the forefront of all of this. I'm constantly trying new things and changing and having to let go of things that I've learned.

I mean, doing something new is always a challenge. By definition, you’re doing something that you've never done before. You're not going to be very good at something the first time around. You're very likely going to make mistakes. You're very likely going to fail at it.

But if you're an entrepreneur, you're going to have to brush yourself off and get up and do it again until you figure it out. I think what makes somebody a great entrepreneur is getting comfortable being in that uncertainty, because if you let those failures beat you down emotionally or mentally, or even physically, you'll never have the strength to get back up and try something new again.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Amie went from struggling to figure out her brand message in the fall to speaking to 100 of her ideal clients in the spring—and in the middle of a pandemic
Why publishing your first blog post is terrifying—even for Amie who’s been a writer for over a decade
How Amie leveraged a relationship to add 150 ideal clients to her email list in 48 hours—and what it really took to make that happen
Plus, we debate what's harder: birthing a baby or birthing a business

And listen to Episode 6: Doing Something For The First Time May Be Hard But It Gets Better and You Win All Along the Way, with Amie Sheridan

Learn more about Amie:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 43: Lee Rowley – Getting Inside The Head of Your Clients, Finding The Words That Connect, and Why a Polarizing Voice Works and May Just Be What You Need

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Ever felt like your marketing and copy was falling on deaf ears?

No clicks, no buys, no nothing. It sucks when a new product launch or campaign doesn’t go the way you want. Your sales fall flat and so does your spirit.

Of course, there’s another side to this: a world where you find the perfect words that connect with your clients by getting inside their head and they listen to every word you say and buy the things you make.

But how do you find the right words to use to get their attention?

Today’s guest is all about eavesdropping on your clients online. By learning the language they already use, it gives you insight into what will get their attention. It’s all about that specific language about a specific experience that your clients are thinking about that’s going to get them to notice you and listen to you when you speak.

Lee Rowley is The Emperor of Words. He’s also an odd duck. On one hand, he's one of the most sycophantically adored copywriters in the English-speaking world, revered for creating copy that subtly lingers in a buyer's mindspace until they HAVE to take action.

On another, he's a prolific spouter of quasi-Zen poppycock who knows all too well the sound of one hand clapping. And on a third hand (consider it an evolutionary spandrel), he's just a salty middle-aged sideshow clown keeping the Internet awash in guilty giggles. He'll teach you who your daddy is, that's for sure (and you'll probably be a better marketer, too).

Tune into this episode to hear:

What Lee wanted to be when he grew up (and, no, it wasn’t a copywriter)
All about Lee’s Avatar Immersion Method where you start by focusing on the customer and work backwards instead of implementing the Hero’s Journey that many copywriters use
How to use Facebook groups to listen in on client pain points and use it in your copy
The mistakes you can make with using lots of different copy and how that breeds distrust in customers

Learn more about Lee Rowley:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 42: Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon – Where HR Fits in a Company's Brand, "Stealing" From Copywriters, and When HR Wears the Marketing Hat with Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon

Pia Silva — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 11:16:00 -0500

Creating culture in your business comes down to WHO you hire. Even if it’s just you right now, it’s SUPER helpful to think about what kind of culture you want to create in your business.

Think about it:

Are you a work-hard, play-hard kind of company?

Are you a slow and steady, balanced place to work?

What do you WANT your business to be like? Because you can make it happen NOW if you want.

I used to mindlessly roll out of bed and right into emails and had no separation between work and life. Now that I have clear boundaries, I get MORE work done—not less.

At some point I realized you can implement your goals for what you want your company culture to be EVEN when you are just one person or maybe two. And if you do that, when you ARE ready to hire you’ll be much clearer on the kind of people you are looking for and how they will help you grow the business you want.

On today’s episode I’m speaking with HR Rule Breaker, badass business owner Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon.

Once I tell you about Nicole’s business you’ll wonder why YOU didn’t niche here. Her company, Banana Pepper HR, works exclusively with independent luxury hospitality brands, private properties, and boutique hotels in the Caribbean*—smart right?*

Nicole is actually also our client, as in we designed her brand and website, and like most of the people we attract, she brings high-level expertise in a number of categories to her work which is what makes her so special.

And that’s why she has some fancy clients, including Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island hotel and private estates on Moskito Island.

You’re gonna love Nicole, and I think you’ll get a lot out of her discussion about how to find the right people to hire, and how you should look at hiring and building a team. Even if you don’t want employees, which you know I have been against for years, hiring great contractors to outsource to is critical to freeing up your time, so I know this will be valuable for you to start thinking about things differently.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How stealing from the copywriters can help you write an AMAZING employee handbook that’s in tune with your company culture
Why standardized interview questions are a no-go in Nicole’s book and what she focuses on instead to cultivate the right team
The overlap between HR, PR and marketing
How HR helps your company deliver on its brand promises

Learn more about Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 41: Michael Roderick – Building True Influence, Creating a Referable Brand, and "Finding Your Celine"

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0500

When you think about your brand, how referable is it?

What makes a referable brand, you might ask? Point blank, it’s a brand that is easy to share with others. WHAT you do and WHO you serve is crystal clear—and it’s all wrapped up in a short sentence.

When I changed my business from “selling branding” to “selling 1-3 day brandups,” the referrals flowed to me like water in a way they never did before. That’s not an exaggeration!

Today’s guest is an expert in creating referable brands. This is simple but not easy stuff and I’m so grateful to have my old friend from my networking days on the podcast today to share some simple ways that will make a WORLD of difference in your business.

Michael Roderick is not only the KING of networking and connecting but he’s also the CEO of Small Pond Enterprises which helps thoughtful givers become thought leaders by making their brands referable, their messaging memorable, and their ideas unforgettable.

As you’ll hear in today’s episode, if you work on the referability of your brand, that might just be your next step in showing your business who’s boss.

Tune into this episode to hear:

What it means to “Find The Celine” in your business—which will probably be THE most memorable point you’ll take away from this episode
A trick for eliminating the jargon from your brand and pitch
And a brilliant, simple, MUST ASK question you should put at the end of every presentation you give from now on—I know I will!

Learn more about Michael Roderick:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 40: Shannon Siriano Greenwood – Transforming a Business in Response to the Pandemic and Creating Unique Experiences — Offline or Online — For Your Community

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0500

We hear stories about how we should be, what our business should look like, what we should look like every day.

But how are those messages hindering your ability to break out and build the business you really want?

I designed my whole business, Worstofall Design, to help me truly embrace my vision for myself and my life. This helped me break free from doing things "the way things are supposed to be done" and instead create a life that jives with who I truly am and what I want.

I've found that breaking so-called rules is where the differentiation often lies.

But if you're trying so hard to do everything "right" you might be missing the opportunities that are right in front of you.

And, truly, there are no real rules, they're just stories, and the sooner you ignore them and listen to what you REALLY want, the more authentic your brand will be.

On today's episode, I'm speaking with the fabulous founder of Rebelle, rule breaker, and badass business owner, Shannon Siriano Greenwood.

I first met Shannon when she invited me to speak at Rebelle Con back in 2018 and we hit it off immediately. She's a magnetic personality which serves her well when building her Rebelle brand and community and I was so excited to have a reason to catch up with her on this podcast.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How COVID forced Shannon to transform her business from offline and in person to bringing people together online
What it looks like to create experiences that invites people to join a community
Shannon's challenges with taking her in-person conference online and ways she still influenced the offline experience for her participants
How our first jobs can heavily influence the businesses we have today

Learn more about Shannon Siriano Greenwood:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 39: Ben Potts – Running a Restaurant in the Pandemic, Spotting New Opportunities, and Starting a Consultancy Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Building out a new arm of your business in the middle of a pandemic is no small feat-but sometimes it's necessary.

In recent episodes, we've talked to different badass business owners who transformed or pivoted their businesses in response to COVID. They shared why they pivoted, how they did it, and how they're doing now.

Today's guest, Ben Potts, is another living example of how you can alter your business to meet your needs and your clients right now-and be a badass business owner all at the same time.

Interestingly, Ben was able to seamlessly open a consulting company because he was already a true expert-spending decades learning every inch of the business and meeting so many people.

As you'll hear, when you're consulting and before you've launched any sort of marketing, your first clients are going to be people that you already know-or people that they know! That's why it's essential to reach out to everyone you know that might be interested in what you're offering.

In this episode, Ben and I are going to dive into the method behind developing and launching his new program, Better Bar menu, and how he created a lucrative business before doing any kind of marketing.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The BEST way to launch a course out of a real NEED
How Ben's restaurant, Beaker and Grey, and cocktail bar, the Sylvester, are faring during COVID
The new business Ben launched last June consulting that is turning out to be quite lucrative
How that new business accidentally launched into being a course creator

Learn more about Ben Potts:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 38: Max Miller – The Magic of Taking Action and Reclaiming the Stories We Tell About Ourselves

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0500

We ALL tell ourselves stories. Usually they’re rooted in our childhood and how we were raised. Those very stories influence us in our everyday lives—and in our businesses—from how we think about money and relationships to how we relate to the world around us.

