She Means Profit Melissa Houston

“Good copy always connects before it converts.”
—  Megan Smyth


Many entrepreneurs would say that making sales is the trickiest part of their business — but having the right copy on your website can help you sell your offers while you sleep!


After realizing three years into her pre-med degree that she was chasing someone else's idea of success, my guest Megan Smyth decided to start her own business, one that allowed her to make her own roles, empower other women, and (most importantly) required zero knowledge of organic chemistry. Now, she helps female coaches make more sales through personality-filled website and email copy that converts!


In this conversation, we chat about everything from money-making copy to market research to mindset shifts. Tune in to learn Megan’s top tips for improving your sales skills, the biggest copywriting mistakes that business owners make, and how effectively to create urgency in your copy. You won’t want to miss it!


In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌
How the new trend toward empathy-driven marketing will help you better connect with your ideal customersThe low-key ways that you are already gathering powerful market research — and how to benefit from itThe 3 questions that your copy MUST answer to drive conversations (and more sales)!

Guest bio: Megan Smyth is a sales copywriter for trailblazing female entrepreneurs. Through her in-depth research process, personality-filled copy, and pull-no-punches consulting, she helps mission-driven founders distill their vision for change into a powerful message, uniquely crafted with equal parts art and science.
  
Highlights:‌ ‌
00:50  Intro
01:38  Meet Megan Smyth
02:41  Sales & women entrepreneurs
04:29  Mindset challenges
05:22  Shift in sales methods & new marketing trends
07:00  Market research
09:06  3 questions copy must answer 
10:10  Creating urgency
11:27  Biggest copywriting mistake 
12:32  Overcoming objections
14:08  Building a sales funnel
16:54  Sales strategy for introverts & extroverts
18:25  Takeaway & ideal client avatar
20:57  Conclusion
 ‌
Links:‌ ‌  
Megan Smyth
https://megansmyth.com 
Instagram: @copybymeg 
Main website 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com
Calendar link --> https://calendly.com/shemeansprofit/30mi
Mini-courses --> https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-debt-repayment-calculator
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/pay-yourself
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/personal-net-worth-calculator-mini-course
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-ultimate-budget-binder-mini-course
Follow me on:
IG @melissahoustoncpa    
LinkedIn @melissahoustoncpa

“Variance reports are essential for any business that wants to stay on top of their finances.”
—  Melissa Houston


Having a business financial plan is essential — but you also have to monitor your results against that plan, each and every month, in order to understand how to create profit in your business. 


This is the reality: if you’re NOT monitoring those results, then you are out of the loop when it comes to the financial health of your business… and you won’t be able to make the informed course corrections that will get you back on track when you begin to fall behind your goals.


A variance report is an analysis tool that allows you to compare your actual business results with your budgeted figures or standard performance levels for specific periods, such as months or quarters. Listen now to learn why completing monthly variance reports is VITAL to running your most successful and profitable business!


In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌
How to create a variance report for your own business — and how to analyze the results A real-life example of how I use variance reports in my own business My #1 recommendation for accounting software that will scale alongside your business  
Highlights:‌ ‌
00:49  Intro
02:34  Business plans & forecasting
04:59  QuickBooks
06:31  What is a variance report?
07:36  Variance report example #1
10:43  Variance report example #2
11:28  Why use variance reports?
13:15  How to create a variance report
15:31  Money mindset
16:24  Conclusion
18:09  Cash Confident
 ‌
Links:‌ ‌  
Cash Confident program
https://melissahoustoncpa.lpages.co/cash-confident-sales-page 
Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Profitable Business
https://melissahoustoncpa.com/cash-confident-book 
QuickBooks
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/global 
Main website 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com
Calendar link --> https://calendly.com/shemeansprofit/30min
Mini-courses --> https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-debt-repayment-calculator
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/pay-yourself
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/personal-net-worth-calculator-mini-course
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-ultimate-budget-binder-mini-course
Follow me on:
IG @melissahoustoncpa    
LinkedIn @melissahoustoncpa

“When you say No out of love for yourself, that is when you start to be a truly profitable, strong, smart, and secure woman.”
—  Suze Orman


My guest for this episode of She Means Profit is none other than Suze Orman! Suze is one of North America’s foremost experts on personal finance, a New York Times bestselling author, a magazine and online columnist, former contributing editor to “O” The Oprah Magazine, the host of the Suze Orman’s Women & Money podcast, and a co-founder of the employer-sponsored emergency savings solution SecureSave. For over a decade, she hosted the award-winning Suze Orman Show, where she helped people make the connection between self-worth and net worth.


