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How to Navigate Becoming a Mom When You Already Have a Business You Love

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 05:00:29 +0000

Reading Time: 19 minutes

I am so excited about today’s episode. I honestly think this will become one of my all-time favorite episodes to record. I’ve been working on this outline for months—it’s eight pages long all about having a business before motherhood!

I hope these tips are helpful to you and make a real impact in your life. If they do, I’d love for you to share them with other moms or moms-to-be in your life. Many of you, like me, had a business before motherhood. Others started businesses after becoming moms, which is a completely different experience.

For me, I ran my business for five and a half years before becoming a mom. Over time, I built it into so many different things—my template shop, this podcast, my courses—so much happened before I had kids. Now, I’m a mom of two with baby number three on the way!

As I’ve grown my family, my journey as a mom and entrepreneur has evolved, and that’s what I want to talk about today. This episode is for business-owning women—including side hustlers—who are expecting or thinking about having a baby. If you're in your first year (or so) of motherhood, you’ll likely find this helpful too.

So whether you're trying to conceive, adopting, expecting, navigating life with a newborn, or even adding another baby to your family, this episode is for you. I hope it serves as both a pep talk and a guide with insights you may not have heard before.

A lot of what I’m sharing today is advice I wish someone had given me when I was a new mom. Now, as a mom of two (with a third on the way!), I want to share what I’ve learned—both from a mindset perspective and a practical, business-prep standpoint. I’ll cover ways to adjust your business for big changes, how to work fewer hours effectively, and so much more.

I truly hope this episode blesses you. I’ve poured so much thought and energy into it. Now, let’s get started!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 304!

Like I mentioned, this episode is all about navigating motherhood when you already have a business. These are the things I wish someone had told me as a business-owning woman stepping into motherhood.

I have six key tips for you—most of them focused on your business, but some touching on motherhood in general. But before we dive in, let me set the stage with a little context.

I’m a mom to little ones—I haven’t yet experienced motherhood with elementary-age kids, middle schoolers, or teenagers. My oldest is almost three and a half, my second is 11 months old, and I’m currently pregnant with baby number three, due this summer. That means I’ll have a 16-month age gap between my second and third, and about a two-and-a-half-year gap between my first and second.

I also ran my business for about five and a half years before becoming a mom. So when I found out I was expecting, I had to figure out how to navigate this huge life change while continuing to run a business I had poured years of energy into.

These are the tips I wish someone had shared with me during that transition. So let’s dive in—no particular order, just real, practical advice to help you prepare for this exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) new chapter!

1. Don’t assume what you’ll want for your business until after you meet your baby

One of the most important things you can do during pregnancy is have honest conversations—with your spouse, significant other, or, if you’re a single parent, with your support system. Talk about what both of your work lives will look like once the baby arrives. How will your work change? How will your partner’s work change? How will you share responsibilities? The key is to have a plan—and to prepare to adjust that plan as needed.

Now, I’m not saying don’t make a plan. In fact, I highly encourage you to. But I can’t tell you what plan is right for your family because everyone’s situation is unique. Some of you might be single moms. Maybe your partner works long, inflexible hours. Maybe you work crazy hours in your business, or you’re juggling a 9-to-5 job and a side hustle. Or perhaps you’re transitioning into full-time stay-at-home motherhood for the first time.

No matter your situation, one thing I can tell you is this: Whatever plan you come up with now, your feelings about it may change once your baby is actually here. So go into it with flexibility and grace for yourself.

For example, you might plan to do full-time daycare, thinking, I’ll take a short maternity leave and then jump right back into work. But once your leave is up, you might realize you don’t want to send your baby to daycare full-time. Maybe you decide on part-time daycare or explore other childcare options instead.

Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe you initially think, I won’t need any childcare—I’ll just work during nap times. Then your baby arrives, and you quickly realize that’s not sustainable. You need real breaks, both for your own well-being and to keep your business running.

The point is—changing your mind is not failure. You can’t fully know what will work for you until you’re in it. And this applies to so many aspects of motherhood!

A plan might sound perfect on paper, but when you’re actually living it, you might realize it’s not the right fit. And that’s okay!

Be adaptable—not just in the newborn stage, but as your baby grows. Your needs will shift. Your baby’s schedule will change. If you have more children, your work-life balance will evolve again. Maybe what worked for you with one baby doesn’t work with two or three. Or maybe when your child stops napping or starts school, your approach shifts again.

Personally, I’ve found that before having kids, my seasons of work looked more like years. Now, as a mom, a season can be just a few months—like when a baby is on a certain nap schedule, isn’t eating solids yet, or is exclusively breastfeeding. Things change fast, and flexibility is key.

So, whatever you choose is okay. It doesn’t matter what other moms are doing, what your own mom did, or what you thought you would do. The best thing you can do is stay prayerful about what’s right for you and your family.

Be open to change. If something isn’t working, it’s okay to say, Hey, I thought I wanted this, but it’s not right for me anymore. Or, This worked great for the first six months, but now my baby’s needs have changed, and I need to adjust.

Adjusting doesn’t mean you were wrong before—it just means you didn’t have the lived experience yet, or your situation has evolved. So stay flexible, stay open to change, and most of all, give yourself grace.

2. Learn how to delegate (and let some things slide that you used to obsess over)

Moms make efficient business owners because they learn to cut out what doesn’t matter and delegate effectively. Motherhood will teach you this skill—if you allow it.

Since becoming a mom, I feel like I’ve become a better business owner, despite entering motherhood after business. Has it made business easier? No, it’s actually harder. But I’ve learned to focus on what truly matters in this season of life and in running my business. If you don’t embrace this shift, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the lack of time to obsess over details like before.

If you're preparing for maternity leave—whether you're pregnant or expecting to adopt—take time to look at your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks:

Identify unnecessary tasks: Things you do out of habit, not necessity.
Look for automation opportunities: Use tools you already have or invest in new ones.
Delegate tasks: Assign to existing team members or even consider hiring help. Becoming a mom may be the right time for your first independent contractor hire.
Increase efficiency: For tasks that can’t be eliminated, find ways to streamline them.

You may realize that your business doesn't require as much micromanagement as you once thought. When I was preparing for my first maternity leave four years ago, I went through this process very intensely. The moment I found out I was pregnant, I recognized that I needed help to take time off or reduce my workload.

At that time, we didn’t use outside childcare until my firstborn was 14 months old. My husband and I tag-teamed childcare while he was in graduate school. With my second child, things were different, and they will be again with my third.

During my first leave, I found things that:

A team member could take over.
Were honestly just a waste of time, so we could cut them.
Needed better systems in place.

Keeping a running list of things to evaluate. I like to use my phone for easy updates, and do this before the baby arrives so you have time to implement changes.

Here are a few real examples from my business:

Failed Payments – I run a digital product business, selling templates and courses. For years, I handled all failed payments myself—tracking issues, emailing customers, and following up. While this task is important, it didn’t need to be done by me. I delegated it to a team member who was already managing customer communication, and she still handles it today.

Podcast Show Notes – I used to write my own show notes for every podcast episode, even after having my first child. It wasn’t until my second pregnancy that I realized I could delegate this task. Since my blog writer, Kara, already had my outlines, it made sense for her to take over the show notes as well. Now, for this episode, she’ll use my eight-page outline to craft the notes, making my podcasting process much more efficient.

Tracking Sales Manually — I used to track every sale in my business manually. You may have heard me talk about this on the podcast before—I loved it and thought it was valuable to have that level of data. But it also took so much time and precision. Right before my second son, Ethan, was born, I cut it out completely—I didn’t delegate it, I just let it go. I realized that, in this season of life, I don’t have the capacity to track every single sale in that much detail.

These are just a few examples, but I hope they help you see the bigger picture. The key is to pay attention daily to what you’re doing in your business. Ask yourself:

Do I really need to be the one doing this?
How much time is this taking me?
Will I still have this time once the baby arrives?

It’s going to look different for everyone depending on your business, but my biggest tip is to start thinking about this for yourself while you're pregnant. Make it something you’re actively working on before maternity leave.

3. Plan for a longer maternity leave than you think you’ll want

As a business owner, you are your own boss, which means you have to give yourself time off—no one else will do it for you. Unlike a traditional employer who says, “Here’s your 12 weeks of maternity leave,” you have to structure and plan for it yourself.

So, my advice? Plan for more time off than you think you’ll want.

I can’t tell you how long that should be. Maybe you have a number in mind based on your first maternity leave, what your friends did, or the standard U.S. maternity leave. But whatever you’re thinking, set up your business in a way that allows you to take more time if you need it.

Why?

You may actually want or need more time than you expected. Birth and recovery can be unpredictable, and you may need extra time to heal or adjust to your baby’s needs. Or, you may simply love the newborn phase and realize you’re not ready to return yet.
Returning to work is often a slow process. It’s rarely a sudden shift from 100% leave to 100% back at work. Instead, it’s more gradual—maybe a nap-time work session here, a few hours while your partner watches the baby there. Planning extra time allows for that transition to happen naturally rather than feeling like you have to rush back.

In my own experience:

With my first son, Colin, I planned for a three-and-a-half-month maternity leave. But in reality, I took five and a half months before I fully came back. That didn’t mean I didn’t touch my business at all—I still ran my Black Friday sale and managed small things—but I wasn’t back in my office for a full workday until he was six months old.
With my second, Ethan, I took three and a half months off and worked right up until he was born. That worked better for me mentally, since I didn’t enjoy taking time off before the baby arrived. With my first, I had planned for two weeks off before my due date, and he ended up being born at 41 weeks! I quickly realized I didn’t enjoy “waiting” and ended up working on random projects just to keep myself busy.

Now, with my third baby, I’m planning another solid maternity leave. I don’t know exactly how long yet since I’m still early in pregnancy, but I want to give myself plenty of time.

I say all this because I don’t want you to assume that you’ll be fine with just three weeks off, only to find yourself overwhelmed and unable to step back when you realize you need more time.

Maybe you think:

“I love my business, so I’ll be excited to jump back in.”
“Newborns sleep a lot, so I’ll have time to work.”
“I saw someone else take only two weeks off, so I can too.”

But then you might find yourself locked into commitments—a client project, interviews, coaching calls—that you can’t push back, even though you want to.

So, think about how much time you believe you’ll need, discuss it with your spouse or support system, and then add a few more weeks. That extra time can be your gradual transition back into work.

Bonus Tip: Plan Time Off During Pregnancy

Don’t forget about taking breaks before the baby arrives!

For example, when you do your glucose test (around 30 weeks), that might be a good day to take off work completely. Go do the test, then treat yourself—grab lunch with a friend, get a pedicure, do something relaxing.

You’ll also have days where you just need to rest—maybe due to morning sickness, exhaustion, or just the general strain of pregnancy. Be gracious with yourself.

Growing a baby is huge work—it’s incredible how our bodies do this! If all you did today was grow that baby, you’ve done enough. And especially if you have other kids, pregnancy can be physically exhausting.

So, don’t push yourself too hard. Plan for rest, and give yourself the space to take breaks when you need them.

4. It’s ok to scale your business back, quit your business, or pause it for a season

This might be my favorite tip of all: It is okay to scale your business back, pause it for a season, or even quit altogether if that’s what makes sense for you and your family.

Quitting often gets a bad rap in the business world. We hear messages like:

“Never quit your business.”
“Always chase your dreams.”
“Stick with it no matter what.”

But I don’t agree with that mindset, and I never have. I’ve talked about this many times on the podcast—quitting, pausing, or shifting your business is actually a power move when it aligns with your life and family.

Your seasons of life will change, and your business can change with them.

The Problem with the “Hustle No Matter What” Mentality

What frustrates me is that society tells us it’s okay to change our work for any reason—except for our family.

You might hear things like:

“If you step back from your business for your kids, you’re not empowering women.”
“You’ll lose yourself in motherhood.”
“You won’t have anything for yourself.”
“You should be contributing financially.”
“You’ll get bored staying home.”
“What will you do all day if you’re home with your kids?”
“Daycare exists for a reason—you should use it.”

I’ve heard it all. And maybe you’ve heard these messages too.

But I want to tell you something different: It is more than okay to shift your business for your family. It is a great reason to change things, simply because it makes sense for you in this season.

Your Career is a Long Game

I also want to remind you that your career is not a race.

With how quickly business and technology move, it can feel like you have to hit every milestone right now—the next income goal, follower count, email list number, or pricing increase. But you actually have so many years of working life ahead of you.

If you’re in your 30s (or older or younger), and you have small children, just think about how many more decades you have to work.

Your business goals can take longer. You can pause a goal for a season.

So if you feel called to scale back right now—whether it’s a small part of your business or the entire thing—try it. Trust God's guidance. Nothing is permanent.

Pausing something doesn’t mean quitting forever.
Even quitting your current business doesn’t mean quitting business forever.

