Success Defined with KRose

Joanna Wilcox, known on Instagram as @KetoinCanada, never intended to become a social media influencer. She started her profile a couple years ago when she took the plunge with a drastic lifestyle change: taking on the ketogenic diet. At the time, the diet wasn’t as popular as it is today. She credits some of her success to the diet’s increasing popularity. I’ve followed her for more than a year, and I can tell you it’s more than just a popular diet that gained her such a major following. With more than 121K followers, Joanna has showcased her weight loss journey with honesty and transparency. Just a week ago she shared a body positive #cellulite post, “We all make an effort to share our best angles with the world, but perhaps sharing our reality: the lumps, bumps, stretch marks- can make more of an impact,” she wrote, continuing, “I am confident, not because I’m thinner or free from imperfections … I’m confident because I am strong and in the best shape of my life…” I couldn’t agree more, and that attitude is the reason I knew I needed Joanna on Success Defined. A Canada native, Joanna struggled with her weight from about 13 years old. In her early 20s she lost a lot of weight. But after moving to Ontario from Calgary Alberta, she started gaining some of it back, and then some more. She moved for her boyfriend, who is now her husband, and they tended to eat out as a form of entertainment — something many of us can relate to. She also gave birth to her two wonderful children and experienced the grief of losing some people very close to her. “We filled that void with food,” Joanna told me. A fan of the TV show, The Biggest Loser, Joanna knew that weight loss wasn’t just about changing a diet or exercising more. She decided to see an emotional eating counselor to get some advice. Initially, she was so frustrated when the counselor recommended she cut out carbs after first telling Joanna she wouldn’t give her nutritional advice on what to eat. The advice didn’t stick right away after Joanna realized how many carbs were in a cup of yogurt. But she started doing research and decided on December 1, 2016 that she was going to do the Keto diet. The rest is history. She lost the weight she needed to reach her goals, and though she hasn’t lost any weight past that, it is still a daily lifestyle she follows and shares. “My journey is still of health and mental wellness,” Joanna said. “It’s hard because when you have a transformative story, you have to keep reminding people of who you used to be.” Listen in on the full episode to hear more of Joanna’s story and how she defines success today. Links mentioned in the show:KetoinCanada BlogKetoinCanada InstagramKetoinCanada YouTube channelAll Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website Success Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. 

We are so excited to share this week’s episode with you. Liz Anthony, aka The Paleo Girl, chatted with me about her own journey with her autoimmune diagnosis. As I told you in Episode 7 (Weak May Die: How a Life Flight Changed My Path), I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease on my 18th birthday. Liz was also diagnosed with lupus at 18 years old and lost a lot of weight at that time. “I went through a period of being very sick. Looking back I think it was both in body and mind. I had no idea what to make of this new life with chronic illness. And then I was diagnosed with celiac disease. It was at that point that I realized whatever I was doing was not working,” she said.She took her celiac diagnosis very seriously. Celiac is an autoimmune immune disease that primarily affects the small intestine and is triggered by a severe reaction to gluten. Liz wasn’t going to wait any longer to take charge of her life. She adapted her entire diet and lifestyle and started on her journey to tune into her body, listen to it, and support it naturally. “It's been a really big emotional journey for me in terms of learning what it means to slow down and to be OK with that,” Liz said. “Digging into my own perfectionist tendencies and how that may have contributed to me getting sick and how it may have been preventing me from healing.” As her Instagram handle indicates, The Paleo Girl follows the Paleo diet and it has completely changed her health. She was able to gain back weight and feel a lot better than she had before. But of course, as with any autoimmune disease, it is still a daily battle. “I was so sick of being sick, that for me to have any glimmer of hope of a new kind of life, and to see that I could play a role in creating that life for myself, that was the greatest motivation I could have had to make any sort of great lifestyle change,” Liz said. “I try to be really honest about it. If I’m having a bad day where I literally get out of bed once or twice, I’ll tell you.” With that transparency, Liz has created a solid and faithful following who come to her for health advice, tips, and inspiration. Get inspired by the full episode and enjoy a thoroughly motivational hour with The Paleo Girl. Links mentioned in the show:All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramThat Paleo Girl websiteThat Paleo Girl InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website Success Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. 