Tune in to hear Suze’s amazing stories about her fascinating career — from sharing the key to life during her first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to co-founding her latest business venture — and her deep insights regarding women, money, and mindset!


In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌
Why women need to learn how to say No out of love for themselves and never undervalue what they doThe major role that personal financial literacy plays in successful entrepreneurship How Suze’s SecureSave solution is a game-changer for emergency savings

Guest bio: Suze Orman is a #1 New York Times bestselling author on personal finance, with over 25 million books in circulation available in 12 languages worldwide. A magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, host of Suze Orman’s Women & Money podcast, and one of the top motivational speakers in the world today, Orman is undeniably America’s most recognized expert on personal finance.


Highlights:‌ ‌
00:50  Intro
01:44  Suze Orman & The Oprah Winfrey Show
08:03  Helping others & saying No out of love
10:53  Living on an island
11:40  Luck v. hard work
13:52  Women & money mindset
18:18  Power of women
19:45  Emergency savings crisis & SecureSave
28:43  SecureSave & small business
30:22  Returning to speaking
32:57  Retirement?
35:03  Own your assets & your power
Links:‌ ‌  
Suze Orman
https://www.suzeorman.com 
https://www.facebook.com/suzeorman 
https://www.youtube.com/suzeorman 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/suzeormanshow 
SecureSave
https://www.securesave.com 
Main website 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com
Calendar link --> https://calendly.com/shemeansprofit/30min
Mini-courses --> https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-debt-repayment-calculator
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/pay-yourself
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/personal-net-worth-calculator-mini-course
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-ultimate-budget-binder-mini-course
Follow me on:
IG @melissahoustoncpa    
LinkedIn @melissahoustoncpa

“I believed that I was going to succeed right out of the gate because I had such a strong business acumen… however, I did not know a lot about being an entrepreneur.”
—  Melissa Houston


When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do, but my vision grew clearer and more defined through working with clients. If you’ve been a long-time listener of this podcast, then you’ll know that the show has also gone through a few different iterations, from Think Like a CFO to The Business Society to She Means Profit™️.


It’s crucial to feel fully in alignment with your business, and landing on this new branding has really helped me to crystallize my goals, values, and approach — and in this episode, I’d love to properly introduce you to She Means Profit and what led to the brand’s creation!


In this solo episode, I share my business journey, my true passion and purpose in life, how I’ve worked to set myself apart in my industry, and how you can work with me to become Cash Confident!


In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌
The lessons that I’ve learned throughout my entrepreneurial successes and mistakesWhat you can expect from She Means Profit in 2023 — and how to pre-order Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Profitable BusinessA timely episode recommendation to help you with your financial planning for the new year  
Highlights:‌ ‌
00:49  Intro & episode recommendation
03:27  Money offers opportunity
04:30  Meet She Means Profit
05:03  Learning from my experiences
06:43  My goals 
10:21  What to expect in 2023
13:29  Second book & focusing on profit
 ‌
Links:‌ ‌  
She Means Profit #128 
She Means Profit YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMTwsblmZApAJNoRG_k9JjQ 
Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Profitable Business
https://melissahoustoncpa.com/cash-confident-book 
Programs
https://shemeansprofit.com/offers 
Main website 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com  
Calendar link --> https://calendly.com/shemeansprofit/30min
Mini-courses --> https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-debt-repayment-calculator
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/pay-yourself
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/personal-net-worth-calculator-mini-course
https://melissa-houston.thinkific.com/courses/the-ultimate-budget-binder-mini-course
Follow me on:
IG @melissahoustoncpa    
LinkedIn @melissahoustoncpa

“You don’t want any negative money mindset issues holding you back from being the best and most profitable business owner that you can be.”
—  Melissa Houston


The end of the year means holiday get-togethers, warm mugs of cider or hot chocolate, some well-earned downtime… and planning. Setting goals and clearly planning out your next power moves is absolutely essential to growing your business, no matter which stage you are in. If you’re not setting out new goals, your business will become stagnant — or even start to decline.


