Stephanie Hayes Business Strategist & Coach
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Are You Letting Your Business Happen To You?

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Customer Stories

Are You Letting Your Business Happen To You? Take control of your business and turn it towards your passions. You’ll be shocked at what happens next. Share Tweet Pin Email Are you letting your business happen to you? “I’m looking at the work I’m doing and the business...

You Can Do All The Scary Things. Just Start With One Piece At A Time

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Customer Stories

You Can Do All The Scary Things. Just Start With One Piece At A Time You can do the hard things, just do one small piece at a time. Find the reason why stepping into discomfort is worth getting through to the other side. If it scares you, it’s probably a good thing to...

“It all just feels like too much.” What To Do When You’re On The Edge Of Burnout

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Customer Stories

“It all just feels like too much.” What To Do When You’re On The Edge Of Burnout You need a fresh look at how you’ve been trying to get there. Strong possibility the things you have been doing haven’t been supporting your vision at all.⠀...

“You’ve Forced Me To Grow Up As A Business Owner.”

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Customer Stories

“You’ve Forced Me To Grow Up As A Business Owner.” She did it by remaining open, curious, brave and focused on action. She did it by listening more than she talked, by surrounding herself with a community of experts, and by relentlessly...

“I Didn’t Get The Job Because I Asked For Too Little”

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Customer Stories

“I Didn’t Get The Job Because I Asked For Too Little” Your customers are actually a lot less price sensitive than you might think. In fact, the ones who are price sensitive are likely not the ones you want as clients, so bidding low will actually get...

“She has single-handedly revived my faith in my business.”

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Customer Stories

“She has single-handedly revived my faith in my business.” I can show you the details. I can show you a plan. I can break everything down into small, digestible pieces until you can see a glimmer of hope that there is a tiny gold coin at the end of the rainbow.⠀ Share...
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Recent Posts

  • Episode 2 – What’s In a Name?
  • Episode 1 – The Journey So Far
  • How to Make Spending Decisions in Uncertain Times
  • Breaking Down the Friction Between “Thinking Work” and “Doing Work”
  • How to Overcome Perfectionism and Procrastination In Your Business
Real People, Real Business
Real People, Real Business

Tired of hearing amazing stories that are inspirational but feel out of reach? Craving some real talk with people who are just like you? In Real People, Real Business, Business Strategist Stephanie Hayes interviews business owners that are building their businesses and making progress through grit, determination and action. They are working through the everyday challenges and celebrating incremental wins on their journey to their dream. Every one has a story, and each of these entrepreneurs are telling theirs in funny, vulnerable and heartwarming ways that will make you say “Yes! That’s me!” and leave you with creative ideas for breaking through that next roadblock that might just have you stuck. Celebrating all businesses and all business owners, and creating a community of real people.

Chris Troka – Elevating Business Through AI and Collaborative Innovation
byStephanie Hayes

Chris Troka is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Focused-Biz, an innovative marketing company that leverages AI to help businesses create better customer experiences, increase conversion rates, and reduce time spent on administrative tasks using automation.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Chris identified a gap between technology and marketing and developed an AI-based solution to fill it, the collaborative approach he uses to develop his business tool, and the opportunities and considerations for using AI in your business. 

Chris tells us about the incredible success of his first business as a wedding DJ and falling in love with marketing, the drive behind launching a marketing agency, using AI and automation for business enhancement, and his quest to improve customer experience and administrative efficiency.

Chris describes the gap he saw between marketing and technology, Focused-Biz’s Comprehensive 14-in-1 business tool, the collaborative approach he’s taken to developing and improving the tool, and how businesses can use the tool to enhance their processes. 

Chris gets candid about the challenges of becoming a business owner, why he says you need to “choose your hard” as an entrepreneur, how the shift in work culture and worker motivation impacts business strategy and the two channels that have been most successful in generating leads. 

Lastly, Chris shares why most businesses can benefit from using AI, the big opportunities he sees in AI, ethical considerations to be aware of in your marketing and communications, why he believes in collaboration over competition in business, and the work he’s doing to create industry-specific AI solutions.