“I’ve never talked to one person who has told me they regret taking the leap, going full-time with their business,” Maggie Vander Laan said. The South Dakotan Western lifestyle portrait photographer didn’t know how turning her side hustle into a career would turn out. But she has never looked back since taking the big step becoming a full-time photographer. Maggie, who owns Maggie Mae Photography, looked to other entrepreneurs as she built her business, which gave her the confidence that she would be successful. “You give yourself so much more potential to be engaging with future clients and working on your business and not stressing about it,” she said. “It was just the best feeling ever.” After going full-time with her passion for photography, Maggie learned the importance of saying “no” to some opportunities. “You want so badly to do what you love, but you have to remember you still have your ideal client and that’s a huge factor of your business.” Maggie talks to us about how you have to have a life outside of your business. “Give yourself some time away and don’t work 24 hours a day,” she said. Although she’s learned the importance of saying “no”, Maggie still keeps herself busy with a schedule of more than 22 weddings in 2019 while she plans a wedding and cares for her one year old. “I really just need to focus on them and make sure they’re getting my best.” “It’s great to be able to do everything, but start to specialize in something you’re really good at,” she said.Listen in on the full episode to hear how Maggie took her passion and turned it into a successful niche photography business. Links mentioned in the show: Maggie Mae Images Facebook Maggie Mae Images websiteMaggie Mae Images InstagramAll Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website Success Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. 

There are seasons for growth and hustle, and seasons of rest and preparation. While our guest Jenny Dewey Rohrich is raising her 16 month old son Levi, she is in what she considers a quiet season of preparation. “I don’t know what I’m preparing for yet, but it’s just this quiet season of preparation,” she told us. “All of these things that I’ve been intentionally doing will all pull together.” Jenny started a blog detailing her journey moving from California to rural North Dakota that has morphed into a hub for the things she is most passionate about in life: family, food, farming, and her faith. Jenny is originally from a smaller town in California called Durham, near the Chico area. She grew up around lots of almond and rice farming and beef cattle raising. She was in 4H and her parents owned a butcher shop in Chico. She worked for her dad at their butcher shop throughout high school and then went to Chico State College. After taking some general education classes, she decided to major in interior design. If you follow her on Instagram, this will not be a surprise. Her home is fabulously decorated and I wish she could come spruce up my own place! When she graduated college, the housing market had just taken a crash and she had a hard time finding a job, so she ended up working for her dad again at the butcher shop. Around 2010, Jenny started talking meat on Twitter, sharing her expertise. Within a few years she met her husband Mark on the platform. They spoke online and on the phone for a few months before meeting in person. The pair spent about four months together before Jenny decided she would move to where he lived in Ashley, North Dakota, a town with less than 400 people. Prior to her move, she had started her blog, Prairie Californian, which initially was a photography blog. When she planned the move to North Dakota, she started detailing her journey of falling in love with a farmer, and the lessons she learned through the process. For a few years Jenny struggled to get pregnant. When they’d finally decided to take a break from infertility treatments, she found out she was pregnant. She and Mark had their son Levi and she started blogging more about her experience becoming a mother. Although she doesn’t consistently blog now as much as she did in the past, Prairie Californian still gets a lot of traffic. She said the continued growth is a sign that search engine optimization works. Spending the time to create that evergreen content has lead people to click again and again. Listen in on the full episode to learn more about Jenny’s path and her definition of success. Links Mentioned in the Show: All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramPrairie Californian: Family. Food. Farming. On the North Dakota Prairie Jenny’s Twitter, @PrairieCAPrairie Californian InstagramPrairie Californian Facebook Prairie Californian Pinterest Success Defined worksheet — Define YOUR SuccessKRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose websiteSuccess Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business

