Stephanie Hayes Business Strategist & Coach
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Don’t Be Satisfied With Stories

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Sales and Marketing

Don’t Be Satisfied With Stories Your story gets to be whatever you make it. But you have to make it… don’t let your story happen to you.⠀ Share Tweet Pin Email Don’t be satisified with stories. What’s your business story? How will your great myth...

The #1 Method For Finding New Clients

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Sales and Marketing

The #1 Method For Finding New Clients You’re already an expert in your field. You’ve already got oodles of training, years of experience, and lots of things to say. If you’ve chosen to do what you’re really, really good at, then all you have to...

How Much Do You Value What You Do? Your Customers Will Tell You

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Sales and Marketing

How Much Do You Value What You Do? Your Customers Will Tell You You are not your client. You will always misunderstand how much someone who is not you will value what you do. Share Tweet Pin Email How much do you value what you do? I bet surprisingly not a lot. This...

Your Customers Want Answers, Not Options

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Sales and Marketing

Your Customers Want Answers, Not Options When you are so worried something won’t work, you create a bazillion more options *just in case* one of them is the right one. Except your potential customer can’t see the right one because there are too many places to look....

There’s Nothing Shameful In Selling Something People Need

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Sales and Marketing

There’s Nothing Shameful In Selling Something People Need You don’t owe anyone your services for free. They have value just in the fact that you’ve made them specific and available to those who need them. Share Tweet Pin Email There’s nothing shameful in selling...

Never Stop Building Your Brand. Strengthen What You Stand For.

by subs@stephaniehayes.biz | Sales and Marketing

Never Stop Building Your Brand. Strengthen What You Stand For. Every opportunity you can, you need to flex your brand muscle. You need to train and feed that puppy so it stays alive and healthy, and continues to grow. Share Tweet Pin Email Never stop building your...
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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.

Megan Dowd – Stepping Onto Your Spicy Soapbox
byStephanie Hayes

Megan Dowd is a brand therapist, business strategist, storyteller, and certified equity-centered coach who helps business owners create a better human connection with themselves and their clients by drawing from who they are and what they stand for.

In this episode, Megan shares how she translated her acting chops into business-building skills, the value in finding your internal language to make your external impact, and her approach to creating more human connection in business.

Megan reveals that her theater skills were directly applicable to business, how she helped people for free before realizing she should charge, and her approach to helping clients with their messaging.  

Megan describes how her business came into being, the 3 types of stories she sees many entrepreneurs using, why it’s important to develop your internal language before creating your external marketing strategies, and how she helps clients create an internal guidebook so they can develop effective external strategies. 

Finally, Megan lets us in on the strategy she uses to attract clients, the types of clients she works with, using the scientific method to experiment with marketing strategies to see what works, and what she says is real vs. what we hear in the online business world.

I think you’ll enjoy Megan’s spicy take on marketing and online business, so listen to our delightful conversation filled with great insights and a few laughs!

Skip to Topic:

3:44 – Translating theatrical skills into business
10:59 – Developing your internal language to build effective external marketing
11:23 – Building an internal language guidebook to get past “language canyons”
16:19 – Using experimentation to test marketing strategies
25:02 – Working as a certified equity-centered coach
32:03 – Fiding clients through Instagram and referrals
34:03 – Working with clients who want something more than blanket marketing advice
36:05 – Uncovering hidden baggage we carry around language that may be holding us back
38:42 – Getting spicy about what Megan thinks is real vs. what we hear in the online business world

Find Megan at:

Website: https://withmegandowd.com/
IG: https://instagram.com/withmegandowd

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

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Megan Dowd – Stepping Onto Your Spicy Soapbox
Megan Dowd – Stepping Onto Your Spicy Soapbox
March 23, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Luis Baez- Moonlighting for Good: Building a Business to Give Back
March 15, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Dr. Amy Beckley – Finding Fertile Ground For Your Ideas
March 8, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Asher Laub – The Business of Being an Independent Artist
March 3, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Vanessa Gabriel – Persevering with an Entrepreneurial Mindset
February 22, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Melissa Widner – The Changing Face of Founder Financing
February 15, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Jeremy Gardner – Serial Success on the Bleeding Edge
February 8, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Josh Fuller – Overcoming Obstacles By Going All In
February 1, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Ken Babcock – Leaving Harvard to Bet On Yourself
January 27, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
Vinnie Potestivo – Big Conversations in Small Media
January 26, 2023
Stephanie Hayes
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stephaniehayes.biz

