Mindset to Market: Holistic Business Tools for Solopreneurs with Deborah C. Smith

Deborah C. Smith
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Mindset to Market, your go-to podcast for practical tools and solutions for the everyday challenges of being a creative and spiritual entrepreneur living in a material world.  If you’re a mission-driven, creative solopreneur, and you're ready to jump into messy action to grow your online business... you’re in the right place. Your host, Deborah C. Smith, is a holistic business coach, online marketing consultant and former owner of the multi 6-figure citywide juice bar and holistic nutrition company. The goal is to inspire and support your entrepreneurial journey with creative problem-solving, mindset shifts, daily practices and motivation to help you take imperfect action so you too can find balance while building your dream business.  Don't wait to start building your profitable online business, one that is soulful and aligned with your big life dreams! Join the Mindset to Market course and weekly group mastermind and immediately shift into growth and abundance mode for your small business. Learn how to set daily routines that align you for clarity in your business offers, expand your capacity to receive, clarify your brand and offer suite and hit that 6 figure mark through clear messaging and streamlined tech!

  1. 5d ago

    141 - How Much Should You Charge? A Better Way to Price Your Offer

    How much should you charge for your offer? $97? $497? $2,000? More? Pricing can feel incredibly personal, especially when you are the face of your business. But your price is not a reflection of your worth as a human being. You are pricing an offer, not yourself. In this episode, I’m sharing a practical conversation about how to price your work based on the actual offer, the transformation you’re helping create, your business model, your capacity and what the market is telling you. I’m also sharing a few real examples from clients who dramatically changed their pricing, including why sometimes charging more can create a better container for the work. In this episode, we’ll talk about:  Why “charge what you’re worth” is terrible pricing advice  5 questions to ask when determining the price of an offer  Why a lower-priced offer isn’t necessarily easier to sell  How your capacity and business model should influence pricing  When the level of client commitment should factor into your price  Why you shouldn’t assume price is the problem when an offer isn’t selling  How to tell the difference between a pricing problem and discomfort around saying your price  Why pricing is just one part of your larger sales system One of the biggest takeaways: If your offer isn’t selling, don’t immediately lower the price. Look at the whole system. Did enough people see it? Did they understand it? Are you talking to people who actually want the result? Did you clearly invite them to buy? Did you follow up? Sometimes the thing you think is broken isn’t the thing that actually needs your attention.  Want another set of eyes on your sales system? Book a 20-Minute Sales System Chat where we can look at your offer, pricing, messaging or whatever part of your sales system feels messy right now and identify where I’d put your attention next. BOOK A 20-MINUTE SALES SYSTEM CHAT There are also two ways to work with me this fall: Foundations is for women who need deeper strategic support building the business underneath their sales activities, including their offer, positioning, marketing and sales systems. Sales Studio is my new community where we’ll practice the actual needle-moving activities that create sales week after week. Not sure which one makes sense for you? You don’t need to figure that out before we talk. That’s exactly what the 20-minute conversation is for.  Also mentioned in this episode: Episode 79: The Energetics of Successful Sales, Part 1 Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  2. Sep 22

    140 - Is it Strategy… or Is It Fear?

    Are you dealing with fear of selling? You already know what to do: send the email, follow up, post the offer, name the price, make the invitation. But suddenly twelve other things in your business feel VERY important. 😬 After several conversations at Podcast Movement stopped me in my tracks around the phrase “ethical sales,” I started thinking about how often smart, experienced women mistake fear for a marketing problem.  In this episode, I’m sharing one question that can help you tell the difference between a genuine strategy problem and fear — plus a simple three-step practice you can use when fear starts running the business: NAME IT. GROUND IT. MOVE. We’ll talk about how to name the specific fear underneath your hesitation, ground yourself in what you know to be true about your work, and take one revenue-producing action before your brain gets another vote.   Because the goal isn’t to go from fear → fearlessness. It’s to go from fear → grounded action.  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ✨ The Solopreneur Sales System — Free Live Masterclass Come map the foundational pieces of your own sales system and see what’s working, what’s missing, and what needs your attention. Register Here Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  3. Sep 15