Skip to Topic:
3:20 – Starting an AI-based marketing agency
4:59 – Taking action and avoiding analysis paralysis
6:01 – How Focused-Biz’s 14-in-one AI business tool works
7:06 – Two ways businesses can leverage Focused-Biz’s AI tool
8:40 – Using open-source development and improving upon what’s already out there
10:58 – Creating a solution to fill the gap between technology and marketing
13:08 – The challenges of becoming a business owner
15:26 – Why you need to understand worker motivation as a business owner
19:12 – Why most businesses can benefit from AI
21:35 – The emergence of new skill sets and uses for AI technology
23:49 – Ethical considerations in marketing and communication
26:02 – Opportunities in AI and marketing to enhance your business
28:55 – Two lead generation strategies that Focused-Biz uses to attract customers
30:37 – Using a collaborative approach to development and business
32:46 – The truth about competition in business
34:50 – Creating industry-specific AI technology solutions
37:11 – The value of niching by industry

Find Chris at:
Website: https://focused-biz.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/focusedbiz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focused-biz

Visit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/

Follow me on Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Support the show

Chris Troka – Elevating Business Through AI and Collaborative Innovation
Chris Troka – Elevating Business Through AI and Collaborative Innovation
August 9, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Ali Nichols – Partnering to Expand Property Ownership
August 2, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Wil Reynolds – Playing to Win in Business
July 28, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Jame Healy – Thriving Together in Business Partnership
July 19, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Cleoniki Kesidis – Forging Connection as a Creative
July 12, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Crystalynn Shelton – Finding Joy Beyond the Numbers
July 7, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Moira Ni Ghallachoir – Destiny-Driven Business Through Speaking
June 30, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Sebastian Schaffer – Business as a Catalyst for Personal Growth
June 21, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Tim Kachuriak – Marketing for a Cause
June 14, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Dr. Laura Purdy, MD – Disrupting the Status Quo in Healthcare
June 7, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
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Episode 93 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 93 of Real People, Real Business is live!

If you are a believer in the old adage 'when one door closes, another one opens,' this is the conversation for you!

Donna Loughlin (@lmgpr) is the founder of LMG PR, a strategic public relations firm that helps futurists and innovators move their businesses forward by bringing their unique stories to life.

In this episode, you’ll hear how getting laid off from a successful corporate career during a recession opened a door of opportunity for Donna that ultimately put her on the entrepreneurial path that launched her public relations agency.

Donna recounts starting her career in journalism reporting business, economics, and technology news at large media organizations, moving from news reporting to public relations, and the life-changing reality check she experienced after being laid off from her executive job during a recession.

Donna describes figuring out her next move after being laid off, following the signs that guided her toward her “sliding door moment” launching her PR agency, hiring her first team members from the talent-rich pool of stay-at-home moms, and balancing her business with being a mom.

Donna shares how she grew her agency and differentiated it in the market, her process for creating the “narrative story engine” for her clients, and the 3 common threads she sees among the innovators and disruptors she’s worked with.

Finally, Donna reveals how her definition of growth has changed over the years, why it’s important to be selective as a business owner, and the big misconception people have about being a business owner that doesn’t match up with reality.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-93/
I had a great conversation with Sheridan Sharp on I had a great conversation with Sheridan Sharp on her podcast "Am I Write?" where we talked about creative misalignment and how to build a brand that is in alignment with you so you feel inspired.

Listen to the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2031789/12863443
Episode 92 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 92 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Ann Carden is a strategic business consultant, coach, author, and serial entrepreneur who launched and sold 5 successful businesses. Today she uses her marketing, sales, and business strategy expertise to help others reach higher levels of success. 

In this episode, you will hear about Ann’s natural ability to recognize opportunities that took her from stay-at-home mom to serial entrepreneur well before the days of social media and online marketing and how she’s gone on to create her own method for successful business building that she uses to coach others who want to scale their businesses.

