THE STERN TRUTH: Business Unfiltered

Marshall Stern
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The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered is the no-BS podcast for overwhelmed small business owners & entrepreneurs who are tired of the noise, the hype, and the so-called “experts” telling them how to grow their business. Hosted by Marshall Stern, a seasoned business owner and coach with over 35 years of experience, this podcast cuts through the confusion to bring you real, practical advice that actually works. If you feel stuck, exhausted, and like you’re doing it all alone—this is for you. Each episode delivers honest conversations, actionable strategies, and straight talk about what it really takes to grow and lead a thriving business. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just The Stern Truth you need to move forward with confidence. It's time to stop spinning your wheels and start leading your business like the unstoppable force you are.

  1. Ep. 80 The Stern Truth: Energize Your Business With Yulia Yamalova

    13H AGO

    Ep. 80 The Stern Truth: Energize Your Business With Yulia Yamalova

    In this episode, I sit down with Yulia Yamalova, a flexibility and movement coach with 14 years of experience. Yulia, who has built a fully location-independent business, has run studios in Bali, delivered workshops around the world, and now teaches completely online. Her journey is a great example of what entrepreneurial freedom looks like when you build your business around your life. What I love about this conversation is how Yulia connects physical health directly to business performance. She talks about how small business owners are grinding away at their desks, draining their energy on the wrong activities, and wondering why they feel burnt out. Yulia experienced this herself when she had her own studio and a growing team. One of the golden nuggets she shares in this episode is something I am absolutely stealing for myself: if it is not in your calendar, it does not exist. Yulia time-blocks everything, including a dedicated window she calls her "anger block,” which, wow, how inventive! Setting aside time to be angry is a golden nugget if I’ve ever heard one. Yulia also walks us through a desk-friendly movement routine you can do during a call or between tasks. The connection between how you hold your body physically and how you show up mentally in your business is real, and Yulia breaks it down in an easy-to-understand way. Her final golden nugget is to stay curious, something I live by as well. Keep asking questions, keep exploring, and never assume you have it all figured out. Send the word FLEXIBILITY to Yulia through LinkedIn or Instagram, and she will send you more about her pillars of flexibility. Website: https://balibodyclub.my.canva.site/cv-website LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yulia-yumalova-a04283168 IG: @bali.body Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    42 min
  2. Ep. 79 The Stern Truth: Navigating Entrepreneurial ADHD With Hannah Cummins

    5D AGO

    Ep. 79 The Stern Truth: Navigating Entrepreneurial ADHD With Hannah Cummins

    If you’ve ever found yourself jumping between tasks without finishing any of them, reorganizing your desk instead of doing the work, this episode is for you. My guest on this episode is Hannah Cummins, an ADHD micro-coach based out of Manchester, UK. The daily micro-coaching sessions are a quick but powerful four minutes with her clients. Four minutes—I know that sounds wild (and yes, I asked her about it.) As Hannah put it, if you reflect every day, you have better days. That container for daily self-reflection activates the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that gets dulled down by both ADHD and constant distractions. Getting on that day level, as she calls it, helps you spot patterns that either set you up for success or derail you. When it comes to accountability, one of Hannah’s golden nuggets is to find someone to hold up a mirror. Social accountability is so much more powerful than setting reminders for yourself. Whether that’s a coach, a mentor, or an accountability partner, having someone to reflect your patterns back at you makes all the difference. Hannah’s concept of knowing your “smoke alarm” – the behaviour that tells you you’re off track—is an incredibly practical takeaway. Distraction and procrastination almost always come from a lack of clarity or fear. Like Hannah says, fear shrinks in the light of consciousness. When you bring it to the surface, you can move through it. And, of course, Hannah left us with so many more golden nuggets, like leaving the all-or-nothing mindset behind, focusing on the 0.1% action you can take today. Driving all the way to the gym and sitting in the parking lot still counts for the 0.1%! Contact Hannah here: Website: https://www.expressocoaching.com/hch Email: hannah@expressocoaching.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hannah-cummins-2a078382/ Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    47 min
  3. Ep. 78 The Stern Truth: Stop Pitching Your Services and Do This Instead