    139: You Wanted a Business? That Means You Have To Sell

    → Don't miss The Solopreneur Sales System You Said You Wanted a Business. That Means You Have to Sell. There comes a point in every entrepreneur's journey when the dreaming, creating and endless possibility of building a business collides with a much less glamorous reality: You actually have to sell something. And sometimes the things that look most like productive marketing — tweaking your website, growing your audience, creating more content, questioning your pricing, building another funnel, or getting another certification — can become sophisticated ways of avoiding the vulnerable part: Making the invitation.  In this episode of Mindset to Market, I'm sharing the moment I learned this lesson while bootstrapping my first physical business — when permits, staffing, ingredients, insurance and other very real expenses meant that selling simply wasn't optional. I'm also sharing what I've recently witnessed while supporting clients through three very different launches: a new online community with a goal of 100 members, a new program seeking its first 10 participants, and an online academy launching toward a significant financial goal. Their goals were different, but they all reached the same threshold: I built this. I believe in it. Now I have to be willing to sell it.  In this episode, we talk about why marketing can't eliminate the need to sell, the productive-looking ways entrepreneurs avoid making offers, why ethical sales isn't a performance, and why believing deeply in your work doesn't necessarily eliminate fear — it gives you something solid enough to stand on while you move through it.  Because you don't have to wait until you're no longer afraid to sell. You need something you believe in enough to sell while you're afraid. Mentioned in this episode The Solopreneur Sales System — FREE Live Masterclass September 22 at 7 PM ET We'll map the foundational pieces underneath your sales and marketing — your beliefs and capacity, offer, messaging, customer journey, simple tech, content and ongoing sales plan — so you can see what's working, what's missing and where your system may be leaking.  Register Here Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  4. Sep 8

    #138 - What Should I Be Doing Weekly to Make Sales?

    You sit down on Monday morning knowing you need to market your business. But…what should you actually DO? Post on Instagram? Send an email? Make a Reel? Follow up with someone? Go networking? Fix your website? Create another lead magnet? Before you know it, you've spent three hours in Canva and haven't actually talked to a single potential client. In this shorty episode, I'm breaking down the 5 marketing and sales activities every solopreneur should be doing each week to generate leads, nurture potential buyers and create more opportunities to sell. We'll talk about: How to deliberately bring new potential clients into your worldThe question I want you to ask instead of “What should I post?”Why some of your best leads may already be sitting in your inbox or DMsThe step many entrepreneurs skip after educating, nurturing and creating contentWhy tracking where your leads and sales come from can completely change your marketing prioritiesMy simple 30-Minute Sales Sprint for getting out of your head and into actionThe difference between doing marketing activities and having an actual sales systemBecause consistent sales don't come from constantly inventing more things to do. They come from knowing which activities matter — and building a system that helps those activities work together. FREE RESOURCE: YOUR WEEKLY MARKETING + SALES CHECKLIST I turned the five activities from this episode into a printable, actionable checklist you can keep next to your desk and use every week. You'll get specific actions to take, prompts to help you prioritize, examples for each step and the 30-Minute Sales Sprint from this episode. Download the FREE Weekly Marketing + Sales Checklist: DOWNLOAD HERE Next up... FREE LIVE MASTERCLASS: THE SOLOPRENEUR SALES SYSTEM Once you know what to DO each week, there's a bigger question: Do you have a sales system connecting it all together? Join me for my free Solopreneur Sales System Masterclass and I'll show you how to connect your offer, messaging, lead generation, nurturing, follow-up and sales into a simple system designed to consistently attract and convert clients — without making social media your entire business strategy. Join the next available class: REGISTER FOR THE SOLOPRENEUR SALES SYSTEM Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. 20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  5. Sep 1