I truly believe you will never regret spending more time with your children.

My Personal Experience with Slowing Down

I’ve found that some days, playing the role of a stay-at-home mom is actually harder than running my business.

Shoutout to all the stay-at-home moms—taking care of small children is hard work. Sitting here recording this podcast in my quiet office is much easier in comparison.

But I never regret investing time in my family. I love motherhood. It fulfills me in a way that nothing else does. It’s a high calling that I’m honored to step into, even when it means shifting my business.

Sometimes that means scaling back, pausing, or even quitting—and that’s okay.

Real-Life Example: My Grandmother’s Career

A lot of the women we admire professionally didn’t follow a straight career path—we just see where they ended up.

For example, my grandmother—my dad’s mom—had an extremely accomplished career. She was the head buyer for Kirkland’s Home Store and played a huge role in growing the company. She was also an interior designer and teacher and made a great income throughout her career.

But when I visited her last year, I asked, “Were you working in those roles when your kids were little?”

And she said, “No, honey. I was a stay-at-home mom for years.”

That surprised me because I’ve always thought of her as a career woman. But when she had her four kids—who were all close in age—she stayed home.

Her career came later—and she still built something incredible.

This was such a great reminder for me that careers are a long game.

You might look at someone’s success and assume they were grinding non-stop for decades—but you don’t see the seasons where they stepped back.

It’s Okay to Step Back—And I’m Doing It Too

I’m actually making changes in my own business right now with baby number three on the way. I’ll be talking about those details in a podcast episode soon.

But for now, I just want to encourage you:

It’s okay to scale your business back to be with your kids more.
It’s okay to quit for a season—or forever—if that’s what makes sense for your family.

And if you feel that calling, follow it. Your business will always be there, but your kids will only be little for so long.

5. Motherhood is really fulfilling. And it’s really hard. It can be both. Hard isn’t the same as bad.

Motherhood is incredibly fulfilling, and it’s also really hard. It can be both at the same time. And hard does not mean bad.

This is something that’s not talked about enough. You can absolutely love being a mom, feel like it’s everything you ever wanted, and still find it exhausting. You can be fulfilled and wish for a break. You can be completely in love with your baby and want them to stop crying so you can get some sleep.

Maybe you wish potty training didn’t result in a mess all over the floor. Or that you could just eat dinner in peace without making sure everyone else is eating theirs. Or that you could schedule a work meeting without worrying about whether nap time will actually happen.

Parenthood is hard—it’s a job like no other. And in my opinion, it’s the hardest job and the most fulfilling work you can do.

Society Doesn’t Always Value Parenthood

Parenting gets a bad rap sometimes. It’s sacrificial, and we live in a world that doesn’t always value kids—or parents—enough. And when you combine all of that, it can feel like a challenging road to navigate.

And I believe that having your first baby is the biggest adjustment of all.

Going from zero to one was a bigger shock for me than going from one to two kids. Now I’m about to go from two to three, so we’ll see how that feels! But at least for us, zero to one completely rocked our world—from work, to life, to free time, to sleep.

I remember feeling, “I’ll never do XYZ again.” And at the time, it felt true. But looking back, those thoughts weren’t actually accurate. Yes, some things do change forever, but many things are just different for a season.

If you ever find yourself missing a part of your life before kids, that does not mean you don’t love your baby or that you regret becoming a mom. It just means you’ve taken on something incredibly hard.

Motherhood is so fulfilling, but it’s also exhausting. And it’s okay to acknowledge both.

My Own Experience With a Newborn

I remember a moment early in motherhood when Colin was just a few weeks old.

Adam was out of town on a trip, and my mother-in-law was visiting to help me out. Colin was struggling with breastfeeding, had colic, and sleep was rough—it was just a lot.

That night, a new episode of Law & Order: SVU was airing. I had always loved watching new episodes as they came out—it was my thing. Before having a baby, I could sit down, grab a snack, and just enjoy it, no problem.

But that night, it felt like watching a TV show was an ordeal.

Colin wasn’t ready for bed yet—newborns often stay up late with their parents. He was fussy, and my mother-in-law sweetly encouraged me, “Elizabeth, just sit down, relax, and enjoy your LaCroix. I’ll hold him.”

So I sat down, but I couldn’t relax. I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, I’m never going to just watch TV normally again.” It felt so overwhelming and permanent in that moment.

But of course, that wasn’t true. Just a couple of days ago, I sat down after the kids were asleep, watched a new episode of Law & Order: SVU, and enjoyed some dessert—totally uninterrupted.

That night with Colin felt so long, but in hindsight, it was just a season.

Hard is Not the Same as Bad

Motherhood is both fulfilling and hard, and one does not cancel out the other.

So when you have those hard moments—when you feel exhausted, frustrated, or overwhelmed—it doesn’t mean you’re failing as a mom. It doesn’t mean motherhood is bad. It just means it’s a really hard job.

Think about your business. There are probably parts of it you don’t like, but that doesn’t mean your business is bad—it just means there are hard aspects to running a business. Motherhood is the same way.

So if you’re in a tough moment right now, just remember:

It’s hard, but it’s worth it.
This season won’t last forever.
You are doing an incredible job.

And above all, hard does not mean bad.

6. You can do this. You can do the motherhood and business thing if you want to.

I want to close this episode with encouragement: You can do this.

You can run a business and be a mom if that’s what you want to do. If you’re going to work and not stay home 100% with your kids, I truly believe that owning a business is one of the best jobs you can have as a mother.

I feel so much gratitude every single day that I built this business and that I can make money from home while being with my kids—even with minimal childcare.

Now, I’m not going to pretend to be one of those people you see in reels or on TikTok saying they work no hours, only from their phone, while making a full-time income as a stay-at-home mom. That’s not my reality.

Right now, as I record this, both of my kids are in paid childcare. But I’m still grateful because I get to do this from home, and throughout the day, I can go downstairs a hundred times to see my baby. That flexibility is a privilege, but it’s also something you can work toward and structure your business to allow for.

Your business is a gift. I believe we should see it that way.

You Are In Charge—Not Your Clients, Not Your Calendar

One of the biggest advantages of running your own business is that you have control.

You can scale it up or down based on your family’s needs.
You can work from home or on the go.
You can choose your maternity leave length instead of having an employer decide for you.
You can set your own work hours around your kids’ schedules.

But here’s the thing—you have to make those decisions.

Don’t let your clients, calendar, or customers dictate how you run your business—especially during pregnancy and postpartum. People are often way more understanding than you think.

I’ve seen too many business owners assume, “My clients won’t understand me taking time off for a baby.” So they don’t take the time. They try to keep their business running as if they aren’t a mom, as if they didn’t just have a baby.

You don’t have to do that.

And if a client isn’t gracious about you taking maternity leave? They’re probably not the kind of client you want to work with anyway.

Be a Better Boss to Yourself

You wouldn’t want to work for someone who never gave you breaks, right? So don’t be that kind of boss to yourself.

Take the half-day for your glucose test.
Take a full day off to rest.
Take naps when you need them.
Spend less time on a project if it means you get to rest.
Give yourself a real maternity leave—and plan it well.

You are in charge—not your clients, not your team, not your calendar.

Define Your Own “It”

You can do this—but only you can define what “this” is.

Whatever your version of success looks like, you can do it. And that definition might change over time—and that’s okay.

Your motherhood and business journey will not look like mine.
It won’t look like that business owner you follow on Instagram who seems to have it all together.
It won’t look exactly like your mom’s, your mother-in-law’s, your friend’s, or anyone else’s.

Your journey is your own.

Give Yourself Time to Learn

Something else I want to encourage you with: Motherhood is a skill—and new skills take time to learn.

Think about it:

When you first got pregnant, you didn’t know what prenatals to take.
You didn’t know what was happening at each stage of pregnancy.
You might not have known much about birth or postpartum.

You had to learn—and learning takes time.

It’s the same with motherhood and business.

I actually saw a note in my Hosanna Revival Five-Year Prayer Journal today from January 2022. At the time, Colin was five months old, we had just moved into our new house, and I was trying to work more again.

In that journal entry, I prayed, “I’m having a hard time moving between mom stuff and work stuff, and I feel like I can’t do both well.”

I remember that season so clearly. I’d get in the zone with my business, and then suddenly it was time to nurse or put him down for a nap. It felt impossible to juggle both.

But over time, I learned how to manage it. It became a skill I developed.

And now, with two kids, I’m learning the skill all over again—because it looks different. And soon, with three kids, I’ll be learning it again in a brand-new way.

It’s all a process. It’s all learning. And that’s okay.

So be gracious with yourself. You are growing and learning just as much as your kids are.

6 Tips for Running a Business While Becoming a Mom

Before we wrap up, let’s quickly review all six tips. As I read them, think about which one stood out to you—maybe one that you can take action on today.

Don’t assume what you’ll want for your business until after you meet your baby.
- Make a plan, but stay flexible. You might think you want one thing, but once the baby is here, your desires could shift.
Learn how to delegate and let some things go.
- Motherhood can actually make you a better business owner by teaching you how to be more strategic with your time.
Plan for a longer maternity leave than you think you’ll want.
- Give yourself the option to take more time if you need it, because adjusting to motherhood is a big transition.
It’s okay to scale back, pause, or even quit your business if that’s what makes sense for your family.
- Be prayerful about it, talk it over with your spouse, and know that nothing is permanent—you can always shift again later.
Motherhood is both fulfilling and hard—and hard doesn’t mean bad.
- It’s okay to miss parts of your old life while also loving your baby. It’s okay to find motherhood challenging while also finding it deeply fulfilling.
You can do this.
- Define what “this” looks like for you in this season. Know that it will change over time, and that’s okay.

I hope this episode encourages you! Motherhood and business together is a learning process, and you’re going to grow so much along the way. You can do this!

Links Mentioned:

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The post How to Navigate Becoming a Mom When You Already Have a Business You Love appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Podcast in 2025 (8 Things You MUST Do!)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 22 minutes

In celebration of 300 podcast episodes—which actually happened a few weeks ago—this is episode 302. I used that episode to announce that baby number three is on the way, which was really special. But today, I want to celebrate 300 episodes by sharing advice and tips for those considering starting a podcast in 2025. Or, if you already have a podcast like I do, I’ll be giving you behind-the-scenes insights—many of which I rarely hear others talk about—on how to truly grow and monetize your show.

This episode is packed with things I never hear other podcasters discuss, and it's relevant whether you're brand new to podcasting, thinking about starting a show but unsure if you should, or already an established podcaster wanting to stay on top of trends. If you're wondering what’s working for 2025, I’ll touch on that too because I personally love keeping up with podcasting trends. Let’s dive in!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 302!

Okay, to start, I have eight tips to share with you today—but this first one is more like a bonus tip. So, after 300 episodes (technically 302 now) and countless hours of talking into a mic in different spaces—from our apartment guest room when I first started to various home offices over the years—I can confidently say that starting this podcast was one of the best decisions I ever made.

That leads me to my first quick piece of advice: just start. Give it a try. One thing people don’t always consider when starting something in business is that it’s okay to quit. If you start a podcast, commit to a set timeframe—whatever makes sense for your life and business. Maybe that's 10 episodes. If you decide you hate it, you can stop. No one will judge you. But at least you’ll have learned something from the experience, and you can move on with clarity.

For me, when I started almost six years ago, I had so many nerves and so much anticipation. I kept thinking, Who am I to do this? Who am I to teach business to people? But I did it—and I’m so glad I did.

Podcasting has truly been one of the most fulfilling parts of my business. I get to help people in a tangible way, providing valuable content for free, while still earning money through affiliates, sponsors, and sales generated by listeners of the show. It's a win-win, and honestly, a lot of people don’t realize how powerful podcasting can be. Over the years, I’ve received so many heartfelt messages from listeners sharing how this podcast has impacted them—and each one makes the journey worth it. If you’ve ever sent me a message like that, please know how much I appreciate you and your support.

Beyond that, podcasting has also helped me grow as a teacher, a communicator, and a business owner. It builds confidence, improves speaking skills, and is just so much fun.

Starting a Podcast in 2025

I launched my show in 2019, and the podcasting landscape was completely different back then. Some of the opportunities available today didn’t even exist. So, in this episode, I’m not just sharing general podcasting advice—I’m giving you my best insights on what I would do if I were starting a podcast in 2025, not what I would have done in 2019.

If I were starting a brand-new podcast from scratch, here’s exactly what I would do. Podcasting is constantly evolving, so it doesn’t really matter what I would have done differently in 2019. What matters is what I would do right now in 2025—whether it’s launching a new show or making adjustments to my current one based on where the industry is heading.

Ironically, the inspiration for this episode comes from the fact that I’ve actually considered starting another podcast. Not stopping this show—but creating a completely new one on a different topic. Funny enough, the day before I announced my pregnancy with baby number three, I did a “guess what the big announcement is” post, and so many of you guessed the exact type of podcast I’ve been thinking about starting.

