Freedom Entrepreneur Podcast | Online Business Tips, Business System Strategy, Marketing Training, Entrepreneur Mindset

Lindsay Sutherland
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Stop trading time for money. Start building monthly recurring revenue that pays you on repeat. If you're a service provider, coach, or consultant burning out and sick of watching AI threaten your business model, this podcast is your roadmap to becoming irreplaceable. Host Lindsay Sutherland teaches mission-driven entrepreneurs how to: → Position themselves where AI can't compete → Build scalable digital assets that generate monthly recurring revenue → Leverage AI tools to scale (without becoming a coder) → Transition from exhausting one-time sales to compounding income streams MEET YOUR HOST: Lindsay Sutherland isn't just teaching theory—she's living it from the mountains of North Idaho, where she runs her homestead with her family (yes, there are sheep). Lindsay has overhauled multiple businesses and helped dozens of entrepreneurs transition to recurring revenue models. After selling her shares in a solar company and relaunching her consulting practice, Lindsay is on a mission to help service providers, coaches, and consultants build AI-proof businesses that scale without burnout. Subscribe now and stop leaving money on the table. Connect with Lindsay at Https://lindsaysutherland.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

  1. 3D AGO

    Emails Suddenly Going To Spam? Here's Why & What To Do About It | For Online Entrepreneurs

    "I saw an email in my promotions box and it surprised me because I had engaged frequently with that company!" a friend mentioned at a recent networking function. It's true, this is happening to our clients as well. Email discoverability rules have gotten stricter and it is effecting established businesses. Step 1 - you must be using a domain email. An old fashion simple @gmail is not going to cut it anymore. Sadly, too many bad apples have ruined the bunch. Step 2 - you must set up the DKIM and DMARC records. In today's episode I break down what these are and where to go about updating them. Another good rule of thumb that I did not mention in the audio is to do a warm-up campaign after the initial records are set up. Find 20-30 known contacts. Send an email and then ask them to reply. This benefits your sender reputation. Furthermore, I discuss the importance of an email sending domain. If you have questions or want help with email marketing connect with us at https://bizinaboxsolutions.com/crm. Biz in a Box CRM is the ultimate all-in-one solution designed to simplify and scale your business. Imagine managing every aspect of your operations — from smart contact segmentation and automated follow-ups to call and text functionality, calendar booking, funnels, websites, and even social media scheduling — all from one intuitive platform. No more juggling multiple tools or paying for endless subscriptions. With built-in AI employee support, Biz in a Box CRM doesn’t just organize your business, it actively helps you run it. It’s like having a full-time team behind the scenes, so you can focus on growth, impact, and freedom. Book your demo: https://bizinaboxsolutions.com/crm Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record. https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur Mentioned in this episode: Freebie 5k recurring revenue It's time to take action and build the recurring revenue you long for. Text FREEDOM to 55444 right now to get instant access to the free guide 'Earn $5k/month on repeat.' You deserve more freedom! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

    16 min

  2. FEB 5

    Validate Your Idea in 48 Hours - Start Making Money Online

    Stop guessing. Start listening. If you've ever built a course, service, or product that nobody bought... you know that sinking feeling. Months of work. Crickets when you launch. The problem? You built BEFORE you validated. In this episode, I'm breaking down the exact 48-hour validation process I use with clients to determine if an idea is worth building—before investing weeks or months of effort. You'll discover: ✅ The Mohnish Pabrai story that reveals why listening (not pitching) is the secret to real validation ✅ The critical mindset shift: Information doesn't solve problems. Transformation does. (This changes everything about what you build) ✅ 3 validation methods you can complete in 48 hours: Method 1: AI + Reddit (The Digital Listening Post) - Use AI to search forums and extract the EXACT language your market usesMethod 2: Coffee Chats (The Human Connection) - The 3 magic questions that reveal if people will actually buyMethod 3: Competitor Research (The Missing Piece Strategy) - Find the gaps in existing solutions and build around them ✅ The Lindsay Friedman case study: How she's competing with Care.com by solving what they get WRONG (this is brilliant positioning) ✅ The decision framework: Green light, yellow light, or red light—exactly when to build, pivot, or move on ✅ The pre-sell test: How to get people to say "take my money" before you build anything This is for you if: You have ideas swirling but don't know which one to pursueYou're stuck in the overthinking loop (research → more research → analysis paralysis)You've built things in the past that didn't sellYou want to know your idea will work BEFORE you invest time building it The truth? 48 hours is enough time to validate. More time just means more overthinking. Stop assuming what your market needs. Start listening to what they're actually asking for. Your next step: Pick ONE idea and run it through the validation process this week. The market will tell you what to build. Episode Tags/Keywords:idea validation, market research, product development, audience research, entrepreneurship, online business, digital products, course creation, solopreneur, validation framework, competitor analysis, customer research, Reddit marketing, AI for business, pre-sell strategy, business strategy, avoid failure, product-market fit Mentioned in this episode: Freebie 5k recurring revenue It's time to take action and build the recurring revenue you long for. Text FREEDOM to 55444 right now to get instant access to the free guide 'Earn $5k/month on repeat.' You deserve more freedom! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

