The boring sh!t in business Podcast with Amy Bajada

Making changes to our business model is always challenging, especially when you have worked so hard at a particular area of your business … change is always scary. But what is it they say about being scared…. Do it scared.  So that’s where I’m at right now.  I have made the scary decision to shut down my Instagram and Facebook business pages.  After having worked tirelessly over the last 10 years to grow my following on these pages, it came down, ironically, to numbers.   I’d finally reached the number I wanted for followers, but found that the most impactful number I needed to pay more attention to, was the engagement.  And this my friends isn’t great! So join me for this episode as I talk through the why, the how and what’s next for me when it comes to the Social Media side of my business. A x 📧 EMAIL TO STAY CONNECTED : amy@amybajada.com 🔗 REGISTER FOR OFFICE HOURS : Sign up to register for Office hours and all the latest training announcement and early access to more cool free resources I have developed, join here … https://amybajada.kartra.com/page/signmeup or through the link in my bio If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe and turn on those notifications so you receive alerts when a new episode drops.

Bank reconciliations .. many have heard the term and others haven’t.  But regardless of which camp you reside in right now, as a business owner, it’s one thing you need to be aware of.  With all the automated systems we have available to us, performing a bank reconciliation now is as easy as the press of a button, literally.  But regardless of the simplicity of it, it comes with a warning … just because it’s automated, doesn’t mean the information contained within it isn’t important to know and to know regularly! I know I say this a lot .. but business is all about 2 pieces of paper.  Invoice in and invoice out.  These two little pieces of paper, can make or break our cash situation and the value of these two pieces of paper, are found on the bank reconciliation. So I wanted to take a moment to talk more about the bank reconciliation and the importance it plays as a daily reminder to all business owners, that your bank reconciliation pays tribute to the way you run your business.  Be sure to take a listen. A x 🔗 FREEBIE : https://amybajada.kartra.com/page/dailycashflowhabitsdownload 🔗 REGISTER FOR OFFICE HOURS : Sign up to register for Office hours and all the latest training announcement and early access to more cool free resources I have developed, join here … https://amybajada.kartra.com/page/signmeup or through the link in my bio If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe and turn on those notifications so you receive alerts when a new episode drops.

Is this you?  Do you find your business living day to day or sale to sale just to pay the bills?  Just to make ends-meat whilst you are working your butt off yet you’re fully booked .. and you feeling like you’re playing Tetris when it comes to moving money around to make it work? I recently polled a number of business owners and asked them to explain in their own words what cashflow meant to them. An overwhelming 95% of those that I polled told me it was sales.  When I dug a little deeper to see whether they had an extended version of their understanding of cashflow, 87% of the 95% stuck with sales. I can appreciate that sales plays an extremely important part in cashflow of small business.  But the trap I’m seeing over and over is that many business owners are disregarding the other significant aspects of cashflow. The reality, cash moves even if no sale is made … so why aren’t we focused on ensuring that we manage it just as effectively? Join me as I work through the common mistakes business owners run into when they make sales the only focus when addressing their cashflow needs. A x 🔗 FREEBIE : https://amybajada.kartra.com/page/dailycashflowhabitsdownload 🔗 WAITLIST FOR CASHFLOW ONLINE COURSE : For the latest training announcement and early access to all the cool free resources I have developed, join here … https://amybajada.kartra.com/page/signmeup or through the link in my bio If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe and turn on those notifications so you receive alerts when a new episode drops.