Today's episode was unique in several ways, especially because it was our first in-person interview for Success Defined. I found myself in Greeley, Colorado where Margie's Java Joint coffee shop owner Margaret Thompson sat down with me to talk about business ownership, the growing pains of starting a new company, and the unique position she has had in taking over a formerly family owned operation. Margaret's parents, Ron and Linde Thompson, started Margie's Java Joint in the same location back in 1992, when Margaret was just a year old. They ran the coffee shop until 2001, when they sold the business and endeavored into another local business called Kress Cinema and Lounge. Margaret and her partner Justin Ghofrani took over management at the Kress in 2014, where she learned the ins and outs of running a business. After running the local art cinema for a few years, they reopened a 1908 “Speakeasy” in the basement of the same building of downtown Greeley. It wasn't until 2018 when she took on Margie's Java Joint. "I spent the first ten years of my life literally crawling around the original Margie's. It was very nostalgic for me, now being in that space, because it was such a big part of my childhood," Margaret said. "That's a big part of the reason I wanted to do it, because I had so many great memories of Margie's from when I was growing up." After her parents moved on from owning Margie's, the business went through a few different hands including a separate coffee shop and a local market. But now, more than two and a half decades since its origin, the business is back in family hands.As with any new business, the initial setup is intense and always more complicated than a business owner anticipates. Margaret has encountered the struggle of customers who were familiar with the previous ownership and don't like the changes. She has toed the line on pricing since the coffee shop's beans are from a nearby ethically roasted, single origin, artisan distributor, Harbinger Coffee. "Harbinger coffee is different. It's more unique than what people are used to," Margaret said. "They call it third-wave coffee. It's very bright and floral sometimes, and citrusy even at times. It's not what people traditionally think of. Our coffee is a different experience." Though the cost of a cup of coffee starts at $3, which seems steep to some, Margaret knows the cost is worth the product. The coffee itself is expensive for her to purchase, and must be sold accordingly. But, in turn, she strives to make all the food items as affordable as possible while using the highest quality ingredients. Listen in on the full episode to hear more of Margaret's mission, the trials she's encountered, and, of course, how she defines success. Links mentioned in the show:All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramMargie’s Java Joint Margie’s Java Joint Instagram Margie’s Java Joint Facebook Kress Cinema & Lounge Kress Cinema & Lounge Instagram Kress Cinema & Lounge Facebook Success Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website 

We are chatting with guitarist Lance Ruby today about the business of being a musician. He created the music for this podcast and is finishing up his masters degree in jazz performance at the University of Northern Colorado. Lance and I go way back. Our fathers were best men in each other's weddings and we've reconnected through his girlfriend Natasha who works for KRose Company. "Every working musician is an entrepreneur," he said. "They're an entrepreneur in a really real sense because you're working in the business of you. You're trying to promote you and what you do in music, and just like any other business you have a product. If you're a guitar teacher or an educator of some kind, you're selling the product of your teaching. If you're a studio musician, you're selling your services as a studio musician." Lance has tried to find strategies from more "straight-ahead entrepreneurs" to influence how he markets and provides services in the music world. Through this process, Lance has become a member of several bands local to his area in Northern Colorado. He teaches at a studio and has his own teaching studio, and he freelances in projects like composing our podcast music. "I think it’s important for businesses to try and develop an identity. I think if businesses like Apple, they’re kind of polarizing, but there is a personality behind that business. If you enjoy that personality, you buy those products," he said. Lance started playing guitar around 13 years old. " You have to put some amount of time in to really master the art of what you're trying to put out there," he said. His goals are to gig, play as much music as humanly possible, better his graft and find himself in situations where he has to learn more. "Anytime you're forced to learn a new type of music and not be comfortable with what you're doing, it forces you to grow. Although working musicians need to be business minded, you don't have to do it in an over-the-top manner. "You don’t have to be the cheesy guy at the mixer that’s handing out business cards. You can approach networking from a real place of humanity."As with most entrepreneurs, it's hard for a musician to make a living doing one thing. Lance talked about finding ways to combine sources of revenue as a musician through teaching, gigging, freelance work, releasing records, and publishing books. "Try to think about creative solutions to get people to need you for more than one thing," he said. Listen in on this week's podcast to hear more about the business of music and how Lance defines success in this realm. Links mentioned in the show:All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramMusketeer Gripweed bandMusketeer Gripweed FacebookCrescent City Connection bandCrescent City Connection FacebookRandy Burghardt BandRandy Burghardt Band FacebookSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website Success Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join t

