Celebrating 100K downloads with Akua’s favorite business advice

Akua: Today on the podcast, we are celebrating an incredible, incredible milestone. We just hit a hundred thousand downloads and to celebrate, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the strategies that I have been implementing in my business from some of these incredible guests that have been on the show.

And these strategies have been making a huge difference in my business. Now, before we get into it, I just want to say that there is no way that this show would exist without your support. And in order for us to continue growing, we need you. So head over to your favorite podcast player, specifically Apple or Spotify, and leave us a rating and review.

The first 25 people to do that, we will be sending you some Honeybook merch as a thank you. So once you leave a review, take a screenshot, share it on Instagram and tag Honeybook at Honeybook and myself at Akua Kanady underscore, and we will send you the merch. That is all you have to do. And again, thank you so much for tuning into the independent business podcast every week.

And let’s get into the episode. Hey everyone. This is your host, Akua Konadu, and you’re listening to the Independent Business Podcast. More people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs, and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve it too.

We are back with another episode on the Independent Business Podcast. And first and foremost, thank you so much for hanging out with me. each and every week. So as I shared, we just hit a hundred thousand downloads. And so let me share with you why this is a big deal. Back in April of 2023, when we launched our first few episodes of the show, we were just hoping to honestly create a space where business owners could share their journey of what it really means to see success in their business.

Well, fast forward to a year and a half later, and we now have an amazing community of business owners through all walks of life, listening in. Every single week. So when preparing for this episode, I didn’t ask me anything on threads and someone asked a brilliant question, what are the strategies shared on the podcast you’re using and or want to use?

And I thought, you know what, instead of just answering that question, why And moving on, we are going to make that the whole episode. And why is that? Because this show has impacted my life, not only as the host, but also as a business owner and I want to show you how. The incredible guests we have each week have broken glass ceilings time and time again to create successful businesses and they share so much value and knowledge that will truly move the needle in your business.

So, here are some of the episodes that have made a major impact on my business and the strategies I’m implementing that is changing the game for me. Okay, first up, we have episode 52 with Jasmine Starr and, you know, many of us, we can all go back and think in our lives that we just had that one moment that has just set us all Click.

And that episode with Jasmine Star was really when things just started clicking for me as a business owner. As somebody who was having that conversation and going back in watching it This episode really gave me the clarity on the type of business owner that I want it to be. And And what I loved about it so much was that Jasmine gave us an inside look into what her entrepreneurial journey has looked like.

And it was just such a raw and honest conversation. And hearing that I was also sharing about what it was like for me to becoming host of the show and how I had been essentially dealing with a lot of change in a short amount of time. So this conversation was something that I just really needed. And I just came to the realization that.

Mindset is so key as a business owner. Now, this was where I really went all into working on my mindset and building more resiliency as a business owner and just overall getting clear on what it is that I truly want. Check out this clip to see just how impactful this episode really is.

Jasmine: We’re all disciplined.

We just decide to apply our discipline in different ways. It takes somebody very disciplined to watch an entire season on Netflix. That’s discipline.

Akua: So true. That’s

Jasmine: discipline. It’s a lot of discipline for somebody to eat a whole pizza instead of three or four slices. That’s discipline. It’s just as disciplined for you to say, I’m not going to watch Netflix and instead I’m going to go through and plan my content for the next month, the next week.

I’m going to find my content for the next day, depending on how much time you have. We’re all disciplined. Where are you applying your discipline in order for you to get the benefits of consistency?

Akua: Next up is episode 43 with Natasha Pierre. And in that episode, we talk about how to make launches work for your business.

Now I’m getting ready to launch my storytelling course in 2025. And so this episode has been on repeat for me. There is a lot that goes into launching a new product and service. And this episode with Natasha has really helped me get the creative juices flowing. To actually lay out the type of launch that is going to work well for me in this season of my business.

And there are just some really great and innovative ways to do your launch. And so I really felt confident as I was laying out my plan. And not only that, she shared a lot of amazing video strategies for your launch that I will absolutely be implementing when the time comes.

Natasha: So I often find during launches, people kind of default to this stage where they like create a bunch of graphics.

They create a bunch of kind of boring, boring captions. And let’s add some fun to this. Let’s add some more dynamic elements. So your launches don’t feel as stale. If you already have a sales page, you already have created launch content. I like to gather all of that and create a launch. Content bank. So I can grab from the copy and these like quotable moments and these different elements, and I can use those for videos.

So you can really plan out almost all of your video content very easily by already just taking all that copy and emails and stuff you’ve already done and giving it new life and video.

Akua: Next is episode 76 with Audrey Joy Kwan. Now, when I tell you this episode is key for business owners who are looking to scale their business.

This episode really made me sit down and truly think about the type of leader that I want to be in my own business. And also to get a deeper understanding of Of my leadership style so that I could build out how I want to scale. Now she really drives home that you can scale your business without sacrificing your wellbeing, which I think is so important as business owners to really be thinking about.

And she really blew my mind with the curse of expertise. And it made me realize that I really need to simplify how I share my expertise as a storytelling strategist. This episode was so eyeopening, which you will see for yourself as you watch this clip.

Audrey: Where the niche element becomes a disadvantage is what I call the curse of expertise.

The deeper your understanding, the harder it becomes for you to get it out of your brain so that someone else can help you implement it. Think of driving a car, right? So after years of experience, I don’t have to think about every single little move behind the wheel. Like I instinctively know when to brake, when to accelerate, how to navigate things.

Through traffic. It’s like second nature to me, but if I had to teach someone to drive, I need to break everything down into super simple steps, and so that’s the curse of the expert. You’re so skilled at what you do. It’s hard to remember what it was like to be a novice, right? Making it challenging to put in the right structure, the right systems and the right processes to either teach or transfer that knowledge to others.

