The Smart Gets Paid Podcast

Have you ever taken on work that sounded good at first? Perhaps it didn’t seem too hard, or seemed like a way to “get in the door” with a client. They hardly ever turn out like you hope. Miriam Brosseau calls those “Tribble Projects,” and she used to have many of them. But not anymore. In this episode, she’ll share how she went from “Tribble Projects” to strategic, fulfilling work.

In this Fireside Chat episode, Leah chats with Rachel Simmons, bestselling author of Odd Girl Out, The Curse of the Good Girl, and more. Listen in for an insightful conversation that answers the questions: how do our girlhood experiences show up in — and shape — our businesses today? And what do we need to un-learn if we’re going to be successful and happy business owners?

When you’re past the “startup phase” of your consulting business, and you read stories of new business owners having huge successes, it can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong if you’re not having the same results. But you’re absolutely not doing anything wrong, you’re just in a different phase: The Messy Middle. If you’re in The Messy Middle, this podcast episode is for you.

How do you reconcile your past corporate experiences with what you’re doing now in your business? How do you position them? And, of course, how do you get clients that allow you to do more of what you like? That’s the topic of this episode. Listen in as Leah coaches a startup consultant through this process, and help her make sense of who she was then, vs. how she is now.

Is it possible to have a consulting business and an incredible quality of life? Absolutely, and this week’s guest is here to show you how. Join me to chat with Betsy Talbot, B2B copywriter for complex industries, as she shares how she’s used value-based pricing, clearly communicating to her ideal client, and strong boundaries to craft a consulting business that support her life, not the other way around.

As consultants working with clients, it’s easy to believe we’re limited in the influence we have on our clients and in our businesses, causing us to hold back (sometimes we hold back a little, sometimes we hold back a lot). In this powerful Fireside Chat episode, Leah chats with Professor Vanessa Bohns, author of the book You Have More Influence Than You Think, to talk about the ways each of us has more influence than we believe, and how we can use that influence in our businesses and in our lives.