Who is your ideal customer? This is a question I ask any small business owner who is struggling to reach their audience. I get a lot of different answers to this question. Today we're going to really dive deep and discuss why it's so important that you are identifying your ideal customer. You need to know exactly who you're talking to. This should be one of the first steps in business. But oftentimes people wait too long to really define their ideal customer until they’re already months or even years into business.So what is an ideal customer? Imagine that one person walking into a room who is best suited for your services or products. What would they look like? What are they wearing? Where do they shop? That's your ideal customer. Many business owners believe their ideal customer is the person currently purchasing their products. But your current purchaser might not be your ideal customer. The person you really want to work with might also not be your ideal customer. It's crucial to keep in mind who your products are best suited to serve. People sometimes tell me their ideal customer is anyone who will buy their product, or women 18 to 50 who have extra income. Both of those are incorrect. Don’t worry, just because you identify your ideal customer and you're speaking directly toward one person does not mean that you will not get anyone else to hire you or purchase from you. But your end goal is to have only ideal customers because you know they value what you have. They have the income to support what you're producing and they're going to be easy to work with because your system is designed to serve them.When we hone down your ideal customer, we're going to go through some steps. And so feel free to grab a notebook and take some notes while you listen. Links mentioned in the show:All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website Success Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. This episode is brought to you by the KRose Small Business Accelerator. If you are looking for a supportive community full of hard working entrepreneurs like yourself, look no further than the KRose Small Business Accelerator and say goodbye to constantly feeling behind in your business. We offer more than 30 tutorials on email marketing, Squarespace, Wordpress, Facebook, Instagram, and more. As a member, you are automatically part of the Acceleration Nation, a place to surround yourself with top-notch business owners, and learn actionable marketing tools to apply instantly to accelerate your business. Our replay vault is constantly being filled with past live trainings on the latest marketing and business strategies. We provide monthly stock photos for you that match the season, along with captions you can use on your Instagram and Facebook business pages. Take charge of your business and become a member today! 

Caitlin Henderson, founder of Faith, Farming, and Family, joins us on the podcast today to talk about how she got started, her strategies, and of course: how she defines success. Caitlin didn’t grow up on a farm, but married a sixth generation farmer, Jake, to whom she’s been married for eight years. They have three children together, two little boys ages 6 and almost 4, and a little girl who just turned two. They all live on a farm in South-Central Kansas growing wheat, cotton, soybeans, milo, and they run a cow-calf operation. When wheat and other markets were crashing, Caitlin and her husband knew they needed to diversify to stay alive. Needless to say, they’ve been very busy the past few years. She’s told people if they need to find her, to look on her farmhouse front porch because that’s where she’s likely to be found. She had started her blog, Faith, Farming, and Family as a way of documenting their family's lives. When the wheat market crashed, she found it harder to write because times were tough. But then she realized that everyone is going through hard times, so why not talk about her own struggles to hopefully encourage others. She changed her focus from just telling their story to, “how can I help?” Soon, people started messaging her, many saying they weren’t farm wives, but still related heavily to the content she was sharing. They came to her page “for encouragement because even though our way of life is different, the root lessons still applies to all of us, no matter where we live.”“I feel like I'm actually making this rural way of life in this agriculture way of life relatable to them, which was my goal in the very beginning,” she told us. Facebook is her main platform and she tries to post three to four times a day, but usually schedules out an entire week at a time. She’ll occasionally add posts on specific days, but said it helps her sanity to get the bulk of it mapped out at the beginning of the week. When it comes to setting goals, she likes to have monthly and yearly goals. On top of farm life and maintaining Faith, Farming, and Family’s online presence, Caitlin also co-runs a boutique, Cultivate Joy, and spends about 2.5 days a week at the storefront. She can get overwhelmed if she looks at all the things she needs to get done as a big picture, so she likes to break it down into six tangible tasks a day. “If I have this big list of 20 things that I need to get accomplished today, chances are I'm not going to get anything accomplished because I'm going to be so overwhelmed that I just shut down and walk around my house all day trying to figure out what to do.”Listen in on Ep. 8 to hear how Caitlin juggles everything and defines success. Links mentioned in the show:All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  Faith, Farming, and Family websiteFaith, Farming, and Family Facebook Faith, Farming, and Family InstagramFaith, Farming, and Family PinterestKRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose website Success Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing Facebook

