The British economy is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, according to the latest data. The economy is 0.5% smaller than it was before the pandemic, and experts say that the main reasons for this are the lingering effects of the pandemic and the tighter post-Brexit immigration rules.

The ongoing skills shortage is a major challenge for businesses, but it is also an opportunity for those who are proactive. Here are our top tips for businesses facing labor challenges in 2023.

UK industries with skills shortages

To begin, it is important to identify the industries in the UK that are most affected by the skills shortage. A recent study found that the country’s biggest shortfalls are in a variety of sectors, including:

• Transport and logistics: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled drivers, warehouse workers, and customs agents.
• Hospitality: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled chefs, waiters, and hotel staff.
• Manufacturing and construction: These sectors are facing a shortage of skilled engineers, carpenters, and electricians.

Invest in your workforce for long-term success

Recruiting top talent is a time-sensitive process, as there is only a limited pool of qualified candidates available. A recruitment agency can help you find the right people quickly and efficiently.

Recruitment agencies have wider referral networks as a third party, allowing them to identify candidates with the necessary work experience. They also focus on different industries, so you can locate an agency that meets your specific requirements.

Recruitment agencies can help you find new talent with the core skills to help your company reach its goals.

Invest in your workforce to boost your business
Often, the skills you need are already present in your workforce, but they may not be fully utilized. By upskilling your employees, you can give them the skills they need to take on new challenges and responsibilities.

Upskilling your workforce can be a great way to improve your business and the skills of your employees. By following these tips, you can make the upskilling process a success.

Organizations with more resources may even pay for their employees to enroll in external training programs offered by universities or colleges. This personalized investment in your workforce can build loyalty and even provide a valuable public relations opportunity.

Utilise Apprenticeship to train and upskill your workforce
Apprenticeships can be a long-term solution to skills shortages. They can help employers reach a wider talent pool and offer prospective employees a strong, high-quality alternative to the traditional university degree.

A multi-pronged approach to recruitment that includes building relationships with educational institutions can help businesses find top talent at the source.

Boost your marketing reach and visibility
A strong marketing strategy can make your company more attractive to prospective employees. This is because it can help to increase brand awareness and generate interest in your company. You can partner with local educational institutions, promote your job openings on social media and in the local press, and track your results to improve your marketing strategy and attract future employees.

Sources 

GDP – data tables – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)  

Immigration – Winckworth Sherwood LLP (wslaw.co.uk) 

UK employers struggle with worst labour shortage since 1997 | Business | The Guardian 

The post Overcoming Skills Gaps: A Guide for Businesses appeared first on CEO Medium.

Fauteux firmly believes in the responsibility of leaders to contribute to the preservation of our world. In his words, “I believe that everyone in a leadership position has the responsibility to ensure we are protecting nature and acting sustainably. Without it, little of what we do or achieve holds significance or meaning. After all, we have to ensure that we have a place where others following in our footsteps have the opportunity to achieve their own goals.”

Fauteux’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree earned in 1995 from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. He also pursued further education, completing a Management Certificate from the American Management Association of International in 1999 as well as an Indigenous Studies Certificate from the University of Alberta in 2017. 

In this capacity as Senior Director of P3 at EQUANS Services, he’s responsible for managing the strategic delivery operations of multiple P3 contracts in both Canada and the United States. His areas of oversight encompass transit, healthcare, transportation, and cultural infrastructure. 

What does your day-to-day generally look like given your position?

Contract, Vendor, and Client Management are the activities that take up most of my day.  Making sure we are delivering on our commitments and serving our clients in the best, most sustainable way we can.

What initially inspired you to get into the field you’re in?

Leadership has always been the thing that I’ve gravitated to normally and environmentalism and sustainability are things that mean a lot to me personally. So being able to lead and contribute in those important areas has been great.

What do you think makes a great leader?

I generally subscribe to servant leadership so listening is where everything starts.  As a generalist, I believe strongly in putting the right people in the right places and then making sure you can support success, help them grow, and clear barriers for them. I also believe strongly that what gets measured, gets done so I am a big proponent of having accountability systems in place to track success.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that environmentalism and sustainability are only for environmentalists and that simply is not true. Everything we build, operate, occupy, use, etc. can be better more sustainable, and less harmful to the environment around us.  Keeping this in mind, ALL of us are responsible for this, not just the environmentalists.