Episode 84 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 84 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Megan Dowd (@withmegandowd) is a brand therapist, business strategist, storyteller, and certified equity-centered coach who helps business owners create a better human connection with themselves and their clients by drawing from who they are and what they stand for.

In this episode, Megan shares how she translated her acting chops into business-building skills, the value in finding your internal language to make your external impact, and her approach to creating more human connection in business.

Megan reveals that her theater skills were directly applicable to business, how she helped people for free before realizing she should charge, and her approach to helping clients with their messaging.

Megan describes how her business came into being, the 3 types of stories she sees many entrepreneurs using, why it’s important to develop your internal language before creating your external marketing strategies, and how she helps clients create an internal guidebook so they can develop effective external strategies.

Finally, Megan lets us in on the strategy she uses to attract clients, the types of clients she works with, using the scientific method to experiment with marketing strategies to see what works, and what she says is real vs. what we hear in the online business world.

I think you’ll enjoy Megan’s spicy take on marketing and online business, so listen to our delightful conversation filled with great insights and a few laughs!

View full episode at https://www.podpage.com/real-people-real-business/episode-84/
Episode 83 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 83 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Luis Báez is a sales enablement strategist and coach dedicated to empowering online business owners, B2B professionals, and underrepresented entrepreneurs by teaching them how to scale their revenues and impact by creating and selling high-end offers - all in addition to his full-time career.

In this episode, you’ll hear Luis’ unexpected path to becoming an expert in sales, how a simple request for help led him to entrepreneurship, his refreshing and authentic approach to selling, and how he’s building his business on his terms.

Luis takes us through his circuitous career path that landed him in sales where he built a very successful career. He describes how his side business was born out of a request for help from a friend, discovering a gap in the online business space that he shaped his side business to fill, and the mindset reframe entrepreneurs need around selling.

Luis tells us his approach to teaching sales, how to be successful selling high ticket offers, why business owners should use personalized video to connect with prospects, the way he structures his client engagements, and how he manages his business on top of his full-time career.

Finally, Luis shares what his ultimate goal is with being an entrepreneur, the biggest lesson he’s learned from his entrepreneurial journey, what he would do differently if he were to start all over again, and the biggest difference between what we hear in the business world vs. what the reality is.

You will want to capture Luis’ grounded and refreshing advice for how to approach sales in your business in a way that feels good and take advantage of the tips and techniques he drops to help you connect with your prospects and grow your business.

View full episode at https://www.podpage.com/real-people-real-business/episode-83/
Episode 82 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 82 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Proov company founder, Amy Beckley, PhD (@proovtest), invented the first and only FDA-cleared at-home test to confirm ovulation after discovering her own infertility issues were caused by a progesterone deficiency.

In this episode you will hear how Amy’s business was born when she invented the original PdG test in her basement so she could help other women, like herself, who were dealing with infertility issues.

Amy walks us through the steps she took to start her business beginning with her initial research, creating a minimum viable product, raising capital using crowdfunding, and selling on Amazon.

Amy reveals the surprising early adopters of her product, the marketing challenges she had to overcome to reach her intended audience, how she uses customer feedback to iterate and expand on her offerings, and how she stays motivated through the challenges of building her business.

Finally, we hear Amy’s advice for growing a team, how she has evolved her product to include technology, and her take on what’s real in business contrasted with what we hear.

I think you’ll find Amy’s story very inspiring on both the business and personal fronts, so join our conversation.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-82/
Episode 81 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 81 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Asher Laub (@asherlaub) is an in-demand violin soloist whose expertise in trans-genre improvisation has led him to performances at high profile venues like Madison Square Garden, Hammerstein Hall, Lincoln Center, the Jacob Javitz Center and across four continents.