For a moment, think about the biggest stories that you carry with you. What do you believe to be true about you? And how are those stories playing out in your business right now?

I have found that once you identify the stories that are holding you back, you can actually lean into your business MORE.

For me, I realized that shaking myself loose from the fear of what other people think of me was a big reason why I built a whole business about standing out and not caring what everyone thinks. I realized that allows me to lean into following my path EVEN MORE.

On this episode, I’m speaking with storyteller, publisher, writer and badass business owner, Max Miller. I met Max years ago when we were both involved in a program about using live events and speaking to promote your message, and we connected on so many levels that we have stayed in touch.

Max has ghostwritten bestsellers for 6 and 7-figure earners. Over 15 years Max has refined his signature Magnetic Messaging Method to help experts and experienced leaders create successful enterprises and movements by leveraging books, media, and other authority platforms.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Max Miller’s past as a ventriloquist, as an imagineer at Disney, a gymnast, a dancer, an actor—and how all of that experience led him directly to where he is today
One of the biggest and most important lessons we’ve both learned about speaking from the stage, and what to do when you are staring down an audience who is not giving you any love
The difference between brain-dumping and brainstorming
The 3 steps Max tells all writers need to take to write a brilliant book

Learn more about Max Miller:

FastTrackToImpact.com
Sign up for Max’s next free, 5-day training on how to build a profitable business around a non-fiction book
Connect with Max on Facebook and on LinkedIn

Learn more about Pia:

EP 37: Kristina Semos – Responding to Business Challenges Due to COVID Without Devaluing Your Brand

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0500

2020 was challenging for SO many entrepreneurs. For service-based business owners working with other people face to face, life turned on its head back in March.

It is NOT easy to transform your business. It’s even harder to truly thrive—but today’s guest did just that in the wake of the pandemic.

Today, I’m catching up with an old client who became a friend of mine, which actually happens quite a bit—badass business owner, Kristina Semos.

You might remember her from my book, Badass Your Brand, where I shared the rebrand we did for her back in 2016. Kristina went from charging hourly and hauling butt around NYC to meet students 7 days a week to selling a lead product that positioned her as an expert and packaged services that she started delivering almost entirely remotely… ONLY 4 days a week!

Kristina owns Ivy Lounge Test Prep®, where she helps high schoolers around the globe get into the colleges of their dreams with high-end private tutoring for the SATs, ACTs and college essays.

This new model became so profitable that Kristina ended up having extra time to play with. She ended up opening a second business based on her decades-long passion for astrology and turned it into her second business, AstroOils®.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Kristina’s business completely stopped with COVID in March of 2020 when they canceled the SATs and ACTs, and what she did instead that tripled her list and landed her some highly coveted speaking gigs in September
Kristina’s content creation process and how to land as the top search result on Google
Her mindset shift around people who tell her she’s too expensive, and how that shift encouraged her to RAISE her prices in 2021 even though 2020 was a slow year for business AND SO MUCH MORE!

Learn more about Kristina Semos:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 36: Michael F. Schein – Secrets to Successful Propaganda, Bold Marketing Techniques, and Why You Need Them

Pia Silva — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Think about a group, organization, or—yes—even a cult that you find repulsive yet seem to attract a TON of attention.

Instead of focusing on what you don’t like, look at what they’re doing that engages their audience that turns them into (and sometimes psychotically) loyal fans.

Any marketing strategy that is used for bad can also be wielded for good. That’s why, as entrepreneurs, we need to be responsible in how we use these tactics to ultimately create MORE value in the world.

I believe that it’s our responsibility to drown out those that use these tactics to just make money and sell snake oil. If you’re selling something that can truly help other people, it’s your responsibility to do what it takes to be seen by your audience so they know you exist.

It’s a tough pill to swallow for most people who think self-promotion is icky… but if you don’t embrace it you’ll be stuck as the best-kept secret and those snake oil salesman will be the ones your audience buys from.

And that’s no good for anyone.

On today’s episode I’m excited to have fellow marketer, owner of marketing company Micro Fame Media, and now about to be published author, business badass Michael F. Schein!

I always love getting together with Michael. He’s such a creative thinker, an artist at heart and yet has a marketer’s mind. He’s one of those people who’s genuinely curious and interested in ideas and books. I always walk away with new inspiration and new info when I talk to him so I know you’ll enjoy this conversation.

We’re also here to celebrate the release of Michael’s brand new book, The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers, releasing on January 12th, 2021, with McGraw Hill!

Tune into this episode to hear:

Propaganda success secrets (and lots more from Michael’s book!)
How one of them got Michael kicked off of Forbes but got him GREAT press
Michael’s journey to actually getting a traditional publishing deal—which anyone who is wondering whether to self-publish or pitch for publishers is going to want to hear

Learn more about Michael F. Schein:

Learn more about Pia:

Mentioned in this episode:

EP 35: The Evolution of Worst of All Design and Steve Wasterval's Perspectives on the Business Side of His Creative Work

Pia Silva — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0500

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone and Happy New Year if you’re listening to this later!

Welcome to the third and final installment (for now!) of my interview with my hubby and business partner, Steve Wasterval.

In part one, Steve shared the mindset shift going from an artist to an artist who makes a sustainable living with his art through

In part two, we talked about how to build an audience and sustainable business from your creative work.

Today, we’re going to focus on our company, Worstofall Design, and how we evolved from trying to build a classic agency model business to the intensive model we have today. This model makes us a lot of money through short, intensive projects and gives us the freedom we crave to spend time doing all the other things we love to do!

Obviously, I am talking about this all the time but Steve will share his perspective on the journey as the creative, times that he was resistant to the changes I was trying to implement, which I’m sure any creatives listening will be able to relate to, and how and why he evolved and shifted to embrace this model and really sees it as the key to being able to be the free, creative artists that he wants.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Steve’s perspective as the creative in our partnership and how that dynamic plays out in how we work together
Looking at our habits in life, business and creative life and determining if they serve us or not
How implementing business and marketing strategies into a creative business actually opens you up to doing so much more with your creativity—without limitations

Learn more about Steve Wasterval:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 34: Steve Wasterval – Building an Audience and a Sustainable Business From Your Creative Work

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0500

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

I hope you’re enjoying your holidays—whatever you celebrate (or don’t celebrate!)

Steve and I didn’t celebrate holidays for years but now we’re all about the holiday spirit so I hope you’re getting some R&R right now.

Last week, things got personal when I had part one of my interview with my partner in business and in life, Steve Wasterval. We talked about our origin story as a couple and as collaborators.

We also dug into all kinds of stuff about his evolution from a creative who gave his paintings away, never signed them and didn’t have any knowledge of—or desire–to sell his art to being someone who is actively building a career as an artist.

This week, I’m continuing the conversation with Steve but we’re going to focus more on how he’s building his art career. We’ve applied a lot of the Badass Business strategies that I teach entrepreneurs to his art business and it’s had a huge impact!

Stay tuned because I’ll be back with part three of my convo with Steve where we’ll discuss the building of Wasterval Design and get Steve’s perspective on the whole thing for the first time EVER!

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Steve is building his art career and the badass business strategies we’ve applied to his art business
How Steve builds his email list and what he uses as his lead product
How Steve decided to niche down and the growth he’s seen in his art business

Learn more about Steve Wasterval:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 33: Steve Wasterval – The Journey From Being an Artist to Being an Artist Who Makes a Living With His Art

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0500

I hope you are all snuggled up and ready for this holiday season. I don’t know about you but that’s how I’m doing the holidays this year. Just keeping it low key and easy. I’m definitely bummed that we can’t travel and see family. I’m sure you are, too.

Every year, we usually go see my big family down in Virginia. We have 30-something people at these gatherings. I help my abuela make empanadas. We play games. My uncle Carlos tries to get us to do karaoke (it never works) but it’s still really fun.

I’m sad to miss out on all of that—especially because my son is almost three and he’s finally at an age where he can enjoy hanging out with the other kids and I don’t have to carry him around all the time.

BUT, hopefully we’ll do that next year. Steve and I are all about the deep chill in life right now anyway so we’re kind of excited to just have lots of comfort foods and warm beverages.

In honor of this time of year, I thought I would do something a little different from my other conversations and bring you in my world a little bit. I’ve been meaning to do for awhile which is why I’m happy to have my most special guest on this podcast—my partner in business and life, my source of inspiration, my biggest supporter—often my nemesis and biggest obstacle—and my all around favorite person, Steve Wasterval.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Steve and I met and how we started collaborating
Steve’s experience over the years going from artist who never went to art school
How Steve was raised to ignore marketing and branding—and how he’s grown to really enjoy and value these skills
Why he’s now on a mission to help other artists bring more marketing and branding into their work to grow their business

Learn more about Steve Wasterval:

stevewasterval.com

Learn more about Pia:

EP 32: Brent Weaver – The Business Value of Focus, Less is More, and Getting the Right Advice at the Right Time

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Recently I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about FOCUS.