Today I'm going to take you back with me to my senior year in high school. I was running varsity cross country, ready for my varsity basketball season to start in November. I had applied to Kansas State University and got accepted with a large scholarship and was going to go into ag education. Starting in about September of my senior year, I started to feel sick. I was visiting doctors, chiropractors, and internal specialists to try to figure out what was going on. I was working harder, I was eating better, and I was running slower. Usually those things don't go together. It was so frustrating to feel unwell and have no answers. As I was preparing for basketball season, my health status continued to worsen in ways I'd never experienced before. In welding class one day I completely lost control of my left hand and dropped the equipment multiple times. The left side of my body started to feel numb, but I still went to basketball practice. I called my father to come to practice because I was worried about my condition. As we practiced, I collapsed and was rushed to urgent care. At urgent care they decided I needed to see a neurologist. But the Bozeman Hospital didn't have one. They thought I maybe had swelling in my brain so I was scheduled for an MRI the next day. After the MRI they called the same day saying they saw abnormal results and I needed another MRI with contrast. We went back for another MRI and got a phone call before we even made it back home. They wanted me to see a specialist. Later that week my parents and I headed to another appointment and I ended up having a major stroke in the car before we'd even left my hometown of Three Forks, Montana. Again, I landed in the emergency room. A doctor was touring the hospital from Seattle. After talking with my dad, he came to look at me and found splinter hemorrhages in my hands and feet, indicating a heart infection. He called a life flight and that night I was flown to Salt Lake City where they decided against open heart surgery, and instead installed a PICC line into my heart to administer antibiotics. When we got back home I started feeling worse, not better. I got severe heart pain and my dad had to call 911 several times. Finally they discovered the antibiotics had hit my gallbladder and I needed it removed. On my way into the operating room I remember seeing, "Weak, May Die" written on a white board describing my condition. After surgery, which I obviously survived, I still wasn't feeling better. We headed back to Salt Lake City on my 18th birthday and I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, APS for short. I was put on blood thinning medication and finally began to feel better. Listen in on the full episode for more details of my health journey and how it inspired me to start my own businesses in order to live a life by my design. Links mentioned in the show:All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose websiteSuccess Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. This episode is brought to you by the KRose Small Business Accele

Today we are talking with Crystal Blin, also known as Crystal Cattle. I’ve followed her on social media for a while and love what she shares. Crystal and her husband raise purebred Hereford cattle and do some crops in Northeast Iowa. She’s originally from Alberta, Canada, where she grew up in agriculture with her family who raised Simmental cattle. They are still raising Simmental cattle today. She decided to move to the states to attend college and ended up Butler Community College in Kansas, where she was part of their livestock judging team for two years. After the two years, she moved on to Kansas State University to complete her bachelor’s degree in agricultural communication and journalism. She met her husband at the Denver Stock show and that’s how they landed in Iowa together. After graduation, Crystal decided to start her own blog and called it Crystal Cattle. She wrote a post called, “Everybody thinks they should be a journalist” in response to an anti-agriculture student journalist from the Kansas State college newspaper. She found this journalists work to be unfactual, and wanted to counter those arguments. The blog got a ton of traction and she has continued it for a decade. Crystal wanted to connect with others through her passions, which are fashion, lipstick, turquoise, and of course: agriculture. She had worked for the American Angus Association and then a livestock nutrition company, but wanted a new hobby and got involved in Keep Collective, a line of jewelry that allows you to share your story through charms and engravings. Although initially she worried that the direct sales community was “a little bit spammy,” she continued researching and liked what she discovered. After three years with Keep Collective, she now has left her other careers and runs this as a full-time business with 350 women who she leads. “As long as you have a quality product, the rest is all about forming relationships with people,” she told us. We talk about how social media has played a huge role in her business and why she continues on this path. Listen in on this episode to learn why Crystal left corporate America and made such a successful career online. Links mentioned in the show:Crystal Cattle BlogCrystal Cattle on TwitterCrystal Cattle on FacebookCrystal Cattle on InstagramCrystal Cattle on PinterestAll Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose websiteSuccess Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing FacebookKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. This episode is brought to you by the KRose Small Business Accelerator. 