In this episode, you’ll hear about Asher’s journey into music, how he chose the path of independent artist, the parallels between being an independent artist and entrepreneur, and how he is growing his brand.

Asher has been playing the violin since the age of 2 and by age 13 had already performed with the Buffalo philharmonic. He shares how his path began very conventionally attending college and supporting himself with money earned playing music and how a health crisis shifted his focus back to music.

Asher talks about his early music career, working with booking agents to get work, and his decision to become an independent artist. He discusses the challenges of wearing many hats as a musician and business-builder and his story illustrates the many parallels between being an independent artist and an entrepreneur.

Asher gives us insight into the different ways independent artists monetize their businesses, how he has diversified his revenue streams, and how he has been able to build a brand that attracts and truly resonates with his fans.

Finally, Asher tells us how he knew it was time to hire a team, how he approaches marketing and using data to drive his strategy, his trans-genre approach to his music, and how he prioritizes time with his family and works it around his business.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-81/
Episode 80 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 80 of Real People, Real Business is live!

As an entrepreneur, you go through the highs and lows of business ownership. If you’ve ever struggled with finding the motivation to keep pushing through the challenges, my conversation with Vanessa Gabriel will give you the mindset reframe that will help you persevere. 

Vanessa is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Drop Delivery, the technology company that provides the only all-in-one delivery technology solution for delivery companies and retailers in the cannabis industry.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Vanessa’s entrepreneurial journey started while she was still in college, how she recognized the large opportunity in the cannabis industry, and the philosophy that has kept her going through her business successes and failures.

Vanessa’s entrepreneurial streak was planted from the time she was a child growing up with a serial entrepreneur father, and she talks about launching her first business while still in college, the challenges that eventually ended that business, and the tough decision to return to work as an employee as a result.

Vanessa’s keen ability for recognizing gaps in the market spawned her next business developing a technology app for cannabis dispensaries, and she talks about the success of this business, the unexpected acquisition offer she received, and the decision to shift from a consumer-focused service to a delivery-focused service which led to the launch of Drop Delivery.

Finally, Vanessa shares key insights on building cohesive co-founder relationships, using crowdfunding to raise business capital, and the mindset that she has maintained throughout her journey that has helped her persevere through all the rejections and failures.

Get ready to be inspired by Vanessa's business savvy, grit, and entrepreneurial mindset!

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-80/
CEO Melissa Widner is changing the landscape of fi CEO Melissa Widner is changing the landscape of financing for founders through her work at Lighter Capital (@lightercapital), a leader in revenue based financing for tech start ups and scales ups, and the non-profit she co-founded and chairs, Heads Over Heels, which supports women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential. 

If you’ve ever thought about getting outside capital to fund your business but weren’t sure what your options were or what the process entails, my conversation with Melissa Widner, will help answer a lot of those questions. 

In this episode, you’ll learn about the different financing options for founders and how Melissa is contributing to the expansion of opportunities available, especially for female founders. You’ll gain new insights from Melissa’s years of experience, not only as an entrepreneur, but also from her work in angel investing, venture capital, and revenue-based financing. You’ll also hear how she started an Australian non-profit to help women entrepreneurs get more support and access to networks and capital.

Melissa walks us through how she came to work in revenue-based financing and explains what the difference is between that and venture capital. She helps us understand the pros and cons of equity-based financing compared to debt-based financing, situations where one type might be a better fit than the other for a business, and how to know when you should consider seeking outside funding for your business.

Melissa delves into how Lighter Capital supports entrepreneurs, what their financing process is, what a typical financing arrangement might look like, and how revenue-based financing can be a pivotal first step before seeking venture capital. She also shares examples of the many successes her Lighter Capital clients have achieved. 

Finally, Melissa tells us the observation she made that inspired her to form her Australian non-profit Heads Over Heels to help female entrepreneurs, what she says is the reality of the business world compared to what we hear, and how you can apply for financing.