I still have this idea on my heart, and I do think I’ll launch it at some point—but probably not in 2025. Maybe I’ll surprise myself, who knows? But with a new baby on the way and two kids already, I’m not sure I have the capacity to run two shows this year. Still, it was wild to see how many of you guessed the exact topic I was considering!

So, I’ve been channeling all my thoughts into this episode. If I were starting a new podcast today, what would I do differently? What would I keep the same? What strategies would I implement from day one? These are the things I’ve been thinking about, and I’m sharing them with you today.

1. Get Really Niche With Your Podcast’s Topic and Who the Audience Is

First up on the list of starting a podcast in 2025: Get really niche with your podcast topic and audience.

I know that sounds basic, but hear me out—it's actually less obvious than you might think.

To start, I don’t believe podcasting is oversaturated. That’s something people say a lot, and maybe you’ve even felt it yourself while considering starting a show. But in reality, podcasting is growing every year. More and more people are listening to podcasts, and audio as a medium is gaining massive popularity—just look at how audiobooks have exploded.

For example—and this is totally random, not even in my notes—but take Harry Potter. They’re redoing the entire series as a full-production audio experience. Many audiobooks are following that trend. Audio is big, and podcasting is very much part of that growth.

As of 2025, global podcast listenership is projected to reach 584 million, a significant jump from 2024. In the U.S. alone, 135 million people are expected to be regular podcast listeners, with 47% of Americans over the age of 12 tuning in regularly. So yes, a lot of people are listening to podcasts—including you, since you're here!

That said, while there are a lot of podcasts, that doesn’t mean it’s oversaturated. But it does mean that starting a generic podcast won’t set you up for success.

Here’s what many people selling podcast courses won’t tell you: Niche podcasts perform extremely well. They’re more bingeable because they attract the right audience—people who become obsessed with your show and listen to every episode. Compare that to a broad, unfocused podcast where some episodes appeal to one group, others to another, and no single audience is fully invested. The more specific your niche, the easier it is to build a loyal following.

In my course, Podcast Success Blueprint, I teach a few lessons on finding your niche.

When podcasting was new, people could start broad, build an audience, and then niche down over time. But that’s not the case anymore. Just like when online courses first became popular 15 years ago, people could sell mediocre courses and still make money. Now? If your course isn’t good, it won’t sell. Same with podcasting—you need to be intentional.

Here are some examples:

Don’t just start a generic mom podcast. Instead, start a podcast for part-time, work-from-home moms with multiple kids and a business who share your faith.
Don’t just start a finance podcast. Start a podcast about finances for small business owners who don’t love numbers but want to make more money.

See the difference?

We’ll dive into this more in another tip, but the key takeaway is: Get niche. Then get even more niche. If narrowing down feels scary, remember—your niche doesn’t mean every episode has to fit into a tiny box. Think of your niche like your listener’s interests. Your content should be relevant to them, but you can still mix in personal episodes or broader topics.

For example, when I announced my pregnancy a few weeks ago, I knew not everyone would be interested—and that’s okay! You can have episodes like that while still running a highly targeted podcast.

2. Before You Title the Show, Record an Episode, or Anything Else…. Make a List of Potential Episode Topics

I truly believe that one of the biggest keys to a successful podcast is simply having a bank of ideas. Too many people jump into podcasting without a clear sense of what they want to talk about or who they want to interview.

They assume they’ll figure it out as they go—as long as they have a general concept. Instead, they spend all their time obsessing over the podcast name, cover art, and logistics, thinking those are the most important steps.

But honestly? That’s not where you need to focus. You’ll probably change your cover art at some point anyway. What truly matters is what you’re going to talk about.

I’m not saying you need to have 300 episode ideas upfront before starting a podcast in 2025, but I recommend starting a note on your phone today—especially if you’re serious about launching a podcast. Use your phone (not a physical notebook) because it allows you to capture ideas anytime, anywhere.

Jot down solo episode ideas.
List potential interview guests.
Think of specific topics you’d love to discuss with guests.

Keep adding to this list over time. This process will also help you refine your niche (which we talked about in Tip #1) and give you clarity on your show’s title, branding, and overall direction.

For example, that new podcast idea I mentioned earlier—the one that’s been on my heart? I don’t know if 2025 is the year I’ll start it, but I already have 31 episode concepts saved in my notes. So far, they’re all solo episodes or ones I’d record with my husband, Adam, but I might add interviews later.

For example, last night, while taking a shower, I had an idea for a really specific episode. As soon as I got out, I grabbed my phone, wrote down the title, and even outlined seven bullet points of what I’d cover. You can go as deep as that or just jot down the episode title—it’s up to you.

This step will also give you confidence. When you see that you already have months’ worth of content ideas, starting a podcast feels a lot less overwhelming.

To put it in perspective:

If you release one episode per week and take two holiday breaks, that’s 50 episodes per year.
With 31 ideas already, I’m more than halfway there.
If you release episodes biweekly or in seasons, 30 ideas could easily cover a whole year.

This simple practice makes a huge difference in helping you feel prepared and confident about your podcast. But I want to also want to say—I didn’t come up with all 31 ideas in one sitting. They’ve slowly built up over months of thinking about this show. When I first started brainstorming, I probably came up with five ideas right away and then kept adding to the list as new topics came to mind.

So don’t put pressure on yourself to sit down and come up with 30+ topics all at once. Just start your list, and let it grow naturally.

That’s Tip #2—before you worry about recording, naming your show, or designing cover art, start building your episode list.

3. Decide How You’re Going to Make Money From Your Podcast

As someone who loves helping people make money from podcasting, this is one of my personal favorite tips for starting a podcast in 2025. It’s also a big focus of my course, Podcast Success Blueprint.

Now, let me start by saying—it’s totally okay to start a podcast as a hobby with zero plans to make money from it. But it’s important to be intentional about that decision. You don’t want to end up with a non-monetized show by accident when your real goal was to generate income.

That’s why I don’t recommend going into podcasting with a hobby mindset. Podcasting is something you can monetize, and if you’re going to put in the effort, why not make money from it?

That said, you don’t have to start monetizing from episode one. In fact, I actually don’t recommend running ads or sponsorships from day one—especially if you’re starting with a smaller audience. But you should have a long-term plan for how you want to monetize your show.

In Podcast Success Blueprint, I teach seven ways to make money from podcasting—including strategies that most people don’t talk about. These aren’t the typical surface-level monetization tips you find in free content. In fact, many podcast courses don’t even cover monetization in depth.

Most podcasting courses focus on technical setup—how to record, how to distribute your show—but they barely touch on how to make money.

For example, one of the top podcasting courses out there (a well-known one in our industry) has only a 12-minute video on monetization. That’s it. Just 12 minutes in an entire course.

When I saw that, I realized there was a huge gap—people weren’t talking about how to actually monetize a podcast. And yet, for most people who start a show, making money is one of their biggest goals. That’s why I made monetization a major focus of Podcast Success Blueprint.

The course includes an entire module with 9–10 lessons dedicated to monetization, covering everything from sponsorships to affiliate marketing to selling your own products.

To give you a quick overview (without spoiling everything in the course), here are two broad ways you can monetize your show:

Selling your own products. Maybe you have a course, membership, digital templates, or something else you want listeners to buy. Your podcast can serve as a natural way to promote those offers.
Sponsorships & ads. Instead of selling your own products, you can generate income by partnering with advertisers who pay to be featured on your show.

You can also combine both strategies—which is what I personally do.

Monetizing Your Podcast Without Having a Business

If I were to start that new podcast I mentioned earlier, it wouldn’t be a business podcast—so it wouldn’t be directly tied to my current products. I might occasionally mention my business, but I wouldn’t create a new product just to monetize that show.

Instead, my monetization strategy would be:

Staying very niche to attract advertisers.
Securing sponsors to generate revenue.
Earning affiliate income by promoting relevant products.
Managing my own sponsorship deals instead of going through a network (at least in the beginning).

Long-term, I’d consider joining a podcast network to have ad deals managed for me—but there are pros and cons to that approach. Keeping everything in-house allows you to take a bigger cut of the revenue. Right now, I personally manage all of my own sponsorship deals, contracts, and negotiations, which I also teach inside Podcast Success Blueprint.

So, my biggest advice? Have a monetization game plan before starting a podcast in 2025.

Think about:

When you want to start pursuing sponsors.
What affiliates or partnerships you want to explore.
Whether you’ll sell your own products.

There are so many different ways to approach monetization, and I can’t cover them all in this episode because it’s such a huge topic. But I highly recommend thinking about it before launching your podcast.

4. Don’t Just Do a Generic Interview Based Show

I know this one might be a little controversial for starting a podcast in 2025. Some of you may disagree with me, but I genuinely believe that a simple “Tell me your story” type of interview isn’t enough to make your podcast stand out and grow.

Even if you manage to book high-profile guests—big-name authors, industry leaders, people with millions of followers—it won’t guarantee success if your interviews are just following their media kit.

Take the classic book tour scenario: An author is making the rounds on podcasts to promote their new book. You land them as a guest, and your episode airs the same week as dozens of others featuring that exact guest.

And guess what? Every episode has almost the same title, the same questions, and the same talking points.

Yes, it’s exciting to book a big guest. But that alone won’t grow your podcast.

Now, let me be clear—interview-based shows can be incredibly successful. I personally listen to and love many of them. But standing out takes more than just getting guests. It requires:

Being a great interviewer.
Asking fresh, insightful questions.
Going beyond the obvious talking points.

If you want to interview well-known guests, don’t just stick to their media talking points. Be different.

Ask yourself:

What would my audience actually want to ask this guest?
What’s a question this person has never been asked before?
How can I make this conversation fresh and valuable?

As a host, you need to think like an investigator for your audience. Be willing to ask tougher questions—the ones that make a guest pause and say, “Wow, no one’s ever asked me that before.”

Too often, podcasters just rehash the same questions their guest has already answered a hundred times. That doesn’t make for a compelling interview.

So, if you want your podcast to stand out, get creative with your angles, refine your interviewing skills, and don’t be afraid to go deeper.

Here’s a pro tip: One of the best ways to improve as an interviewer? Listen to great interviewers.

There are plenty of other strategies, and I actually teach a full lesson on interviewing inside Podcast Success Blueprint. But I want to share one simple tip right now that can instantly improve your interviews:

Stop constantly filling the gaps while your guest is talking.

A common mistake I hear on so many podcasts is the host constantly reacting while the guest speaks:

Guest: “So I was really struggling with that decision...”

Host: “Yeah... Oh, totally. Uh-huh. Right. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Mmm. Yeah.”

You might think you’re being engaged, but in reality, it:

Interrupts the flow of the conversation.
Makes the guest feel rushed.
Creates a distracting, poor listening experience.

If you realize you do this, consider having your editor remove your audio track during the guest’s speaking portions. This will make the episode sound cleaner, more professional, and easier to listen to.

It’s Hard to Stand Out With Interviews

I was recently listening to Pat Flynn’s podcast, Smart Passive Income, and he had a new episode about changes he’s making to his show. I’ll link to it in the blog post for this episode if you want to check it out.

If you’re not familiar, Smart Passive Income is a massive podcast in the business space—truly an OG in the industry. I believe it’s been around for about 15 years (I could be wrong on that, but it’s been a long time).

What fascinated me was hearing him talk about what used to work for his show but doesn’t work as well now—which aligns so much with what I already had outlined for this episode, especially regarding interview-based podcasts.

One of the biggest changes they’re making? Shifting away from interviews.

Why? Because, as I mentioned earlier, it’s hard to stand out with interviews.

For Pat and his team, when they analyzed their downloads, the most popular episodes were mostly solo episodes.

Pat has a very strong personal brand, and for a while, they were actually trying to pivot away from that—to make Smart Passive Income more of a media company rather than just “Pat Flynn.” This is something I see a lot of personal brand entrepreneurs attempt, but more often than not, they end up circling back to their original personal brand strategy because that’s what made their business successful in the first place.

Now, Pat is leaning back into his personal brand, sharing more about what’s working in his business, and focusing less on tons of interviews.

What really struck me was when he said—paraphrasing here—that back in the early days of his podcast, when he booked an author as a guest, it felt huge because he might be the only podcaster who had that author on to talk about their book.

But now? That same author is doing a massive media blitz, appearing on every major podcast the week their book launches.

I know for me, when I see a big book launch happening and the same guest appearing everywhere, I might listen to one episode. But I only pick the interview that:

Has the most interesting title.
Is hosted by the person I think will ask the best questions.

And I think that’s probably how most listeners decide, too.

Pat essentially said, I’m not playing that game anymore.

Instead, he’s focusing on:

His personal brand and unique insights.
More original, engaging guests.
Less emphasis on just getting big names.

