Text Emily! Sometimes saying "yes" can cause us undue stress and leave us feeling overcommitted, behind, and even resentful. Yes can cost you time, money, energy, burned bridges, quality, and more. In this episode, I talk about building a thriving business that isn’t about saying yes to everything and everyone; it’s actually about saying NO more often. This two-letter magical strategy can change your entire life. Inside the episode: Seasons for yes and seasons f...

Text Emily! You are in for a TREAT with this bonus episode. No tricks, I promise. When I listened to episode #96 of Jenny Belanger's podcast, Small Business Website Design Made Simple, I reached out immediately to ask if I could share it on my show with YOU! Jenny is a WordPress website Designer and Creative Director at Jenny B Designs as well as a fellow New England Podcast Group Member. As a website design-copywriting duo, Jenny and I often get to collaborate and help people cr...

Text Emily! How do you know if a decision is good or bad? Can a good decision have a bad outcome? Can a bad decision have a good one? In this episode, we’re going to turn over this concept of what makes a good decision good and a bad decision bad AND I’ll give you some curated tips on making BETTER decisions, no matter how great or small! What a Taoist parable can teach us about the decisions we make Distinguishing quality decision-making from outcomes 4 Things th...

Text Emily! It seems no matter what you do (or don't do), someone, somewhere has something to say about it. You can't and will never make everyone happy. Certain people will never be happy no matter what you do, and you most certainly can't make everyone and yourself happy at the same time. In this episode, we discuss choosing the right strategy for YOUR life and business for your marketing, networking, boundaries, pricing, content and more! Showing up in a way you love&nbs...

Text Emily! You might think it's saving you time, but what's AI costing you and your business? “When I see a post from friends or colleagues that screams, 'AI WROTE THIS,' I scroll right by. You might think it’s saving you time, but it’s causing you to lose a member of your audience. I want more of you and your authentic voice. Not the voice of a tool you’ve outsourced your talent and transmissions to.” -Anjel Hartwell I'm back with more AI talk! This time, I'm not looking on the...

Text Emily! All sorts of ghosts can haunt our businesses… from missed opportunities, forgotten content, and neglected relationships that are all but decaying away. Don't worry, you can put away your sage... And you won't need your book on exorcism or spell-breaking... This episode has all you need to look the ghosts that haunt your business in the eye and shoo them away. Time to breathe some fresh life into our business as we explore some of the ghosts that will be way less spook...

Text Emily! Almost every business owner finds themselves asking the question at one point or another, "Does my business need a rebrand?" How do you know when it's time to fully overhaul your brand and when it's time for a simpler refresh? I'm joined by my fellow cozy small business owner friend, Lindsay Dreyer of City Chic Real Estate (rebranding to REVERIE in October 2025), to help you answer these very questions and more about the rebranding process. In the episode, we share personal...

Text Emily! In last week’s episode, we talked about literal small talk… the awkward weather banter at a networking event, the Zoom conversation you get stuck in that seemingly goes nowhere fast, and the idle chit chat that’s draining. We learned that while small talk SEEMS small, it can act as a catalyst for bigger conversations and deeper talk. What starts small can have a BIG impact. Today, we’re going to get into figurative "small talk": the language and patterns that seem little (s...

Text Emily! Do you dread swapping senseless words with cashiers and strangers out in public? Do you go out of your way to avoid neighbors, coworkers, or people you know at the grocery store lest you get stuck in idle chit chat? Do you get heart palpitations thinking about discussing the weather at a networking event? If so, you may have an aversion to SMALL talk. And yes, you may be entitled to some sort of compensation (talk to your lawyer for legal recourse). Today, we're going to ge...

Text Emily! You are not "just" anything. You're not just a business owner, parent, spouse, community member, speaker, podcaster, writer, etc. You're a multifaceted human being who gets to bring your WHOLE self everywhere you go! Just like a recipe made up of lots of parts and pieces, a dash of this and a dash of that, we are too. In this episode, I'm sharing some ideas that have helped me grow in my business and throughout my entire life in small, surprising ways. Join me a...