As I like to say, a goal without a plan is just a wish. So if you want the next year to be your best year ever, it’s time to sit down and start working out how you’re going to move forward with your business over the next 12 months.


In this episode, you’ll discover a range of different goals that you can set in your business, from marketing to customer service to employee productivity, and a simple road map to help you hit your milestones!


Listen now to learn:‌ ‌
Why it’s so important to set goals in your business (no matter whether you set them January 1st or June 22nd!) Why setting a goal is only the first step — and what you must do next in order to begin turning it into reality 4 steps that will help you achieve your long-term vision with more ease!  
Highlights:‌ ‌
00:50  Intro
03:23  Look back at the past year(s)
04:15  Why set goals?
05:04  Plan for achieving
06:43  Look at your current situation & goals
07:33  Set realistic goals & create your plan of action
08:17  Stay accountable 
09:21  Short-term v. long-term goals
11:08  Financial goals
12:39  Marketing goals
14:08  Sales goals
15:01  Customer service goals
16:13  Employee productivity goals
18:32  Need assistance?
 ‌
Links:‌ ‌
She Means Profit - How to Get the Mindset of a Millionaire
https://shemeansprofit.com/podcast/how-to-get-the-mindset-of-a-millionaire 
She Means Profit - Misconceptions, Manifestation & Money Mindset
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/misconceptions-manifestation-money-mindset/id1533130323?i=1000574612552 
She Means Profit - Why Money Mindset Really Matters For Profit And Life Goals
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/why-money-mindset-really-matters-for-profit-and-life-goals/id1533130323?i=1000569499715 
5-Step Roadmap
https://melissahoustoncpa.lpages.co/5-step-biz-finance-roadmap 
Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Profitable Business
https://melissahoustoncpa.com/cash-confident-book 
Link to calendar (free 30 min consult call)
Main website 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com
Offers 🡪  https://shemeansprofit.com/offers
Cash Confident Course 🡪 https://melissahoustoncpa.lpages.co/cash-confident-sales-page
What’s Your Profit Personality? (quiz) 🡪 

“Planning can help you avoid being blindsided by a large tax bill and can also help you take advantage of opportunities to lower the taxes that are owed.”
—  Melissa Houston


Tax season. Did those words just send a chill down your spine? Did you get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach? Tax season is rarely pleasant for anyone, but business owners in particular often live in fear of being surprised by a large and unexpected tax bill… especially when they don’t have the savings to cover it (yikes!).


In fact, the tax season surprise is one of the most common complaints that I hear from the entrepreneurs and business owners who reach out to work with me.


If you’re currently dreading tax season, this episode is for you — I share my top tips for avoiding massive tax bills, bust the most common tax myths currently floating around, and pull back the curtain on some of the worst tax advice you may have heard!


In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌
What you can do to stay on the government’s good side — and reduce your chances of triggering an audit! How to ensure that you’re taking advantage of all of the deductions that you are entitled to How to plan ahead and prepare yourself (and your business) for tax season   
Highlights:‌ ‌
00:50  Intro
01:56  Bad tax advice
07:03  Understanding tax obligations
09:35  Keep good records
10:38  Know your filing requirements
11:18  Claim your deductions
11:42  Stay up-to-date on the tax code
12:49  Plan ahead
16:34  Be mindful & proactive
18:09  Conclusion
 ‌
Links:‌ ‌
5-Step Roadmap
https://melissahoustoncpa.lpages.co/5-step-biz-finance-roadmap 
Link to calendar (free 30 min consult call)
Main website 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com
Offers 🡪 https://shemeansprofit.com/offers
Cash Confident Course 🡪 https://melissahoustoncpa.lpages.co/cash-confident-sales-page
What’s Your Profit Personality? (quiz) 🡪 https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/62ddb2293d71af001892a3a9
Follow me on:
IG @melissahoustoncpa    
LinkedIn @melissahoustoncpa