The New Year marks a clean slate. It’s prime time for planning and goal setting, and while you may plan and set goals with good intentions, you won’t be able to carry them out if you aren’t productive. So in this first Ellechat podcast episode of 2019, I’m sharing 7 of my best productivity tips to help you start this year off on the right foot and actually make progress toward your business goals.

In this episode, Lauren discusses changes to the Ellechat format and five ways she’s balancing life as a new full-time mom and part-time entrepreneur after giving birth to baby Eli in April. Are you a working mom? Lauren would love feedback on this topic in the Elle & Company Community Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/elleandcocommunity/

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing a sneak peek at what’s coming up for Elle & Company in 2018 and the big changes I’m making to my business. These changes aren’t a step-by-step plan at what you should be doing. Instead, they’re a preview of what you can look forward to. I’m going to be sharing why I’m switching things up and making adjustments so that you can utilize those lessons in your own business. This year will definitely look different, but I’m excited to share my plan with you. See you soon!

I know the title of this Ellechat sounds crazy. We all try so hard to grow our lists; why would I ever delete over 30% of my subscribers?! No it wasn’t by accident. It was a strategic move that’s actually helped my list and increased my engagement. And I have the stats to prove it. I’m sharing those stats, along with the reasoning behind this seemingly crazy move, in this week’s Ellechat. Join me!

Pricing, branding, finding clients, bookkeeping, marketing - there are many hurdles to starting a business. But one of the biggest hurdles can often be ourselves. Are perfectionism, procrastination, and comparison holding you back from launching and building your creative business? If so, I’ll be sharing how I’ve learned to deal with all of the above in the last 4 years since starting Elle & Company in this week’s Ellechat. Join me!

What comes to mind when you hear the word “webinar"? Due to either tuning into a webinar or trying to host one yourself, you probably think of an hour-long live video stream of helpful information.... that eventually ends in a sales pitch. We’ve been conditioned to believe that the only way to use a webinar for our business is to sell. (And I don’t know about you, but that’s annoying from an attendee perspective and overwhelming from a host perspective!) But webinars don’t have to be used solely for promotion. They don’t have to be hosted once in a blue moon. And they definitely don’t have to be salesy. In this week’s Ellechat, I’m sharing how a non-salesy weekly webinar series can not only benefit but transform your business. Join me!

So you launched your website. You spent a bunch of time perfecting the design, layout, photos, and copy, and you even have your blog up and running. You check your analytics, but your numbers are few. Where is everyone? It’s easy to get discouraged. Especially when a higher number of visitors has the potential to open doors down the road, whether it’s a sponsorship opportunity, collaboration, job offer, book deal, or a new client. In this week’s Ellechat, I’ll be sharing 12 proven methods for increasing your website traffic today.

There’s plenty of talk out there about marketing your products and services, but a lot of expert launch strategies involve intense email sequences (that often overwhelm your list), pay-per-click Facebook ads, lots of bonuses, product bundles, and so on. Launches don’t have to be complicated, salesy, or manipulative. If you’re preparing to launch a new offering - whether it’s a service or a product - you’ll walk away from this Ellechat with a new perspective on launches and gain some tangible steps for successfully promoting your new idea to your audience.

Creative entrepreneurs play many roles and wear many hats. So it’s inevitable that at some point, you might consider lessening your load and delegating tasks by bringing on the help of an assistant. Whether hiring an assistant is in your near or distant future, you probably have a lot of questions. When is the best time to bring on an assistant? How do I find the right person? How much do I pay them? What are some best practices for training them? How do I maintain a good working relationship? I’m sharing my experience in hiring help and answering those questions in this week’s Ellechat webinar. Join me!

For new service-based entrepreneurs, one of the greatest challenges is finding, attracting, and booking clients. I remember being in that position. And in less than a year and a half, I was able to grow my client waiting list to well over 250 prospective clients. All the steps I implemented can be executed by you, too, and I’m sharing them in this week’s Ellechat! For show notes, visit elleandcompanydesign.com/ellechat

As a business owner, your time is limited. You're wearing several different hats and juggling many roles, each of which requires precious time out of your day. And chances are, you probably don't have many hours to spare. So I've rounded up my 24 favorite time-saving hacks - one for each hour of the day - in hopes of helping you create a little more room in your busy schedule. For show notes, visit elleandcompanydesign.com/ellechat

Instagram stories can seem like just another social media to keep up with. But they're a fantastic way to promote your business and drive traffic to your website. In this week's Ellechat, I'm sharing 15 clever ways to use Instagram stories to catch the attention of your potential clients. For show notes, visit elleandcompanydesign.com/ellechat

So you want to start a business. You have a ton of motivation and excitement at first, but all of a sudden reality sets in. Where do you even begin? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a step-by-step list of what to conquer and when? Well, you’re in luck! In this week’s Ellechat, I’m sharing my step-by step list of what to focus on when you’re trying to get your business off the ground. (For show notes, visit elleandcompanydesign.com/ellechat)