It’s essential to focus on where you spend your time, how you spend it, and how—just like your closet—your business needs to be periodically decluttered.

Like I talked about in the last episode with James Heaton, people are overwhelmed because they have so much to do—and yet most of what they’re doing isn’t moving the needle. Why? Because there’s a lack of focus.

Symptoms of unfocused energy can show up your system processes, your day-to-day life, and your product offerings. That’s why it’s so important to stay on top of. When we do too much, we dilute our work and our impact.

As you can see, focus (or a lack thereof!) touches everything from the little stuff to the big stuff and is why it’s essential to reign it in so you can create a thriving, badass business.

Today, I’m excited to have someone on the show who just wrote a book about focus, author of Get Rich In The Deep End, and seriously badass business owner, Brent Weaver.

Many of you probably know Brent because he’s a big name in the branding agency world. He is the founder and CEO of UGurus, a business training and education company, and they are on a mission to help 10,000 digital agency owners achieve freedom in business and life by helping them own their market.

Brent’s had a long and successful career building and constantly reinventing his businesses for over 20 years, and I’m excited for him to share what he’s learned.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How clarity and focus is essential to business growth (and how focusing on less makes your work better)
Why solutions to your business problems should be evaluated by where YOU are in business. A strategy to grow a business from $500k to a million isn’t necessarily going to work if you are struggling to pass the $100k mark
How mastery is essential to gaining authority in your business and in your niche
Why it’s important to get business advice and strategies from people who were in your shoes before

Learn more about Brent Weaver:

Brent’s Book: Get Rich in the Deep End: Commit to Your Niche, Own Your Market, and Audaciously Scale Your Agency

Message Brent on Facebook "I want the Field Guide" on Facebook and he will send you a copy of the Get Rich in the Deep End Field Guide just for being part of the SYBWB audience

Ugurus.com

Connect with Brent on Facebook

Learn more about Pia:

EP 31: James Heaton – Holding Ourselves Accountable, Continuous Learning, and the Real Value of Our Failures

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0500

It’s almost 2021 and that means it’s the PERFECT time to make a plan and set goals.

Where can you declutter and make space for the badass business building activities that will serve you and your goals?

What processes, software, product offerings or tasks have you been doing for awhile that aren’t moving the needle forward in your business?

How can you hold yourself accountable, make room for learning, and embrace your failures to move forward?

I will tell you: focus is your friend!

Too many people are overwhelmed in their business because they have so much to do—and yet, most of their activities aren’t moving the needle at all. And yet they continue to do the same thing over and over with the same lackluster results. Cue the sad face.

If this sounds like you, then it’s even more important to focus because that is a good next step if you want to show your business who’s boss.

Today, I’m chatting with James Heaton, a friend I picked up from back in my networking days. James is the Lead Strategist & Creative Director of Tronvig Group, a brand strategy and management consulting agency in Brooklyn.

Drawing on his 23 years of branding experience, James developed the Tronvig Method. Its first step is a Brand Pyramid. This tool enables strategic brand decisions. James believes that strategy requires not only a differentiated brand position but also the alignment of organizational passion, natural talent, and operational behavior. Only then can your brand promises be kept.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why holding yourself accountable to the advice you give to others is essential to business success
How fear might be holding you back from focusing on the true thing, as James say, that you’re better at than anyone else
What to do if you find that you’re doing work that you really shouldn’t be doing
How to evolve your brand focus if it doesn’t feel like it fits your vision anymore
Why specializing is better insurance than diversifying

Learn more about James Heaton:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 30: Why Giving Thanks is a Super Power

Pia Silva — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0500

In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some thank yous of my own as well as share how giving thanks has been a HUGE super power in my life. It’s my go-to exercise whenever I’m feeling stressed or low-energy.

I truly believe that daily gratitude and giving thanks is something we all need more of to show up for ourselves and show up for those in our communities.

My favorite daily exercise is pretty much a daily gratitude journal but I put my own spin on it—you’ll have to listen to the episode to get all the juicy details on what I mean.

Whenever I don’t feel 100%, it’s one of the only things that makes me feel better and it’s SO easy!

I’ve truly seen MANY clients who started up this practice and it had an obvious and sustained effect on how they felt and how they approach their life once they committed to doing this for just a few weeks.

Thank you for being a part of my world. I hope you enjoy a delicious meal with the people you love today—even if we have to keep the groups small this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tune into this solo episode with Pia to hear:

The simple and quick daily exercise I recommend to all my clients and people that I coach that might be valuable to you
Why daily journaling primes your brain for the day and sets your mind up for success
The two amazing things that happen when you start writing down ALL your accomplishments
Why I’m going to spend an hour on Thanksgiving reaching out to the people who’ve touched me this year to let them know I appreciate them and all that they do

Learn more about Pia:

EP 29: Ediuska Laurens – What's Possible: Leverage Your Expertise, Lean Into Your Big Vision, and Build a Purpose-Driven Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0500

You DON’T need to do things just like your peers. And actually—you SHOULDN’T!

By taking a leap and doing things differently—even if you’re just getting started in a new business—you stand out which goes a LONG way in getting noticed. And getting noticed means getting tons of recognition through speaking engagements, awards, and panel invites that show her off as an expert, just as our guest will share it this episode!

In the “What’s Possible” series here on the podcast, I’m chatting with entrepreneurs who’ve experienced tremendous transformations despite everything else happening this year through my program LEAP To Badass Authority.

These badass entrepreneurs are members of my program, LEAP To Badass Authority. It’s pretty incredible what can happen in a year or less when you stay focused on taking leaps every day to get closer to your goals, have a support system to keep you accountable, help you make strategic decisions and pull you up when you falter.

Today I’m speaking with Badass Business owner, Dr. Ediuska Laurens. Ediuska is an entrepreneur, innovator, and two-time patent holder with expertise in medical device product development, regulation, and quality—and she wants to use the magical powers of SCIENCE & know how of INDUSTRY, to help the most vulnerable populations.

She has a BS in Aerospace Engineering, and MS in Mechanical Engineering, and a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering, and she spent nearly a decade at the Fortune 500 medical firm, Stryker, leading a global team that developed pediatric Craniomaxillofacial implants from concept to global commercialization. So needless to say, she’s got the chops and the background to make big things happen.

Ediuska is the founder of Genius Shield, a compliance management and regulatory readiness company that shields and de-risk medical innovators and investors so they can launch compliant medical solutions seamlessly and safely to the global market.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Ediuska knows exactly what to do each day to build her reputation online, market her brand, and increase her visibility to attract top-tier clients that she can help save the world with her genius
Why standing up and standing out goes a long way to getting you noticed QUICKLY
How in less than a year, Ediuska developed a brand voice that’s getting her recognition and invites to prestigious events like the United Nations Women and Girls in Science Assembly

Learn more about Ediuska Laurens:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 28: Preparing Yourself to Take Bigger Leaps and Building Your Confidence in the Process

Pia Silva — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0500

In business, there is always somewhere greater to go.

That’s why taking leaps—both big and small—is essential to growing your business and building your confidence.

I know this because I've had the experience of being terrified of something new—and doing it over and over and over again.

Taking those leaps—both small and big—gets you outside of your comfort zone. It’s about going after something you really want—or something that is true to you and who you want to be—EVEN when the outcome is scary or unknown... and you do it anyway.

If you never take a leap, if you stay comfortable with the status quo, there’s only so far you can go. But when you bank true confidence in yourself, ANYTHING is possible.

The more often you take the leap that, the more times you have that experience and the more your body—not just your mind—learns that it doesn't matter if things do or don't work out exactly the way you want. You're always going to be okay.

And every time you face adversity, or you have a failure, and you get up and do something else and eventually something good comes out of it? THAT’S where the real work is. That’s where the confidence comes from. That’s where the business you want is created.

Tune into this solo episode with Pia to hear:

My experience in giving my TEDx talk and how TERRIFIED I was… but I took the leap anyway (and why taking big leaps gets easier over time—BUT there is always that core fear)
The importance of taking SMALL leaps to get comfortable with taking BIG leaps
How to get your body used to taking risks (because no matter what happens, when you show up and do the hard thing, you WILL be fine!)
The story behind my “buy the bag” mantra
How investing in yourself makes investing even BIGGER in the future that much easier to reach your goals and grow your business

Learn more about Pia:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

EPISODE 22: The Effect Our Money Stories Have On How We Spend, Invest, And Save Or Don't Save

EP 27: Michelle Mercurio – What's Possible: Align Your Message, Lead With What Inspires You, and Make Room for "Great"

Pia Silva — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Do you want to let go of what’s holding you back from being the most badass business owner you can be and align your purpose and create your legacy?

It’s possible and it starts with getting to know YOU. The REAL you.

2020 has dealt a lot of challenges for entrepreneurs. Businesses are shuttering across the country. In the “What’s Possible” series here on the podcast, I’m chatting with entrepreneurs who’ve experienced tremendous transformations despite everything else happening this year.