5. Put an Email Freebie Within Your First 5 Episodes

This is huge for starting a podcast in 2025. Start growing an email list of your listeners—even if you have no idea what you’re going to email them about. Even if you don’t plan on sending weekly emails, don’t have products to sell, or don’t have sponsors yet—still do it.

Create a freebie that relates to either:

Your overall podcast topic (so you can mention it in almost every episode).
A specific episode from your first five.

You can do either approach—or both! It really depends on your show and your audience. Both can be super effective, and in Podcast Success Blueprint, I actually teach how to decide which type of freebie makes the most sense for you.

Here’s an example:

One of my favorite podcasts, The Essential Birth Podcast, is hosted by Stephanie King. She’s been on my show before, and I’ve also been on hers. Her podcast is called Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy, and she has multiple freebies.

But one freebie she’s been pitching from her show since nearly day one is a guide on exercises to do during pregnancy to prepare for birth. It’s a perfect fit because her podcast is about birth, and her audience is pregnant women.

So she’ll say something like:

"Here are three simple exercises you can do every day to prepare for birth. I won’t go into all the details here, but you can grab my free guide to walk you through them."

It’s so engaging and easy to mention in every episode. Plus, it naturally leads into her paid birth course, creating a really smart monetization system.

Now, let me share an example from my own podcast.

I have a lot of episodes that include a freebie that goes with that specific episode.

For example, I did an episode on weekly Slack questions to ask your team, and the freebie was a copy-and-paste template with step-by-step instructions and screenshots from Slack, so listeners could set it up themselves.

So in this case, the freebie directly builds on the episode content, but it can also stand alone as a useful resource, which I love.

Now, let me be honest—if I could go back and do things differently, I would have included a freebie in my very first episode.

When I started my podcast in 2019, I didn’t have a freebie in my first episode—or even in my first few episodes. My fifth episode was the first one to have a freebie, and ironically, it was a freebie about freebies.

That guide is still really popular on my website today. I’ve redesigned it and improved it over time, but I wish I had started including lead magnets even earlier.

Here’s why:

A lot of people go back and binge early episodes when they find a show they love. Even if you have 300+ episodes, you’d be shocked at how many people scroll all the way back to episode one. So it’s really smart to have strong lead magnets in those early episodes to start building your email list right away.

6. Use Dynamic Ad Insertion Instead of Baked in Ads

Now, I know this is a more advanced topic, and if it sounds confusing, don’t worry—I teach extensively on baked-in vs. dynamic ads inside Podcast Success Blueprint. I love talking about this because I think it’s such a fascinating part of podcasting.

This is something I’m really excited to coach some of my students on this year—helping them decide what makes sense for their business and even guiding them through switching from baked-in to dynamic ads.

I’ve used both baked-in and dynamic ads, and I think both have their place. But if I were starting a show in 2025, I would 100% use dynamic ads only.

So, if you’re unfamiliar, dynamic ad insertion (DAI) is the term you’ll see used. Let me quickly explain the difference.

Baked-in ads are when the ad is permanently recorded into the episode audio itself. So, if someone listens to Episode 3 five years later, they’ll hear the same ad—even if the offer no longer exists, the product isn’t available, or the sponsor’s deal is long over.

For example, you might have an ad promoting a Black Friday sale, and then that sale is long gone, but the ad is still there. If you want to remove or update it, you’d have to manually edit the episode, re-export the audio, and re-upload it.

For advertisers, this means if they sponsor five episodes, their ad stays on those five episodes forever.

Dynamic ads, on the other hand, are great if you have—or plan to have—a large catalog of episodes.

With dynamic ads:

The ad gets inserted onto every episode automatically.
You can set it to run for a limited time—like a week, a month, or 90 days.
Once the campaign ends, the ad is automatically removed.
You can sell sponsorship deals based on total plays (e.g., once an ad reaches 20,000 plays, it’s removed).

For example, if you listen to Episode 1 of my podcast today, you’ll hear my current sponsors—not an outdated ad from 2019.

Personally, I love using dynamic ads because it’s a better deal for advertisers and a better setup for me since people still listen to old episodes.

When pitching sponsors, I can say: "Your ad will appear on every single episode—not just the ones released during our agreement."

That means even an older episode that ranks well in SEO will still have their ad, which is way more valuable than a baked-in placement on just a handful of episodes.

Dynamic ads weren’t really a thing when I started my podcast in 2019. Maybe some big shows had them, but it wasn’t something people were talking about. Baked-in ads were the only way to do it.

And even now, dynamic ads still aren’t super common. If you’ve never heard of them, that’s probably why—many podcast hosts don’t even offer them yet.

For me, the biggest reason it took so long to switch to dynamic ads was because my original podcast host didn’t support them.

That’s why I now highly recommend Buzzsprout for podcast hosting. I switched to Buzzsprout at the end of 2023 (after using my old host for years), and one of my main reasons was so I could start using dynamic ads.

If you’re just starting a podcast, I recommend starting with Buzzsprout from day one.

And if you already have a podcast and you’re thinking, “Wow, dynamic ads sound way better,” you can switch hosts.

I had over 240 episodes when I switched, and it felt so overwhelming—but honestly, it was way easier than I expected.

Now, if you’re thinking, “Well, Elizabeth, I don’t plan on having sponsors,” I just want to say—you can still use dynamic ads for other things.

You can use them to:

Promote your own products or courses.
Announce a sale or special offer.
Grow your email list by advertising a freebie or lead magnet.

Podcast listeners expect to hear ads, so why not use that ad space to your advantage? That’s something I go deep into in Podcast Success Blueprint.

Most podcasting courses don’t cover advertising in depth—but I do, because I’ve personally managed all my own sponsorship deals from the very beginning.

I handle:

Negotiating prices with sponsors.
Writing and reviewing contracts.
Creating ad scripts and managing relationships with advertisers.

I’ve had a lot of experience—mostly good, but some not-so-good—and I love sharing my real-world insights on what works, what doesn’t, and what mistakes to avoid.

7. Get On YouTube

In July 2022, YouTube launched a podcast feature that didn’t exist before. This is another example of how podcasting is constantly shifting. But when starting a podcast in 2025? It's a bigger deal.

Back when I started my show, if you wanted to put your podcast on YouTube, you had two options:

Upload the audio with a static image (which was super common).
Film a video version and upload that separately from the audio podcast.

If you’ve been in the podcasting space for a while, you probably remember this—before podcasting became so video-focused, people would promote episodes on Instagram Stories or posts using a photo of themselves and their guest with little animated audio waves.

I actually subscribed to a software that created those audiograms, and while I don’t use it that way anymore, that was how podcasts were uploaded to YouTube.

At that time, if you wanted your podcast on YouTube, you either:

Uploaded an image with the audio playing over it.
Recorded both a video and audio version and uploaded them separately.

I’ve done all of that at this point. Early on, I even tested uploading episodes with just an image and the audio—and plenty of shows still do it that way.

But if you’re still doing it that way, you need to switch to YouTube Podcasts.

With YouTube Podcasts, you can now connect your RSS feed directly to YouTube—just like you do with Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This means your episodes will automatically appear on YouTube as still videos (your podcast cover art + the audio) without you having to manually upload anything.

And yes, people actually discover podcasts this way.

At a bare minimum, you need to be on YouTube in today’s podcasting landscape. This helps new audiences find your show because YouTube is an extremely powerful search engine.

If I were starting a podcast this year, I would not only connect my RSS feed to YouTube but also seriously consider filming every episode and uploading it as a video.

This can be a great discovery tool, especially depending on your niche.

If you do this, though, it’s important that your content works both for YouTube viewers and audio-only podcast listeners. That’s a skill that takes practice—not everyone does it well.

Some podcasters focus too much on video and say things like: "Hey, for my YouTube audience, look at this!"

Meanwhile, their audio listeners have no clue what they’re referencing.

Since I come from a podcasting-first background (not YouTube), I would personally focus on the podcast listener first. That means avoiding things that alienate audio listeners—like constantly referencing things that can only be seen on video.

Maybe you do that occasionally, but it shouldn’t be in every episode. You want the experience to feel seamless for both YouTube viewers and podcast listeners.

And honestly, not everyone should do video. If you enjoy being on camera and can create a good-quality video setup, it could absolutely be worth it.

For me personally, I know this would be a huge adjustment because I’m so used to podcasting without video.

Right now, when I record solo episodes:

I’m in comfy clothes.
I don’t have my makeup done.
I have my computer and notes in front of me.

Filming every episode would require a totally different setup and approach. That said, depending on your niche, it might be worth figuring out.

You’d want to research:

Are there a lot of podcasts in your niche on YouTube?
How are other people doing it?
Would your audience prefer video content?

Podcasting and YouTube are both powerful platforms, and one of the great things about podcasting is that you can do both—with your podcast being primary and YouTube as a secondary platform.

Of course, YouTube on its own is a great platform if you want to create video-first content. If you feel drawn to that, go for it! YouTube is great for tutorials or content that requires visuals.

But what’s cool about podcasting is that you can create content that is audio-first while still putting it on YouTube—and people will actually watch.

Younger generations, in particular, love watching podcast interviews rather than just listening.

For example, our nanny is here two days a week, and during nap time, she often watches podcast interviews on YouTube.

I once asked her, “Why do you watch them instead of just listening?”

And she told me she loves seeing the guests and their reactions.

There aren’t any extra visuals—just the interview itself—but she still prefers to watch it instead of just listening.

8. Spend Energy/Focus on Audio Quality and Production Quality.

I truly believe the fastest way to kill a podcast is to have:

Horrible audio quality.
A host who overuses filler words.
Poor post-production.

You could have the best guest or be saying something incredibly valuable, but if your listeners can’t hear you properly—or if the audio is so distracting that they don’t want to listen—then it doesn’t matter.

I honestly believe that if your audio quality is bad, you’re wasting your time—even if your content is amazing.

That’s why starting with good audio, improving your production quality, and focusing on how you speak is so important when starting a podcast in 2025.

To help with this, I have a free guide that walks you through what equipment to buy for great audio. All for less than $100!

I know when you’re just starting out, it can be hard to figure out what to buy. You might search on Amazon and end up buying a mic that doesn’t even work with your computer.

Inside Podcast Success Blueprint, I also teach how to reduce filler words and become a more eloquent speaker—which improves your content dramatically.

But honestly, so much of speaking well comes down to practice.

If you listen to my early episodes, you might notice that I talk a little differently than I do now. I probably sound more confident and clearer today than I did back then—and that’s because podcasting is a skill that improves over time.

Don’t just read a script word-for-word. If you could see me right now—though I don’t record video for my podcast—you’d notice I’m using hand gestures as I talk. I’m speaking naturally as if I’m talking directly to you. That changes my tone, voice inflection, and energy. I smile and laugh when it makes sense, which also impacts how my voice sounds.

That’s a small thing, but it makes a huge difference in how engaging your podcast feels.

When it comes to audio and production, these are preventable issues that you can fix from day one. Good audio and production quality don’t have to cost a fortune—but they do require intentionality.

Join Me Inside Podcast Success Blueprint To Grow Your Podcast in 2025

If you’re starting a show or you already have a podcast, and you found these tips helpful, I cannot encourage you enough to invest in Podcast Success Blueprint this year. If you're starting a podcast in 2025, it truly has everything you need.

The course is open now, and you can head here to learn more.

This course covers everything—from the basics of starting a podcast the right way to advanced strategies for growth and monetization.

It walks you through:

How to choose the right equipment and set up your recording.
How to upload your episodes so they appear on Apple, Spotify, and all platforms.
How to launch your podcast successfully—including your artwork, intro, and outro music.

That’s just the first few modules of the course.

Beyond that, I also teach:

How to monetize your podcast.
How to be a great interviewer—there’s an entire module just on interviewing!
How to record great solo episodes—including structuring, outlining, and making them more engaging.

There’s even a special video lesson where you can watch me record a solo episode start to finish—I literally hired a professional videographer for this, so it’s high-quality, step-by-step guidance.

The course also includes:

Marketing strategies—how to grow your audience.
How to create an intentional marketing web that starts with your podcast.
Advertising & sponsorships—how to land and manage sponsors successfully.

There’s so much more, and you can check out the full list of everything inside the course on the sales page. It also includes tons of downloads, templates, and resources to help guide you every step of the way.

I’m so proud of this course, and I’m also proud of the amazing community inside it. It’s such a great group of podcasters, and I’d love for you to be part of it.

Links Mentioned:

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How to Choose the Best Showit Template for Your Business (WITH EASE)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 8 minutes

Are you feeling overwhelmed trying to choose the perfect website template? Maybe it’s your first, maybe it’s your twentieth. You love certain elements in one template and different features in another, and you’re finding it impossible to choose the best Showit template for your business.