Ann tells us how she launched her first very successful business making and selling dolls after looking for a way to make a little extra money for her family, the hard work and long hours it took to build that business to global success, selling that first business, and how she got the idea for her next business after overcoming a personal challenge.

Ann reveals her natural gift for seeing opportunities, using that gift to build multiple businesses, what she says your fastest path to success in business is, and the life-changing experience she had working with a business coach that sparked her passion to become a coach herself. 

Ann describes how she knew it was time to exit a business, how she aligned her business to do what she most enjoys, why you shouldn’t feel guilty about making money in your business, and her A to Z model for working with her coaching clients helping them level up and scale their businesses.

You’ll be inspired by Ann’s ability to identify opportunities, her commitment to pursuing them, her openness about the hard work and mistakes along the way, and her heart for helping others achieve success.

View full episode at 
https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-92/
Episode 91 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 91 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Ethan Song is the CEO of RareCircles (@rarecircles), a business he launched to help creators and brands build community in the Web3 economy. He was previously the founder and CEO of Frank And Oak, the apparel brand whose mission was to make fashion more personal and sustainable for a new generation of creatives and entrepreneurs.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Ethan left the security of a job to pursue entrepreneurship, launching his first company Frank And Oak, and starting a new business, RareCircles, helping creators and brands build communities in the web-3 economy.

Ethan describes launching his first business Frank And Oak, how they innovated by creating a new customer experience, 2 ways they differentiated their brand, how they used AI to generate value-based recommendations for customers, and how he knew it was time to move on from Frank And Oak to new pursuits.

Ethan shares how the idea of community was something he had thought about for a long time, the opportunity he saw for web3 to play a role in that, and ultimately launching RareCircles to help brands use community and engagement to drive business growth.

Ethan tells us why RareCircles centers around Web3, creating value as a B2B2C company, why he doesn’t focus on RareCircle’s competitors, how he uses data and content to serve businesses and their end users, and the key trends we should all be thinking about when it comes to the future of community platforms.

Finally, Ethan reveals why entrepreneurs need to have passion behind what they do, his thoughts for entrepreneurs thinking about what’s next, his advice for working in a space that is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty, why defining success is an individual exercise, and 3 realities about being a business owner that you don’t hear out in the real world.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-91/
Episode 90 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 90 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Lindy Nowak (@upinaday) is the Founder of Up in a Day™ – a new-to-market website service that is devoted to helping small business owners, entrepreneurs, and independent operators get their website up quickly, within budget, and with minimal effort from them.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Lindy’s journey from her corporate career as a creative director in New York, working with big-name brands like L’oreal to starting a traditional marketing agency and transitioning to the productized website design agency she runs today at Up In A Day.

Lindy describes the aha moment that sparked the idea for launching a productized service around website design, the purpose, and importance of having a website for your business, and why it’s better to have a professional create your business website.

Lindy reveals the embarrassing mistake she made with her business website, how she used her network to build her agency team, how she developed her own training and onboarding method for her designers, and how she structured her processes and delivery to balance managing her team with providing clients with a quality service.

Lindy shares how she combats scope creep and filters out clients who aren’t a good fit for her agency, the trend she sees website design moving toward in the future, and what it was like for her to jump from her corporate career to entrepreneurship. 

Finally, Lindy tells us how being her mother’s caretaker ignited her desire to become a business owner, how she’s building her business to support her eventual exit, and what you can do if you feel lonely as an online business owner.

Listen to our fun and insightful conversation today!

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-90/
Take a listen to my recent conversation with Hersh Take a listen to my recent conversation with Hersh Rephun (@Hersh4all) on YES BRAND!