What do you believe your future career is going to look like five years from now?

I imagine that I will be leading sustainably in whatever industry needs me. 

The post Our Interview With Brad Fauteux, senior director of P3 Management at EQUANS appeared first on CEO Medium.

With the whole world going remote, smart CEO’s need to get creative. With distributed work forces, why not fractionalize your C-Suite? One of the best positions for this model is for your company to hire a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, or (f)CMO.

What is a Fractional CMO?

A Fractional CMO offers an opportunity for small-to-medium size businesses to hire someone with the experience, knowledge and skills of a Chief Marketing Officer without the full time commitment. Fractional CMOs are experienced marketers who can handle everything from marketing strategy to campaign management, creative development and implementation. Fractional CMOs work as contractors and freelancers who don’t go on your normal employee payroll.

The average salary for a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the US is $165,000 USD per year, according to Glassdoor.com; This means that your business can save up to $130,000 by hiring one! (f)CMOs cost anywhere between 15% -60%, so if you want all the benefits of having an in-house CMO without the full-time commitment, choosing a fractional CMO is your best bet.

Not only do Fractional CMO’s have a wealth of experience and knowledge to offer, but they can also help you with areas that you may be struggling with – such as social media marketing, lead generation or branding. Fractional CMOs are flexible, and can work with you on a project-by-project basis or as an ongoing consultant. Fractional CMOs can handle everything from marketing strategy to campaign management, creative development and implementation.

What to watch out for

If you’re thinking of hiring a Fractional CMO for your business, be sure to do your research first. There are many reputable companies out there who offer this service, so finding the right one for you should be easy. However, there are also a few things to watch out for:

– Fractional CMO’s should have a wealth of experience in marketing and business strategy – make sure they do!

– Watch out for hidden fees – some Fractional CMO companies may charge more than the advertised price.

– Make sure that your company will start with strategy first. Many will just do what you ask them to do, and become order-takers with no clear sense of direction. A great fractional CMO will work with you to map out a complete customer value journey before jumping into tools and tactics

– Know your numbers – How will you know if your marketing is working? Have solid key metrics at each stage of the customer journey. Any marketing team can get you traffic and vanity metrics like social engagement. This is great at the top of the funnel, but can you see where it turns into a positive ROI?

The Growth Triad

When it comes to marketing, we speak in terms of the three most important topics crucial to success. DigitalMarketer Certified Partners refer to this as the Growth Triad, and it includes:

1. Customer Journey
2. Metrics
3. Tools and Tactics

The customer journey is the map of how your customers move from being unaware to evangelist. It includes all the touchpoints a customer has with your company and the various channels you use to reach them.

Metrics are what you track to measure success (or failure). They can be vanity or actionable, but they must be tied to business goals if you want to make an impact.

Tools and Tactics are the strategies and activities you use to accomplish your customer journey and metric goals. Fractional CMO’s can help with all three of these, but they may be more suited for some than others – depending on their experience level in each category. Fractional CMOs will have a wealth of resources, agencies, and/or team members who specialize in different aspects of the growth triad.

Fractional CMO’s will work with you to map this out and make sure that your marketing is doing what it needs to do.

What Fractional CMO companies offer: Many Fractional CMO services provide a wide range of services, such as;

– Lead generation strategies – How do potential customers find your business online? Fractional CMOs can help you figure out the best way to attract leads through SEO, SEM, PPC and other online marketing channels.

– Creative development – Fractional CMOs can develop creative content for your website, social media platforms, brochures, ads and more.

– Implementation support – Once a Fractional CMO has created your marketing strategy and all the accompanying creative, they can help you implement it across all channels.

– Tracking and measuring – Fractional CMOs will track the success of your campaigns and report back to you on a regular basis so that you can see how your investment is paying off.