Is this you? You’ve spent hours flipping between browser tabs, analyzing every page of every template, and asking others for opinions—only to feel more unsure. If choosing a website template feels challenging, you’re not alone. It’s a big decision, and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed. I’ve been a website template designer on Showit for six years, and this is one of the most common questions I get from potential customers: "How do I choose the right template?"

If this sounds like you, I want to help. In this episode, I’ll share straightforward tips to make selecting a template easier. You might even learn a few things about templates that can clarify your decision-making process. Often, the difficulty in choosing and indecision comes from not fully understanding what’s customizable, what’s fixed, what’s easier to change, and what’s more challenging.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 294!

Okay, before I get to these simple seven tips to choose your Showit template, I want to say if you're listening to this live-ish think congrats my friend, because you have found the best time of year to buy a template for my shop! It’s Black Friday time and my sale officially starts on November 22nd, 2024, and it goes until December 2nd. It's the biggest sale of the year so if you want to choose a Showit template, this is definitely the time to buy. Get all the details here!

1. Focus On the Layout and Structure of the Site More Than the Colors and the Business It’s Modeled For

The first thing to think about when choosing a template is to focus on the layout and structure over colors or the specific business it’s modeled for. Layout and structure are the core elements you’re actually buying in a template. Colors, fonts, and images can be easily swapped out later—I'll talk about that later. And as for the template’s "business model," you might see a template designed with filler content for, say, a business coach, even if you're a photographer. This doesn’t mean it isn’t a great fit for you. There’s a good chance the components you need are all still there; they’re just presented in a different style.

So, pick the layout that feels right for your business. Everything in Showit is fully editable. If you haven’t used it before, think of it as more similar to Canva than a rigid website builder. Unlike some platforms where it’s challenging to move elements like logos or headers, Showit allows you to rearrange everything as you like.

That’s why I think it’s important to focus on layout and structure: these are the elements you probably don’t want to alter much, which is the main reason you’re choosing a template rather than building from scratch.

For instance, the layout of the contact or about page is already optimized. You might make minor adjustments—remove a section or reorder something slightly—but the core layout is what you’re investing in.

2. Changing Out the Colors Is Insanely Easy (So the Colors Should Not Be Part of Your Buying Decision).

Next thing to know as you choose a Showit website template, is that changing the colors on your website template is super easy, so don't let that hold you back from choosing a design you love. While I obviously love the colors I choose for my templates, they really don’t need to be a big part of your decision. If you happen to find a template and think, “Wow, I love these colors!” that’s awesome. But if you like a template's layout but think, “This is way too bright; I want something moodier,” don’t stress. You can change any color to suit your style in just a few clicks.

In Showit, you can adjust all the colors through a feature called "Global Design Settings." Most templates use about eight colors, with white almost always included. So really, you're working with seven main colors, usually set from darkest to lightest. For example, color slot one might be black or dark gray, and slot eight is typically white.

To change colors, just swap out the hex code (a color’s code for the web) or use a color wheel to find your shade. Hit save, and voilà—the template updates wherever that color appears! So if pink was set as color number three and you change it to blue, every pink element instantly becomes blue. It’s fast and super cool.

If you’re torn between templates because you love one color palette but prefer another template’s structure, reach out to us! For example, if you like the colors in the "Jena" template but prefer the layout of the "Gabby" template, email us. We’ll happily send you the color and font info for one template, so you can easily apply it to the other. It takes just a few minutes, and you get the best of both worlds without compromising on design.

3. Changing the Fonts Is Also Easy, but Will Require Some Realigning and Resizing

Third thing to know when choosing the best Showit template for your business: changing the fonts is also easy, though it requires a bit more tweaking than colors. Like with colors, you’ll find font settings in the same "Global Design Settings" area, where you can switch them out with one click. This change will apply across your entire website wherever that font appears.

However, fonts do render differently, so after you change them, you may need to adjust the alignment and sizing in certain areas. For example, if the title font size in the template is set to 40, it might fit perfectly with the original font but look huge or awkward with a new font. So, while fonts are easy to change, you’ll likely need to make some tweaks afterward.

That said, you might want to weigh fonts a bit more in your decision than colors. My templates usually come with free fonts, but when I use a paid font, I always include info for purchasing the web license, typically under $40. So, you won’t face any surprises or need to spend much extra. Just be mindful that, if you’re shopping around, some templates could require expensive paid fonts, which might unexpectedly add to your overall cost.

4. Think About Your Own Content and Photos in the Template and Which One Feels Like a Better Fit for You

Next, think about how your own content and photos will look in the template. Imagine how the structure and fonts align with your brand style. Photos especially play a big role in shaping a template’s vibe, and people don’t talk about this enough. Try to picture your brand photos in the template—whether you’re planning a photoshoot or using existing images—and see if they’ll complement the design.

If you want inspiration, check out my showcase page. You’ll find hundreds of examples of customers using various templates. Plus, you can filter by template name or industry to see how people have customized colors, fonts, and photos. For instance, if you like the "Gabby" template, you can browse examples to see how others have adapted it for their brand.

Remember, it’s all customizable, so if there’s one small thing you’re not in love with, it’s probably an easy fix.

5. Ignore The Order Of A Page, How a Page is Being Used, Or If A Specific Page is Missing

Let me explain this one. Remember, while you're focusing on layout, structure, and fonts, don’t get too hung up on the exact order of sections on a page, how each page is used, or even if a page you need is missing from the template.

Here’s why:

Showit templates are organized by pages, and within each page are sections called “canvases.” Canvases are like building blocks for each page—they’re super easy to move around, delete, or even transfer to different pages. So if you see a service page, for example, and think, “I’d rather have this section at the bottom,” no problem! You can drag and drop canvases in seconds to customize your layout.

Also, don’t worry about how the template uses a page. If the service page, for instance, has filler content geared toward a different service, just remember that everything is customizable, and you can make it your own.

And if you need more pages than the template includes, Showit lets you add as many as you want. For example, if you want separate portfolio pages for each photography style but the template only has one, you can duplicate that page layout as many times as you need. You could even take the structure of your About page and repurpose it for something entirely different, like a podcast page.

In short, you have complete flexibility. Even though a template might start with 15 pages, you’re never limited to that. With Showit, customization is easy and nearly endless!

6. Take My Website Personality Quiz

If you’ve been following the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention this, but I created a quiz to match you with a website personality profile. Based on your results, you’ll get template recommendations that fit your style, plus free Canva templates and a discount code for my Showit templates.

The quiz is designed not just around your personal style but ALSO around what will appeal to your clients and potential customers. I also include tips for each personality type to help you get the most out of your choice.

As a bonus tip, if you’re stuck between a few templates or need more personalized advice, feel free to email us! We offer awesome support, even if you’re not a customer yet.

7. Sometimes Choosing a Designer Who You Trust and Like Their Style Is a Good First Step

Seventh tip for picking the best Showit template: sometimes it’s easier to choose a designer you trust first, and then select from their templates. Rather than searching through all the Showit templates available and feeling overwhelmed, finding a designer whose style you connect with can narrow down your options and make the process a lot smoother.

Not all good-looking templates are functional behind the scenes. Some cheap templates may look amazing but are tough to customize or lack quality in design. Plus, many of these templates don’t support good SEO, don’t come with training, and offer no customer support. This can turn a seemingly great-looking template into a frustrating purchase. I talked about that last week!

By starting with a designer you trust, you can feel more confident that their templates are well-made, user-friendly, and come with the resources and support you need.

Choosing the Best Showit Website Template

In the end, choosing the right template comes down to picking a designer you trust, finding a layout you like, and remembering that most other elements can be customized.

When all else fails, go with your gut. If there’s a template you keep coming back to, even if another one has a single feature that’s tempting you, trust your instincts and go for the one that feels right.

Lastly, I also have a Black Friday surprise for you! If you’re excited to shop but don’t feel ready to pick a template by the end of the sale, you can use my new “Save Now, Choose Later” option. This lets you lock in Black Friday discounts and bonuses but delay your choice until as late as 2025! So, you can take advantage of the deal now, enjoy the holiday season, and pick your template whenever you’re ready. For more info, head here!

Links Mentioned:

Get on the waitlist for my Black Friday sale

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The post How to Choose the Best Showit Template for Your Business (WITH EASE) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Do This ONE THING To Your Website to Increase Bookings, Revenue, and Email Sign Ups (Takes 30 Minutes or Less)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 8 minutes

In this short episode, I’m spilling ONE thing you need to do to your website this week that will help you increase bookings, increase sales, increase your email sign ups, increase affiliate revenue — ALL OF IT. And the best part? Is that it will take you around 30 minutes (or LESS) to do. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. I promise. But this is something I literally have never heard anyone else talk about YET is something I do regularly to improve my content. Let’s get into it!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 291!

As this episode airs, I'm actually speaking today at Showit’s Spark conference about affiliate marketing! And this episode is actually a tip taken from that presentation. This tip, although shared in an affiliate marketing context today at Spark, really applies to ALL parts of your business. Here are the steps!

Here’s what you should do to your website to increase bookings, revenue, and email signups: Sign onto Google Search Console to find out which blog posts on your website are ranking well on Google and then improve those blogs drastically in some really specific revenue generating ways!

So, that’s the overview of what you’re doing. But I’m going to jump into the “how” for the rest of this episode but first, I just want to remind you that we want to work with what’s already working for you. Too often with content creation, it’s always “write a new blog”, “make a new Instagram post”, “record a new podcast episode”, etc. Most of the time though, we ignore the content that is already out there in the world working for us!

One of my best secrets to having a profitable business while working part time hours right now is THIS. Make what’s working, work better.

How To Do This to Your Website to Increase Bookings

First of all, use Google Search Console! It’s a great free tool by Google. Similar to analytics, but different. If you don’t have it set up, make sure to do that now!

Login to Google Search Console, and on the sidebar go to “Performance” > “Search Results” > then “Pages”.

Now, you’ll see your top ranking pages. For our purposes, you want to focus on the pages that are BLOG POSTS.

You can sort this to be top ranking blogs in whatever time period you want. I like to look at a longer timeframe, like over 3 months for example. You’ll see the clicks and impressions for each post, then you can click straight over to your blog post from there!

Now for how to update them.

Update Those Blogs On Your Website to Increase Bookings

Next, it’s time to choose which blog posts you're going to update. You can update all of them or just start with the first one. I get that updating them ALL starts to sound like a bigger undertaking.

I’d recommend starting with the one that relates most to actual things about your business. For example, you might have a post that ranks the BEST but isn’t going to be traffic that wants to buy from you at all, and that could be one to skip. Not always though, because I have a lot of motherhood/personal posts that rank well that I do make money from with affiliate links!

As you do updates, think about cold traffic versus warm traffic.

Here Is a List of Things You May Want To Update

1. Look at the images

Do you have more up-to-date or better photos you can add to the blog post since when you first published it? Look through the images, whether it's the featured images or just images that are in the blog post itself. Can you update any of them to make them better and more compelling?

2. Affiliate links

So this was a huge part of what I talked about in my Spark presentation, but update any relevant mentions of companies you're an affiliate for with affiliate links. So maybe in this well-ranking blog post you're writing about Showit versus Wix and you actually did not use your Showit affiliate link or Wix affiliate link anywhere in the blog post. That's a great opportunity. Hyperlink the text for whichever company you're an affiliate for (or if you're an affiliate for both) to that through your affiliate link. And you can also add a blurb about whatever your discount code is for it.

3. Add a Call To Action To Work With You

Add a call to action to work with you somewhere in the blog post. Maybe it's at the end, maybe it's at the very beginning, maybe it's mid post and you do a little call out. Add in a call to action to go to whatever page makes sense for working with you.

4. Add a Call To Action To Your Relevant Paid Offer

This one is similar, but add a call to action to your relevant paid offer. So for me, it might be a blog post that relates to stuff for designers where I say, “Hey, you're a designer looking to build an in-demand branded website design business, check out my course Booked Out Designer.” Maybe it's through a graphic, or maybe it's just text.

5. Add An Email Form Directly Into The Blog Post For An Opt-in That’s Relevant To This Post

The next tip for your website to increase bookings is to add an email form, like an email opt-in form directly into the blog post, ideally towards the top. So basically, look at your posts and see if you have a freebie already that is relevant, even if it's not a perfect match. Do you have anything that someone coming from Google might want? I bet you do!

Another thing you could even consider is whether or not you could make a freebie that compliments this well ranking blog post. Maybe you look at your freebie list and you're like, “wait, that would be awesome but I don't have any freebies that relate whatsoever to this blog post.” Maybe you could make one that compliments it (like a checklist or a workbook that goes with whatever the content is).

Adding the email form directly into the blog post has been one one website tweak that has just skyrocketed email opt-ins for me. And again, it's just making what is already working work better for you. I literally just add the opt-in and then you can literally see that web traffic and email opt-ins are coming from those blog posts.