Michelle Mercurio is a brand catalyst and co-owner of The Brand Scene where she helps transformational entrepreneurs write their brand’s story, do more of what they love and be more themselves and less of what the world expects them to be. WE can all use more of that in our business.

In 2019, hitting $100,000 was still a dream of an idea—yet after COVID hit her business, Michelle still had her best month ever in August, bringing in well over $30,000. In this episode, you’ll hear more about how she stepped up as boss of her business, letting go of the good to make room for the great, and owning her voice at a new level.

And this is possible for you, too. But there’s no silver bullet. It's the results of a thousand little decisions you make every day that add up to the life and business you want. And in each decision, doing it in a way that is true to your brand and who you are, and being seen as a celebrity expert in your space.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Michelle and I have both felt at times like we have nothing to say—and what that’s a reflection of
When you should “expire” things that are working in your business so you can make room for something greater
The stories we all walk around with that hold us back from accomplishing everything we want in our businesses
Plus some exercises you can use to change your stories

Learn more about Michelle Mercurio:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 26: Ilana Preuss – What's Possible: Building Authority Online and Owning Your Brand and Voice

Pia Silva — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

When you own your brand and voice, you are seen as the authority in your space.

And when you’re the go-to celebrity?

EVERYONE wants to hire you—and they’ll pay whatever high prices you want.

But if you haven’t been showing your business who’s boss, you might be stuck in a pattern of feast and famine. You might be hustling to get clients with tons of emails, calls, and proposals—or so busy working for your clients that it feels impossible to do business development for future clients.

Inevitably, this style of working cycles over and over again. The hustle never stops.

Thankfully, there’s another way to take your business to the next level—through building your authority online so you’re seen as a respected expert in your space.

This is exactly what today’s guest went through—from doing really well to struggling to make sense of her business offerings—to well-known and booked out two months in advance. Who doesn’t want that?! And she made that happen by staying laser focused on building her celebrity status by sharing her value online in talks and in articles.

Today, I’m so excited to be speaking with Badass Business owner, Ilana Preuss.

Ilana’s company, Recast City, helps bring local “main street” economies back to life by partnering with local leaders to bring businesses back to downtown, particularly small-scale manufacturing businesses. It’s fascinating work—unlike anything anyone else I’ve worked with—and it’s been equally fascinating to watch her apply these badass brand and business principles to her company, especially because nobody in her space is doing anything like this.

Ilana is also the author of the forthcoming book, Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing, being released by Island Press in spring 2021.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why Ilana chose to apply these badass principles in her business, even though doing things like putting her prices on her website and packaging her services is unheard of in her industry, and the response she’s gotten
How COVID seemed like it was going to bankrupts her clients
What she focused her efforts on in March and April that resulted in selling her lead products like hotcakes in August
How systems have completely transformed how Ilana spends her time in her business, and actually frees her up to keep chasing the next new and exciting idea

Learn more about Ilana Preuss:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 25: Rachael Wonderlin – What's Possible: Stop Trading Dollars for Hours and Start Scaling Your Business with Confidence and Clarity

Pia Silva — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Scenario One:

You’re still trading hours for dollars.

You’re trying to do everything in your business yourself.

You’re fearful of saying anything too aggressive or opinionated—it might scare potential paying clients away.

Scenario Two:

You don’t feel icky about giving your work or time away—for free.

You outsource what’s needed so you can actually concentrate on what you do BEST.

You own your voice and trust yourself 100% because you’re a BOSS at what you do.

Do either of those scenarios sound like you? Chances are, you’re in scenario number one. BUT, like one of my clients, you can learn to embrace everything in the second scenario so you can show your business who’s boss.

In 2019, my client Rachael Wonderlin was the person in scenario one. But she learned how to embrace what she does best, put processes and boundaries in place, and really stepped into the role of boss of her business. Now, she’s selling lead products, 6-month contracts and online training programs for tens of thousands of dollars that require almost none of her time.

Rachael is the owner of Dementia By Day, a dementia care consulting company. She is the author of two published books, Creative Engagement and When Someone You Know Is Living in a Dementia Care Community. Rachael works with senior living companies who want to take their dementia care communities and programs to the next level. She’s also the creator of the Dementia By Day Podcast and the Dementia By Day “Car Chats” YouTube channel.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Rachael was told more than once that her business, her model, and her approach were not going to work, or not professional, and what she did in response that built her a badass business and eliminated her competition
How Rachael used to do duplicate work for every client because she was stuck in a ‘trading dollars for hours’ mindset, and how she transitioned to a hybrid model that increased the value her clients receive while decreasing the time she needs to show up to deliver
And what it looks like to really own YOUR brand and point of view, even in dementia care, and the short and long term affects that has had on her business and interactions with clients

Learn more about Rachael Wonderlin:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 24: Susan Boles – Positioning as an Entry Point, Unconventional Strategies for Your Business' Ecosystem, and Embracing Process

Pia Silva — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Behind the scenes you bring a ton of expertise and value to the table.

And when you’re marketing your business, you might want to showcase that expertise—whatever your unique combination of skills and talents you have that make your business, well, YOURS—like it’s the only thing that makes you different.

But what you might not know is that positioning yourself as the expert of all the things might work against you. That’s why it’s essential to reposition your work by narrowing in on who you want to work with and what you want to help them do.

When we repositioned our agency-style branding company, we went from serving huge clients to only selling Brandups to 1-3 service businesses. The work was almost entirely the same but the process in which we delivered it, who it was for, and what it was called were all more specific.

Today’s guest, Susan Boles, went through a similar experience. The way she presents herself has evolved over the years; however, the core of the work hasn’t changed all that much at all.

Susan is a Virtual CFO and Finance and Operations Strategist for agencies, consultants & coaches at ScaleSpark and she's on a mission to help founders build sustainable, resilient businesses that punch above their weight.

She's also the host of the Break the Ceiling podcast, the show that breaks down unconventional strategies you can use to save time, boost your profit, and increase your operational capacity.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Susan went from hating sales and struggling to explain what she did to using her lead product to close clients in 20 minute conversations
The difference between listening to client opinions of how you should run your business, and responding to client needs you know you can solve
How Susan brings knowledge on a lot of different topics to the table, and yet keeps her positioning of her brand narrow and tight so people can easily understand what she does and who she’s for

Learn more about Susan Boles:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 23: Melanie Gow – Telling Stories That Change Lives and Harnessing The Unstoppable Power Of The Spotlight

Pia Silva — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Imagine this—you’re on the TEDx stage, sharing your powerful message with the world...

What would your story be about?

What would you say? What would your life look like up until that point where you could draw on all your incredible life experiences to empower and inspire others?

Right now, this might feel a little fuzzy.

You might not know exactly what you would want to say. And that’s OK! You’d be amazed at how setting a goal to commit to getting on stage—whether in the next six months or the next 6 years—can ignite you from within.

Being seen as a leader on stage—delivering your powerful story—can change the trajectory of your life, both personally and professionally.

Today, I’m delighted to talk with Melanie Gow. In some worlds, she’s known as a Story Strategist and TEDx Coach—but, in her world, Melanie believes that she makes Legends. Melanie connects people to their boldest message, so that they can harness the unstoppable power of the spotlight.

Melanie is an ex film maker, published author and crowd-funded publisher, best known for walking her two sons 800km over the Pyrenees and across Spain for 33 days, when they were 12 and 16.

And, yes, she gave a TEDx talk about it.

Tune into this episode to hear:

Our experience working together on my TEDx talk
How Melanie’s experience in acting and directing influences her work and process as a coach
What inspired Melanie to walk across Spain with her two sons—and how they were all inspired to do it together
The experience on the Camino de Santiago that inspired Mel’s TEDx talk and book

Learn more about Melanie Gow:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 22: The Effect Our Money Stories Have On How We Spend, Invest, and Save or Don't Save

Pia Silva — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

What’s your money story?

Money stories originate from events and people in our past—like our parents or primary caregivers—and they often shape our mindset around money in the present.

These stories influence how we spend our money, invest, save or don’t save, and how we feel about money—as well as all of our hangups and issues around money.

In this episode, I’m going to talk all about my own money stories—starting with when I found out that my dad was an accountant—and how my relationship with money has evolved over time.

Interestingly, the reason I talk about money so much is that it’s the tool for getting all the things I actually want—which, ironically, have nothing to do with money. Money opens up time and freedom and it’s a tool to be able to work on projects that I want.

Tune into this solo episode with Pia to hear:

About the evolution of my relationship with money
How all the money stories we’re carrying around impact our daily lives
Why it’s so helpful to hear others’ money mindset stories so you can work through your own
How growing up in New York City impacted what I thought about money
A mental exercise to use to uncover some of your own money stories

Learn more about Pia:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

EP 21: Amanda Silver – How To Stop Dwelling On Why It Can’t Work and Get Into the Driver’s Seat Of Your Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

What happens when you realize that you don’t like what you offer anymore?