To recap, a Fractional CMO will:

• Get more leads
• Manage digital ads
• Create marketing strategy
• Oversee marketing tech integrations
• Grow email lists and engagement
• Build marketing reports
• Work with freelancers
• And more…

If you’re looking for a way to take your business to the next level, hiring a Fractional CMO is a great option. They can help you with everything from branding and lead generation to social media marketing and website design. Fractional CMOs are experienced professionals who can help you achieve your marketing goals without breaking the bank.

If you are looking for a Fractional CMO that is a growth focused strategic expert, the best place to start is by booking a Fractional CMO Discovery Session with me. My team is a Certified Partner with DigitalMarketer.com, which allows us to implement proven frameworks, impactful templates, Fortune 500 level training, and incredibly engaging workshops to take a company where it wants to go.

To book a complementary Fractional CMO Discovery Session with an experienced Certified Digital Marketing Professional turned (f)CMO, please visit https://bookme.name/jvimobile/fractional-cmo-discovery-session.

***

About Jay Vics:

Usually wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans, Jay Vics is a serial entrepreneur. He started his agency as a side hustle in 2012 and, in the years since, has turned it into a full-time agency focused on consulting, coaching and fulfillment. In 2016, Jay became a Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP).

When he’s not working hard to make JVI Mobile Marketing one of the best agencies in North Carolina, you can find him spending time with his wife and daughter or playing with his two fur babies!

JVI Mobile Marketing is a digital marketing agency that offers Fractional Chief Marketing Officer services. The team is made up of top-notch marketers with years of experience in marketing, advertising and brand management.

The post Why Smart CEO’s Are Hiring Fractional CMO’s appeared first on CEO Medium.

Too often, people can’t see their beauty and need to be gently nudged into recognizing their special interests and gifts. With the ability to transfer this energy via her camera, she gives her clients the chance to enjoy a moment they’ll never forget with everlasting results.

In speaking with clients, she learns more about them to understand who they are, what their unique goals and interests in the world are, and then combines that with an afternoon of pure pampering and glamour. When people feel their best, they radiate with happiness. She loves capturing that raw essence.

Because it’s an experience where the client needs to feel completely comfortable, she goes above and beyond to serve her clients with respect, while taking time to understand who they are and what their goals are for the photoshoot. She loves giving her clients the gift of loving who they are and loving the outcome.

Bohemian Visions offers the chance for clients to discover a side of themselves they hadn’t been able to express before. Embracing who you are and becoming reacquainted with that side of yourself is a chance to reconnect in an authentic manner that brings about a new level of self-confidence and love.

In a world where we’re too busy to slow down, pamper yourself, get glammed up, and remember what it’s like to be the special person you are. Each boudoir session offers guidance, consultation, and personalized experience so the client has an amazing day, along with getting the pictures they’d hoped for.

What they expect are great pictures—what they get is so much more. Boudoir photography is a specialized niche of photography that truly brings out the sensual side of who you are and showcases your uniqueness in a perfect blend of a well-planned photographic experience.

This talented photographer from Virginia also writes under the name of CM Jaxon, tackling subjects such as social injustices, relationships, and much more.

Company Name: Bohemian Visions

Website: www.bohemianvisions.com

Instagram: @bohemian_visions_photography

The post Bohemian Visions’ Boudoir Photography Never Left You Feeling So Good appeared first on CEO Medium.

Daniel’s brand EiFit is about giving back to a community that needs healing, needs joy, and needs comfort in knowing that by the willingness to work hard and not give up, you can make great strides. Not only did he rise above the challenges of his childhood, but he also pushed himself by working multiple jobs, going to college to become an engineer, and ran the USATF track through his schooling.

His first thoughts were about escaping the raw community he grew up in, but something struck him one day, and he realized his purpose was to help other children in the area that needed strength to keep going in a broken community. He became more determined than ever to make a difference.

With his brand EiFit, he’s focused on helping others feel good, strive harder, and learning to understand why you do the things you do, along with why they matter. This athletic brand is more than about working out, it’s more than simple clothing, it’s about a lifestyle of belief, and knowing that you can make an impact by being the best you can and challenging yourself to grow and learn.

With an adverse background, Daniel knows that it was his ability to face difficulties head-on that made him into the person he is today. He wants to bring that strength of clarity to others. EiFit is a brand that says you matter, that you’re heard and that you’re not alone.

