Good Business

Navigating feedback can be daunting. In this episode, we dive into the skills of asking for and receiving feedback with intention and grace. Learn the art of crafting your asks to elicit constructive insights and how to gracefully accept the advice given, filter through biases, and grow from the experience. Whether it's refining your creative process or enhancing your professional journey, we share actionable tips on making feedback work for you. Listen now to learn the strategies that will help you embrace feedback not as criticism, but as a valuable tool for personal and professional growth. Perfect for creators, innovators, and anyone looking to level up their feedback game. And stay tuned for the upcoming episode on giving feedback! Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Dive into the realities of managing business amidst personal upheavals in this episode. Drawing from the Good Business Incubator community's experiences, we face balancing entrepreneurial demands and life's unpredictable events. Discover strategies for handling both planned and unplanned breaks, from creating financial buffers to building supportive networks. Whether you're currently facing a pause or planning for the future, this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice for maintaining your business and well-being through life’s ups and downs.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Ever plan an amazing business move but hit a roadblock? This episode tackles the "pothole" of poor planning for solopreneurs. Learn how to "right-size" your strategy based on your resources and set yourself up for sustainable success. Listen now! Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

In this 60th episode, we're diving into a crucial topic for entrepreneurs: knowing when to quit.This episode goes beyond the "stay positive" rhetoric. Host Illana is a pro-quitter and believes quitting strategically is essential for success.Learn a valuable framework to help you decide when to walk away or double down on your endeavors. We'll explore:The difference between quitting and giving up.Identifying when you've learned what you needed from an experience.Recognizing the pressure to "finish" and how it can be counterproductive.Practical tools and a clear methodology to help you make informed decisions.Remember, quitting isn’t the same thing as failing.Bonus: Check out episode 33 for more insights on why the world needs more quitters, not less.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

In this episode, we discuss the crucial first steps in hiring and why starting in the wrong place can lead to problems. We explore the difference between what you want and what you actually need, and how to avoid wasting time and energy in the hiring process. Tune in to learn how to make smarter hiring decisions for your business.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

In this episode of The Good Business Podcast, Illana Burk discusses the significance of the first 15 minutes of a client meeting or call in setting the tone, establishing boundaries, and building trust. Learn how to effectively utilize those initial minutes to set expectations and create a clear partnership with the client.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Today’s topic is all about mistakes. Why? Because we all make them and good business means managing the bad AND the good. People tell everyone they know when someone handles a mistake with elegance and class. But if you finish a project limping over a mistake, they ALSO tell everyone you know. Today's episode teaches you how to make mistakes well, so they can work for you instead of against you.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

In this episode, Illana talks about what you can change and what you can't, what things are within your power and what are not, and how to deal with that. So that's our topic and we’re starting by talking about what is a SWOT analysis. Then we'll talk a little bit about what you can do about it, what it means, and then we will wrap up with a little bit about how to understand the resources that are available to you. And how they fit into that bigger picture of you know, what your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities and threats actually are. Can you see all these parts of your business clearly? Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

How do you get through the toughest time in your business without quitting or going crazy?In this episode of The Good Business Podcast, host Illana Burk is back. She introduces the topic of the "Gauntlet," describing it as a stage in business where everything seems to go wrong... over and over again. This phase often occurs during periods of growth when the next steps are unclear. How do you know if you're in it? How do you know when it's gonna end and how do you get out of it? Many clients work with Illana to level up or transition to a new phase in their work. They often struggle to determine what is valuable and worth pursuing, and what they should leave behind.And in all of this, consider impact and understand what is possible based on personal experiences and available resources.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Asynchronous income. What IS that?!  In this episode, I talk about why passive income is a total misnomer, the difference between passive and asynchronous income,  and what you can find in the middle between (the myth of) passive income and exchanging dollars for hours. Find out how we define asynchronous income and whether or not it's right for your business. How could you create asynchronous income streams to allow you to flatten out your income so there are fewer peaks and valleys?Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

How to know what you should commodify and what you shouldn't.In this episode, I address the idea that we don't actually have to become commodities in order to be successful business owners. First, I discuss what I mean by commodity, and what's the difference between being a commodity and not being one.Then I talk a bit about what it means to make that conscious choice to take a different path.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

What is ethical marketing? What does it mean? What doesn't it mean? And are you afraid of the wrong thing?Lately, there's been a new flavor to the ethical marketing and selling conversation happening amongst small business owners and marketers around what is ethical, what you're allowed to do and not allowed to do.  Today I am talking about being afraid of saying the wrong thing and whether or not that's a bad thing, how to stay connected to your customers, and how you can aspire to not hurt others while still saying what you want to say.Stop being afraid of the wrong thing.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Does your work make the world a better place? When you think about creating an offer,  do you think about the impact of what you're doing? And how do you think about it?In this episode, I talk about how to consider impact when it's not always straightforward. Let's dive into how to think about sustainability even as a solopreneur or small business and what place the triple bottom line has in your offer design.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

This is our 50th episode! I'm marking the occasion and sharing more about my own professional journey.In this episode, I talk about how I got where I am today, the big why, the triple bottom line, the kind of clients I work with, teaching leadership, and more.Join me. And thanks for listening. I am truly grateful that you're here.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

This episode is part four of the Offer Design series. And today's topic is: What does done look like? What does the end of a client relationship look and feel like? And how do you know when you get there?  And are you even designing one with an ending?  First, we will look at how you think about this right from the jump. How do you think about finishing when you haven't even started? And is that going to be different for every client? Or do you want an open-ended loop? Are you more interested in having an open-ended client relationship?  We're going to look at two different things. The first is, what does your offer look like and what suits you and your work best? An open-ended or close ended client relationship? And then second, assuming you're looking at a close-ended one, how do you know when you're there? How do you know what finished looks like? And how do you know when to walk away in service of both you and your client?  Listen now. Subscribe. And stay tuned for the next episode on offer design coming soon.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

In part 3 of the Offer Design Series, we talk about delivery.How you deliver is as important as what you deliver. Helping your clients or customers doesn't always mean doing it their way. Be the leader and make the choices that best serve. I use as an example how I have clients communicate with me between sessions. I used to let them choose the method, but that created more obstacles to doing good work. I had to change the way I delivered in order to keep my promises to clients.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Today’s episode is the second in our series on offer design. And it’s all about leading through scheduling. Leading well in any offer design starts with designing the schedule of your offer and making sure it is aligned with your own schedule. Not surprisingly, this ties in with keeping your promises from Offer Design Part 1.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Today's episode is all about knowing the promises that you're making and knowing if you can keep them. It's the foundation point of any good offer, whether you are making jewelry or you are designing a new coaching program or you are creating a web design project. It doesn't really matter. Offer design begins with a promise. What is the promise that you're making? And do you know if you can keep it?Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

Today, we're going to talk about how to bring it all home. This is a pretty straightforward closing.The kicker here, and this is really important, is to tell them no. Listen in to find out why and how to close your consults.Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.

This episode is the second in a series on how to do amazing consults and why it matters. The answer is not just "because it's how you get money." We're using consults as a basic template. But the structural process that I'm going to lay out for you can be applied to anything from doing a job interview to interviewing a new assistant to starting any kind of relationship.The meaty part in the middle of a consult has to be where you show the best of yourself. How do you ask the right questions, make it a meaningful interaction, keep track of time, think about emotional capacity, and learn what you need to learn in just one consult or interview? Good Business is hosted by Illana Burk, CEO of Your Life's Workshop llc and strategic coach to entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and industry disruptors the world over. For more details, visit YourLifesWorkshop.com.