Do you jump ship and try something new?

Or does fear hold you back from making moves?

More often than not, entrepreneurs get stuck in thinking that this offer is the only thing people will hire them for—and by leaving it behind, you’re leaving money on the table.

But imagine for a second if all the parts of your business you loved could actually bring you MORE money, if only you could get creative in how to present and deliver it?

Figuring out how to make it happen, instead of dwelling on why it can’t, is what it means to get in the driver's seat, and what it looks like to show your business who’s boss

Today I’m chatting with a client who I’ve had the pleasure of coaching on and off for over a year now, and have excitedly watched her step into being the badass boss of her business, Amanda Silver.

Amanda is a leadership consultant, coach and trainer for social change leaders and organizations, and she is passionate about creating thriving teams and cultures that get things done. Her unique approach focuses on heart and mind leadership and draws on expertise in mindfulness, emotional-intelligence, and strength-based mindsets.

Tune into this episode to hear:

When Amanda finally decided to shift away from a service that made the most money, to the service she really wanted to offer.. And ultimately how she made ˆ money doing it
Amanda’s evolution from being at the mercy of referrals to getting in the driver's seat where she now confidently knows there is a steady flow of clients headed her way
How Amanda finally embraced a boss-mindset with a long term view of her business and finances—one that celebrates and, for the first time ever, welcomes lulls between clients because she knows she NEEDS that time to support her business growth

Learn more about Amanda Silver:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 20: Jesse Sommer – Contracting Coronavirus in Afghanistan, Engaging with Fear, and A Different Approach to Personal Growth

Pia Silva — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.

Fear is a pretty common human experience. Yes, it keeps us safe but it also keeps us from doing things that could have a positive impact on our lives, too.

Think about, for example, taking bold steps towards a business goal. Maybe you want to appear on 10 podcasts this quarter. But, the first step is to actually put yourself out there and open yourself up to rejection.

That’s where many people stop—they’re afraid that the no’s will cause them pain and therefore they’d rather avoid it altogether.

But sometimes facing the fear, knowing that you can do hard things, is the best way to grow into the person who might not fear that thing again in the future.

Take it from my friend, Captain Jesse Sommer, who will share some of the ways he’s overcome fear through his experience in the U.S. Army. Jesse is a command judge advocate and Paratrooper who just returned from another tour in Afghanistan where he contracted COVID so we are happy to have him back state-side, safe and sound.

Jesse’s also a JD/MBA and small business owner and, as you’ll hear, a bit of an accolade whore with a 20-year life-plan unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.

Tune into this episode to hear:

A different approach to personal growth than the one we usually talk about here—hint: it involves jumping out of planes in the dark with a parachute that may or may not open
How true leaders understand their responsibility for those under their command
The benefits of having a crystal clear life goal
and how Jesse’s inspires him to jump out of bed each morning even when he’s purposefully being starved and sleep-deprived during various Army trainings

Learn more about Jesse Sommer:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 19: Renee Sieli – Going Against PR Traditions, Learning When to Say No, and The Power of Self-Discipline

Pia Silva — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Do you want to be seen as the authority in your space?

Then you need to be the authority!

And, truthfully, becoming the authority you’re meant to be all comes down to self-discipline in your life and business. You can go so much further by just keeping your word to yourself, showing up, and doing the work every day.

Not sure where to start with self-discipline?

Choose one thing and commit to it for 30 days. That’s it. And if you miss a day? Start over on day one. If that doesn’t sound appealing, I get it! I am VERY resistant to being told what to do—even if I’m telling myself to do it. But I found that by committing to myself, I grew my self-confidence and self-esteem.

On today’s episode, I'm chatting with my dear friend and boss of her business, Renee Sieli, all about the power of self-discipline and how she runs her super badass boutique PR firm, ERPR Group, that specializes in finance, technology, media, and entertainment.

I won’t give it away here but she has a very unique business model that blows other PR companies out of the water and can serve as an inspiration to anyone running a small service business on how to really stand out as an expert and get paid the big bucks.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How going against the traditional PR model is getting her clients 10x the results
One of Renee’s daily habits that keeps her on the cutting edge of her industry
We debate whether or not you can guarantee PR to a client
Our shared addiction to-do lists and how we’re coping
The 30-day challenge we have both taken with life-changing results that you can start right after this episode!

Learn more about Renee Sieli:

erprgroup.com

Learn more about Pia:

Other resources from this episode:

Principles by Ray Dalio

EP 18: Dov Gordon – Leveraging Your Network for Profit, Where to Put Your Efforts, and the Alchemy of Building Relationships

Pia Silva — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Are you strategically networking to get clients?

If you’re just starting out, networking is a great short-term client-hunting strategy and one that I recommend often. But if you’re going out there and throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping to connect with the right people by random, you might be wasting your time and effort.

Without a strategy, your networking efforts could possibly derail you from making progress and actually building your business in a smart and sustainable way.

To show your business who’s boss, anything you spend a lot of time doing needs to have some sort of bigger, long-term strategy behind it.

On today’s episode, I’m excited to speak with the master of leveraging relationships and turning them into profit with the boss of his business, Dov Gordon.

Dov helps consultants get ideal clients by becoming “under-the-radar” leaders in their industry by building what he calls an alchemy network of highly vetted, ideal clients and referral partners. He runs a number of these groups himself and he coaches consultants on how to start and run their own profitable alchemy network for consistent referrals.

Tune into this episode to hear:

A smarter way to leverage your network and time to build your business
How important it is to go all in on a client-attracting strategy that fits YOUR personality
Whether putting yourself front and center in your branding is considered celebrity branding or just ‘the only way to show you’re an expert’

Learn more about Dov Gordon:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 17: John DeMato – Persuasive Visual Story, Pivoting During COVID, and Capturing the Magic Shot

Pia Silva — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Do the photos of you online represent the best you?

Are they representing you like a true expert?

Do they let your personality shine through or are they a little stiff?

It’s not uncommon for business owners to grab a camera and have their friends take a few shots for their website or simply open selfie mode on their iPhone and upload the best of the shots to their social media accounts.

These kinds of pictures do the trick—but, as you’ll hear today, having a persuasive and cohesive visual strategy across all your online channels takes more than a nice photo or two.

On today’s episode, I’m excited to introduce branded lifestyle portrait and virtual photographer, John Demato. John collaborates with speakers, trainers, and other expert-based business owners to create an emotional connection with their audience through persuasive visual storytelling.

John helped me get over my fear of the camera and has shot most of the photos of me online, including my book cover. And as you’ll hear in the episode, I cannot tell you how powerful it was for my brand to get a library full of branded lifestyle photos and how quickly it helped me level up in the eye of my audience.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How John successfully pivoted his in-person photography business to virtual during COVID
What really needs to happen between you and your photographer if you want that MAGIC shot that connects with your audience
What you need to do if you want to turn your passion, in photography or otherwise, into a sustainable and fulfilling business

Learn more about John DeMato:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 16: Jake Jorgovan – Using Personality Tests With a Team, Visualizing a Future, and Doing More Than One Thing Well

Pia Silva — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Anyone can take a personality test.

I bet you’ve taken quite a few yourself before. They’re easily accessible, insightful, and entertaining. Rarely, though, do people take what they’ve learned and applied it practically into their lives.

But what if we did?

What if you applied the information to structure your work day, what you work on and what you outsource, and even what your business should focus on?

Spending the majority of your time working on things in your zone of genius is a great way to be more effective AND more fulfilled—and that might just be your next step to showing your business who’s boss.

Today’s guest is a huge proponent of personality tests and a total boss of his business, Jake Jorgovan. Jake is a serial entrepreneur, author, podcaster, and business advisor and the Founder of Lead Cookie, Content Allies, and Arete Incubator. Through these companies he’s generated $40M+ in sales for his clients. He’s also the host of the Working Without Pants Podcast and shares the raw lessons of his entrepreneurial journey at Jake-Jorgovan.com.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to use personality tests, like Strengths Finder, to most effectively focus your time, and communicate with those around you
How a personality test helped Jake find a much more effective position for one of his employees
Jake’s brilliant hiring process that helps him save time by weeding out 95% of applicants upfront and still find the person who will best fit in with the team
Plus, Jake helps me get my mind right about bringing people in house

Learn more about Jake Jorgovan:

Learn more about Pia:

Other resources from this episode:

CliftonsStrengths

EP 15: Ramon Ray – The Joy of the Smart Hustle, Building Fan Base, and Thriving in the Life You Want

Pia Silva — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Most entrepreneurs are addicted to the hustle.

They think that a never ending to-do list of writing email newsletters, queuing up the next Facebook ad campaign, tweeting their latest blog post, and launching new programs is the foundation to success and path to fulfillment.

That’s not to say those aren’t effective at growing your business—and they might be just what you need to do to show your business who’s boss…

… but what if there’s a smarter way to hustle?

What if we skip the to-do list?

And, what if we find that by skipping the hustle as-is and take a smarter approach that we build our fan base, strengthen our skills, and heighten our brand all in one fell swoop?

On today’s episode, I’m chatting with an old friend from my networking days, Ramon Ray. Ramon is the founder of Smart Hustle Media, a content platform for small businesses. He’s also a global speaker, event host and producer, and the best selling author of Celebrity CEO.

When I think of Ramon, I think of one of the best networkers I know and his track record shows it. Not only is he a highly sought after commentator on marketing, technology, mindset, startup, and more—his expertise and networking skills have taken him to the White House to present to the President’s staff, he’s testified to Congress, he was with Ivanka Trump in India for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and he even interviewed President Obama in his first live video chat.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Ramon monetizes his personal brand without offering any coaching, programs, or selling digital products
Ways to determine what space you can be a celebrity in
Why all entrepreneurs seem naturally addicted to the hustle
How to turn the hustle into smart hustle

Learn more about Ramon Ray:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 14: Cole Hauptfuhrer – The Importance of Focus, How to Multiply Your Money, and One Life-Changing Week On a Cruise Ship

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy in our business.

We’re afraid to fail... so we don’t try new things.

We’re fearful about putting ourselves out there… so we don’t launch new projects.

We hold ourselves back from what’s possible when we swim in circles around that fear—especially when we allow it to keep us from taking action towards growth.

If you resonate with that, you’re not alone.

Fear is a common experience for many entrepreneurs—we even talked about fear and using our businesses as a tool for personal growth with Evan Horowitz in Episode 13.

But if you’re finding that fear is holding you back from taking action, it might be a good time to seek out someone who pushes you into the deep end, who believes in your capacity, and who encourages you and keeps it real. That person can be a friend, a family member, or even a business coach—whatever works! Having someone on your side who’s willing to say things you don’t want to hear might be just what you need to show your business who’s boss.

On today’s episode, I’m excited to speak with an old friend of mine and Steve’s, someone who rented a desk in our office, whose business we branded long ago, general boss of his life and business, Cole Hauptfuhrer.

Cole is the Chief Executive Fishmonger of Find Fat Fish, where he has been popping people’s stock cherries since 2010. He’s the author of 12 Steps to Your First Stock and the Supreme Leader of the Your First Stock Workshop.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Cole is multiplying his money every year and why building his business is a key part of that
Where responsibility starts—and ends—when coaching people
The importance of focus and how we both love doing new things more
How one week on a cruise ship completely changed the course of Cole’s life, and what you can learn from it, too

Learn more about Cole Hauptfuhrer:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 13: Evan Horowitz – Building Awareness, Living Courageously, and Using Business as a Personal Growth Gym

Pia Silva — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

We all know that being a business owner means constantly being forced to face your fears, try new things, and fail… then try again and again and again.

These challenges force us to grow—even if we’re not paying attention.

Now imagine how impactful, effective, and powerful you could be in your business if you intentionally welcomed those challenges and that failure because you wanted the growth that came with it?

How powerful would it be to notice each day how you’re feeling and use that information to inform how you show up the next day and the day after that?

Well, my friends, that might be exactly what you need to show your business who’s boss.

Today, I’m delighted to speak with someone who sees business as a personal growth gym and one of my first business coaches, the person who actually helped me coin the phrase “Badass Brands” back in 2013, boss of his business Evan Horowitz.

Evan is a serial entrepreneur, Harvard MBA, personal development junkie, growth advisor for entrepreneurs, and CEO of Movers+Shakers, an award-winning video marketing agency that’s all about spreading joy, TikToking, and breaking engagement records. His agency is behind the most viewed TikTok video—at 11 billion views—and Ad Week called it the most influential campaign on TikTok!

Tune into this episode to hear:

The one thing that drives all of our decisions in business and life
How to build more personal awareness and how that can lead to a more centered life
One action we can all take today to make our experience in life richer
Using our businesses as a vehicle for personal growth
Simple ways to make business more fun and less high stakes

Learn more about Evan Horowitz:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 12: Paige Wilhide – Video Marketing, Improv, and Losing the Travel Bug

Pia Silva — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

An incredible 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute and almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day.

Crazy, right?!

And while those numbers might seem intimidating, it’s also motivation to start doing more video for your business. Video is one of the fastest ways to connect with your audience and build trust… and trust is what leads to sales.

Though video isn’t right for everyone, if you know you could crush it, I urge you to take this opportunity to consider whether it could be your next step in showing your business who’s boss.

On today’s episode, I’m speaking with video marketing guru and total boss of her business, Paige Wilhide.

Paige is a storyteller, content creator, and video coach who’s dedicated to helping you get out of your head and in front of the camera so you can make amazing videos that grow your business. She coaches mission-driven entrepreneurs and influencers on everything from content strategy to at-home video production to camera confidence.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How improv can make you a better business owner
Where are video marketers focusing? Tik Tok? Instagram Live? YouTube? Or somewhere else?
How to make your partner, prospects, and clients look and feel like geniuses (a great skill to have!)
A jaw-dropping insight about YouTube Ads, of all things, that now makes me want to start trying them out right now

Learn more about Paige:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 11: Brett Lavender – Influence, Being Your Brand, and How to Command the Attention of Any Room

Pia Silva — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

For a moment, think about the last conversation you had.

Maybe it was with a client, a family member, or a stranger. Now think about how you communicate beyond what you say. How often do you make eye contact? When do you avoid it? What does your tone of voice sound like? What do you do with your arms or your stance?

If you can’t remember, that’s totally normal! They say that 90% of communication is non-verbal and most of the time it’s subconscious, too. We just operate on auto-pilot.

But what if we could bring an awareness to the way we show up in our conversations, regardless of who we’re talking to? In my experience, working on my non-verbal communication skills has been a hugely impactful way to show my business who’s boss.

On today’s episode, I’m speaking with the man responsible for turning me into the badass speaker than I am: Brett Lavender. Through his company, The Persuasive Lion, Brett trains thought leaders, business owners, and everyday people on how to become a persuasive and effective leader through communication.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How the melody of your voice communicates your message more than the words themselves
What it looks like to break bad speaking habits, and how frustrating it can be (and I can speak from personal experience)
And the terrible habit most people have, including you! of speaking in questions

Learn more about Brett:

thepersuasivelion.com
LinkedIn: Brett Lavender

Learn more about Pia:

EP 10: Jean Tang – Repurposing Content, Hiring a Copywriter, and When Good Content Is Just Not Possible

Pia Silva — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Creating a single piece of quality content takes a TON of time.

And, as entrepreneurs, we only have so much time to devote to content creation.

Sure—you can hire a copywriter to do it for you —but you can always get more bang for your buck by repurposing your content, therefore, stretching out the initial time you put into it.

Here’s an example. Right now, I write an article for Forbes every week. Because of the time it takes to create something that I feel good about, I have pretty much forgone writing anything for my own website.

But with repurposing, there are quick, easy ways to create multiple pieces of content from a single article—without spending too much time doing it.

On today’s episode, I’m talking with a long time friend, neighbor, and boss of her business, Jean Tang. 10 years ago, Jean founded MarketSmiths to provide insightful, inclusive content to help corporations grow. She, along with her team of 16 copywriters, create badass, razor-sharp strategy, impenetrable logic, and a devastating charm offensive at scale.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to get the most out of hiring a copywriter
How to become famous while networking
When good copy is just not possible—and what you must do to fix it as a business owner
PLUS, we brainstormed ideas for repurposing my content and Jean gave some pro tips you can apply to your business

Learn more about Jean:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 09: Carolyn Herfurth – Entertaining Off-The-Table Ideas, Becoming Unattached To Your Email List, and Figuring Out "What's Next" in a Successful Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

How often do you entertain a “crazy” idea, shrug it off as impossible, and move onto the next thing? Most of the time, we park those ideas at the back of our minds for good.

They’re too impractical, too impossible, too wild…

We’re afraid of even entertaining them.

But what if those wild ideas are the seeds of a new product offering, a new way of doing business, or even a different way of doing life?

It’s time to embrace those WILD ideas for your business—and even your life—and give them room to breathe. Listen to them. Hear what they have to offer.

You never know: the mindset of experimentation might be the best tool for showing your business who’s boss.

On today’s episode I’m talking with one of my coaches, someone I truly look up to, and boss of her business, Carolyn Herfurth.

A strategic business coach for women, Carolyn, works with 6- and 7-figure business owners who want to pivot to their next level of growth—but don't see a clear path. She’s a pro at spotting opportunities and crafting new revenue streams with offers you’ll love just as much as your ideal clients love to buy them.

Tune into this episode to hear:

The best thing you can do right now if you haven’t hit 6-figures yet
The importance of online decluttering and becoming unattached to your email list
How to deal with an unhappy client that comes out of nowhere
Why Carolyn sold her four-bedroom house—and everything in it—to move to NYC to do something completely new (and how powerful off-the-table ideas like this can be for your business and personal growth)

Learn more about Carolyn:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 08: Chiquita Brujita – Privilege, Spreading Joy, and Building A Community-Driven Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

The people we regularly spend time with and the media that we consume no doubt influences our perception of the world. And when we follow a narrow set of people and news outlets, our default perspective is skewed.