He knows what it’s like to be down, to lose everything, to not know how to take the next step, but choosing to step forward anyway. He wants to bring that joy to others, the joy of knowing that you gave your all and you feel better about yourself for doing it. And in doing so, he hopes to lift a community that needs healing, soothing, compassion, and visibility. There are children living through traumatic things that no child should have to be exposed to, and if he can make an impact in their lives, his purpose has meaning.

You can find Daniel Eiland on Instagram, here.

The post Overcoming Challenges Taught Daniel Eiland to Never Give Up appeared first on CEO Medium.

Hi Alana, can you tell us more about yourself and what you do?

I consider myself an impact-driven entrepreneur. My mission is directly tied to the impact I create through my business. I help as many women as I can to connect with their purpose. Together, we do this while building authentic online businesses that allow them to help others. In turn, this gives them the freedom to create their ideal life! 

I believe when we’re happy in our life and work, we naturally do better for others and the world. The women I work with are also impact-driven. It’s not so much only about the impact I make through my work, but helping others make bigger impacts in their communities. I love the ripple effect. 

How did your brand evolve? 

My brand has evolved a lot. I was 15, and the idea started with a high school project. It turned into a passion project, hobby, and eventually my full-time business. 

I’ve always been drawn to entrepreneurship. I grew up with my dad being an entrepreneur, working for a startup company, and then getting a BA in business management. But, there was also a side of me that was spiritual, purpose-focused, and holistic. I never thought these 2 sides would integrate, so I always kept them separate. I used to be a brand manager and a holistic health coach. I realized I was helping all my clients build their own brands based on their unique callings. That’s when it clicked. I felt that little voice in my heart telling me “this is it. This is what I want to do.”

From that realization, I Invested in business coaching and training, then started building skillsets to help others. Now my business has generated 10k+ months while helping women build businesses. I get to help clients do what they love, along with helping them reach big 10k+months, too. 

Tell us about how your program works. 

I work with clients both in my group programs and 1:1, depending on where they are in their journey. Either way, we set up action plans and strategies based on their vision for their life and business. I help support them as they build, launch, and close clients into their offers and services. 

The best way to know how we would start is to jump on a breakthrough session with me. During the call, we look at what’s the next big move for them, then take it from there. 

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. 

My biggest challenge when starting has been not knowing what steps to take (which is why I help others with this now). Investing in the wrong things (oops), and implementing systems to help my business function more easily were a lot to figure out (talk about burnout). Thankfully I’ve gone through lots of trial and error. This allows me to help my clients not make the same mistakes I did! 

How do you manage your money, so that it supports your business growth? 

For the past year, I’d say that I’ve re-invested about 90% of the profits back into my business. That alone has been over 30k in just coaching and training. I strongly believe in investing in ourselves, specifically if we are already all skin in the game. I love to learn and build on the skills I already have, both for myself and my clients. 

Tell us about your future vision. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level?

I am really open to going with the flow and allowing my brand to grow in different directions. As long as I am staying true to myself and the feeling of joy in the process of growing, I trust I’m on the right course. With that being said, I am excited to start hosting more live events, retreats, and transformational experiences in person, since all my work up to now has been 100% online. Another dream is to open a charity that supports women in underprivileged places. I’d love to have the resources to also be an entrepreneur in their life and community.  

What message would you like to give to those who have a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it?

Start now. There is no such thing as the perfect time. Also, know that it’s always going to feel scary. Taking the leap takes courage, but you’ll regret it if you don’t. This is the truth, most people I know who are entrepreneurs will tell me their only regret is they wish they started X months/ years ago when they first felt the impulse to do it. 

Get out of your own way and look for the support you need to get to where you want to be. I say this with the best intentions because I wish someone would’ve given me the same push when I was hesitating. 

Where to find Alana online

Instagram: @radiatebliss 

Website:    www.radiatebliss.com 

The post Alana Lima is Bridging the Gap for Soulful, Female Entrepreneurs appeared first on CEO Medium.

We’d love to learn more about you. Can you give us a little background?

My name is Tasheen, and I’m 30 years old. I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. I’m an Entrepreneur and also just re-launched my clothing line (The Grace and Gratitude Clothing and Merchandise Collective), which is available on StoreFrontier.