    26 min

  3. JAN 21

    How to Run Your Business at 90% Profit Margins (It's Easier Than You Think) with David Asarnow

    What if your business could operate at a 90% profit margin? Not someday. Not after years of grinding. Right now—with the technology already at your fingertips. David Asarnow spent 17 years in corporate America, growing a $6-8M company into a $45M division. Then he built an all-digital portrait studio franchise to eight figures in five years. Now? He's helping entrepreneurs leverage AI to cut operating costs down to 10%. His clients are downsizing teams—from six people down to one. Not because they're struggling, but because AI agents are doing the work that used to require full-time employees. In this conversation, David reveals: The Team Shift: David told his team three and a half years ago: "I know you're scared AI will take your job. But if you don't use it, you'll be replaced by someone who does. And if WE don't use it, we'll be replaced by companies who do." Recently, a team member said: "I don't have as much work. I'm getting things done faster. Should I stop using AI?" David's response? "If you don't use AI, you don't have a job." The AI Agent Strategy: Create autonomous agents that handle tasks you used to pay people full-time to do: Copy agents that write on-brand messagingReporting agents that scan Facebook and Google Ads and deliver ROI analysisCustomer service agents that handle inquiries What used to require hiring an outside agency or a full-time employee? Now it's an agent you build in an afternoon. The CHAOS Framework: David created this hiking on a Friday: Coherence: Slow down to speed upAction: Focus on ONE thing for 90 daysOutcome: That one thing will achieve more than 10 things you're jugglingStabilization: Persistence beats shiny objects The Communication Secret: Most people use AI and get garbage. Why? They communicate with it like it's Google. Instead, treat it like your smartest collaboration partner. Ask it to interview YOU. Ask it questions like a first-grader needs step-by-step instructions. Train it on frameworks (marketing psychology, buyer behavior, brand voice). David's hack? He opens two windows—one with ChatGPT, one with the software he's using. He asks ChatGPT to troubleshoot step-by-step instead of digging through help documentation. The $100 vs. $10K Shift: Someone bought David's sub-$100 offer and said it added more value than a $10K training they'd purchased before. The market is shifting: People expect value, but they're not investing in $50K masterminds anymore. Give massive value at lower price points. Build trust. They'll buy everything you offer. The Human Edge: AI gives you 90% of the way there. But unless you understand marketing frameworks, buyer psychology, and brand voice—you'll get average results. The difference between stellar output and mediocre? YOU. The human who knows what good looks like. The Proofreading Disaster: A client submitted a workbook to David's team for design. When they got it back, they complained: "This doesn't match our brand voice AT ALL." David's response? "That's interesting. We didn't change a single word. This is the exact copy you gave us." The client had...