6. Add An Exit Intent Pop Up Using a Tool Like BDOW!

An “exit intent pop up” would be when someone comes from Google and starts reading the blog, and then they go to leave for whatever reason, and then you have a pop up that's super specific to your blog post that encourages them to read something else or opt-in for something. BDOW! is a great tool for doing this (and not just this, like you can set something to pop up once they've scrolled to a certain percentage on a post, for example).

Real quick, I am an affiliate for BDOW!, and if you want to use my code, ELIZABETH, you can get 20% off your subscription. PLUS, I created a new form template for BDOW!. So if you're interested in trying this awesome email marketing tool, I made a form template so you can just add it to your account and customize it and have your first form. This could literally be the base for your exit intent popup. Head here to get it!

7. Add a Graphic To Promote An Offer

Graphics just embedded within the blog post can be really huge for making people take action towards something else. So again, this would open a new window, but maybe it's for an affiliate of yours, and the graphic is saying, “Hey, get 20% off,” you could embed that in the blog post. This could promote anything! But the idea is, the graphic stops the scroll and gets people’s attention.

8. Link to other relevant and more updated blog posts

Link to other relevant and more updated blog posts. So maybe this blog post that's getting a lot of traffic is not your most recent thing on this particular topic. You can link within your blog post “if you want to read more click here.” Encourage people to go other places and then maybe those blog posts better sell your services and things like that.

9. Update The Words

So first, I would encourage you to read this blog post. And then maybe as you read it, you realize like, wait, I have things to say on this topic that I didn't have to say back then. And again, this will vary depending on the post itself. But read it and decide what you could shift within your writing without hurting the SEO. So likely you'd want to avoid updating any major headings, but within your paragraph copy, see if there's something you can add or update.

This has actually been one of the biggest things I've done when I've gone and updated my old blogs that are ranking. Sometimes I will feel like, “Wait, I have a new perspective on this because I've changed as a person because my business has grown and I'm different than when I first wrote this thing that's ranking.” That’s normal and encouraged!

10. Add a Blurb About You

Add a little blurb about you to your blog posts on your website to increase bookings. So this could again be an interrupter within the copy or be something that happens at the very end of the post, but just add some information about you. Even something simple like, “Hey, thanks for reading this blog. My name's Elizabeth. Here's a bit about what I do. Click here to work with me,” with a photo of you. I think that can be really powerful.

To take it up a notch, you can also think about linking out to your social media. Or link to your About page or work with you page. But just adding some information to encourage this new “cold traffic reader” that came from Google to get to know you and your business better.

11. Link to Your Podcast or YouTube Channel

Next, link to your podcast or YouTube channel if you have one to encourage people to go over there too. So again, this could be at the end, this could be a button, this could be an interrupter in the middle of the post that says, “Hey, enjoying this blog post. You'd love my YouTube channel.” That sort of thing could be really, really awesome (and so easy to do!).

12. Add Images To It That Someone Could Easily Pin to Pinterest

Last but not least, add images for someone to pin to Pinterest. So this could be something you add just at the very end of the post (like one or two long vertical images) that are meant for someone to pin to Pinterest. Because again, if this post is ranking well, this might also be something where people are wanting to save it and pin over to Pinterest. So that can just be another way to optimize it.

Ready to Improve Your Website to Increase Bookings?

Finally, I want to just encourage you that you do not need to do all of those. In fact, if you actually did ALL of this in one post, your blog post would probably start to look kind of crazy. For me, I do have a wide variety of things that I do to update well-performing blog posts and what I do depends on the content that does rank well in my business.

Also know that this list isn't extensive. You might, as you start looking at your blog posts, think of something that I should have had on that list. I just want to encourage you to try this, set a timer for yourself and go update the content piece and then count it as done for now.

Links Mentioned:

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The post Do This ONE THING To Your Website to Increase Bookings, Revenue, and Email Sign Ups (Takes 30 Minutes or Less) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

3 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Hit Record On My First Podcast Episode

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Are you a new podcaster? Or maybe you’re thinking about starting a podcast but maybe you’re hung up on the logistics? Is it on your list for 2025 marketing goals? Whatever your situation is, if you’re thinking about starting a podcast (or are still in the early stages), this episode is for you! I’m sharing my top tips for new podcasters based on my 5.5 years (289 shows later!) of podcasting. Basically, these are the things I wish I knew before I hit record on my very first podcast episode.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 289!

1. Invest In Good Audio Quality

This is a mistake I see too many new podcasters make. You think — I don’t want to invest money in equipment if this thing doesn’t take off. Or maybe you think, “I’ll buy a mic AFTER I get through my first 10 or so episodes.” While I totally see where you’re coming from, that’s a bad plan. Because the truth is, if your audio is bad, it doesn't matter how good the content is, people won’t want to listen.

So, you’re essentially shooting yourself in the foot before you even get started.

Plus, I’d add that I think some people have a false perception that podcast equipment is really expensive and confusing to use. I actually think I thought that when I started too. I don’t consider myself a techy person. But my mic that I started my show with (and still use today) was around $60 and it’s WONDERFUL. My whole equipment set up is under $100 total (you can find what I use in this free podcast equipment guide here!).

So, even if you’re not “all in” on your show but you have decided to start it, invest in your audio quality. And say you do “quit the show” (I hope you don’t, but if that happens)... then you can use the mic for other things in your business, like being a guest on a podcast, guest speaking, making your meetings with clients higher quality, YouTube videos, etc. It’s never going to be a bad investment (especially at $60).

2. Get over how you sound, and get it out there!

Just about every new podcaster is self conscious about their voice and how they sound. You’ll likely say “um” more, need to start over often, may talk in a weird cadence or sound like you’re reading a script. That’s very normal, especially in the beginning. You do not need to have a perfect radio voice to have a successful podcast, and your voice confidence will grow over time!

For example, in Podcast Success Blueprint, I have a whole lesson all about developing your “podcast voice” that will definitely help you if you’re a new (or even established) podcaster.

I think your delivery does matter, but it is something that truly grows over time and with practice! In fact, to show you what I mean, I shared a few seconds of my very first episode. So if you want to find out what I sounded like 280+ episodes ago, you’ll have to tune in!

To be fair, I also sound a lot younger there and was less confident on things. But it’s still something to know that you will get better over time! But something I’ve seen podcasters do is record and re-record and re-record their first few episodes and over-edit them and stress over them forever and then never launch.

I get it. It’s intimidating. But just get it out there. You likely won't love how you sound in your first few episodes, you might make some mistakes, and that’s ok!

A little bonus tip: I also recommend launching your show with THREE episodes at once ideally too to get people some content to binge all at once, and this gives you three tries.

From there, record the first episode (01) LAST in your lineup of recordings! Often, episode 1 feels really intimidating and is often your personal story to some extent, which is harder to record, so do it last and release the first three together.

3. Do podcasting YOUR WAY, with your unique spin, perspective, and voice.

This one is more mindset than actionable, but trust me, you need this tip.

You likely are starting a podcast because you’re someone who enjoys listening to podcasts. I was! I was a huge podcast fan. I just want to encourage you, in order to really develop your own unique perspective and podcast voice, to consider stopping listening or reducing listening to whatever shows that are within your exact niche, at least a little bit as you're starting your show.

Why?! Because it gives you fewer thoughts in your mind about what everyone else is saying in your space and instead just leaves you with what you’re learning, who you want to interview, etc.

This doesn’t mean you have to stop all together or you never look at anything that person does, but you’re removing distractions.

Further to this point: don’t make a podcast that is just like everyone else’s. Don’t be afraid to share your UNIQUE perspective. Podcasting is a personal brand business by default, and people are coming to hear you speak (or interview). So interview the way you want, share your thoughts on things the way you want, and don’t feel like your content has to be the same as everyone else’s.

Some people believe podcasting is oversaturated. It’s totally not. You can quote me on that.

I truly believe audio is the medium of the now and the future. I would even just point to, and you can kind of do a quick Google search on this, but how big audiobooks have grown and are continuing to grow. As an example, Harry Potter, that whole book series is being rerecorded in a new audiobook. There's always been an audiobook for it, but they're rerecording it with a full cast and all the bells and whistles of music and making it like a fully immersive audio experience. My point is, that audiobooks are growing, and podcasts are continuing to grow too. And as podcasts continue to grow, more and more people of all ages are discovering the wonders of listening to podcasts.

Plus, the cool thing too, is that Podcast SEO is always growing and improving making it easier and easier for people to find you STRAIGHT FROM YOUR PODCAST. You don’t need an audience already to have a successful show. With the right topics, getting niche, sharing your own perspective, and focusing on things like great audio… people can find you straight on their podcast app, start listening, and then come to you for other things - like purchases!

Tips for New Podcasters

Don’t forget to grab my FREE podcast equipment guide with everything you need to start your show. Plus. if you want a course to take you step-by-step through the process of starting your own podcast, you need to join Podcast Success Blueprint. I share tips like what I just talked to you about in this episode and SO MUCH MORE.

It really is an A to Z of getting your show off the ground and then not only getting it launched but also making quality content, being a good interviewer, recording great solo episodes, monetizing your podcast through things like ads, and promoting your own content, how to market your show—the list goes on and on! There's also a Facebook group with it to get support from myself and other community members in that way. I’d love to support you inside!

Links Mentioned:

Grab my FREE Podcast Equipment Guide

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The post 3 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Hit Record On My First Podcast Episode appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Strategies and Trends for Creating (and Selling) Successful Online Courses in 2024 with Mara Kucirek

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 19 minutes

Ready to learn what is really working in online courses in 2024? Whether you're a brand new course creator or you've had lots of success in selling online courses already, this episode has something for you. I'm chatting with Mara Kucirek about all things online courses. Mara is an online course designer, launch strategist and the host of the Create a Better Course podcast.

I've personally known Mara online for quite a few years now actually because she's a long time listener of this podcast and ironically, she's actually been in both of my courses (Booked Out Designer and Podcast Success Blueprint) and even my website template course because she's a website template customer as well.

Mara really knows all the things about creating quality courses that give your students wins and help you ultimately grow your business. I actually learned a lot from this interview (as someone who's made courses already and has had success with online courses). So let me just say, regardless of where you are in the “courses stage” of your business, you'll get a lot from this conversation as well.

We talk about things like:

Are courses oversaturated? Are there too many? Is there room for yours?
Online course trends for 2024
How to help people actually finish your course
Launch strategies for online courses
Evergreen selling versus live launching (and which one is right for you!)
How to turn around a failed launch
Refund policies for online courses
Common mistakes people make when selling their courses

And so much more! We really do just do a true deep dive into everything online courses in 2024. So you are going to love this one again, I certainly did.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 261!

Who is Mara Kucirek?

Mara Kucirek is an online course designer, launch strategist and host of the Create a Better Course Podcast. She’s helped over 150+ entrepreneurs launch online courses and digital products. Mara lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, two dogs and brand new baby girl!

First, do you think the online course market is oversaturated?

So, yes it's absolutely true that there are way more online courses in 2024 than there were five years ago. Five years ago when I was setting up online courses, in the launch materials for courses, we used to have to explain what an online course was and how it worked. You no longer have to explain that to people. People know what online courses are. Buyers understand it a lot more, so you don't have to sell yourself in that way where you're explaining what it is. Instead, you're explaining the benefit and the RESULTS that your course will have.

Also, you can get way more specific about your niche now. When I think back even three years ago, if you wanted to create a course, your course had to be super long and there was this idea that it has to cover every “single thing about email marketing”, for example, which is enormous. Now, you could make a course that's about something more like “how do you make fun custom gifs in your email”. So I think it's really cool that people are creating more niche courses now, which leads to much more interesting courses.

So is the market saturated? Yes, but with saturation comes a lot of opportunities. It's also so much easier to make a course nowadays. The advancements in software and technology are so much better. You don't have to be piecing together a bunch of things. I always tell people “it's kind of like if you were a doctor or a lawyer, no one would ever tell you you can't do that. People are already doing that. There's enough of them”. I don't know why in the online course world we do this weird thing where we're like, “oh, that person has a course that's kind of related to what I want to do, so I'm not allowed to do it”. There's space for so many people out there.

What are some online course trends you are seeing now?

I'm such a nerd about this stuff. I had a business friend who was making fun of me about my spreadsheets because I always track different launch results and then things I see people doing. I also am always talking to other business owners and I'm like, “What's working in your business? What's not working?”

In general, I think a BIG online courses in 2024 trend is that everything is shorter. We seem to all not have as much of an attention span or maybe we're just all busier. I don't know exactly what it is, but something I've been seeing a trend of is firstly, shorter launches. It used to be that a 10-day launch was really normal, and then I would say for the last couple of years, a seven-day launch was pretty typical and now I'm seeing three to four-day launches. Sometimes even a 48-hour launch performs a lot better than doing that really big launch where people forget what you're talking about and you're adding a bonus every day.