    MAY 19

    Ep. 78 The Stern Truth: Stop Pitching Your Services and Do This Instead

    We’ve all seen it. We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably even all done it. That constant barrage of selling your services right off the bat.  My friends, we need to stop constantly pitching. Not to sound like an infomercial, but there is a better way. Let’s take the old way of selling - ABC, Always Be Closing. What if we tried a new ABC, Always Be Connecting? I go headfirst into an example of buying a timeshare in Whistler. The way that timeshare was first presented to me didn’t sound like a pitch; instead, the salesperson was genuinely interested in me, my wife, and what our future looked like.  I also go into why discovery calls shouldn’t immediately go into services. Why offer something to someone if you don’t know about them yet? As my mentor once said (and I often repeat), “Be interested, not interesting.” Ask people questions. Connect. Listen. It’s the best business strategy out there.  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    12 min
  4. Ep. 77 The Stern Truth: The Power of Deeper Questions With Karli Grove

    MAY 12

    Ep. 77 The Stern Truth: The Power of Deeper Questions With Karli Grove

    Business can be deep, and Karli Grove is here to prove it.  For episode 77, I have Karli Grove of Kantency Consulting as my guest. Katency is a consulting firm that focuses on organizational change. As Karli puts it, 180 changes are hard, but they don’t have to be. Her advice is to find the source resistance in your business and change it. This can require reading between the lines (because not all resistance points are obvious) and even some negotiations.  I pose a loaded question to Karli during this episode: what do you think is missing in business? She comes back with a loaded answer too: empathy. Karli believes in the power of asking questions and truly getting curious to get to that “secret sauce.” Not everything has to be so black and white, and questions get deeper. Our conversation reminded me of something my own mentor said: “Be interested, not interesting.” Get interested in others. Be curious and ask those questions to get to know them on a deeper level.  Karli gets real with us and tells us how accountability as an entrepreneur is one of her biggest challenges. Giving herself her own consequences is something she admits was difficult for her. She says what helped her was setting up systems and gives an amazing example with how she reads 50 books every year, while travelling!  Her golden nugget is that body language is extremely important when it comes to communication. You’re only getting a certain amount of the context with text or voice memos - she gives some great statistics on the episode that are fascinating, so don’t miss out! Get in touch with Karli here: Website: kantency.com LinkedIn: @karligrove    Join the ONtrepreneur Inner Circle group. It’s a community of your peers that can help you break through your challenges. Get practical tools, accountability, honest dialogue, and more: https://marshallstern.net/page/ontrepreneur-inner-circle Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    37 min
  5. Ep. 76 The Stern Truth: How to Build Sustainable Growth With Katie Eberman

    MAY 5

    Ep. 76 The Stern Truth: How to Build Sustainable Growth With Katie Eberman

    “Simply by Katie” is what Katie Eberman goes by online. What she does in her business and her journey as an entrepreneur, however, is anything but simple. Like most of us entrepreneurs, she had a persistent idea—supporting small businesses. Even with caring for little ones at home that she was taking care of, Katie still missed the kind of fulfilling work she used to do. She eventually landed on doing website design and copywriting, specifically for women in the small business space.  Katie talks passionately about helping female entrepreneurs, seeing it as a reflection of herself. What she really wants is for women to feel proud to send their clients or prospects to their websites.  Katie also notes that business owners don’t want to say they’re building a brand because it sounds too big of a vision. To me, this brought up another reminder to get clear on your “why”; the “why” is what’s powerful enough to get you to do what you do.  We get into the systems that Katie uses so that she can be there in both her work and life. This brings up a challenge that I have for you, my friends. I want you to send me an email at marshall@marshallstern.net and let me know your strategies for separating your work and life.  Katie has golden nugget after golden nugget in this episode, but she gave us one that might be the best golden nuggets yet. Katie says, just start. Don’t overthink, because when you’re in the action, you’re not worrying about what will go wrong. An incredible reminder that we can all build on.   Connect with Katie here: Website: simplybykatie.com Email: hello@simplybykatie.com Instagram: @simply_by_katie  Join the ONtrepreneur Inner Circle group. It’s a community of your peers that can help you break through your challenges. Get practical tools, accountability, honest dialogue, and more: https://marshallstern.net/page/ontrepreneur-inner-circle Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    40 min
  6. Ep. 75 The Stern Truth: Leveraging LinkedIn in Just 15 Minutes with Ashley Leeds