View full episode: https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-79
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Do you find yourself trying to create more all the time rather than selling what you have? #smallbusinesscheck #businessowner #businesscoaching #creativeentrepreneur #womeninbusinesstiktok #businesscoach

♬ original sound - Stephanie Hayes
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://anchor.fm/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 84 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 84 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Megan Dowd (@withmegandowd) is a brand therapist, business strategist, storyteller, and certified equity-centered coach who helps business owners create a better human connection with themselves and their clients by drawing from who they are and what they stand for.

In this episode, Megan shares how she translated her acting chops into business-building skills, the value in finding your internal language to make your external impact, and her approach to creating more human connection in business.

Megan reveals that her theater skills were directly applicable to business, how she helped people for free before realizing she should charge, and her approach to helping clients with their messaging.

Megan describes how her business came into being, the 3 types of stories she sees many entrepreneurs using, why it’s important to develop your internal language before creating your external marketing strategies, and how she helps clients create an internal guidebook so they can develop effective external strategies.

Finally, Megan lets us in on the strategy she uses to attract clients, the types of clients she works with, using the scientific method to experiment with marketing strategies to see what works, and what she says is real vs. what we hear in the online business world.

I think you’ll enjoy Megan’s spicy take on marketing and online business, so listen to our delightful conversation filled with great insights and a few laughs!

View full episode at https://www.podpage.com/real-people-real-business/episode-84/
Episode 83 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 83 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Luis Báez is a sales enablement strategist and coach dedicated to empowering online business owners, B2B professionals, and underrepresented entrepreneurs by teaching them how to scale their revenues and impact by creating and selling high-end offers - all in addition to his full-time career.

In this episode, you’ll hear Luis’ unexpected path to becoming an expert in sales, how a simple request for help led him to entrepreneurship, his refreshing and authentic approach to selling, and how he’s building his business on his terms.

Luis takes us through his circuitous career path that landed him in sales where he built a very successful career. He describes how his side business was born out of a request for help from a friend, discovering a gap in the online business space that he shaped his side business to fill, and the mindset reframe entrepreneurs need around selling.

Luis tells us his approach to teaching sales, how to be successful selling high ticket offers, why business owners should use personalized video to connect with prospects, the way he structures his client engagements, and how he manages his business on top of his full-time career.

Finally, Luis shares what his ultimate goal is with being an entrepreneur, the biggest lesson he’s learned from his entrepreneurial journey, what he would do differently if he were to start all over again, and the biggest difference between what we hear in the business world vs. what the reality is.

You will want to capture Luis’ grounded and refreshing advice for how to approach sales in your business in a way that feels good and take advantage of the tips and techniques he drops to help you connect with your prospects and grow your business.

View full episode at https://www.podpage.com/real-people-real-business/episode-83/
Episode 82 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 82 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Proov company founder, Amy Beckley, PhD (@proovtest), invented the first and only FDA-cleared at-home test to confirm ovulation after discovering her own infertility issues were caused by a progesterone deficiency.

In this episode you will hear how Amy’s business was born when she invented the original PdG test in her basement so she could help other women, like herself, who were dealing with infertility issues.

Amy walks us through the steps she took to start her business beginning with her initial research, creating a minimum viable product, raising capital using crowdfunding, and selling on Amazon.

Amy reveals the surprising early adopters of her product, the marketing challenges she had to overcome to reach her intended audience, how she uses customer feedback to iterate and expand on her offerings, and how she stays motivated through the challenges of building her business.

Finally, we hear Amy’s advice for growing a team, how she has evolved her product to include technology, and her take on what’s real in business contrasted with what we hear.

I think you’ll find Amy’s story very inspiring on both the business and personal fronts, so join our conversation.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-82/
Episode 81 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 81 of Real People, Real Business is live!

Asher Laub (@asherlaub) is an in-demand violin soloist whose expertise in trans-genre improvisation has led him to performances at high profile venues like Madison Square Garden, Hammerstein Hall, Lincoln Center, the Jacob Javitz Center and across four continents.