    35 min

  4. JAN 19

    Weeding Out The Legit From The $h!t: The Truth About Social Media Virality

    "I know the secret to going viral on TikTok!" "I make all my money on Instagram!" "Buy my course and I'll teach you the algorithm hack!" Stop. Just stop. Lindsay's reading a book called Virality and guess what? There's no hidden secret. No insider algorithm hack. No magic formula that gurus are hiding from you. This is Part 2 of "Weeding Out the Legit from the Shit"—and today we're calling out the false narratives about social media that keep you on a hamster wheel buying courses that promise instant results. The False Narrative (The Shit): Chasing virality. Believing that if you just get famous on some platform, it'll solve all your problems. Thinking you're missing some secret about the algorithm that's keeping you from success. The Truth (The Legit): Feed the algorithm what it wants—and align it with what you do. Here's What Actually Works: 1. The algorithm isn't controlled by Meta or TikTok—it's controlled by PEOPLE. The viewers. The content consumers. They ARE your market. Give them what they want. 2. Say the same thing over and over and over. This is the part most people struggle with (Lindsay included). It feels boring. But look at any large account—go to their page, open their latest post, scroll backwards. They're saying the SAME STUFF. It's like Mexican food: same ingredients, just put together differently. 3. One pillar of content. Not three. ONE. People follow you for YOU and your MESSAGE. That's the recipe for loyal, engaged followers. Yes, you can tie in personal stories. Yes, you can talk about transformations. But it's all the SAME THING. 4. Your relationship is with PEOPLE, not the algorithm. The #1 way Lindsay grows? Slow and steady relationship building. Podcast guests. DM conversations. Real connections. When those people show up in her feed, she recognizes them. She LIKES them. That's what social media should feel like. The Virality Problem: Lindsay has a post with 12,000 clicks. It went viral. But those aren't her people. Virality doesn't equal followers who convert. It just means you entertained strangers. What Happens When You Chase the Wrong Strategy: You grow a following of people who don't care about your offer. Then when you pivot to aligned content that actually converts, they bounce. And you're back to square one—but this time, you're frustrated and broke from buying all those courses. The Algorithm's Real Goal: Keep people ON their platform. That's it. That's the secret. Want links off-platform to work? They won't perform as well. Want to win on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook? Link OTHER content on the SAME platform. Keep people engaged there. The Bottom Line: Stop chasing hacks. Build relationships. Say the same thing in different ways. Feed people what they want—and align it with what you offer. Lindsay fact-checked this entire episode with Claude AI. Everything she said? True. Key Takeaway: Social media isn't a lottery. It's not insider trading. It's simple: One message. One human. Lots of humans who relate to that one person. Build relationships, not follower counts.Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record. https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur Mentioned in this episode: Freebie 5k recurring...

    15 min

  5. JAN 16

    89% of Marketing Agencies Are Scamming You. Here's How to Spot Them with Behdad Jamshidi

    "We're spending $5,500 a month on marketing and getting nothing." Behdad sat down with the business owner, pulled up the dashboards, and started digging. What he found? $3,500 spent for ONE lead one month. Three leads the next. The agency had promised results. The data said otherwise. Worse? The client had no access to his Google My Business. No access to his Google Ads account. The agency was charging $500/month for two Google My Business posts—and wasn't even doing them. Welcome to the marketing agency nightmare many business owners face. Behdad Jamshidi is an engineer-turned-marketing connector who's vetted over 1,100 marketing agencies. He's seen it all: agencies that can't provide references, platforms built "in the cloud" that don't exist, businesses spending six figures with zero ROI, and small companies getting scammed out of thousands by agencies that do nothing. His conclusion after years of research? 89% of marketing agencies are good at nothing. 11% are good at 1-3 things. In this conversation, Behdad reveals: The 5 Types of Marketing Partners (And When You Need Each One): Level 1: Freelancers/Contractors ($0-500K revenue) Perfect for taking $10-20/hour tasks off your plateYou're still doing most of the strategy yourselfGood for social media posting, basic content creation, simple tasks Level 2: Value-Based Agencies ($500K-3M revenue) Hire them for ONE specific thing they do really wellThey might offer "full service" but really excel at Google Ads or Facebook AdsEverything else they do is average (and that's okay for now) Level 3: Niche Specialists + Fractional CMO ($3M-10M revenue) You've found product-market fit—now you need expertsHire agencies that ONLY do SEO for your industry, or ONLY do email marketingBring in a fractional CMO ($8-12K/month) to build your actual marketing strategyMost businesses at this stage have thrown things at the wall with no real plan Level 4: Full-Funnel Managers ($10M-30M revenue) These partners manage the entire customer journey: paid ads → landing page → conversion optimization → email nurtureRetainers: $10-30K/monthAd budgets: $100K+/monthNot cheap, but they manage multiple teams end-to-end Level 5: Enterprise Agencies ($30M+ revenue) Million-dollar marketing budgetsThey hire consultants on the backend for creative campaigns, programmatic ads, whatever you needThis is big-league, Fortune 500...

    32 min

  6. JAN 13

    Weeding Out the Legit From the $h!t: 'Make Money Online' Scam or Truth?