Then on the flip side of that, shorter courses are more popular. People want the shortcut when you create a course, so while it feels like you should put everything in the course, that honestly overwhelms people. Most people, if you have a course, probably at some point have told you “This looks amazing, but I don't have time to take it”. So you need to address that objection head on.

For a 48 hour launch, would you let people in if they miss the launch?

I'm glad you're asking this because most people do not think this through. You do need a policy in your business for what you're going to do because on the one hand, people want to join your thing and that's amazing. You want the money, you want to help them. But on the other hand, sometimes it is kind of like your mom saying, “oh, if you don't finish your plate, you're not getting dessert”, and then she held that for you, but then your brother didn't eat dinner and got dessert.

I think you need to have a balance of, “it's not fair sometimes to your other customers.” In general, I say stick to your deadline. BUT, recognize that life happens. I've seen emails where someone was in a car accident and couldn't join or their electricity went out. So there's going to be things that come up and I would decide ahead of time what you want to do. Maybe you let them join but they don't get access to a certain bonus.

I do think there's an amount of integrity if you say that there's a deadline, you want to stick to it. Otherwise, you become that person where people are like, “oh, well, they never do the deadlines so I don't need to buy their thing anyway.” Deadlines are very powerful for all of us.

For people who do have courses that are really big (like me!), what are ways that we could help people actually finish it? And then still market the course well and not overwhelm people when it is a bigger course?

I think all of us feel a little bit of online course burnout. I think every business owner has purchased probably multiple courses that they did not finish. First of all, not finishing a course is fine. You probably got the value you needed out of it with the part that you did. I've been on the backend of so many courses. You don't always need to do every single lesson to get the results that you want. So right now, I am giving you permission to give up the shame of all of the courses you didn't finish.

But as a course creator, you do want to encourage and empower your students. We all want a little accountability coach and you cannot personally be there for every single student (that’s unrealistic). But you CAN do things that help make the course easier to consume. Plus, a lot of them are really easy.

Here are some ideas:

If you have video lessons for everything, add handouts to go with them.
Have a way for them to listen to the lessons. So, if your courses are on Kajabi for example, they have an app where your students can just listen to the lessons on the go.
Make sure you have a transcript uploaded because people use that and sometimes don't watch the video.

You also want to think through accessibility. There might be people joining your course where English, for example, is not their first language, a transcript can be really helpful.

Basically, having multiple ways for people to consume the same content is really helpful. People learn in really different ways.

Do you think there is an ideal video length for course lessons? Do you think it's better to do “slides only”, “face to camera”, or “slides with your face down in the corner”?

I usually tell people 10-15 minutes per video with the caveat that it's okay to have some lessons that are longer, especially if it's something in-depth. If you are doing a screen recording of you literally doing something and saying, “Hey, I'm going to record my screen and I'm going to show you exactly how I do the thing that I am teaching you inside of the course” that can be really powerful.

But in general, if your video for a lesson is longer than 15 minutes, I would take a look and just make sure everything in it needs to be in that lesson. Because when I say, “Hey, let's watch a 15 minute video”, most people are like, “okay, yeah, I have 15 minutes”. Once you get to 20-25 minutes, that's when all of our brains just shut off and we feel like we don’t have time for it.

Then, I've looked at research on this and have also seen inside people's actual courses, and have found that people think they need a professional recording studio and that they need to be on camera the entire time and have this amazing set, but the truth is that almost nobody does that.

People don't really learn the best like that either. It's really distracting to watch someone on camera, honestly, and it's really hard to be on camera as the course creator. So my preference is that you come on camera to introduce yourself, and you come on camera every few modules, but you don't stay on camera.

Then yes, you have slides, and you speak over them because then people are paying attention to the content. This way, they also feel like they're not missing something if they look away. If you survey your audience, they're going to be doing something else while they're listening to your course. They're washing the dishes or they're doing their bookkeeping because realistically multitasking is how most of us get things done.

It's also way easier to record when you're not on camera. If you can make a course and you don't need makeup, you don't need to do your hair, you can record any time of the day, it’s going to be easier to get it done. But if you think that you have to look perfect to record a lesson, you're never going to finish your course.

Should we put the length of the video into the title of the lesson?

I always tell people to put the length of the lesson in the lesson. I like to put that everywhere (like also in the email that talks about it or sometimes on the sales page if it makes sense). You can also remind people that you can watch on two times or three times speed. Sometimes people forget that and then they don't realize it's actually not going to take as long as they think.

What are some other online course trends you are seeing now?

I think accountability is a really big one for online courses in 2024. People want some sort of support. There are multiple ways to do this too: you could have coaching calls, a live cohort where you're doing the lessons together, or you could pair up people in your course and have accountability buddies. That could even just be a Facebook thread in your Facebook group that's like, “Hey, do you need an accountability buddy? Post where you're at and what time zone you're in” and then let people match up themselves. But anything like that, that feels like it's going to help people take action, is definitely a good idea.

Silent Coworking for Accountability

One thing that we recently added to one of my client's courses, it's so simple, but it's been so effective, is silent coworking sessions. In these sessions, you can come on Zoom, and no one talks. These aren’t the same as a training, because as a course creator, a lot of people do monthly coaching calls, which is great, but they can be really exhausting to actually execute. If you have to show up and teach a bunch of people every month and then answer all of their questions, that's not always realistic. But if you say, I'm going to be on Zoom for an hour, I'm not going to say anything, we're just going to play music and all we're going to do is work on the course, that’s actually really valuable for people.

It also doesn’t have to be the course creator leading these Zoom calls. It can be a team member. In fact, sometimes that even works better because sometimes your team members are a little more “in the thick of it” than the course creator. You might not remember where every lesson is, but whoever is responding to your customer service emails about your course, probably off the top of their head knows where that template you mentioned is or where something else is.

It's also kind of cool and fun behind the scenes to see someone else's team. I've done that for some clients where I led the coworking session and people just thought it was fun and different. So either way, again, it's not always sustainable as a course creator to be the one. It's more important to create valuable ways to support your students than be the one doing everything.

Adding DFY Templates to Your Course

Finally, and this one has always been popular but even more so now for online courses in 2024, is including some sort of done-for-you template(s). Ideally, something that is like two clicks of a button and they can use it. For example, think of any software that's related to your course. So maybe if you were a photographer, you have a Dubsado invoice or proposal that comes with your course. That way, people are learning the thing, but then they actually have something tangible to go use and implement.

A lot of the times when I do “why did you buy” surveys, which are so powerful by the way, people will often say something weirdly specific like one line on the sales page or one bonus. A lot of them will say the Canva templates that came with the course pushed me over the edge or the Dubsado proposal or the scripts that you use to pitch potential sponsors. Anything like that is so valuable to people because it helps them implement it right away. I recommend asking people “why they bought” later on when you are asking them for a testimonial. You don’t want to ask them to fill out a long survey before they’ve even started the course because that could lead to overwhelm.

You talk about the importance of learning WHY they bought, do you recommend sending out those surveys asking people why they did NOT buy?

I am into that although sometimes it extends your launch period, so be careful you're not annoying people. If it's a shorter launch, I think it's better. If you did a 10 day launch and then you have a down sell and then you ask them to fill out the survey and then maybe there's something else, people honestly get annoyed. So at the very least, maybe give them an option at the top of the email saying “hey, this is still about my course, I hope I’m not bothering you but click here if you don’t want to hear about it anymore.” I do think it’s nice because the answers can be really powerful. Most of the time, people say two things: they don’t have the money right now, or they don’t have the time.

Switching to selling now, do you prefer a live launch or evergreen model for selling online courses in 2024?

So in general, I think deadlines are very helpful. Live launches, where there's a cart open and you can't join anytime, seem to perform better. Now that is not to say you have to launch. I have also seen people who do only evergreen funnels because live launching totally stresses them out and they also make very good money (we're talking six figures to a million dollars). So whatever you want to do is totally okay. I think the reason live launches seem to do better is a lot of people who are on evergreen don't remember how to talk about their course. It feels weird to keep talking about your course. It can feel braggy. But remember, people in your audience genuinely do not always know about your course.

I've had people come to me and be like, “Mara, my course is not selling in evergreen”. Then, I go to their website and I'm like, “what is your course? I don't see anything about it on social media. I don't see a link at the top of your website”. And then they're like, “oh, well it's mentioned one time in the welcome email”. And I'm like, “why did you think anyone was going to buy based off of that?”

So both live launching and evergreen models work with online courses in 2024, but if you're on evergreen, I just think that you need to be very mindful that novelty is huge. Our brains love new and exciting things. So if you're on evergreen, do things like adding new bonuses and talking about your course regularly (like before you hop on a coaching call or when you’re updating a lesson).

One of my hesitations with a live launch model is the idea that someone could find my course at the time they are ready to go “all in” on their design business or start a podcast, and if I’m on a waitlist until the next launch, they might just buy from someone else. Do you have any advice around that?

This is a huge thing you have to think through because it does matter what your course is about. The last thing you want is to have someone find your course and have it not be open so they just go and join someone else’s. So I do think it’s important to ask yourself how people are going to be finding you. If you are on the live launch model, something you can do to prevent this is to create really good freebies So make sure you have ways to help people for free so that when they find you, you have enough content that'll help them. Ideally, that helps them enough to where they can wait for your course.

What other mistakes do you see people make when trying to sell their course?

A big live launch mistake that I see all the time is people changing what they're doing to launch when they're launching. So you'll be in the middle of a launch, you wrote all your emails, you have them scheduled, and then there's this crazy thing that happens where at night your brain is going to go crazy and it's going to tell you to change the price of your course, to add a new bonus, to rewrite all of your emails. I see so many people fall into this trap, and then what happens is they make this crazy Frankenstein launch that starts to not make sense because you added a new bonus or you said something weird in the email that didn't make sense because you wrote it at 12:00 AM. Don't fall into the launch craziness. I think it's better to work your plan and then any fancy stuff you want to do, put it on your shiny object list for the next launch and you can try it.

I see so many people who mess with their launch during the launch and then they're like, “well, no one bought”. I've seen people change the name of their course in the middle of the launch, which is just wild. How do people know what they're buying?

I've also seen people who have just made up a bonus and emailed it out. If you think of a bonus and it is genuinely helpful to your audience, add it, that is totally okay, but don't just be making up stuff at 5:00 PM at night and then your team is mad behind the scenes because they got some random email about something that they didn't know was going to exist.

Next, I've seen people also extend the cart five times. It's okay to let your cart close, take the lessons that you need to take from the launch, and try again. I'm going to tell you, as someone who has launched so many courses, the first launch is kind of painful. I think every course creator has some story at some point in their career, so do not be intimidated by that because having a course is about exponential growth. It compounds over time, but it's really hard to see that when you're in the beginning of the course creation process.

What are some ways that you could turn a launch around when it’s going poorly? Or even set expectations before a launch so that you're not on that hamster wheel of disappointment and/or excitement?

It is a total hamster wheel. Launching is kind of crazy, which is why evergreen is a thing, because live launching will drive some people absolutely crazy. If that's your personality type, I'm giving you permission to never live launch. You can still be successful.

But if you are launching and you're like, “okay, we're not seeing sales, we need to do some sort of pivot”, I like to think through small changes you can make. Could you add something around money like a different type of payment plan? That's usually something that's really easy to tweak.

Another thing you can do, and this depends on the size of your list, but go back to basics. Can you look at who clicked on your sales page? Can you record them a really short loom video that's like, “Hey, Elizabeth, I noticed you clicked. I've got some extra time after dinner. I just wanted to see if you had any questions”. Literally a 30-second video. You don't even have to do that to everyone. You could do that to five people that you randomly picked off of your sales page clickers list.

It's really powerful. It reminds them that you are a real person, paying attention to them. Then, whatever they say, if they do ask a question, it might be really helpful. They might tell you, “I was going to buy, but then I clicked the checkout button and it was kind of weird and I wasn't sure if this was a real checkout”.

I see a lot where people are on the fence and they're like, “well, I want to try it, but you didn't say, if I get a refund, if I don't like it”, and you didn't say anything about a refund on the sales page. So little tweaks like that, instead of trying to blow up your entire launch, can be great. You can even just get on Instagram and do an AMA (ask me anything). And then you can just ask questions and be a real human to people.

How do we use the refund policy as a selling point for the course if we do have a strong refund policy?

First of all, you want to think through if you are giving refunds or not in general for a course. I think having a refund period, which usually I say 14 days, is the sweet spot (but it does depend). I've seen a lot of people who do three days but that usually is too short and creates a bunch of customer service issues where people feel like they barely had time to login, nevermind make a decision. Whereas if they haven’t logged in within 14 days, they probably were never going to. Compare that with people who give a month, which feels very long. I think if you want to leverage your refund policy, let people know that this is a trial run.