In this episode, you’ll hear about Asher’s journey into music, how he chose the path of independent artist, the parallels between being an independent artist and entrepreneur, and how he is growing his brand.

Asher has been playing the violin since the age of 2 and by age 13 had already performed with the Buffalo philharmonic. He shares how his path began very conventionally attending college and supporting himself with money earned playing music and how a health crisis shifted his focus back to music.

Asher talks about his early music career, working with booking agents to get work, and his decision to become an independent artist. He discusses the challenges of wearing many hats as a musician and business-builder and his story illustrates the many parallels between being an independent artist and an entrepreneur.

Asher gives us insight into the different ways independent artists monetize their businesses, how he has diversified his revenue streams, and how he has been able to build a brand that attracts and truly resonates with his fans.

Finally, Asher tells us how he knew it was time to hire a team, how he approaches marketing and using data to drive his strategy, his trans-genre approach to his music, and how he prioritizes time with his family and works it around his business.

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-81/
Episode 80 of Real People, Real Business is live! Episode 80 of Real People, Real Business is live!

As an entrepreneur, you go through the highs and lows of business ownership. If you’ve ever struggled with finding the motivation to keep pushing through the challenges, my conversation with Vanessa Gabriel will give you the mindset reframe that will help you persevere. 

Vanessa is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Drop Delivery, the technology company that provides the only all-in-one delivery technology solution for delivery companies and retailers in the cannabis industry.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Vanessa’s entrepreneurial journey started while she was still in college, how she recognized the large opportunity in the cannabis industry, and the philosophy that has kept her going through her business successes and failures.

Vanessa’s entrepreneurial streak was planted from the time she was a child growing up with a serial entrepreneur father, and she talks about launching her first business while still in college, the challenges that eventually ended that business, and the tough decision to return to work as an employee as a result.

Vanessa’s keen ability for recognizing gaps in the market spawned her next business developing a technology app for cannabis dispensaries, and she talks about the success of this business, the unexpected acquisition offer she received, and the decision to shift from a consumer-focused service to a delivery-focused service which led to the launch of Drop Delivery.

Finally, Vanessa shares key insights on building cohesive co-founder relationships, using crowdfunding to raise business capital, and the mindset that she has maintained throughout her journey that has helped her persevere through all the rejections and failures.

Get ready to be inspired by Vanessa's business savvy, grit, and entrepreneurial mindset!

View full episode at https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-80/
CEO Melissa Widner is changing the landscape of fi CEO Melissa Widner is changing the landscape of financing for founders through her work at Lighter Capital (@lightercapital), a leader in revenue based financing for tech start ups and scales ups, and the non-profit she co-founded and chairs, Heads Over Heels, which supports women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential. 

If you’ve ever thought about getting outside capital to fund your business but weren’t sure what your options were or what the process entails, my conversation with Melissa Widner, will help answer a lot of those questions. 

In this episode, you’ll learn about the different financing options for founders and how Melissa is contributing to the expansion of opportunities available, especially for female founders. You’ll gain new insights from Melissa’s years of experience, not only as an entrepreneur, but also from her work in angel investing, venture capital, and revenue-based financing. You’ll also hear how she started an Australian non-profit to help women entrepreneurs get more support and access to networks and capital.

Melissa walks us through how she came to work in revenue-based financing and explains what the difference is between that and venture capital. She helps us understand the pros and cons of equity-based financing compared to debt-based financing, situations where one type might be a better fit than the other for a business, and how to know when you should consider seeking outside funding for your business.

Melissa delves into how Lighter Capital supports entrepreneurs, what their financing process is, what a typical financing arrangement might look like, and how revenue-based financing can be a pivotal first step before seeking venture capital. She also shares examples of the many successes her Lighter Capital clients have achieved. 

Finally, Melissa tells us the observation she made that inspired her to form her Australian non-profit Heads Over Heels to help female entrepreneurs, what she says is the reality of the business world compared to what we hear, and how you can apply for financing.

View full episode: https://podcast.stephaniehayes.biz/episode-79

For enquiries:
hello@stephaniehayes.biz

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