I work as a freelancer teaching English as a Foreign Language and give private lessons in voice. I also host a podcast “Spiritual Sunday with Tasheen” (on Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify, and YouTube), and am a Certified Life Coach.

When I’m not busy with work, I’m baking a cake, making fried chicken, listening to smooth jazz, reading a good book, talking to God, or whatever else pleases my Spirit.

What went into building your brand? What is the purpose or goal of the Parrish Borden Consultant Agency?

I created this brand out of the belief that if you build it, they will come. I started these different projects going as far back as 2011. I’m doing things the way I want to do them and not how society expects me to do them.

As a Black man, born in the wealthiest country in the world, living in a society that told me even if I did everything they wanted me to, that it would never be enough, led me to the ultimate conclusion that it was time to create my society. That’s what I intend to do. That’s what I’m doing. That’s what I will do.

How does your brand work? What’s involved in the process?

My brand works on inspiration and dedication. I show up every day because I get to do what I’m doing. No one else can do what I’m doing, the way I’m doing it. In certain aspects, like podcast recording or social media posting, I set aside time to plan what content I’ll share and how. I like to leave room to respond to current events and other issues in community discourse.

With teaching, I do have lesson plans, but because I work on one the lesson plans are modified to suit the needs of the student. At the end of the day, the dedication I have to myself keeps me inspired. The inspiration for knowing that I’ll be doing this again tomorrow keeps me dedicated.

What message do you have for readers? Do you have a tip for them?

Don’t limit yourself! We are multidimensional beings. Life should be as fulfilling as possible. You have great ideas. Allow yourself the opportunity to explore those ideas. You’re worth the time and inquiry. You matter!

What challenges did you face while building your business?

Analysis Paralysis, Information Overload, and not trusting my intuition are the biggest challenges that I have had while working on brand creation. I would get so caught up on how others were doing things and the bombardment of doing it exactly as they do it. It didn’t fit me or my truth because I don’t like being told what to do!

How do you manage your business finances? Did you get funding?

I have taken a portion of my finances from my freelance work but then put it back into the business. Now that I am in the process of formalizing the structure of PBCA, I do hope that I will have access to greater capital, very soon.

Where do you see the future of your brand going? What’s your next level dream?

I want to expand my vision in such a way that includes helping, mentoring, bringing along people of color, LGBTQIA+, and other allies and co-conspirators. I want to help them transition into working for themselves, so they can experience the joys of entrepreneurship. In a detail that includes training on teaching, mindset, and personal development.

What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it?

To those who desire to create something of their own and make a living through it: You have everything, you need within you to start. You have a brilliant mind and are quite capable. Plan. You have a computer and a cell phone. There are plenty of sites where you can get started for FREE! Most of all, choose yourself. You are a worthy investment.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Please support other Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners. BUY their products/merchandise/services. LIKE and follow them or their business on Social Media. RECOMMEND their business to your community. There are many ways we can offer simple support, especially in times like these.

Company name: Tasheen Parrish Thomas

Website: www.facebook.com/tasheenparrishthomas

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tasheenparrishthomas

The post Parrish Borden Consulting Agency Combines Teaching, Entrepreneurship, and Independence appeared first on CEO Medium.

How did you decide to start your business? Tell us more about yourself.

I was born and raised in a small city in Canada. I attended business school there, and my 1st year of University. I kept thinking about how I could turn my passion into a stream of income. At the time, this was fitness. I decided to start an online fitness business, which I grew and maintained while in school and traveling between terms.

By my third year of University, I was weighed down and anxious about being in school. The material being taught was seemingly irrelevant to becoming an entrepreneur. It simply wasn’t applicable to creating a life of freedom and fulfillment on my own terms.

I didn’t want to let my family down by quitting school and had a lot of guilt. Instead, I came up with a biz plan. I persuaded my Dad to let me drop out, so I could pursue my first house flip project. The idea was to become a real estate developer like him.

This plan worked and allowed me to learn more hands-on, so I did another infill build project. While these real estate projects were in progress, I turned 4 other ideas into startup businesses. These included an esthetics business, 2 consignment businesses, and doing social media management. 