    #137 - The 5 Foundations of a Sustainable Solopreneur Business

    You got trained to do the work you love. Now apparently you also need to become a marketer, salesperson and content creator? If the thought of constantly creating content and selling yourself online makes you question whether you even WANT to run a business, this episode is for you. A recent conversation with a friend graduating from a three-year Yoga Therapy program at Kripalu brought me straight back to 2006, when I graduated from my own health coaching program. I knew how to help people. What I didn't know was how the heck I was supposed to FIND enough of those people to build a viable business. Almost 20 years later, helping other women solve that exact problem has become a huge part of my work. In this episode, I'm breaking down the five foundational pillars I believe every expertise-based solopreneur needs to build a sustainable business — and why I recently added an entirely new fifth pillar to my Foundations program after watching what my clients needed AFTER successfully launching their offers. Because yes, you need marketing. Yes, you need sales. And yes, if you're building a personal brand, creating content is probably going to be part of the job. But it doesn't have to suck. In this episode, you'll learn: Why your marketing strategy should start with your life and capacity — not InstagramHow a signature offer gives your entire marketing system something to organize aroundWhy understanding real humans is more useful than creating a fictional "ideal client"How to develop messaging that sells without sounding salesyWhat a simple customer journey looks like for a solopreneurWhy launching your offer is really a data-collection opportunityThe missing piece I discovered after helping clients build and successfully launch their offersWhy I've added sustainable sales + content planning as the fifth pillar of FoundationsHow to make content easier (and even fun) by building it around your offer, expertise, personality and strengthsWhy you don't need the biggest audience — you need enough of the RIGHT people consistently discovering your workThe 5 Foundations 1. YOU Build around your capacity, strengths, wellness, lifestyle and the way you actually want to work. 2. YOUR SIGNATURE OFFER Turn your expertise into a clear offer that people can understand, want and buy. 3. YOUR AUDIENCE + MESSAGING Understand the real people who need your work and develop a voice and message that helps them recognize, "This is for me." 4. YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY Create a clear path from discovering you → becoming interested → building trust → becoming a client. 5. YOUR SUSTAINABLE SALES + CONTENT PLAN Build an ongoing visibility, audience-growth, content and sales strategy that keeps working after your launch ends. Join Me September 22 If you're a health coach, yoga professional, holistic practitioner, healer, wellness educator, service provider or other expertise-based solopreneur thinking: "I know how to help people. I just don't know how to turn all of this into a business without marketing becoming the part of my life I dread." I'm teaching a free live class on September 22 at 7 PM ET: The Solopreneur Sales System I'll show you how these pieces fit together so you can build a marketing and sales system around YOUR expertise, YOUR strengths and the business you actually want to run. [REGISTER FOR THE SOLPRENEUR SALES SYSTEM] Marketing isn't separate from serving people! It's how the people you can serve find you. Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. 20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  6. Aug 25

    #136 - Own Your Genius: Visibility, Confidence & Being Seen with Christina Vidovich

    You can be brilliant at what you do, but if no one knows you exist, it’s going to be very hard to grow your business. In this episode of Mindset to Market, I’m joined by Christina Vidovich, Founder of Women Getting Visible, international speaker, visibility and leadership strategist, media host, and producer. Christina’s work is centered around helping women step into their voice, presence, and influence — whether that means showing up more confidently online, pitching themselves for podcasts, speaking on stages, or simply getting comfortable telling people what they do. One of my favorite ideas from our conversation is this: Visibility doesn’t actually start with being seen. It starts with clarity. Christina shares her framework of clarity → alignment → visibility and explains why trying to “get more visible” before you’re clear about your message can leave you creating more noise instead of more connection. We also get into the very real fears that keep women hiding: rejection, criticism, being judged, hearing “no,” and even the fear of succeeding publicly. In this episode, we talk about: Why visibility is a foundational part of growing a businessWhy clarity in your message needs to come before more visibilityThe fears that keep smart, talented women from putting themselves out thereHow to detach rejection from your sense of selfSimple ways to practice being visible before you feel completely confidentWhy one meaningful relationship can be more valuable than handing your business card to everyone in the roomHow visibility and confidence begin to build on each otherWhy Christina wants women to own their genius, trust themselves, and tell people about itAbout Christina Vidovich Christina Vidovich is the Founder of Women Getting Visible, an international speaker, visibility and leadership strategist, media host, and producer advancing the movement for women’s voice, presence, and influence. Through Women Getting Visible, Christina creates platforms and experiences where women step into keynote roles, lead workshops, share their expertise, and become recognized voices in their fields. Her work spans public speaking, storytelling, stagecraft, podcasting, livestreaming, content creation, personal branding, thought leadership, community building, and meaningful connection. Connect with Christina Explore upcoming Women Getting Visible experiences: https://luma.com/womengettingvisible Connect with Christina on LinkedIn and send her a DM. Upcoming Events September 16 — Brooklyn, NY - Learn More Join us for a live messaging workshop designed to help women entrepreneurs strengthen their message, bring more of their story into their marketing, and practice communicating it with confidence. October 9–11 — Washington, D.C. - Learn More & Register Here I’ll be joining Christina and Women Getting Visible for their flagship conference. January 2027 — Orlando, FL  Christina and I will both be at Podfest, where we’ll share the stage with Amy Nubsom for a conversation about the power of visibility. If you’ve been waiting until you feel more confident, more polished, or more “ready” to put yourself out there, let this episode be your nudge. You already know more than you think you do. Own your genius. Trust yourself. And let people know you’re here. Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  7. Aug 18