Akua: We all know that finances are important as a business owner, but after my conversation with Matt Gartland in episode 80, I realized I needed to take a much deeper dive and make some major changes. Matt’s strategies on cashflow forecasting was pure gold. And as somebody who’s generally anxious when it comes to looking over my finances, I felt so much more relieved and even excited about keeping up with my finances in a way that was sustainable for me and my business.

And what I loved so much about this conversation was that Matt made a lot of references to Mike Michalowicz of Profit First, and he was a guest on season two. So both of these episodes really set you up for success of getting better control of your finances and how to make better strategic decisions in your business.

But I’ll leave you with this clip of Matt, and I can’t stress enough of how helpful these financial strategies were.

Matt: If someone’s thrown some big money at you, but it’s not like exactly like who you want to be serving, but it’s sort of like adjacent and like, Oh, maybe I should take it. Cause man, that’s a lot of revenue.

Things can start to warp in how you think about decisions and what you’re chasing. And all it comes back to like staying small, grow slowly. It’s a more of a proven recipe. It’s not a guarantee of success by any stretch, but if you’re trying to increase the odds of success and play the long game for a career as an independent, you’re Then stay small for longer.

Akua: A few months back, HoneyBook launched their 2025 growth guide, which shared key insights into what top marketing and creative consultants are doing to hit six figures and beyond in their business. In episode 83, I had HoneyBook’s top affiliate earner, Candice Coppola and pricing strategist, Dr. Michael Tatenetti, join me on the show to break down the insights from the growth guide and get a deeper understanding of how each one built their business.

With Candace growing B2C and Michael growing B2B. I loved this episode so much because I took a lot of what was shared, not only in the growth guide, but also from Michael and Candace and implemented these strategies into my business where I really went back and looked at my revenue streams, really looked at.

Refined a lot of things. And in one week alone, I booked a paid speaking gig. I got booked for my one to one service, and I also sold my storytelling beta course, my life round. And that all happened, like I said, in one week. And so when I tell you that having diversified revenue streams is so important as a business owner, it really is.

And the growth guide will tell you exactly how it’s done. So make sure to check out the growth guide, which we will put in the show notes and also check out this amazing clip from Candice, from the episode.

Candice: It’s easier to sell to an existing client than it is to acquire a new one. It’s easier. It’s also cheaper when you think about client acquisition costs and how much you spend in your marketing.

If you really show up for your clients and solve a problem for them, that often unlocks another next level problem that you could potentially solve. You don’t have to solve. So I don’t want to force you to do something that is not within your zone of genius. But there is this opportunity to solve their next level problem.

And then also to think not even next level, but what comes before they might come to me for this problem? Is there something that I should be solving before they even find me that could help them find me in a better position?

Akua: A common thing I hear from business owners who have seen incredible success in their business is that having systems is key.

And so episode 53 with Amber McHugh, which talks about creating a client forward system to generate revenue in your business has played a pivotal role for me. What I love so much about that episode is that Amber really breaks down the four key systems every business owner needs in their business. So those systems were Pivotal for me.

I went back to look at the current systems I had in place and really refined and improved them. And then I also created these new systems in my business and also my life that has really helped me save time and has made me so much more confident as a business owner. You walk into your favorite

Amber: coffee shop.

They are prepared for you to place an order. Ideally, there is a system and a flow and steps in place that this isn’t going to take 30 minutes. And it’s going to be fairly quick. And at the end, you get what you asked for. And that is the goal of systems. There is an input, there’s a need. For a process to be executed, a set of steps, who, who needs this done?

Where are we doing it? Why are we doing it? So walking through those W’s to the end. So we deliver a great drink, a great deliverable, a great website, great foot, like whatever that is. And it’s one part experience, but it’s also delivering the great product.

Akua: Episode 71 with copywriter Kayla Hulitz was so, so good for the soul.

This episode holds such a special place for me because like I said earlier, mindset is so important in entrepreneurship and there have been times. I can’t lie that I have absolutely found myself. Comparing myself to others and experiencing a lot of imposter syndrome, especially as I was dealing with a lot of changes, um, with becoming the host and then also to still managing my business.

So it was just really amazing to have Kayla on the show and just be so honest and forthcoming about the hard seasons that she has had in her life and how that has greatly affected her business. Kayla is just so beautiful with her words as she shares the importance of slow growth, how to honor ourselves and everything that we do and leaning with intention in our business.

Kayla: It’s believing that you’re not going to be too late on those ideas if you don’t run with everything right away. What I am going to create now is going to be so much more valuable because of the person that I am, because of the work that I’ve done with my clients to serve them than what I would have done back then.

And yes, do I sometimes look at the marketplace and see, hmm, there’s a few things that look somewhat similar to what I want to do than what it was way back then. Absolutely. But if you just remember that you’re not going to be too late to show up and that it’s okay to be going at the pace that you’re going at, I think that that’s just the best way to come away with.

Akua: So that is all of the strategies I have implemented, or I am currently implementing in my business, and it has really made such a difference.

So I just overall hope that this inspires you to check out these episodes, take what you need and implement the strategies that will work well for your business. And do not forget. Leave us a rating and review on Apple or Spotify. Now remember the first 25 people to leave us a review, we will be sending you some HoneyBook merch.

So make sure to take that screenshot, share it on Instagram and tag HoneyBook at HoneyBook and myself at Akua Kanadu underscore to be entered. And as always, y’all thank you so, so much for tuning in with me every single week and until next time, that ends our episode of the independent business podcast.

Everything we’ve discussed today can be found at podcast. honeybook. com head to our website to access for show notes, relevant links, and all of the resources that you need to level up. And if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss our future content, drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social.

And thank you again for listening.