Text Emily! The Content with Character has a FRESH face and has been rebranded, officially, to Small Business Casual! This is the FIRST episode in our new digs where the goal is to help us create small businesses that feel like ahhhhhh, home. On this episode, I share a little bit of why I changed the name and am steering away from "content" a bit more in general, plus three lessons learned through the podcast rebranding process: The difference between copy and content ...

Text Emily! Listen, enjoy, and walk away feeling empowered and ready to become their FAVORITE podcast guest. Join myself, Barb Davids, and Ande Lyons in this LIVE re-aired workshop as we dish out insider secrets and goodies to help you UP your guesting game! The conversation includes: How to ruin a good pitch FAST by making a crucial mistakeHow to set yourself apart even in a noisy industry Tips for standing out with your pitches How to prep for your interviews Whe...

Text Emily! Just like not all DIY home projects turn out like your Pinterest board... not all collaborations end in sunshine in rainbows. And some downright fail. Flop. Fizzle. Fallout. Failure is inevitable when you're experimenting, trying something new, and collaborating with others. While it might not be so tasty in the moment, failure is full of invaluable wisdom if you're willing to look closer, learn from your fumbles, and, of course, try again. In this episode, we get int...

Text Emily! Want to partner up with collaborators and spark collaborations that give you the goosebumps!? It takes two to make a thing go right (it takes two to make it outta’ sight), and that’s exactly what I believe the best of the best collaborations create - an outta' sight experience that leaves everyone feeling good. In this episode, I shed light on 20 different ways collaboration could look in your business, so you can consider new ideas and expand ones already underway. I...

Text Emily! How do I grow my podcast? How do I grow my business? They seem like good questions, but in reality, they’re a bit open-ended… hard to define. What does “grow” even mean? I’m doing something totally different in this bonus episode! This month is all about COLLABORATION on the Content with Character podcast and in the name of collaboration, I wanted to share this powerful takeaway from a fellow podcaster and collaborator, Dave Campbell. Dave is here to bring insig...

Text Emily! I've seen far too many podcast guests and speakers who are just winging it... Underplaying the gift and opportunity of being a guest, their lack of preparation translates into less impact and being just a tad uh, underwhelming. In this episode, I'm going to give you some KEYS to being an outstanding podcast guest or speaker, what you need before getting started, and what you can safely forget about! Your guest prep talk includes: The power and potential of...

Text Emily! Looking to be a guest on more podcasts? Want to improve your guesting/hosting skills and be a better collaborator? This month, we're breaking down the numbers to help you become even BETTER and know how to spend your time, money, and energy for maximum possibility. Business is a balance of profit and soul and podcasting is a blend of art (heart) and science. Knowing the truth of the numbers can help you grow in confidence and become even better at your craft.&nb...

Text Emily! I can overthink, outthink, rethink, and retroactively think my way into anything BUT momentum. Can you relate? If so, this episode is for you! This episode is for you if you identify as an overthinker (or just a little too much thinker) at times. We're going to get into the importance of overcoming overthinking so we can gain clarity, confidence, and momentum by quieting the inner chatter and noise inside our heads. Ways overthinking can manifestWhere overthinki...

Text Emily! You can't (and don't need to) keep up with everyone you meet at the same level or frequency. Not all feedback is equal feedback and your marketing doesn't translate to every last person you interact with. Your business isn't relevant to everyone. But that doesn't mean some people are more valuable than others or deserve to be discounted. Everyone you meet and interact with is part of a beautiful, rich tapestry of relationships. And every relationship looks a little bi...

Text Emily! No matter your pace right now, no matter what you can and can't accomplish or check off your to-do list, you're not broken, behind, or failing. You’re right where you need to be. This episode gives you 6 tiny, impactful reminders to help you focus on taking the steps, in the season you're in, and do what you can. Short and sweet, here are 6 things that've been on my mind that I want to remind you of too. They're BIG business game-changers dressed up in a tiny package:...