    #135 - Digital Product Blueprint Step 6: Launch, Learn & Improve

    You built it. Now it's time to put it in front of real humans. In the final step of the Digital Product Blueprint, we're talking about how to launch your digital product without turning it into an exhausting three-week production. Because the first launch isn't the final verdict on your product. It's your very first data point.  In this episode, you'll learn:  Why your announcement is only the beginning of your launch  How to promote the same product repeatedly without saying the same thing over and over  Why repetition creates recognition  How to gather useful feedback and powerful testimonials  What to improve before creating Version Two  How to turn your digital product into an evergreen asset that's woven throughout your business  How to use Handraiser Content to find people actively experiencing the problem your product solves  How to nurture your new audience toward your paid offers  How to define success without expecting your first product to go viral We'll also talk about why your launch is one of the best forms of market research available to you, and why one person's opinion is a preference, while repeated patterns are data.  Your final assignment? Publish. Learn. Improve. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE: 📖 Get the FREE Digital Product Blueprint Workbook: DOWNLOAD NOW 🎧 Start with Step 1 of the Digital Product Blueprint: 🎧 EPISODE 130  ✨ Get hands-on support with Blueprint VIP:  JOIN VIP  💬 Explore the Messaging & Revenue Reset: LEARN MORE 💌 Try KIT Email Marketing FREE: KIT AFFILIATE LINK 📩 Questions or want to share what you’re building? hello@deborahcsmith.com Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

  8. Aug 11

    #134 - Digital Product Blueprint Step 5: Position Your Offer So People Understand Why It Matters

    You can create an incredible digital product, build the customer journey, set up the automation…and still have nobody download it. Typically, it’s not because the product isn’t good. It’s because your audience doesn’t immediately understand why it matters to them. In Step 5 of the Digital Product Blueprint, we’re talking about positioning: how to make your digital product feel like the obvious next step for the person you created it for. The goal is to help the right person recognize themselves in your messaging and think: “Yes. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for.” In this episode, you’ll learn how to use my simple positioning framework: RIGHT NOW → QUICK WIN → BIGGER POSSIBILITY You’ll also learn:  Why your audience is searching for relief, not your workbook, course or toolkit  How to use the actual language your audience gives you during customer research  How to turn a generic product description into messaging that feels urgent and relevant  The three questions every digital product needs to answer  Why strong positioning leads with a doorway, not the distant destination  How to create your launch announcement and first promotional content  Why specificity helps your offer stand out in a crowded market Your homework this week is to refine the messaging around your digital product, create your promotional assets, and share Version One with a small group of warm contacts before the public launch.  Because people don’t buy the product you made. They buy the future they believe it can create for them. LINKS 📖 Get the FREE Digital Product Blueprint Workbook: DOWNLOAD NOW 🎧 Start with Step 1 of the Digital Product Blueprint: 🎧 EPISODE 130  ✨ Get hands-on support with Blueprint VIP:  JOIN VIP  💬 Explore the Messaging & Revenue Reset: LEARN MORE 💌 Try KIT Email Marketing FREE: KIT AFFILIATE LINK 📩 Questions or want to share what you’re building? hello@deborahcsmith.com Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com. Email Marketing: Start FREE with KITJoin the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal ProgramUse code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance. 🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More 💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com 💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

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5
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11 Ratings

About

Welcome to Mindset to Market, your go-to podcast for practical tools and solutions for the everyday challenges of being a creative and spiritual entrepreneur living in a material world.  If you’re a mission-driven, creative solopreneur, and you're ready to jump into messy action to grow your online business... you’re in the right place. Your host, Deborah C. Smith, is a holistic business coach, online marketing consultant and former owner of the multi 6-figure citywide juice bar and holistic nutrition company. The goal is to inspire and support your entrepreneurial journey with creative problem-solving, mindset shifts, daily practices and motivation to help you take imperfect action so you too can find balance while building your dream business.  Don't wait to start building your profitable online business, one that is soulful and aligned with your big life dreams! Join the Mindset to Market course and weekly group mastermind and immediately shift into growth and abundance mode for your small business. Learn how to set daily routines that align you for clarity in your business offers, expand your capacity to receive, clarify your brand and offer suite and hit that 6 figure mark through clear messaging and streamlined tech!

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