Tune in to my conversation with Grace McCarrick, my dear friend but better known as The Culture Coach.

Grace has spent the last decade of her career in an operations seat, with a hyper focus on how her teams were working. Culture work hooked her when she swapped her corporate badge for the start up world and scaled a high performing team as Head of Culture from seed to Series B. Today, Grace is helping executive teams identify the unique strengths hidden in their teams and capitalizing on them for the most powerful path forward.

You can find Grace on TikTok and Linkedin. There's more about her work on her website: gracemccarrick.com!

Tune in to my conversation with Nathan Barry, founder and CEO of ConvertKit, the creator marketing platform.

During our conversation, you'll hear us walk through Nathan's entrepreneurial journey — from ebooks and iOS apps to ConvertKit. The majority of our chat, though, focuses on the period of time where ConvertKit was losing money, and Nathan's mental health took a nosedive. Nathan shares how he managed to survive that period and what he does now to take care of his mental health (and his team's, too!)

You can find Nathan on Twitter and his website, but you can also check out his past articles and podcast episodes here.

Tune in to my conversation with David Spinks, community expert and best-selling author of The Business of Belonging.

David's work centers on studying communities and teaching others how they work, through his weekly newsletter and as a community strategy consultant. Previously, he cofounded CMX, the annual conference and community of over 20,000 community professionals. When CMX was acquired by Bevy, a platform for hosting chapter-based community ecosystems, David served as the VP of Community for three years.

You can find David on Twitter and Linkedin, but my favorite place to follow his learnings is his weekly newsletter, so don't miss that.

Welcome to episode #038 of Process, with Spencer Fry.

Spencer is a 32-year-old serial entrepreneur from New York. His latest project, Coach, is his fourth project, and it focuses on helping creators make a living off their passion. From email marketing to online courses to landing pages, Coach is dedicated to helping creators grow their audience while making money.

(Because you're listening to this podcast, chances are you have a passion that you'd love to make a living off of, so I'm pumped to share Spencer's experiences with you.)

During the episode, we talk about:

• His favorite part of all his projects (past and present)
• Simplifying the sales process for online entrepreneurs
• Competing against behemoths like Mailchimp and InfusionSoft
• Marketing authentically, instead of traditionally
• Hiring a team that are makers that sell digital products, too
• Spending the majority of his time talking to people (customers or potential customers)
• Avoiding burnout when he works nearly 7 days a week
• Starting his journey as a creator at 11 years old

Listen to the episode

You can also listen on your phone! → iTunes // Overcast // Stitcher

Show notes:

Connect with Spencer Fry across the web:

- his company, Coach

- his personal website, SpencerFry.com

- on Twitter at @spencerfry

- on Instagram at @spencerfry

"There are two main ways that people put their work up online. One is to get jobs, so the artist and designer side. The other is to make a living and make a profit and become successful, and that's who I wanted to work with next."
— Spencer Fry

Thanks for listening to this episode! I'd love to hear what you thought, so let me know on Twitter? And if it resonated with you, I'd appreciate if you'd post a review over on iTunes. That way, more people will find the show, too.

Click to leave a review on iTunes →

Tune in next week for another coffee break episode with yours truly. If you're interested in more of the behind-the-scenes look at creating a new project, be sure to listen in.

xo,
Marcella

Welcome to episode #037 of Process, with Violeta Nedkova.

Violeta is an online entrepreneur based in Bulgaria who helps creative rebels build unique and authentic businesses. She's spent the last few years exploring the online space: writing, consulting, becoming a coach, and much more. Starting this year, she's decided to make building community her biggest priority.

Fun fact: We recorded this episode the day before her 30th birthday AND launched her latest project! 🎉

During the episode, we talk about:

• Why she chose to make her next project a community
• How she uses Twitter to build her business
• What changed when she finally hired an assistant
• When she schedules her work to connect with customers in different time zones
• How she vets people before letting them into her community
• What she does to fight her business's lows
• Her number one tip for creativity

Listen to the episode

You can also listen on your phone! → iTunes // Overcast // Stitcher

Show notes:

Connect with Violeta Nedkova across the web:

- on her website, VioletaNedkova.com

- her latest project, The Creative Rebel Academy

- on Twitter at @violetanedkova

- her Facebook group, The Creative Rebels

"You need to learn to enjoy community without thinking of it as a business commodity, even though it is." — Violeta Nedkova

Thanks for listening to this episode! I'd love to hear what you thought, so let me know on Twitter? And if it resonated with you, I'd appreciate if you'd post a review over on iTunes. That way, more people will find the show, too.

Click to leave a review on iTunes →

Tune in next week for an interview with Spencer Fry of Coach!

xo,
Marcella

Welcome to episode #036 of Process!

It feels so good to be back with the first interview in months and months. And what an interview to start with—a talk with Moose Winans of CameraTips.com.

To be honest, Moose and I recorded this interview back in July. I wasn't able to publish it for you until now because I spent a few months dealing with some personal health issues (morning sickness sucks).

BUT, better late than never, right?

Even if it's been months and months since we sat down to chat, Moose's wisdom about online business is gold. His approach to the online space—always putting people first—is so refreshing and not something you hear everyday. I can't wait for you to hear it.

So, before you listen in, let's get to know Moose Winans, photography master!

Moose is a photographer who runs a website called CameraTips.com, which he describes as "the beginners only tree house in a backyard filled with photographers of all skill levels." I personally have used his products to get to know my new camera and take better photos. But photography isn't Moose's greatest passion—that honor belongs to his family.

During the episode, we talk about:

• Is his name really Moose?! 🐃
• How he got into photography way back when, and how it developed into CameraTips.com
• What it took to purchase an ultra-coveted domain like CameraTips.com
• The journey from blog into full-blown business—as a newlywed, no less!
• Why he created his first paid product (which started out as free)
• How putting people first has led to a business large enough to sustain his entire family
• The Netflix show we both love and how it's inspired us as creators
• How he deals with the ebb and flow of his creative inspiration

Listen to the episode

You can also listen on your phone! → iTunes // Overcast // Stitcher

Show notes:

Connect with Moose Winans across the web:

- on his website, CameraTips.com

- on Twitter at @moosewinans

- on Instagram at @moosewinans

- on YouTube over here

"If you put in the time, if you wait patiently, and you reply to every single comment and reply to every single question, you go out of your way to help other people, that it's going to return back to you."
— Moose Winans

Thanks for listening to episode #036! I'd love to hear what you thought, so let me know on Twitter? If it resonated with you, I'd appreciate it if you'd post a review over on iTunes. That way, more people will find the show, too.

Click to leave a review on iTunes →

Moose, thanks for taking the time to chat with me and share your stories with everyone listening.

Tune in next week for a new episode with Violeta Nedkova. 🙋🏻

xo,
Marcella

Welcome back to the Process podcast!

It's been months and months since my last episode, but I'm coming back full swing in 2017. I've got great episodes scheduled for the next few months, so stay tuned for all of this awesomeness on creativity and making stuff with peace of mind.

This first episode of the year (#035) is what I'm calling a Coffee Break, or an episode where I take you behind the scenes of my own creative process and struggles I'm navigating with my projects.

In this episode I'll dig into the question:

How should I manage my shift in writing topics?

More specifically:

1. Who is my new target audience?
2. Should I create a new project for this new writing topic, or should I keep writing at my current website?

Let's get to it!

Listen to the episode

You can also listen on your phone! → iTunes // Overcast // Stitcher

Show Notes:

Things I mention:

- Minimalism: Documentary on Netflix
- Crush It!: Gary Vaynerchuk's book
- Everyday Salt: the mini project I launched with friends in December 2016

Questions you can use to help define your audience:

• What is their age range?
• Are they male or female?
• Are they married or single?
• What’s their pain … what problems are they trying to solve?
• What hobbies do they enjoy?
• What kind of movies or TV shows are they attracted to?
• What’s their favorite genres to read?
• Do they read or subscribe to specific magazines?
• What other publications do they subscribe to?
• Are they Super Readers (meaning they devour anything in the genre)?
• What authors do they read (meaning are they Super Fans of any)?
• Do they buy on impulse or are they coupon clippers?
• Are they sports fans?
• What social media platforms do they hang out on … and are you using them?
• What do they want, like, and need?
• What kind of thing will make them laugh or settle in to read more?
• What are the pain points and stressors in their lives and business that they wish they could find a solution to?
• What will induce them to buy, or what will hold them back from taking the leap?
• What will make them feel like they have achieved success, or like they’ve failed?

If you're facing a similar issue in trying to figure out who your target audience is, feel free to take these questions and answer them yourself.

Thanks for listening to episode #035! And thank you for coming back in 2017! Let me know what you thought on Twitter? I'm @marcinator over there.

If this Coffee Break episode resonated with you, I'd appreciate it if you'd post a review over on iTunes. That way, more people will find the show, too!

Click to leave a review on iTunes →

Remember to tune into the next episode with Moose Winans over here!

xo,
Marcella

This is episode #034 of Process!

I'm pumped to go back to our regular format here on Process: an interview.

My guest on this episode is Anna Quinlan!

The best way to describe Anna is the word storyteller. She likes to tell all kinds of stories: about motherhood, fitness, nature, and more.

For many years, she worked a corporate job—but, after a serendipitous encounter with a photographer on the beach, she worked hard to make her jump into freelance writing and achieve the freedom to live every day the best way possible.

During the episode, we talk about:

• When she fell in love with storytelling
• What role fitness plays in her creative life
• Why writing is a "party trick"
• Her journey from a marketing job to a full-time freelance writer
• How Instagram has impacted her business
• The one "magic trick" to becoming a writer

After we finished our conversation, I actually replayed it a few times just because I needed to hear some of Anna's kick-in-the-pants motivation again. So, I hope you enjoy hearing all about Anna and her journey as much as I did.

Listen to the episode

You can also listen on the go! → iTunes // Overcast // Stitcher

Show notes:

Connect with Anna on the interwebs:

- on her website, annaquinlan.net

- on Instagram at @quinlananna

Here are the links mentioned during the episode:

- The blog post where I first found Anna: "The Hardest Mile"

- Picture of Anna on the Megaformer (not Mega-reformer, woops 😂)

Again, thanks for listening to episode #034!

I'd love to hear what you thought about this interview! Let me know on Twitter?

Also, if this episode resonated with you, I'd appreciate it so much if you could post an honest review over on iTunes. It would help me reach more people that may find these episodes valuable, too.

You can leave a review by clicking the button below:

Leave a review on iTunes →

Oh, and...

I'll be back next week with another interview—with a drastically different kind of maker.

In next week's episode, I'll be talking to someone who focuses exclusively on selling photography "cheat cards" online. The best part? His approach to business is so refreshing.

Until then! :-)

xo,
Marcella