    "I bought a course on making money with faceless content. It made no sense. Nothing's working. I can't afford another course. Somebody please tell me how to make this make sense." Lindsay saw this message in a Facebook group and her heart broke. Because she knows exactly what's happening—and it's spreading like wildfire. There's a "business opportunity" flooding social media right now. You've probably seen it: "I made $XXX dollars a day with this $27 PDF!" The websites all look the same. The copy is identical. The promise is irresistible: buy this one thing, post on social media, watch the money roll in. It's a PLR (Private Label Rights) product. And it's not quite a scam—but it's not what they're telling you either. In this episode, Lindsay breaks down: What's Actually Happening: You buy a $27 PDF that comes with a pre-made website, sales copy, and social media templatesYou're not really selling a product—you're selling an affiliate white-label courseThe business model is genius for the person who created it (they make money every time someone buys in and recruits others)It's structured like an MLM, but for digital products Why It's Not a Scam (But Also Not What You Think): Lindsay doesn't say it's fake—people ARE making money with it. But here's what they're not telling you: The market is getting saturated (it's everywhere now)You're not learning how to build a business—you're learning how to sell ONE funnelIf that funnel stops working, you're back to square oneYou can't recreate this success with a different topic or productIt's not scalable, not authentic, and not sustainable The Real Problem: These courses promise "easy" and "overnight" success. They show you flashy income screenshots. They make it sound like three hours of work will change your life. The truth? Creating consistent content is HARDGetting 70-80% of your views from non-followers requires deep platform knowledgeOrganic growth takes 6-18 months minimum of consistent hustleIf you don't have money for ads, you need TIME and SKILL The Woman Who Couldn't Afford Another Course: She bought a course for less than $100, expecting it to solve her financial problems. It didn't work. She's now desperate, asking strangers in Facebook groups to help her make sense of something that was never designed to help her succeed—it was designed to make the course creator money. Lindsay's Advice: If you want to make $1,000/month overnight, you need a paid ads budget. Period. If you don't have money for ads, expect: 6-18 months of consistent content creationspan class="ql-ui"...

    16 min

  7. JAN 8

    Etsy Shut Down Her Account Permanently. She Built a Multimillion-Dollar Business Anyway With Amanda Wittenborn

    Amanda Wittenborn was making $3,000-5,000 a month on Etsy—the first time in her marriage she'd ever had all the bills covered with money left over. She'd built the business from absolute broke (parking the car in debt at the front of the driveway so it couldn't be towed overnight) to finally breathing financially. Then one morning, while still in the newborn fog with her third son, she got an email: copyright infringement flag. She'd respond later. A week went by (sleep deprivation is real), and Etsy shut down her account. Permanently. Just like that, years of work—gone. Financial security—gone. Her dream job—gone. She quit. For nearly a year, she gave up entirely. But then she got an email from another party brand looking for a designer. She took the job, started designing for a "competitor," and something sparked. That little voice whispered: You're supposed to be designing party supplies. So she tried again. But there was a problem: Amazon (the biggest audience) doesn't allow digital downloads like Etsy does. She had to pivot from digital invitations to physical products—fill-in-the-blank invitations people would have to handwrite. She thought: No one's going to buy these. She was wrong. In this conversation, Amanda reveals: The $750 Gamble: Her first inventory order felt impossible to pay back. But Prime-eligible products sold 10-to-1 compared to ones she shipped herself. That bet changed everything. The 2-Hour Morning Rule: Amanda starts every day with 2 hours of creativity (crocheting, painting, reading)—NOT business work. Just joy. It transformed her entire life. Minimum: 30 minutes. Optimal: 2 hours. No exceptions. From Broke to Multimillion-Dollar Business: Today, Amanda runs a multimillion-dollar-per-year business with over 8,000 products (all designed by her). She sells on Amazon, Shopify, Oriental Trading, and is expanding to Walmart. The Whimsical Secret: Rollerskating llamas. Outer space kitty cats. Snow leopard princesses. Amanda connects with kids' wild imaginations—and that's why her products sell when thousands of competitors don't. The Hurdles She's Jumped: Etsy account shut down permanentlyCOVID wiping out party supplies overnight (she lost the business TWICE)Counterfeit products copying her designsGetting sued wrongfullyCopyright infringement battles None of it stopped her. The Mindset Shift: Amanda's friend recently said: "I love when things are hard because that means not a lot of people are doing it." Amanda's willing to do the hard things—and that's why she's still standing when others quit. The Creator Unleashed: Amanda now mentors female entrepreneurs in her new community, helping them build businesses that don't run their lives—businesses where they get to play, create, and feel joy instead of drowning in tasks. The Bottom Line: Every hurdle is an opportunity to decide: Is this the one that stops me? For Amanda, the answer has always been no. She's been through the ringer—and she keeps going. Sometimes the universe is working in your favor even when it feels devastating. Losing her Etsy store was the worst thing that happened to her—and the best thing that ever happened to her business. ABOUT AMANDA WITTENBORN: Amanda Wittenborn is the founder of Amanda Creations, a multimillion-dollar party

