988: How to Know When Change Is Growth vs. Running Away

At some point, you are going to have a fork in the road and choices to make that may leave you wondering what is right for you. I have a lot on my plate at the moment, and it’s bringing up a lot of questions about where my business is going, the kind of products I want to sell, how I want to show up online, and what I want my life to look like. Obviously, I could just keep going as I have been, but I have had this inkling inside of me that something is supposed to change.  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ While I don’t necessarily know what, I know that things are moving in a new direction. During my discovery process of trying to figure these things out, a question came up for me: Am I choosing this change because it’s the right next step, or am I trying to escape something? Is this for growth, or am I running away? Running away from something because it scares you often is the wrong decision, so I spoke to my therapist, who gave me some great advice about this topic, and I wanted to share it with you today.   Episode Highlights Signs That You’re Running Away from Something. [0:03:05]   Indicators of Positive Change. [0:05:41]  How to Know When It’s Both. [0:06:56]  The Number One Thing to Get Clear On. [0:10:32]  When Escaping is Necessary. [0:16:03]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you listen to your innermost thoughts, your best work will come out. In today’s episode, I want to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to write a book proposal and get your book purchased in the traditional publishing world. I want to share a preview of where I am in the process, what is required, and some “words of warning” for things that you may encounter along the way; things I didn’t anticipate and would have appreciated a heads up on!  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ I want to thank my loyal listeners for being part of this space where you can show up fully and share openly. I’d like the Strategy Hour to evolve, so if it’s helped you, please share it with someone else who can benefit from this community.  Episode Highlights Where I am In My Publishing Journey [0:03:00]   What You Need to Know About Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal [0:05:46] Writing on Demand and Finding Inspiration [0:16:38]  Letting Your Work ‘Live’, Grow, and Evolve [0:26:10]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a decade of running a business, I’ve learned that success isn’t about making the “perfect” decision—it’s about resilience, clarity, and leaning into what you do best.  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ In this episode of The Strategy Hour Podcast, I break down the 10 most important lessons from 10 years in business ranging from mindset, leadership, and sustainable growth. You’ll learn why there’s no such thing as a right or wrong decision, how to filter out bad advice, why celebrating yourself is essential, and how to build real community so business doesn’t feel lonely. If you’ve ever searched for entrepreneurship lessons, how to grow a small business, or mindset tips for entrepreneurs, this episode is packed with strategies and reflections to help you build a business—and a life—you truly love. Episode Highlights You’re Capable of More Than You Think. [0:02:10]   There’s No Such Thing as a Right or Wrong Decision. [0:04:22]  Not Everyone’s Advice Is Worth Taking. [0:10:27]  Lean Into What Comes Naturally. [0:12:36]  Sharpen Your Strengths, Not Your Weaknesses. [0:13:41]  Hard Seasons Will Come, But You Can Get Through Them. [0:24:27]  Feedback Isn’t a Personal Attack. [0:26:52]  Two Things Can Be True at Once. [0:31:14]  No One Will Celebrate You Unless You Celebrate Yourself. [0:38:14] Building a Business Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely. [0:42:02]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So many of us think money is the ultimate benchmark for success, but what if we’ve been chasing the wrong thing all along? In today’s episode with Ryann Gillen, we’re pulling back the curtain on the subconscious beliefs that quietly shape the way we do business and often hold us back. Ryann is a transformational leader and mentor with decades of experience building multimillion-dollar sales teams. She now helps ambitious women break through limitations, reclaim their power, and actually enjoy the businesses and lives they’ve built.  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ She did all the things “right,” hit the goals, and still felt something was missing. Sound familiar? Together, we talk about what it means to decouple your self-worth from dollar amounts, why chasing feelings instead of things is the key to freedom, and how nervous system regulation plays a bigger role in business than most people ever admit. Ryann’s energy is magnetic, and I know you’re going to walk away with so many ‘aha’ moments. Let’s dive in!   Episode Highlights From Corporate Sales to Personal Development [0:02:28]   Redefining Success Benchmarks [0:06:25]  Focusing on People and Becoming the Product [0:08:54]  Chasing Feelings, Not Things [0:13:03]  Balancing Gratitude and Desire [0:17:04]  Helping Clients Clarify Their Desires [0:20:43]  Making the Work Feel Worth It [0:26:03]  How to Recentre When You Get Distracted [0:30:31]  The Role of Energetics in Business [0:38:41]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t have to wait for referrals or cross your fingers for a viral post. There’s a simple, repeatable system to grow your list—one I’ve used to build 42,000+ subscribers and turn them into paying clients and students. In this solo workshop, I’m walking you through the exact roadmap, the lead magnets that actually convert, and how to set up steady lead flow (even when life gets busy). Are you at zero or scaling to your next thousand? Connect with Abagail on Instagram Email List Jumpstart We’ll talk about free versus paid entry points, how to stop the “nurture-only” habits that quietly dry up sales, and why mixing active and “set it and forget” strategies is the secret to sustainable growth. The whole goal here is to help you see your email list for what it really is: the most valuable asset in your business, one that can support you when life throws curveballs and still bring in sales while you’re away.  