Let me ask you this ... Have you ever been in the position where you are struggling with an aspect of your business, have no idea how to move the needle to make it work and you feel like your back is against the wall?? Then along comes an ad for a webinar that promises to resolve the issue for you by simply signing up to a webinar that will provide you with the secret sauce. And to sweeten the deal, the webinar is free!  I grew up in a time when you held your cards close to your chest when it came to your services and what value you could provide. It was the strategy of the time. You weren't going to give away too much, but certainly not as much as we do now. In all fairness we do live in the information age now and thats the ticket to getting the balance right so much so that you provide enough that keeps your audience wanting what you have over anyone else offering the same thing. A balancing act to say the least. But one that's effective. This is where webinars come in and are a great vehicle to do this exact thing. If of course it's done well enough. The kind of webinar that gives you something really tangible to take away and execute immediately into you business regardless of whether you purchase the offer that's presented at the end or not. Now whilst I'm not an expert on delivering webinars, I've taken a few in my time not only as a business owner, but during my corporate days. In this episode, I break down my thoughts on the following aspects when it comes to the topic of webinars. [3:00] How I'm all for selling of goods or services through webinars, in fact I'm support it and think it's a great way to do so [7:23] The 3 elements a webinar should have to ensure it's an effective selling tool [10:10] Aspects of webinars that I loathe and why we should be challenging their current structures [13:15] Why i'm motivated to discuss webinars at this point in my business Webinars are now going to be something that I provide to you, my audience on a regular basis.  As such, and the best way for me to reach you reliably to advise when topics will be presented, webinars scheduled or even new free content is available, is via my mailing list.  To sign up to be part of my mailing list to have early access to announcements and member only discounts, simply head to my website www.amybajada.com.au And if you haven't already, please don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and/or leave a review ... your continued support means the world to me. A x  

It's always a pleasure having a guest appear on my podcast.  So of course, this week, I was very excited to be joined by the talented and insightful Em Sparrow from Em Sparrow Design. Em tore up her acceptance letter to business school and moved to Australia because like her work she has always looked at life like this —the goal is to design something that feels good. So the Canadian prairie girl left everything behind to find something more —a box with an ocean view that fits her style instead of trying to cram her future into someone else’s vision. What started as a leap year to travel before university led to many more living on the opposite side of the world. Since then, she has now built a business that aligns with the life she wants and helps others do the same. Owner of Em Sparrow Design, Em and her team help female-led businesses build out-of-the-box custom web solutions that help her clients grow and scale to sig-figure businesses. Her passion is more than just building 'pretty' websites. She finds her creativity in functionality.     In this episode, we got to chat about Em’s business journey, all things websites, the importance of the planning phase when it comes to thinking about what sort of website you want for your business and the profound piece of advice she has for anyone going into business. Whether you’re a do-it-yourself-er or looking to have your website professionally done, Em opens up and shares some amazing insight and useful tips in this episode, so it’s one that can’t be missed.  Be sure to take a listen.  Ax  If you'd like to get in contact with Em Sparrow, you will find her hanging out here ... Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/EmSparrowDesign Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/emsparrowdesign/ Website : https://emsparrow.com/  

We live in such a fortunate time when it comes to having access to technology to run our businesses.  And sometimes this can help and at times it can hinder.  So in this episode I wanted to shine a spotlight on 5 of the tech tools that I use on a daily basis to help move my business forward. Certainly nothing ground breaking but it's the simplest of resources in our every day that can have the biggest impact.  And I've found with with each of the tools that I have highlighted throughout this episode.  Now I know that whilst my business isn't techie or anything, not even complicated as such ... but I also know that I run my business just like so many business owners, so sharing this knowledge may provide the insight others might need to address some of the concerns in their businesses.  Or it may even uncover a different way of using the same tech to serve a different purpose in our every day business operations. So this episode is my own private ode to the tech tools that not only do I love, but help me get through each day. This episode discussed tools that relate to; Project Management The organisation of all my business ideas and how to simplify this  Ways to make the assets and content that I create in my business look fabulous Video editing and why you don't need to be a tech creator to be able to perform these simple tasks in your business. And of course ... financial management and how to use platforms to turn an ordinary number into something more meaningful that you can control and make work for you. If any of these areas highlighted have you saying ... "yeah, I'd love to know more about what I can use to assist me in that area of my life" ... then this is the episode for you. Here's a snippet of the content contained within to help you navigate the episode; [03:12] Discussion of my use of Trello as a business tool and how to make it work to ensure that I remain organised, my project ideas are captured and even how I use it to help with my social media. [07:53] How Asana complements Trello in my business and why I choose Asana for parts of my daily management of tasks and not all of them. [12:14] When getting summoning the creative Gods can be difficult when you're not a creative, or even if you are, how Canva can move the needle with ease and professionalism. [14:32] Video is the new black when it comes to delivering content in our business.  So I discuss my use of iMovie and how being non technical in this area didn't matter to how great my content turns out. [16:07] Of course, being financially focused, how using a combination of Xero and Excel makes the world of difference between just being profitable, and being a sustainable profitable business long term. [19:21] With a new cash flow online course coming out January 2022, I wanted to provide some insight and put it into context for you all.  [20:28] For those interested in getting in early on this online course opportunity, as a founding member of the course, there is 50% off.  To register your interest, email me at amy@amybajada.com with the subject line of "Cashflow founding membership please" and I'll send you more information. [21:35] And of course, those action points for you to take with you from this episode. I also referenced freebie downloads, and they can be found on my website www.amybajada.com.au And if you haven't already, please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast ... your support means the world to me.  A x