Today we are going to look at what worked in 2018 and what didn’t, and where we’re headed in 2019. I’m not sure I should admit this because I’m a huge goal setter, but I have no idea what my KRose Marketing 2018 Goals were. Overall, 2018 was a win, but there are a lot of things I would do differently. In 2018, we transitioned to more people in the office instead of employees working virtually. I love the idea of virtual employees and we still have some phenomenal virtual employees on the KRose team. But we realized some positions needed to be in-house. We added a full-time business manager, Rachel and we also added a full-time designer, Jim, who are both in-house. They have really helped the business grow. In 2018, we really wanted to grow and be intentional in our growth, which means we had to say, “no” to a lot of projects we didn’t feel right about. We let a couple customers go who just pushed the limits and weren’t respectful of our company. We also had high turnover in employees and team members, and we even see that at the beginning of 2019 still. That’s something I’m working with my business coach on to figure out why that is, if it’s something we’re doing or if we’re not hiring the right people. That’s definitely a goal for 2019. Some things I would do differently like being better and tracking my hours. I feel like I work a lot, but I have no idea how much time I’m actually working. As the owner of the company, I think it’s really important I start clocking my hours. I need to do a better job of checking in with the teammates who don’t live in Montana. Getting on the phone, asking them why are you with the KRose Company right now? How can I serve you better? How can I make you better at your job? How can we serve our customers well? I need to check in on that. In 2019 we are obviously super excited about is this podcast. If you’re here, I’d love after this if you could head on over and give us a review if this has impacted your life. We are working on increasing revenue and have a huge revenue goal. We can’t wait to grow our Small Business Accelerator, and that’s a huge goal for 2019. We want 500 members in our Small Business Accelerator by the end of 2019. I’m really excited to serve all the small businesses and help them explode their business and help them grow. We’re really going to step out in the agriculture world and do some new things in 2019. Listen to the full episode to learn more about what we learned and our goals for this year. Links mentioned: All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramKRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  Success Defined with KRose websiteSuccess Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing Facebook