So now is the time to question: how do these people, perspectives, and media limit me? How do they affect my decision making? How do they hold me and my business back?

It’s also the time to break out of our bubble to seek out more diverse opinions, perspectives, and approaches—not just because it’s good for business but because it’s the right thing to do.

And that might just be your next step in showing your business who’s boss.

That’s why I wanted to bring on one of my oldest college friends on the podcast. Chiquita Brujita is the owner of Brooklyn Brujeria which, at its core, is built around supporting the arts and building community. She is a woman who shows UP as a total boss in whatever situation she’s in.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How to build a business where the purpose is spreading joy, and the profit is measured by how much it supports growth in the arts
How to support people who are just waking up to the concept of privilege, and how we both agree and disagree on how to handle that
What going to the extremely politically correct Wesleyan University did to both of our perspectives on the world
And how empowered I feel right now and why I feel a lot of shame, and not for the reason you might think

Learn more about Chiquita Brujita:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 07: Amanda Neville – What It Really Takes to Build a 7-Figure Agency, When Creative Genius Isn't Enough, and This Pinot is Your Guilty Pleasure

Pia Silva — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

When was the last time you brainstormed marketing ideas just for fun?

As entrepreneurs, we are primed to always think about what works first—we look at what we’ve done and continue doing it into the future.

But what if focusing on what amuses you or what inspires you opens you up to more interesting and badass ways of marketing and doing business?

Maybe you’re afraid. I get it: sometimes I am too, but, I remind myself that not everything is going to work. Not everything is going to get you results.

Whether it gets the results you were looking for or not, it’s the whole getting used to trying new things that can be incredibly valuable to the long term success of your business.

And that might just be your first step in showing your business who's boss.

On today’s episode, I’m talking to my dear friend, fellow Brooklynite, and badass boss of her businesses (yes, businesses!), Amanda Neville. Not only is Amanda the founder and lead strategist of Three Furies, a 7-figure branding, marketing, and communications consulting agency but also the founder of Tipsy, a fun and friendly neighborhood wine store in Brooklyn.

Amanda’s agency business is the complete opposite of mine in terms of structure, types of clients we serve and what we’re going for—yet, the fundamentals are so strikingly similar that I knew having her on the show would provide some awesome takeaways.

And just wait to hear more about her wine store—Amanda creates some super fun brand stories that will definitely inspire you to think about your marketing differently.

So without further ado, let’s dig into it!

Tune into this episode to hear:

Why creative genius is important but can’t ever come first
The work every successful business owner does to make their business successful that seemingly has nothing to do with business
Why we both, separately, dream of starting a general contracting company
How one creative project Amanda started just to amuse herself turned into one of her best marketing sales strategies (this one will make you laugh and immediately fill your head with inspiration!)

Links:

Learn more about Amanda:

Learn more about Pia:

Where I Stand: Black Lives Matter

Pia Silva — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Showing your business who’s boss is about showing up every day in your business asking how can I make something happen, not wondering if it will happen or hoping it will happen or feeling like it won’t happen because of a million reasons. That’s the same kind of tenacity with which I want to approach doing my part to fix the injustices in our society.

I’m not going to release an episode today. Instead, I just wanted to share with you, in case you don’t know, where I stand on this issue.

I stand with everybody who is discriminated against, who doesn’t have access to the same opportunities and resources that other people do, and certainly with the families of anybody who has been hurt or killed by people of authority because of the color of their skin. Specifically, I believe Black lives matter and I fiercely condemn police violence against Black people and people of color.

I stand with them, and I’m working on putting together a long-lasting plan to make sure that I am consistently supporting this movement from now on.

That means donating money to organizations to support the people who are doing this work full time
It means educating myself more on systemic racism and the overt and covert ways people of color are held back in this world every day
It means looking for ways I can use my business to help create a more equitable society. Because I know that economics can play a great role in this movement

I’ll return next week with another episode of Show Your Business Who’s Boss where my mission is to empower individuals to grow profitable businesses. Profitable business owners tend to have a larger platform and more economic agency and have the potential to be powerful players in this movement as well.

In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out some of the amazing podcasts out there hosted by people of color. NPR's Code Switch, specifically their latest episode called A Decade of Watching Black People Die, is a great start. I’m also seeking out more Black and POC voices for my podcast feed and will be linking to some more recommendations in the show notes as well.

Thank you for listening.

Podcasts to learn from:

Places to donate:

EP 06: Amie Sheridan – Doubling Your Email List, Clicking "Publish" On Your First Blog Article, and Personal Branding Opportunities In A Pandemic

Pia Silva — Thu, 28 May 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Showing your business who’s boss during a global crisis can be done—and done well.

And although it might feel counterintuitive as you see the economy fall and rise and fall again, your ideal clients are out there waiting for you.

So what does it take to get their attention and grow your clientele—now and in the future?

It takes confidence and using your unique voice. It takes showing up and doing the work. And it’s about building your reputation.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Today on the podcast, I chat with Amie Sheridan who did exactly that. Just last year, Amie founded Technically Sports to help sports industry leaders up their content game and make an impact and her business has truly thrived during the quarantine. Prior to founding her business, Amie worked a high profile career for the NHL, Comcast/NBC Regional Sports Networks, and regularly contributed to Sports Business Journal.

Amie is also a badass client of mine. This is the first time I’ve brought a client on the podcast and I wanted to bring Amie on as an amazing example of what’s possible in your business—in less than a year—when you commit to building your badass brand online.

In this episode, Amie shares what moves she made to grow her business online, how she upped her business game, and why now was the best time to show her business who’s boss.

Tune into this episode to hear:

How Amie went from struggling to figure out her brand message in the fall to speaking to 100 of her ideal clients in the spring—and in the middle of a pandemic
Why publishing your first blog post is terrifying—even for Amie who’s been a writer for over a decade
How Amie leveraged a relationship to add 150 ideal clients to her email list in 48 hours—and what it really took to make that happen
Plus, we debate what's harder: birthing a baby or birthing a business

Learn more about Amie:

Learn more about Pia:

EP 05: Ciara Pressler – The Allure Of Outsourcing, The Marketing Racket, and Whether Anyone Deserves to be a Business Owner

Pia Silva — Thu, 21 May 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Do you embrace marketing and selling? Do you relish the chance to share what you do with the people who need it?

Or are you hoping to pass off marketing and selling to someone else as quickly as possible?

Hiring an expert to help with marketing and sales can be a great idea, but only if you’ve gotten your hands dirty and taken the time to learn–and embrace–it first.

Maybe you read some books, take a course or two, or hire a coach to help you beef up your marketing and sales skills. Jumping in the deep end with marketing and sales might just be your first step in showing your business who's boss.

The truth is that there’s a whole marketing racket waiting to take advantage of you and your cash flow just because you want to get marketing and sales off your plate. But a real boss invests time and energy into knowing what works before you outsource it.

I sat down with my friend Ciara Pressler–an amazing entrepreneur and successful author–to talk about marketing your business, the allure of outsourcing, how to not get taken advantage of by the marketing racket, and so much more.

Ciara is the founder of Pregame and author of Game Plan: Achieve Your Goals in Life, Career, and Business. She advises entrepreneurs, business leaders, and creative professionals on creating their personal Game Plan for success and is disrupting the coaching industry with an innovative model that makes expert business and marketing coaching accessible to game-changers at all levels of business.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

The allure of outsourcing and whether delegating is a good thing or just an attempt to get out of something you don’t want to do
How the marketing racket makes hiring services such a crapshoot and how to protect yourself from getting taken to the cleaners
What the difference is between hobbies, jobs, and freelancing and being a business (hint: an LLC or website isn’t it)
How premium pricing leads to the premium clients you want
And how you can never do things like raise your prices or ‘make more money’ unless you get to know your business’ numbers

Ciara’s Links:

Pia’s Links:

EP 04: Priya Malani – Cursing In Your Brand, Going Viral, And How Having A Strong Liver Is Good For Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 May 2020 03:45:00 -0400

Going viral can make or break a business. It’ll make it if you’re prepared to cash in on the attention. It’ll break it if you don’t have the balls to follow through.

My guest today was not only prepared to cash in but to take a big leap of faith into a new dream for her brand and her business.

Pia Malani is one of my earliest Brandup clients, who has since become one of my besties, Rebel of Wall street, and boss of her business.