Here's a preview of our conversation: https://youtube.com/shorts/ITOcidqal3c?feature=share

View the full episode here: https://youtu.be/3HtpcRIUwuA

Listen in on your favorite podcast platform:  https://podcasts.pantheon.fm/show/yes-brand-with-hersh-rephun/make-an-asset-out-of-yourself-for-a-fantastic-finale-with-stephanie-hayes/
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@stephaniehayes.biz

Do you find yourself trying to create more all the time rather than selling what you have? #smallbusinesscheck #businessowner #businesscoaching #creativeentrepreneur #womeninbusinesstiktok #businesscoach

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Making Space
Making Space

It’s time to move from hustle and overwork to building a life around your business. Being a business owner doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your well-being. Instead, we’re advocating for slowing down, accepting and leaning into a more realistic and comfortable way to build your own wealth. This show is a collection of thoughts, discussions and opinions on how to build a successful business that integrates well with you and your life, whatever that may look like.

Learn more at www.StephanieHayes.biz!

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How to Make Spending Decisions in Uncertain Times
byStephanie Hayes

Even at the best of times, making decisions around where to spend or invest your money is challenging for most business owners. When things get a little rocky or uncertain, those decisions get exponentially more difficult. In this episode, we are exploring Stephanie’s 3-Part Spending Confidence Strategy, and how to identify who you are as a buyer, and how to approach buying decisions based on your own Spender Profile.

—

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/making-space/message

How to Make Spending Decisions in Uncertain Times
How to Make Spending Decisions in Uncertain Times
July 19, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
How to Ensure You’re Making the Right Changes (For Your Business)
June 13, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
Thinking Work vs. Doing Work
June 6, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
3 Tips For Changing the Money Patterns in Your Business
May 30, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
Maybe It’s All Already There
May 23, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
Why Structure Gives You Freedom
May 15, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
Why “Customer First” May Cause You to Fail (An Alternative Approach to Business Design)
May 13, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
Stop Fighting Yourself
May 11, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
Making Space (Trailer)
May 11, 2022
Stephanie Hayes
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ABOUT

I am a business strategist and coach that works with service-based businesses who want to move from generating income to building assets, while continuing to do the work they love.

Episode 93 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 93 of Real People, Real Business is live!

If you are a believer in the old adage 'when one door closes, another one opens,' this is the conversation for you!

Donna Loughlin (@lmgpr) is the founder of LMG PR, a strategic public relations firm that helps futurists and innovators move their businesses forward by bringing their unique stories to life.

In this episode, you’ll hear how getting laid off from a successful corporate career during a recession opened a door of opportunity for Donna that ultimately put her on the entrepreneurial path that launched her public relations agency.

Donna recounts starting her career in journalism reporting business, economics, and technology news at large media organizations, moving from news reporting to public relations, and the life-changing reality check she experienced after being laid off from her executive job during a recession.

Donna describes figuring out her next move after being laid off, following the signs that guided her toward her “sliding door moment” launching her PR agency, hiring her first team members from the talent-rich pool of stay-at-home moms, and balancing her business with being a mom.

Donna shares how she grew her agency and differentiated it in the market, her process for creating the “narrative story engine” for her clients, and the 3 common threads she sees among the innovators and disruptors she’s worked with.

Finally, Donna reveals how her definition of growth has changed over the years, why it’s important to be selective as a business owner, and the big misconception people have about being a business owner that doesn’t match up with reality.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-93/
I had a great conversation with Sheridan Sharp on I had a great conversation with Sheridan Sharp on her podcast "Am I Write?" where we talked about creative misalignment and how to build a brand that is in alignment with you so you feel inspired.

Listen to the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2031789/12863443
Episode 92 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 92 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Ann Carden is a strategic business consultant, coach, author, and serial entrepreneur who launched and sold 5 successful businesses. Today she uses her marketing, sales, and business strategy expertise to help others reach higher levels of success. 

In this episode, you will hear about Ann’s natural ability to recognize opportunities that took her from stay-at-home mom to serial entrepreneur well before the days of social media and online marketing and how she’s gone on to create her own method for successful business building that she uses to coach others who want to scale their businesses.