    49 min

  8. JAN 6

    Her Pins From 5 Years Ago Are STILL Making Sales Today (While Yours Disappear in 48 Hours) with Tarin LaRoux

    Pinterest isn't just recipes and wedding planning anymore. It's the secret weapon most online entrepreneurs are completely ignoring—and it could be the difference between struggling for traffic and waking up to sales you didn't have to hustle for. Tarin LaRoux didn't set out to become a Pinterest strategist. She was looking for a way to build a homestead life on 10 acres in rural Texas while working from home with two newborns. She fell down a Pinterest rabbit hole searching for "laptop lifestyle on acreage" solutions—and discovered something most business owners miss entirely. The platform everyone dismisses as "just for DIY crafts" is actually a visual discovery engine with high-intent buyers actively searching for solutions. And unlike Instagram or TikTok, your content doesn't die in 48 hours. Pins Tarin created five years ago are still driving traffic and sales today. In this conversation, Tarin reveals: Why Pinterest Isn't Social Media: People don't go to Pinterest to scroll—they go with search intent. You're not competing for attention in a feed—you're showing up when someone is actively looking for what you offer. One pin can get saved 100 times, creating a compounding traffic effect that lasts for years. The Podcaster's Secret Weapon: Turn your podcast transcripts into blog posts, use Pinterest to drive traffic, and reverse engineer your content by researching what keywords people are actually searching for. Lindsay found her podcast coach on Pinterest and went from pin click to paid customer in 7 days. The Traffic Milestones: First 90 days: Things start to compound2,000 monthly visitors: First milestone10,000 monthly visitors: Unlock better ad networks for blog monetization Real Results: Lindsay's log cabin podcast made Pinterest the #1 traffic driver within 6-12 months—and converted a million-dollar cabin sale. Tarin's clients see pins from 5 years ago still driving cyclical traffic every summer. The Setup Essentials: Keyword research first (use Pin Clicks tool)Optimize your boards with keyword-rich titlesMake your website Pinterest-readyBatch and schedule using TailwindBe patient (3-6 months to index, then it compounds forever) The Bottom Line: Pinterest users are high-intent buyers actively searching for solutions. Your content takes 3-6 months to index, but then it works for you for years. Commit to 12 months, do the keyword research, create pins that drive clicks—then watch traffic show up from work you did once. ABOUT TARIN LAROUX: Tarin LaRoux is a Pinterest strategist who helps online entrepreneurs turn Pinterest into an evergreen traffic machine. After discovering Pinterest's power in 2017 while searching for remote work solutions, she transitioned from court transcript proofreader to website designer to Pinterest manager—landing on the perfect introvert-friendly business model. She helps coaches, course creators, bloggers, and podcasters leverage Pinterest without the social media burnout. Tarin lives in rural Texas with her husband and kids, dreaming of adding...

    46 min
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About

Stop trading time for money. Start building monthly recurring revenue that pays you on repeat. If you're a service provider, coach, or consultant burning out and sick of watching AI threaten your business model, this podcast is your roadmap to becoming irreplaceable. Host Lindsay Sutherland teaches mission-driven entrepreneurs how to: → Position themselves where AI can't compete → Build scalable digital assets that generate monthly recurring revenue → Leverage AI tools to scale (without becoming a coder) → Transition from exhausting one-time sales to compounding income streams MEET YOUR HOST: Lindsay Sutherland isn't just teaching theory—she's living it from the mountains of North Idaho, where she runs her homestead with her family (yes, there are sheep). Lindsay has overhauled multiple businesses and helped dozens of entrepreneurs transition to recurring revenue models. After selling her shares in a solar company and relaunching her consulting practice, Lindsay is on a mission to help service providers, coaches, and consultants build AI-proof businesses that scale without burnout. Subscribe now and stop leaving money on the table. Connect with Lindsay at Https://lindsaysutherland.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

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