When I say Cow Vet, You say Cody. On the latest episode, we chat with Cody Creelman, who is a beef cattle veterinarian from Alberta, Canada. As a high school student, riding the school bus home, Cody was told by a classmate that he should go give the vet clinic a try for a semester. “I wasn’t overly academic in any of my primary school,” he told us. “I had never really even been in a vet clinic before.” “I walked into the veterinary clinic and I was hooked from the first second I walked in. I loved everything about it. I loved especially the chaos of a veterinary practice. I loved that I didn’t know what I was going to be doing that day,” Cody said. “You just never knew what the day was going to bring. I thrive on that.” Cody continued down the veterinary path and eventually joined Veterinary AgriHealth Services — where he’s still practicing — as soon as he was out of veterinary school. The partners were all very well respected, but they didn’t have an online presence at all. “I was a young buck looking to make my mark on the practice.” Cody wanted to prove himself before partnering and decided to get the practice on the map through marketing. He started by creating a website and gradually progressed to learning more about digital marketing. He realized a website was very static and if they wanted to market to people, they’d have to get their attention first. Cody got on Twitter, then Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and the now-closed platform Vine to market the practice. Though he wasn’t much of a tech guy starting out — he didn’t even get a cell phone until after his undergraduate — he began to learns the ins and outs of digital marketing. “It’s really just about self awareness in marketing when you’re doing content creation,” he told us. Knowing what you’re good at and what you should invest time into is invaluable. “I recognized over the years that I had a little bit of a knack for talking to people in front of a camera.” That’s when the Cow Vet vlogging launched. Cody wanted to provide value to prospective clientele to get their attention. He wanted to link Cow Vet and Cody together in order to grow the practice. So when I say Cow Vet, you say Cody. He wanted to create a deep level of connection to have people know and trust him without ever having met him. “When you’re putting yourself in front of a camera, people connect with you quicker and more deeply.” Listen in on the latest episode to learn more about Cody’s story and how he defines success. Links mentioned: Cody Creelman, Cow Vet, WebsiteCody Creelman, Cow Vet, FacebookVAHS (Cody Creelman), TwitterCodyCreelmanCowVet, InstagramCody Creelman, CowVet, YouTubeSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  Canon G7X Sony RX100, Mark 5 GoPro Session Mavic Pro 

You don't know you've had your "big break" until it's already happened. That's what our guest Andy Austin tells us in this episode of Success Defined. He got his start in photography rather anonymously. A photo he took of the Montana State University Bobcat Stadium blew up on social media. But since he was a football player for the school, he couldn't promote his own business with his name attached. "There was an opportunity for an epic sunset, so I said, 'oh man, where is my camera?" Andy told us. He didn't really think much of it at the time. But once it was posted, the photo went viral, and nobody knew who took it. "I loved it. It was great. It was a catalyst for my career. But my passion was nature and the outdoors," he said. "I had to figure out a way to flip that around and get people to understand that I do more than just stadium photos." Once he graduated from Montana State in December 2013, life flipped upside down quickly. He was finally able to claim his notorious stadium photo and asked himself, "What am I going to do with my life?" He decided "I'm just going to say yes to every weird opportunity that comes my way." This mindset took him to places like Northern Nicaragua, Southern Africa, Northern Norway, and Patagonia, to name a few. He traveled and shot his surroundings for nine months and finally decided to get a "real job" because of his financial status. "I went from being broke at the start of the year to really broke by the end of that year." Though he had a phenomenal time, he needed to pay the bills and got a desk job doing tourism promotion for Southeastern Montana. Working from the media manager side, Andy learned what people who actually need photos are looking for. A coworker asked him to show a National Geographic photographer, Keith Lasinsky, around the Billings, Montana area, which he happily agreed to. Andy showed him his "secret spot" Big Horn Canyon with no expectations in return. A few months later Keith approached him to be part of a National Geographic shoot in Glacier National Park for 10 days. He quit his other job, packed up and began a new phase of his career. Andy's spontaneity and drive have led him in great directions career-wise. But when it comes down to the basis of his philosophy, creating lasting relationships rules supreme. Listen to the full episode to learn more about Andy's journey and how a gold-sequined tuxedo landed him his biggest client. Links mentioned: Andy Austin Photo, websiteAndy Austin - Photographer, PinterestAndy Austin - Photo, TwitterAndy Austin Photo, Instagram Andy Austin Photographer, FacebookAndy and the VanSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  