I also think that it’s important to think through when someone asks you for a refund, are you going to make them jump through any hoops? I don't know if you've ever been a part of a course where if someone asks for a refund, they have to submit their homework or even record a loom video on why they didn’t like the course. It’s wild.

If you have an online course, getting asked for a refund IS going to happen. I am telling you, if it hasn't happened already, it's going to happen and most likely it will have nothing to do with you or just it wasn't the right time for the person (like they didn’t have time to log in or they’re stressed about money). Don't freak out about it.

I think it's very important to be very clear on what the refund policy is. Is it truly a “no questions asked” refund policy or is it like you're going to have to show your work (or have watched all of module one).

And then when they do ask for the refund, just say, absolutely. I am more than happy to give you the refund (if that’s your policy) and say something like, “I'm so sorry it wasn't a good fit. Can you just tell me a little more about what your goals in joining were?” And just be curious. Sometimes responding as a real person or someone on your team is all they need. Or they might have feedback like “I couldn’t find this thing” and when you show them where it is, they might not need a refund.

Yeah, that's all such great advice. I always like to tell people with digital products in general that if you never get a refund request, it's because you're not reaching enough people who are actually willing to take the risk and buy. So it's a negative thing. If you never have a lot of sales and you've never gotten a refund request, it means you're probably not making as many sales as you could potentially.

Do you think it’s okay to ask people to fill out a form to get a refund?

A form is 100% the way to go because it does streamline the refund process. So what we're talking about here is if someone requests a refund (either there's a way inside of the course or when they email customer service), they just fill out a form that asks a few questions like what their name is and what their experience was because that data is really helpful. So I do think ask questions.

I've just seen people make it so challenging to get a refund. They basically made it impossible and then it made the person really mad, which as a business owner, sometimes the best answer is to let someone go.

Switching gears, you started your podcast in 2023, what made you decide to join Podcast Success Blueprint?

Yes, I already had a podcast when I joined. If Elizabeth had a course about how to start a podcast, when I launched my podcast, I would've purchased it. But you didn't have it quite yet. I wanted to grow my podcast because truly it has been such an amazing thing for my business (I didn't realize all of the benefits of having a podcast that goes beyond just the clout of having a podcast, but when people listen to you, they connect with you). People want to know that you’re a real human and having a podcast and sharing that with people is really helpful.

Back to your question, there are a lot of podcast courses out there, but pretty much all of them are about how to launch your podcast and then they just stop. Your course is not like that at all. It has all of the launching stuff, which is super helpful. I've listened to some of it thinking, “I should have done some of it that way back before, but it's okay”.

But when I decided to join your course, I was thinking about how it really was a long-term decision. Your course walks through all of the kind of messy stuff that happens later on like: how you schedule interviews, how you deal with the 10 million tasks that come with having a podcast, how you promote it on social media, how you write all of the graphics, etc.

I have a four-month-old. I do not have time to figure this out on my own. So I just wanted a course that I could basically copy and paste (as an example, I completely bootlegged your garage band settings). And the next day I had an episode go live with the new settings, I had someone comment on it. I can’t believe they noticed!

Rapid Questions with Mara Kucirek

What is an unpopular opinion you have about the online course industry?

So I have a lot, but one that came to mind is expiring courses. I don't like them. I personally prefer lifetime access, but there are people out there who really push that when you have a course, you need to give people 3-6 months to do it, and then their access expires and then they need to rebuy it. People say that this pushes people to have more accountability to finish the course. For example, when I bought Podcast Success Blueprint, I think I was like 39 weeks pregnant the first time you launched it. So I did not watch a lot of lessons then, but over Christmas, I went and I binged a bunch of stuff. So I think it's totally normal that when people buy your course, they're not going to do all of the things right away. I think expiring access is overhyped.

You write really great email subject lines. Do you have a tip for people on how you do that?

I'm going to give one that's really actionable. Sometimes with subject lines, people say something that's confusing or more abstract. Something I actually do is when I am writing the email is I send myself a test email. I “rapid fire style” send myself at least three test emails. All of them are different subject lines. I change maybe what word is capitalized, or the emoji, or say something completely different. Then I go look in my super ridiculously crowded inbox and I see which one of those three I noticed first. Seeing your email in ConvertKit or Active Campaign is totally different than a crowded inbox. So I look and I see, oh, my eye was drawn to that really weird subject line where I had four dots in a row compared to the one with an exploding head emoji.

As for ideas, I have a folder in my Gmail and when I open an email, I move it to that folder. So I have a folder of just interesting things I open. I look in there a lot. If I think of something, I will write it down. Another weird thing I do is sometimes I think about what I wish someone else's subject line would be. I love reading your emails too, Elizabeth, so using you as an example I would think, “what do I wish you would write an email about, and then what would the subject line be?”’

Connect with Mara Kucirek

Yes. So probably the best spot is to subscribe to my podcast. I have a ton of episodes about online course stuff, and I also have done a bunch of episodes about running a business as a service provider who sets up online courses for people. So I do a bunch of money episodes, income reports, and then I've been talking a lot about being a new mom because that's a whole new thing for me this year where I’m learning how to have a business and also have a tiny baby who's super adorable but wants all of my time. You can also find me on my website here!

Links Mentioned:

Watch the Episode on Youtube

Check out Thrivecart

Get a Free Trial of Kajabi

Check Out Podcast Success Blueprint

Join me inside Booked Out Designer

Listen to the Create a Better Course Podcast with Mara (here's Elizabeth's episode!)

Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram

Connect with Mara on Instagram

Check Out Mara’s Website

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The post Strategies and Trends for Creating (and Selling) Successful Online Courses in 2024 with Mara Kucirek appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

4 Ways to Bring God into Your Business as a Christian Business Owner (Part One)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Today’s episode is inspired by a question I got over and over again in my audience survey last year because a lot of you guys are like me. You want to bring God into your business as a Christian business owner. You are a personal brand business or other type of business but you are not a ministry, and what you do may have literally nothing to do with your faith on paper, but you ARE a Christian business owner and your faith is an important part of who you are and how you show up in the world. It also informs the decisions you make in your business, both the big ones and the small ones.

But maybe you feel like your faith is a secret because you don't know if it's okay to share it as a business owner and you're worried you'll alienate clients or customers who disagree with you. OR - maybe you're feeling like God is calling you to share about your faith, but you're not sure what that looks like when you’re a photographer or a designer (for example!).

So in this episode, I'm sharing four ways to bring your faith in Christ into your everyday work life as a business owner. And stay tuned - we are also doing a part two of this next week where I'm sharing four more ways. Let’s get into it!

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First, I believe that we are not all called to ministry as Christians. But we are all called to be ministers of Christ in our lives and work, regardless of our literal career. I still remember being in high school in Sunday school and having our teacher ask us what we think we want to do when we get older, and I still remember so many of the other girls saying they wanted to be missionaries, or work at a church, or start a non-profit, etc.

At the time, I felt so alone in that I did not feel like God was calling me to overseas ministry or to work at a church or anything like that. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but didn’t feel like that was it.

Flash forward to today, I married someone who did work in ministry for over 5 years for a non-profit Christian ministry and I volunteered in that ministry for 7 years. So I’ve been in that world, intensely so, while running my very “not ministry” business. And while running this business, I’ve also known that I want to talk about my faith sometimes as I feel so called and I don’t want to hide that I’m a Christian. I don’t want my faith life to be separate from my business. I don’t want to live with parts of me in neat little boxes. Maybe you can relate?!

The problem is it can feel hard to figure out how to do it all. So that’s what I want to talk about today: 4 ways that you can integrate your faith and your business.

1. Tithing BIGGER as your business gets bigger.

This is a private way to integrate your faith into your business, but SO REAL when you want to bring God into your business. By tithing, we put money in its place in an industry where it is so easy for money to become an idol. With “6 figure this,” “7 figure that,” “become wealthy this way,” and “buy this course and you’ll make $100k in 6 months,” and so much other stupid (and dishonest) marketing, it’s hard to not let chasing money become everything.

By giving generously you can work towards putting money lower in your world (when it comes to your priorities). By tithing generously, you’re giving back to God what’s his, and really separating your money from “your worth”. Obviously, you're helping other people when you give money to different organizations and to the local church and things like that, but it also impacts you and your relationship with God and your relationship with your business. It is huge for your own personal health to give away money.

I think tithing is amazing, and I love that the Bible calls us to tithe percentage-based, so as your income grows, this number can change. There’s no set dollar amount, When you make more, you can tithe more. Or lower months, that number will naturally be less.

In addition to your local church, I highly recommend tithing to a non-profit that has a mission you feel like you can get behind and your heart feels drawn to (whether that’s foster care, or sex trafficking, or homelessness).

I personally don’t tithe from my business (unless I’m corporate sponsoring a non profit event). This is something I do from our personal finances. And again, you can give to multiple non-profits and organizations. But if you are not tithing from what you make in your business, I just encourage you to pray about this and see what God is leading you to in terms of places and ways to give.

When you are really attached to your money and in scarcity, you’ll probably never feel like you have “enough money to go around” to tithe. There is never enough when you’re in a scarcity mindset, so if that’s where you are, you’ve got to get out of that.

2. Being generous with a client/customer who is in a tough situation.

This generosity can come in a lot of different ways. I’m putting this one right after tithing because it relates! But as a Christian business owner, you can share your faith in a very subtle way just by being generous with your clients/customers when they’re going through something.

This could look like something little like when a client is having a bad day, you send a Starbucks gift card. Or you let a customer pause their payment plans as they get through a rocky time. We’ve had customers who are in rough situations and I don’t think they’re trying to just take advantage and we’ll let them pause payment plans. I had a customer about a year ago who was going through a tough divorce and I sent her a note and gift card to Target.

3. Pray for your customers and clients.

Similarly, praying for customers and clients can be a great way to bring God into your business. There are so many people that you probably frequently interact with through your business but they are not in your everyday life. It can be easy to “forget them” because you only communicate on zoom calls or over the internet. But one way to integrate your faith and business is to pray for your customers and clients often.

This can look like prayer journaling about them by name. It can look like a client of yours who is having a bad month, and not just sending them a sweet note, but actually praying for them.

Something I like to do is pray over customers when they buy. And you might be wondering, what do you pray for? That they’ll find favor with your product or service. That it will go smoothly, that they’ll have wins. I often literally pray that people will be able to customize their Showit template. With my new podcast course, I was praying over every new student that they would be able to have a HUGE WIN from the course, and learn something, and have the time/diligence to take action with it.

This will look different depending on what you do in your work, but this is something we can all do, and it’s something that YES sometimes it might make sense to pray with a client, but you can also do this more privately. Off the top of my head, I don't think I've ever prayed with a client over Zoom or anything like that. This can be private just for you.

4. See yourself as working for the Lord first and foremost.

Colossians 3:23-24 says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

In my personal opinion, this is not an easy perspective to keep in mind. I often will struggle with this, because earthly validation does feel so good. It also feels SO BAD when someone is unhappy with something you create.

But working for God to serve God first is helpful to remember. Plus, when we keep this in mind practically, I think what it looks like is putting our business in its place. It’s so easy for our business to become an idol and this thing we love so much and put before other priorities like our family, health, marriage, etc.

I think this verse and heavenly perspective on our work help to put our business back where it belongs. Tying it back to the first one about tithing, we are in an industry where it can feel really hard to keep that perspective. There is a lot of glorification of hustle culture. If you don't do all the things, then you're not all in on your business. Hearing that, I just want to tell you that you're allowed to work less, take the vacation, take the time off, have a longer quiet time and start work later.

Basically, I would ask God and pray about it. You can also just reflect on your own how you can put your business in its place and get your priorities straight. This is something that you have to do over and over again. It doesn't just happen and it’s unfortunately not a one-time thing.

Moreover, this also makes me think about asking when it comes to your business decisions — ”does this honor the Lord?”, “What reason am I doing this?”, “Is this what I’m being called to?”. These are all helpful questions to ask ourselves often. Another thing I would add is that you're not going to be able to get that clarity from God and get answers to things when you never have moments of silence and quiet in your life. You need quiet time to vision cast for your business. You can’t always be doing the next thing, listening to podcasts, or scrolling on your phone.

Bringing Your Faith Into Your Business

I hope this episode has helped you start to think of more ways you can practically integrate your faith with your business as a Christian business owner. Ask yourself now, which of these resonates with you? Pray about which ones God could be calling you towards and DO IT.

Next week, I’ll be back with 4 more ways to bring God into your business that are completely different from these ones! Stay tuned!

Links Mentioned

Tune Into Episode 42 with Jena Viviano about Sharing Your Faith as a Business Owner

Tune Into Episode 236 with Brooke Jefferson on How We Can Share Boldly in Our Faith