There is a lot of work we can do when it comes to creating growth and profitability in our businesses … but this work can only be done if we get behind it and drive the change.  Often in this space we are confronted with obstacles that present themselves in the form of emotion, beliefs, mindset, habits that we find difficult to identify, address and shift. In this episode, I wanted to take a moment away from the physical strategies that we can employ to create the financial abundance in our business and discuss some of the emotional ones that are holding us back.  In particular our limiting beliefs and relationship with our money.   Financial blocks are real, and are often engrained in us from childhood which make it difficult to shift our mindset.  So in this episode I touch on some of the ways to help shift these blocks and create the financial abundance we work so hard to achieve.  So take a moment with we as we explore these.

I love a great business story where a business owner is so passionate about their product and service and they give everything they have to getting not only the idea of the ground but creating a business around it.  This is hard work … so it pains me when I see the same business owners struggling to keep the business going. And it has nothing to do with the product or service, but more so in relation to the business model they have built around it. So in this episode, I wanted to talk a little about the differences with having a great product or service business that is surviving, as opposed to one that is thriving!  I’ll be discussing the foundations that make a business successful along with some growth strategies that you can employ to create a sustainable business to ensure you keep being able to do what you love.  So take a listen. A x If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe and turn on those notifications so you receive alerts when a new episode drops. ⚠️ And if you are wanting to make a significant change now, I have a new CASHFLOW challenge starting on the 1st October!  Details on my website www.amybajada.com.au or in my 🔗 Link in bio

Financial literacy or lack there of in business poses a significant issue when it comes to survival.  And there is so much packed into the financial side of business that can offer the help that most business owners need to succeed, yet it continues to be the aspect of business that is ignored or put in the “too hard” basket.  And it’s such a shame!   The reality is that, every decision made in business impacts your financial outcomes. EVERY.SINGLE.DECISION.  So why wouldn’t you want to know more about making it count?   In this episode, I explore what Financial Literacy means to me, means to business owners … share the experiences of those that I have worked with demonstrating in no uncertain terms how taking the time to make it a priority can make a significant impact on the financial aspects of YOUR business!  ⚠️ And if you are wanting to make a significant change now, I have a new CASHFLOW challenge starting on the 1st October!  www.amybajada.com.au So take a listen.  A x

As business owners we have been tested over the last 18 months as our businesses fight to mange the strain that the COVID pandemic has put on them.  So it comes as no surprise that business owners are feeling the financial distress that they are.  So in this episode, I wanted to talk about financial distress, how to recognise it, what things you may be able to do to help during this time, and of course the power of modelling various areas in your business to further help.  Be sure to take a listen. A x

With us turning our attention to wrapping up the last financial year and getting our tax sorted, I thought this episode could be all about tax deductions and ways you can save on paying tax this tax season.  Limited to obvious deductions, I turn my attention to home office deductions and any relevant changes with COVID and a discussion around the differences between employee and business owner in this area.  Self education as it presented itself as a big focus last financial year, along with the stock standard travel, some business related deductions and uniforms for those that this may be relevant for.  There is something for everyone.  So be sure to take a listen.  A x