Does keeping up with the Facebook algorithm and marketing your Facebook business page make you want to pull your hair out? You are not alone. Facebook is changing and improving their algorithm constantly. Join in on this episode of Success Defined to learn the ins and outs of the algorithm, how to get your business seen, and some troubleshooting advice. The word “algorithm” itself can be a bit scary, but put very simply it is just the priority in which Facebook shows posts to its viewers. To really understand Facebook for business, we have to look at Facebook as an individual. Facebook wants its users to stay on the platform for a long time and actively engage by liking, commenting, sharing, and messaging. As business owners, we need to create content that encourages this level of engagement. Live video is another scary thought for so many of us. I’ll tell you, my first few Facebook Lives were not pretty, but that’s OK! It doesn’t really matter if your hair is just right and you never stumble on your words. Our audiences want to see the real human part of us, which you can’t hide so well when going live. Your Facebook business page should be the guide to cultivating quality engagement. You need to stop worrying about the numbers of likes and follows, and instead focus on that true engagement. The more people engage, the more likely they will become a customer. You need to define who your ideal customer is. This isn’t who you want to serve, but who your products and services are best suited for. In a perfect world, those will cross together. But when you’re first starting out in business, that’s not very likely. Listen in on our second episode of Success Defined with KRose to learn what is and isn’t working with your Facebook page. I offer some simple tips to help you improve your business page. When a potential customer Googles your business name, your Facebook page is the first result to surface. If you don’t have a business page or you’re not running it properly, you are taking a huge risk. I want you to learn these tools to make your Facebook business page a catalyst to growing your audience and speaking directly to your ideal customer. This episode is brought to you by the KRose Small Business Accelerator. If you are looking for a supportive community full of hard working entrepreneurs like yourself, look no further than the KRose Small Business Accelerator and say goodbye to constantly feeling behind in your business. We offer more than 30 tutorials on email marketing, Squarespace, Wordpress, Facebook, Instagram, and more. All Music Created by Lance Ruby. Find Lanceray335 on InstagramSuccess Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  KRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation. KRose Marketing & ConsultingSuccess Defined with KRose websiteSuccess Defined with KRose InstagramKRose Marketing Facebook

How does a silversmith in rural America share and sell her creations with thousands when the closest town is an hour and a half away?Nevada Watt discusses her start in the silversmith trade and developing her western traditional & cultural style. On today’s episode, we talk with her and discover how the search for joy has mapped her successful career. We dive into where her inspiration comes from, how she creates more efficiently, and uses batch work to save time. She strives to be original and creative, avoiding copying other designers work and the comparison game. "If you don't value your work. Nobody, else will. Stand behind the work you do. Stand behind the price you set or give it completely away," Nevada tells us. We discuss why pricing for overhead is crucial as a business owner and why family and friends discounts are a slippery slope. Nevada works with her hands, which brings joy to herself and others, honors her creativity, and immerses her in the lives around her. Although silversmithing is a very specific trade, I know you will be inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit and drive. As a teacher of the trade, Nevada tells us why you don't need to be an expert to share your knowledge. "When you share, you're setting yourself as a voice of expertise," she says, "It's good for you and your own work to share with other people." Although she says she is no expert and is learning every single day, it’s important for her to be honest and share the knowledge she knows because it is valuable. “Don’t think you have to be the best at what you do. I never want to be the best at what I do because then you stop learning.”Join us for the full interview! Thank you again, Nevada! I had such a great time chatting with you. I love your work and your viewpoint on success. This episode is brought to you by the KRose Small Business Accelerator. If you are looking for a supportive community full of hard working entrepreneurs like yourself, look no further than the KRose Small Business Accelerator and say goodbye to constantly feeling behind in your business. We offer more than 30 tutorials on email marketing, Squarespace, Wordpress, Facebook, Instagram, and more. As a member, you are automatically part of the Acceleration Nation, a place to surround yourself with top-notch business owners, and learn actionable marketing tools to apply instantly to accelerate your business. Our replay vault is constantly being filled with past live trainings on the latest marketing and business strategies. We provide monthly stock photos for you that match the season, along with captions you can use on your Instagram and Facebook business pages. Take charge of your business and become a member today! Links mentioned in this episode:Find Nevada Watt Brand on Facebook Find Nevada Watt Brand on InstagramNevada's Website: NevadaWatt.com Young in the Mountains All music in this episode created by Lance Ruby. Find him on Instagram @LanceRay335Success Defined worksheet — Define YOUR Success  KRose Small Business Accelerator. Join the Acceleration Nation.KRose Marketing and Consulting