It didn’t take long to realize that modeling my life work after what my Dad did was not for me. I was here for something else. All these projects were my way of searching for more meaning and purpose in my life…

Starting these separate businesses for surface reasons (money and meeting perceived external expectations) left me empty. Many of the business structures wouldn’t allow for full time and location freedom, which was part of the underlying drive for doing it in the first place…

I knew I wanted more.

I tried and quite a few times until I completely gave up on myself. I felt like the only way to succeed in not only making an impact but also having time and location freedom, was by having a man “save” me…

I felt like a damsel in distress.

Eventually, I saw everything I needed was already within me. I already was good enough.

This newfound sense of purpose and deep-rooted self-worth was the accumulation of personal development, joining masterminds, and working with coaches.

And that’s when my 7th business started, at the age of 22. By that point, I felt like a woman completely in control of her reality. I chose to help other women. I want women across the world to be able to create and scale their own purpose-driven, impactful, online course businesses.

I help women gain clarity and see the gifts they have to offer, the ways they can help people, AND how to make money doing it. They can do this whether they’re in their pajamas at home, or traveling around the world.

Essentially, I help them turn their past into their purpose and their passion, skills, and experience into successful online course biz.

All people need to make this happen is to invest in a strategic combination of coaching, masterminds, and online courses.

Talk about fulfilling “work”!!!

How did you go about creating your brand? What pushed this seventh business into play?

The sole idea was based on the fact that a person’s transformation starts on the inside. It starts with a person’s beliefs. Women need to know that their dreams were meant to be lived!

Most people don’t have a firm understanding of how to turn their past into their purpose. Helping them do this is essential, all while being extremely rewarding.

Fulfillment comes from a life of making a difference and serving other people. That’s why I call women who lead an aligned and an intentionally successful life a Queen. I combine this with helping women become aware of their feminine energy. I show them how to balance wisdom and intuition while being collaborative, playful, and creative in their masculine energy.

This is vital if they want to create tangible, grounded results. A woman who has developed this awareness and lives up to it is a mature Queen, whereas someone who demands, forces, and believes that circumstances happen TO her instead of FOR her would be considered an immature princess.

How does your brand work? What is the process?

We work 1:1, through a mastermind or course that provides you with a transformational, life-changing experience. This in turn leads you into becoming a successful entrepreneur so you can scale your online business.

The 3 steps required to become an online course Queen are:

1) First and foremost, you must BEcome the Queen version of yourself. This includes building success habits, gaining clarity on your purpose, and transforming paradigms and limiting beliefs into an aligned, authentic, and confident power source. (BE)

2) Learn and DO all the prioritized actions required to start or scale an impactful business. This is where business and online marketing strategies come into play. (DO)

3) Then you can HAVE your dream become reality. At this point, you’ve already created an automated, transformative process that is your online course. Now you get to help people and experience time and location freedom while earning passive income. (HAVE)

Can you share something with our readers, an idea that might resonate with them?

Creating a 6-figure business is absolutely possible if you focus on the right things…

Most entrepreneurs have information overload. They don’t actually know what to focus on to get results. For example, many women spend months on websites, business card creation, paid ads, etc., none of which you need to get started to have thousands of dollars coming in and ACTUALLY be in business.

Intentionally combining your experience, passion, and purpose and turning it into impactful online course biz is the best means for you to create a fulfilling life that you LOVE. That fulfilling life can include time, financial, AND location freedom.

What was your biggest challenge as you grew your business? How do you handle current challenges?

The biggest challenges regarding brand creation would be from years ago when I had lower self-awareness, confidence, and minimal understanding of my gifts. I didn’t know how to turn them into money, freedom, and fulfillment. Hence, the 6 startups were based SOLELY on creating money without purpose and passion.

I have minimal challenges in my daily life now that I have a loving support system, a coach, and a high-level peer group. I made this possible by setting my standards higher and investing in myself.

I do occasionally indulge in too many sci-fi, magical, or hero shows and loose sleep, ha…  That in turn can make it challenging for me to show up present, collected, and as my best self for the people I love. 