Priya is the owner of Stash Wealth, a financial firm for HENRYs™ (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) She’s a sought-after thought leader in the Millennial Money arena by some of the nation’s largest publications. She has been featured hundreds of times everywhere from mainstream news sources like Fortune, Wall Street Journal and CNBC, to entertainment and lifestyle brands like the NYPost, Bustle, SiriusXM, and Refinery29.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

What Priya did to go viral and how you can follow her example
What the “problem with having overnight success” is and what it took for Stash Wealth to weather the storm
How even if you want to build an empire, being loved by some and disliked by others is STILL the key to success
And how consistency and persistence pays off when entrepreneurs do exactly what I say

Priya’s Links:

Stash Wealth
Instagram: @priyamalaniofficial

Pia’s Links:

EP 03: Stacey Brooke – Putting In Your Time, Building A Business Without Sacrificing Adventure, And Why Every Business Is A Marketing Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 May 2020 03:30:00 -0400

Your business can either force you into a life you don’t love. Or, it can bankroll a lifestyle that allows you to do the things you love, visit the places that excite you, and take control of your long-term goals.

On today’s episode, I’m talking to fellow New Yorker, dear friend, and boss of her business Stacey Brooke.

Stacey’s company, College Essay Advisors, helps college applicants present their most polished and intriguing selves by crafting effective college essays to get admissions to their dream schools.

She started her business as a freelance advisor in 2004 and took it full time in 2014. She now has one full-time employee and 20 independent advisors she brings on for projects. While keeping her operation lean and efficient she’s been able to grow 50% year over year!

I personally wouldn’t trust my kid's essay with anyone else!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

How Stacey sent one strategically placed email that landed her a guest article in a top publication and what she’d done to set the stage for that win
When to hire--and how to know which things can only be done by you... and why that's a good thing!
Whether SEO is still a thing in 2020, and the difference between keywords and good content
The real key to creating a great customer experience that most people don’t focus on
What you need to know if you want a successful business that makes money with no regrets

Stacey’s links:

Pia’s Links:

EP 02: Natasa Lekic – Imposter Syndrome, Priorities, and Building Your Mistake Muscle

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 May 2020 03:15:00 -0400

Every business owner suffers from Impostor Syndrome--that feeling that you’re a fraud and it’s only a matter of time until everyone else finds out.

Yes, believe it or not, even I feel that way on a regular basis.

And so does my guest today–my dear friend and the founder of NY Book Editors--Natasa Lekic. Despite those fraudy feelings, Natasa knows how to show her business who’s boss.

Natasa is one of my only business owner friends who, whenever I text her midday, midweek, I’m surprised if she’s actually working.

Her business is lean and full of automation and systems that, as she puts it, renders her basically useless. She has one full-time employee, one part-time employee, and 35 contractors. Her business gives her a beautiful lifestyle – she brings in about $750,000 a year and last year she did it while taking 2 full months off to travel to 7 different countries.

NY Book Editors is the premier affiliation of professional editors and copy editors that help authors meet their writing goals. Her editors have worked for Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, their booklists include New York Times Bestsellers, winners of the Pulitzer Prize, and my book–Badass Your Brand. I can personally attest to how badass her business really is.

Despite her badassery, Natasa isn’t immune from feeling like a fraud or even making mistakes. None of us are–and that makes today’s conversation an important one.

If you are thinking about writing a book or have one in the pipeline, definitely go to newyorkbookeditors.com for their amazing articles, and maybe even to find an editor for your book! Plus you should definitely check out Natasa on their YouTube channel for stellar writing advice and inspiration.

You'll also find her interview with me there, where I share all kinds of juicy details about how I self-published and then self-marketed my book and got 100 reviews on Amazon in the first month.

*Note* That quote at the end of the episode about the meaning of life (that I couldn’t remember who said it) it was Picasso that said that after all!!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

How “Imposter syndrome” is something almost every entrepreneur I meet struggles with including both of us
Why Natasa built her business without using her face or name and why she’s starting to put herself in front of the brand
How mistakes hold us back and how they can propel us forward
And “The benefits of knowing what you value in life” so you can prioritize your business and life

Natasa’s Links:

Pia’s Links:

EP 01: The Exact Moment That I Became The Boss Of My Business

Pia Silva — Thu, 14 May 2020 03:00:00 -0400

It was 2014, and I had been hustling trying to build my branding agency for 3 years. From the outside, I looked like I was succeeding. I had a super cool office in Brooklyn, NY, two full-time employees, and the last project I was invited to pitch for was a 20,000 square foot restaurant in Times Square that wanted that cool Brooklyn vibe.

I had all the glitz of a successful owner, but behind the scenes, things looked very different.

I was networking every day, hoofing it around NYC to meet with whomever would have coffee with me, I was pitching project after project and either not hearing back or just losing them. And my overhead was high. By March 2014, we had maxed out all of our credit cards, were overdrawn on our bank accounts, and had no idea how we were going to make payroll in two weeks.

I was desperately trying to figure out how to bring money in. Not only did we need money to live, but we needed to pay back this $40,000 we now owed. Tell the prospects with proposals that we would bargain with them? Network… MORE? Just cry in the corner with my fingers crossed that one of these proposals would close in the next week and pay a deposit? And if none those things worked, I assumed the only option left would be to give up, admit that I FAILED to all my friends and family, and get a regular job.

I was working SO hard to get clients and busting my butt 24/7 to be at the beck and call the few clients we had, so why couldn’t my business at least support itself?

I had the best intentions, I had done my homework, read every book, studied other success stories, pounded the pavement networking, took courses, and was willing to work round the clock on my business while giving my all to deliver for my clients… I was doing everything that every expert, guru, mentor, and colleague had recommended. I had even thrown money at my problems by hiring other service providers to solve them for me and not only did that not work either, but it also cost me more money I didn’t have.

But despite all my knowledge, experience, and effort, none of it was showing up in my bank account. It felt unfair. I was depressed and felt more and more like a failure.

And one night, while having dinner with my husband and business partner Steve, I was in a catatonic daze over the crushing burden of my failing business while he was just chatting along as if everything was fine, making me even more anxious! Just as my anxiety was turning to rage, the adrenaline must have heightened my senses and I snapped out of my failure coma to hear him say

“...why don’t we just let the employees go?”

For all my butt busting and desperate efforts, I am embarrassed to admit that I had not even considered that as one of my options and that was a wake-up call.

Because I was trying to create an agency, a big business that looked like what I imagined success was, in my mind, letting our employees go would be failure and the end of my business. Because I was on a trajectory of building an agency, I refused to entertain any ideas that felt like backtracking and saw any of my efforts that didn’t achieve that goal as failures. I was so set on a specific idea of what a successful business looked like, that I was actually entertaining closing our business to get a normal job instead of entertaining the idea of running a different kind of business.

Now Steve had my attention and he was saying more great stuff… he said we had built a LOT of value in our business, had a lot of experience, great work to show and happy, satisfied clients. We weren't at a dead end, we actually had tons of options of what we could do with what we had created and achieved.

He forced me to entertain the idea that there were infinite options available to us, and just because they were different from what I had originally planned, didn’t mean they were inferior.

My lightbulb not only went off – it popped.

A huuuge weight had been lifted off of me and I was able to see my business with a ruthless, cutting clarity that was unencumbered by my previous fears of failing (because I already had!).

Now I was free to do ANYTHING.

Immediately, my new terminator vision was assessing my business problems.

Fact: We couldn’t afford the employees right now and hadn’t been able to for some time, hence the debt, so keeping them was no longer an option. I had been avoiding that fact for months. The second I accepted it, relief washed over me.

We won’t need to find $8,000 for them this month. WOW. I had just made $8,000 in a moment of clarity.

I’m gonna date myself here but you know that game Minesweeper? Where you’re clicking the boxes without clicking the mines? And every once in a while you click an empty box and the whole area opens up all at once? That’s what this was like. Everything broke open for me.

THAT was the moment I became the boss of my business & my whole demeanor changed

We started looking at our business as a clean slate and started brainstorming like crazy all the possible ideas of what we could do next. We started listing all the skills and assets we had and how to make money off them. We questioned why we had done everything the way we had, and why we felt we had to do it that way.

We were EXCITED for the first time in a long time. It was like when we first started our business and anything was possible again. We were no longer desperately trying to do what we thought we had to succeed. We were asking ourselves what we really wanted out of our business and how we could structure it to get it.

In that MOMENT, I went from being at the mercy of my business and the situation I was in, to stepping up and showing my business who’s boss.

Before that moment... I thought MONEY was my biggest problem.

So I thought if I just had more money, more clients, more work, things would be better.

Before that moment... I blamed all the people I was pitching for my business’ problems.

They would take our proposals and then end up hiring other, less expensive companies... how could I compete with that?! So I thought they’re just ignorant of the value of my services.

Before that moment... I thought I was doing ...

EP 00: Introducing Show Your Business Who's Boss

Pia Silva — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:46:00 -0400

Make the leap from an overworked, underpaid employee of your own business to a badass authority that has plenty of profit and freedom because you are finally the boss. Host Pia Silva will shift your perspective and help you build a business that works for you instead of the other way around. Double down on what makes you awesome by badassing your brand and business, being smart about your marketing so you can shout it from the rooftops. She’ll tell you how it really is when it comes to ignoring the crap that’s holding you back and what it really takes to be the boss of your own business, one that gives you the life of freedom you wanted when you went into business for yourself in the first place.