Episode Highlights  Why Email Marketing Still Matters [0:04:27]   The Problem with Running Out of Leads [0:09:04]  The Roadmap to 1,000 Subscribers [0:16:07]  Creating Lead Magnets that Convert [0:21:12]  Lead Generation and Growth [0:30:12]   Email as the Foundation of Freedom [0:38:55]  From Inbox to Income [0:47:36]  Wrapping It All Up [0:59:00]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So many people ask me the same question: “How do I build an email list from scratch?” In this episode, we’re diving into the basics of exactly that! I want to talk about why your email list is one of your most powerful business assets, how it’s the fastest, most direct way to reach your entire audience, how it consistently delivers higher engagement than social media, and how it helps you build genuine relationships that turn into sales.  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ Your email list is yours, it’s not dependent on an algorithm, and it’s the perfect way to nurture leads until they’re ready to convert. And because I want you to see just how powerful this can be, I’ve put together a free resource showing exactly how I added nearly 10,000 new subscribers to my list in just six months. You can grab it at bossproject.com/leads.  Episode Highlights  Selecting an Email Service Provider [0:08:22]   Attracting Leads to Your List [0:20:34]  You Have the Sign Ups, So What Now? [0:28:44]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if I told you that getting lucky on LinkedIn isn’t about luck at all, but rather about a strategy that’s amplified by your authenticity? Today, I’m joined by the founder of Liam’s Brand Stand, Liam Darmody, to discuss how he grew a thriving consultancy and a LinkedIn following of over 45,000 people by simply showing up as himself!  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ In this conversation, we break down his philosophy of ‘manifesting serendipity’, how to turn your LinkedIn profile into a lead-generating landing page, how to build an audience, and how to use tools to scale your presence without losing your personality.  If you’ve been wondering how to market yourself without losing yourself or how to make LinkedIn work for you, then this episode is definitely for you!   Episode Highlights  What It Means to ‘Manifest Serendipity’ [0:05:03]   The Four Pillars of Leveraging LinkedIn Effectively [0:16:30]  Mastering Your Sales Strategy [0:28:48]  Building Connections Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator [0:32:21]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I’m going to drop some knowledge that no other marketers are dropping! You’re going to want to listen, share this episode, and pop me a DM to tell me what you think about it. I have added more than double the number of new subscribers to my list in the past three and a half months than I did all of last year!  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠⁠ Nurturing an email list takes time, and while it will absolutely get you business, cold subscribers will take time to warm up and actually start purchasing from you. But this is a long-term strategy that adds to the stability of your business. Even though attracting subscribers is the topic of discussion for today, I’m going to tell you something controversial: it’s not where I would start when opening a small business! Instead, it’s something I would continue to invest in over time, but it won’t get you that initial attraction.  Episode Highlights  Incorporating Evergreen Training and Trends [0:08:38]   Leveraging Low-Priced Digital Products and a Refresh [0:11:50]  The Power of Research and Generic Sign Ups [0:16:33]  Boosting Leads with an Activation [0:24:38]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready for the wildest ride! I am seeing massive change, growth, and opportunities for small businesses today, and incredible ways to get visible. In today’s episode, I’m going to dig into what it’s like to get paid to grow your email list and how I’ve been using this strategy for almost a decade. Get Digital Product Jumpstart Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠  I’m ready to reveal what I’ve been doing and how I’ve been doing it, and give you guys the roadmap so that you can follow it step by step. It has been revolutionary to my business, and an incredible way to see consistent growth. I definitely think it’s going to solve the leads problem so many businesses encounter! Let’s dive in.  Episode Highlights  The One Thing Holding Businesses Back From Financial Freedom [0:09:11]   What To Do Instead of Having To Start All Over Again [0:13:18]  How I Went From Blissed Out to Burned Out and Back Again. [0:16:06] Why You Need to Join Digital Product Jumpstart Today [0:21:25]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I want to dig into how I would start a business if there’s no existing audience — how I would get off the ground, how we would get momentum, how I would create a community of people who are actually listening to what I have to say and how I would make real tangible dollar bills as early as possible in the process. But before we get into the strategies, I just want to say that I have never met someone who actually has no audience.    ⁠⁠⁠Join The Co-op – The Membership for Online Businesses⁠⁠⁠  Connect with Abagail⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠All the Links!⁠⁠ Perhaps you’ve never started a page with this focus, or this niche, but we have connections, and it’s our job to leverage the connections that already exist. I’m here to tell you that ultimately, the number of people in your audience has little to no relationship to the actual amount of sales that you can generate. The number of followers does not matter! It’s about creating the right community that is supportive of where you’re going. So, let’s dive in.   Episode Highlights  Where to Find the 1000 People You’re Already Connected To [0:08:28] How to Use a Digital Product to Attract and Convert Strangers Into Buyers [0:14:13]  Getting In Front of the Right People to Build the Visibility You Need [0:18:18]  Why You Need to Launch and Validate Your Offer Before Building a Low-Priced Digital Product [0:23:18]  One of My All-Time Favorite Content Strategies [0:29:40]  Where to Start (And Why it Doesn’t Have to Be So Overwhelming) [0:35:29]  Special Thanks to Our Advertiser ⁠FreshBooks⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes, go to thestrategyhour.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices