How come some businesses can scale, and others can’t? Have you thought about advertising, but found it all too complex? On today’s show, I sat down with Lauren Swidenbank, Founder of Cali Social and owner of Collabosaurus.

Lauren is truly a guru of all things online advertising, so I was excited to pick her brain on your behalf over Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn ads and everything in between. We discussed how critical strategy is, the role of content and your wider brand, and how to measure success. Lauren walked me through each step of the process in determining what type of advertising strategy could work, and highlighted some of the key differences between platforms that business owners need to know.

Today you’ll learn:

• The key basics of Google Search ads and what you need to know

• The type of ads she uses now to promote Cali Social

• How Cali Social used advertising to expand internationally

• How to evaluate whether an ad campaign is working

• The importance of strategy and getting your messaging right

• Why a good ad campaign can take time to bare fruit and the key time frames to be aware of

• The power of collaboration and how Collabosaurus empowers businesses of all sizes

• The role of AI in online advertising now and into the future

• How Lauren manages to run two businesses and the habits she has had to develop to stay healthy and well.

Thanks for joining us, Lauren!

To find out more about how we help professional services firms with their brand and marketing strategy, brand design, websites and content creation check us out at https://www.beyondbillables.com/

Meet Leanne Hughes, self-proclaimed ‘thought breeder’; successful business strategist, author and podcaster! Leanne’s biggest focus? To have a great business, you need a great team – and Leanne is an expert in helping grow them.

With a background in psychology, and experience working for a range of organisations; Leanne set out on her own as a consultant in 2019 and hasn’t looked back. Her joy lies in helping everyday people create extraordinary experiences – for themselves, their teams, and their businesses and communities. Leanne offers 1-1 training with businesses, as well as courses and public speaking appearances.

On today’s show, you will learn:

- How to identify organisational and cultural issues in your business that are costing you money;

- Practical steps to build a great team culture and process;

- How Leanne has used LinkedIn to build an international personal brand where 80% of her work is overseas;

- Why you should think about starting a podcast and writing a book;

- The surprising difference becoming a published author can make;

- How to lean into your strengths and forget about the “haters”;

- How great teams “market” themselves internally in organisations;

- The power of “frentors” and why business leaders need to lean on their peers.

We’re so grateful to have you join us, Leanne!

Meet Steph Taylor, self-confessed corporate dropout turned online business entrepreneur. Steph is part of the Hubspot network; and the host of the Imperfect Action podcast, with over 800 episodes recorded.

So what does she actually do? Well, in a nutshell, Steph helps her clients build reliably profitable online businesses so they can spend less time on work and gain more time to enjoy their life. Steph's passion lies in helping other business owners and entrepreneurs become self-made superstars, following the same formula she used.

If you've ever wanted to build a 7 figure online business, while still being able to live the life you want? Then this episode is for you.

Today, you’ll learn:

• What to do when you're just starting out in business,

• How shared purpose and connection can save your business,

• How to bounce back from a mega flop,

• Why strategy is so important when launching,

• The secret to building an engaged community,

• And so much more!

Thanks for joining us, Steph!

To find out more about how we help professional services firms with their brand and marketing strategy, brand design, websites and content creation check us out at https://www.beyondbillables.com/