How do you manage your business finances? Did you fund your business with loans?

There was no funding involved in this business. I paid off my business loan from the sixth startup, and with the cash brought in organically in my first month with my 7th business. I’m only 23 and I’ve already done over 6 figures in sales. The expenses are very marginal, and the profits are very high. 

Where do you see the future of your brand going? What’s the next level?

The short-term plan is to grow my team and increase the opportunities available for women at all points of their journey of going from newbie entrepreneurs to Queen CEO.

Higher-level masterminds are definitely coming ASAP, as well as retreats and live events as the COVID-19 situation recedes.

This brings to mind a commonly said quote: 

“Most people overestimate what they can accomplish in 1 year and underestimate what they can in 10.”

If that’s the case, then imagine that instead of just a decade, what is possible for you to create and accomplish in a LIFETIME….?!  A lifetime working toward one bigger mission allows for SO much growth, expansion, and opportunity. And, this is just the beginning. 

I’ll definitely be helping a billion people’s lives. Think Oprah meets Tony Robbins, but like, me in 50 years.

Dreams are meant to be lived. Anything is possible. 

Do you have a message for other creators trying to make a living through their creative efforts?

“You may not have it completely perfect your first time, or your sixth time, but you’ll never figure it out if you give up. Giving up is what the real failure would be. Having someone experienced in your corner will make the process and your growth infinitely faster. Your dreams are meant to be lived. They are not yours just for imagining, they are yours for the taking.”

Company name: Sophia Rising

Facebook URL :     www.facebook.com/groups/onlinecoursequeen

Instagram URL :     www.instagram.com/thesophiarising

The post Sophia Rising is Helping Women Make Better Choices appeared first on CEO Medium.

After being laid off from her 6-figure corporate job, she made the decision to never go back to an office. She went from $0 – $100K in a little over 6 months with her online coaching business, working 2-3 hours per day, and traveling the world.

She teaches other women her proven and powerful process to create their own coaching or consulting business, and live a life full of passion, inspiration, and freedom.

Can you tell us more about yourself? What do you do?

I’m an online business coach. I help women create massively successful online coaching and consulting businesses. I teach them the foundational aspects of building a great business by showing them how to pick a profitable niche, create high-ticket offers, understand what to charge, and finally, how to close the sale with their dream clients (without it feeling “icky” or “spammy”).

The MOST important thing I teach is the internal stuff: how to shift from an employee to an entrepreneur mindset, how to massively improve your self-worth, how to feel confident showing up authentically online, and how to release and rewrite old, outdated money stories.

What inspired your brand? How did you go about creating it? 

I was absolutely miserable in my corporate job. From the outside, I looked like a success. I’d done what I was supposed to do by going to college and law school, then I became an attorney and CPA, and I worked all the important finance jobs (investment banker, financial analyst, etc.).

But I was MISERABLE. I felt trapped. I cried all the time. In fact, I had a breakdown in my boss’s office one day and was laid off 3 days later. I knew I couldn’t live in this world anymore. It was time to go.

My story became a huge part of my brand. I started getting clients left and right who wanted OUT of Corporate America. They felt as unfulfilled and miserable as I had. Once I learned the process and started having success in my business, I began teaching other people my system.

How does your brand work?

My brand is all about stepping into your highest-level self and building a business that supports the life you want.

Do you want to only work 3 hours a day and make $25K/month? Great, I’ll show you how to do that. For a lot of people, it’s hard to believe, especially after coming out of a traditional job. But it’s absolutely, 100% possible. You just have to learn the right systems and mindset to achieve it, and it’s a lot easier than you think.

We all have limiting beliefs from our parents, society, friends, and family. My goal is to help you rewrite those beliefs, so you can go achieve your dreams and follow your passion, and not what someone else tells you to do.

Do you have an idea or thought that can help our readers? 

My signature program, The 6-Figure SoulFire Biz Academy, is a 1-on-1 coaching program for aspiring female entrepreneurs. It’s an 8-week program that teaches you my entire 6-figure business building process – everything from picking your niche to marketing/copywriting and finally, how to close the sale.

But it also teaches you the MINDSET and ENERGY work needed to step into your authentic, highest-level self, and feel confident and inspired by what you do. (Hint: This is also what brings in the MONEY.)

The link to apply is on my website (www.samgeaney.com/6figurebizacademy).

What challenges did you face while building your brand?

When you’re an employee, your challenges are mainly external. You have to make your boss and colleagues happy and do what they ask of you.

When you’re an entrepreneur, the only person responsible for your success is you. That’s why the inner work is so important. I work on limiting beliefs and do energy work every day, no matter what. It’s that important.

When you want to step into a new level in your business, you have to drop the old you. That’s what I’ve learned to do, and what I now teach others. That’s where the magic and joy and financial success and freedom come from – doing the inner work and breaking through our own barriers.

I can’t even explain how good it feels when it happens to me and my clients. It’s like a whole new world opens up.

How do you manage your business finances? How did you fund your business? 

I didn’t receive any outside funding to build my business (no investors or anything like that), but I invested HEAVILY in coaching and mentorship and learning from the best of the best. 

What is your vision of taking your business to the next level?

I want to be at the million-dollar level in the next 3-4 years. 2020 is on a path to be multiple 6-figure years (even with the pandemic), and I want to grow and multiply year after year.

The truth is that too many people are walking around tired, burned out, and sick because they hate their jobs. My job is to show you that this DOESN’T HAVE TO BE YOUR REALITY. I guide and show you how to get out and live the life you really want.

Do you have a message for other people looking to start a creative business? 

GO FOR IT, and don’t doubt for a second your ability to achieve it. Also, remember that it doesn’t have to be hard. You can achieve tons of financial success AND be happy, fulfilled, and full of passion for what you do.

Website URL:        www.samgeaney.com

Instagram URL:    www.instagram.com/sixfigurebizcoach

The post Samantha Geaney Leads and Inspires Female Entrepreneurs appeared first on CEO Medium.

The phrase SEO gets thrown around readily, but those who are just starting out think it’s as easy as finding a couple of key phrases or words and running with it. But search engine optimization is a complex puzzle with many pieces. It’s layered with the right content, the right funnels, building strong reputable backlinks, and building authority and trust. Each part of the process, whether somebody is in the awareness phase all the way down to conversion comes with clever, smart strategies and tactics that all build on one another.

There are a lot of weekend warriors who build a site and assume people will simply show up, not realizing how involved and competitive the web can be. If you’re a business that’s invested in long-term results, SEO and digital marketing are a necessary part of your plan.

David Hahn owns an agency in Germany, SEO Galaxy, and knows backlinks and marketing. In fact, his company has grown leaps and bounds, and has even spurned another personal brand for him. He now also includes things like online learning and marketing consultation under his personal brand. His company handles many big brands in the German market, as well as across the globe in places like Switzerland, Austria, Great Britain, and the United States. With a portfolio of well over 5,000 companies, he’s hoping to double that and increase the bottom line of the businesses he works with.

Experience Leads the Way

David’s strong work ethic had him learning the ropes and doing well for himself. In fact, he fell into the company he created when people kept coming to him for different marketing situations. By 18, he’d built a 100k company, and expanded into larger markets.

He’s automated most of the process at this point, and with employees, and strong systems in place, he’s gained financial freedom, as spurred on by a book he found inspiring, The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris.

In the world of digital marketing, competition is fierce, and it’s those who follow a strong, ethical path and understand the complexities of the world that thrive. He’s worked with so many industries at this point, that he can now recognize what steps a company should take to expand their growth based on the industry.

This SEO mastermind is available with both his agency and through his website for consulting. With the constant changes Google makes, webmasters are left scrambling to pick up the pieces and help redrive traffic that was lost after the latest algorithm change. David Hahn has a method and strong history for getting businesses found. He cautions that all the traffic in the world won’t create sales if the right funnels aren’t in place.

When it comes to SEO, your company can’t overlook the importance of a strong backlink strategy from relevant sites with authority. Thankfully, David Hahn has your back. He’s ready, willing, and able to help you get your company seen. You can find David at SEO Galaxy, and at his personal site, Hahn-David.com.

The post Building Backlinks Smarter, and Finding Visibility appeared first on CEO Medium.