In this episode we explore the two types of profit found in business .. the Gross Profit and of course out Net Profit.  During the discussion I set out to not only define each type of Profit in our business, but to talk through the relevance of each individually along with how you could use the information they both provide to you and of course the differences that exist between the two of them.  Both very important at representing the profit at different phases of the production and earnings process in any business, a necessary discussion I’d say.  Take a listen. A x

In my experience all too often business owners fail to see the disconnect between their profit and their cash.  You see whilst one drives the other … ie: profit should improve cash, there is a distinct timing difference that many fail to understand through this process.  It is here that I find that many business owners become disheartened and often confused when their bank account doesn’t look like their profit figure.  But there are reasons for that!  So in this episode, I wanted to explore this distinction along with discussing some of the pitfalls of thinking that they should.  Be sure to take a listen to this one.  A x  

On this episode, I’m going to be discussing 10 things no one tells you about when you go into business.  Having worked with many business owners over the years, I’ve identified a pattern of the “Oh I wish I knew this” moments that seem to be relative to all industries and all business types.  Whether they be product based or service based.  So I’m going to give it to you straight … and if you’ve already started your business and found yourself thinking the same sorts of things or even may think they may become a thing, know that it’s not too late to take a moment and get it right.  Just may make all the difference.  Take a listen. A x

In recent correspondence with a new client, my service rate was challenged only when it came time to make payment on the final invoice.  Prior to that, I had received nothing but praise for the work we’d done together, how much better they were feeling about everything and excited to be moving forward.  Now whilst this is nothing new, it’s wrong to be so snarky when it comes to paying what’s due.  So I thought, in light on this conversation that I would address the time being challenged!  So in this episode, I’m outlining exactly what it takes to put together a “simple” coaching call or program, most of which gets done behind the scenes.  So here it is, a very transparent discussion about what I put into (and I’m sure a lot of other service based business owners do too) a “simple” session for my clients. Take a listen. A x

In this episode, I had a pleasure of sitting down to talk all things business with the owners from Personally Picked.  Kezia and Samantha joined me to explore their amazing business, a build-your-own gift box company designed to put their customers in the drivers seat when it comes to choosing the box contents, and to talk about being in business together as friends, choosing roles, what they’ve learned about their journey so far, and how the product procurement part of their business is one of their favourite things to do.  So much to learn from these amazing young successful women.  Take a moment and have a listen. A x 

In this episode I wanted to take a closer look at cost comparisons and how business owner present their information to support their purpose.  I recently came across a social media post that advocated for a contractor over full time employee and did so with a clear visual of costs … only to examine the costs a little closer to find they were wrong!!!  Got me thinking, how many business owners haven’t considered this.  So thought I’d address it.  After all, it could have severe consequences. Take a listen. A x 

Happy new financial year … love me a new year, a fresh start and the abundance of opportunity to create the next year of my business.  In this episode I reflect on how using the financial information you have accumulated in the last financial year, 2021, can provide the foundations for a successful 2022.  So as to look to the new financial year, with certainty, confidence and a plan.  Take a listen. A x 

As we round out the financial year here in Australia, we start to think about the new one ahead of us.  So I invited Sales and Mindset Coach Julia Zielke from Sales Inside Edge to join me to chat all things sales and mindset, because who doesn’t need some new ways to look at how we can Source, inspire and engage our customers …  We explore knowing our ideal customers and how we need to constantly challenge our perceptions with reality.  Along with getting back to basics with some good ‘ol fashioned picking up the phone strategies.  A fun session, filled with heaps of insights to kick start our new year!  Be sure to take listen. A x

As business owners, time is such a precious commodity.  Whilst we can choose to outsource and get the support we need, we still find ourselves needing to make the all important decision of where our time is most valuable for our business to optimise our opportunities and business successes.  This is where our numbers can help and provide the data necessary for us to make informed decisions about how best to allocate our time to make it the most valuable for the outcomes we desire.  In this episode, we explore ways your numbers can provide you with this clarity and how changing the way you see them will improve efficiencies.  Be sure to take a listen. A x