Ann tells us how she launched her first very successful business making and selling dolls after looking for a way to make a little extra money for her family, the hard work and long hours it took to build that business to global success, selling that first business, and how she got the idea for her next business after overcoming a personal challenge.

Ann reveals her natural gift for seeing opportunities, using that gift to build multiple businesses, what she says your fastest path to success in business is, and the life-changing experience she had working with a business coach that sparked her passion to become a coach herself. 

Ann describes how she knew it was time to exit a business, how she aligned her business to do what she most enjoys, why you shouldn’t feel guilty about making money in your business, and her A to Z model for working with her coaching clients helping them level up and scale their businesses.

You’ll be inspired by Ann’s ability to identify opportunities, her commitment to pursuing them, her openness about the hard work and mistakes along the way, and her heart for helping others achieve success.

View full episode at 
https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-92/
Episode 91 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 91 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Ethan Song is the CEO of RareCircles (@rarecircles), a business he launched to help creators and brands build community in the Web3 economy. He was previously the founder and CEO of Frank And Oak, the apparel brand whose mission was to make fashion more personal and sustainable for a new generation of creatives and entrepreneurs.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Ethan left the security of a job to pursue entrepreneurship, launching his first company Frank And Oak, and starting a new business, RareCircles, helping creators and brands build communities in the web-3 economy.

Ethan describes launching his first business Frank And Oak, how they innovated by creating a new customer experience, 2 ways they differentiated their brand, how they used AI to generate value-based recommendations for customers, and how he knew it was time to move on from Frank And Oak to new pursuits.

Ethan shares how the idea of community was something he had thought about for a long time, the opportunity he saw for web3 to play a role in that, and ultimately launching RareCircles to help brands use community and engagement to drive business growth.

Ethan tells us why RareCircles centers around Web3, creating value as a B2B2C company, why he doesn’t focus on RareCircle’s competitors, how he uses data and content to serve businesses and their end users, and the key trends we should all be thinking about when it comes to the future of community platforms.

Finally, Ethan reveals why entrepreneurs need to have passion behind what they do, his thoughts for entrepreneurs thinking about what’s next, his advice for working in a space that is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty, why defining success is an individual exercise, and 3 realities about being a business owner that you don’t hear out in the real world.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-91/
Episode 90 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 90 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Lindy Nowak (@upinaday) is the Founder of Up in a Day™ – a new-to-market website service that is devoted to helping small business owners, entrepreneurs, and independent operators get their website up quickly, within budget, and with minimal effort from them.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Lindy’s journey from her corporate career as a creative director in New York, working with big-name brands like L’oreal to starting a traditional marketing agency and transitioning to the productized website design agency she runs today at Up In A Day.

Lindy describes the aha moment that sparked the idea for launching a productized service around website design, the purpose, and importance of having a website for your business, and why it’s better to have a professional create your business website.

Lindy reveals the embarrassing mistake she made with her business website, how she used her network to build her agency team, how she developed her own training and onboarding method for her designers, and how she structured her processes and delivery to balance managing her team with providing clients with a quality service.

Lindy shares how she combats scope creep and filters out clients who aren’t a good fit for her agency, the trend she sees website design moving toward in the future, and what it was like for her to jump from her corporate career to entrepreneurship. 

Finally, Lindy tells us how being her mother’s caretaker ignited her desire to become a business owner, how she’s building her business to support her eventual exit, and what you can do if you feel lonely as an online business owner.

Listen to our fun and insightful conversation today!

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-90/
Take a listen to my recent conversation with Hersh Take a listen to my recent conversation with Hersh Rephun (@Hersh4all) on YES BRAND!

Here's a preview of our conversation: https://youtube.com/shorts/ITOcidqal3c?feature=share

View the full episode here: https://youtu.be/3HtpcRIUwuA

Listen in on your favorite podcast platform:  https://podcasts.pantheon.fm/show/yes-brand-with-hersh-rephun/make-an-asset-out-of-yourself-for-a-fantastic-finale-with-stephanie-hayes/

For enquiries:
hello@stephaniehayes.biz

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