    APR 30

    Ep. 75 The Stern Truth: Leveraging LinkedIn in Just 15 Minutes with Ashley Leeds

    My guest on this episode is Ashley Leeds, known as The 15 Minute Guy, and, wow, just wow. Ashley dropped so many insights about LinkedIn that I could not wait to get this episode out. Ashley joins me from Devon, England, and he helps founders, entrepreneurs, and business owners get visible on LinkedIn in just 15 minutes a day. Ashley does the math for us all—15 minutes a day, five days a week, over a year adds up to 65 hours on the platform. It's an action that might seem small, but it can have a big effect. Less than 5% of LinkedIn users create content. That means if you start showing up consistently with posts, you are immediately ahead of 95% of people on the platform. Ashley's advice is to pick a specific day and time, stick to it, and let your audience anchor to you. We get into the real strategy behind commenting. Ashley recommends commenting on at least 10 posts a day. Not a boring “I agree” but adding a bit of your personality while adding value. A surprising few tidbits that Ashley also shared: hashtags on LinkedIn are now deprecated, so don’t use them. Your profile photo should be a close-up of your face with a coloured background, because 70% of users are on mobile. Polls are a wildly underused tool, not just for engagement but for gathering real data on your audience and then following up in a personal way. This episode with Ashley is just non-stop golden nuggets. Grab a pen and paper, tune in, and start thinking about how just 15 intentional minutes a day could transform your visibility. Connect with Ashley here: Website: www.just.15mins.day LinkedIn: @ashley-leeds-15-minute-guy Take the Free Assessment Here: www.just.15mins.day/score   Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    52 min
  7. Ep. 74 The Stern Truth: Is Your Business Serving Your Life?

    APR 28

    Ep. 74 The Stern Truth: Is Your Business Serving Your Life?

    This episode is shorter but still impactful. It’s a solo episode because I’ve had wonderful guests lately. But this one asks the question, Is your business serving your life? As always, grab a paper and pen. Write down the question, Is my business serving my life? Is it serving me financially, in terms of freedom, to do what I truly love? Or is it not serving my life? Do I feel trapped? Get back to why you started your business. What was your “why?” Sometimes we forget why we started our business. We might get stuck in that employee mindset. Come back to that “why,” why you do what you do. I invite you to take my Business Energy Reset. If your business is serving your life, that’s fantastic, and I’d still love to hear from you. But, if not, there’s an opportunity for change there. Take one step forward. Email me “yes, it is” or “no, it’s not” at marshall@marshallstern.net or grab the Business Energy Reset here: https://marshallstern.net/page/business-energy-quiz  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    10 min
  8. Ep. 73 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday with Earl Thomas

    APR 23

    Ep. 73 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday with Earl Thomas

    It’s another Business Therapy Thursday, and this one might hit home for anyone who has ever second-guessed their pricing. I sit down with Earl Thomas, host of the VOICE POWER podcast, and we have an honest and energizing deep dive into pricing confidence.  Earl has been podcasting for six seasons, reaching listeners across countless countries and cities. But he came to me with the challenge of feeling confident when it comes time to name his price.  He and I go over the three things needed for someone to work with you—desire, the ability to pay, and the willingness to pay. If all three aspects aren’t there, they’re not your client. We also dig into the idea of releasing yourself from the outcome. There’s real power in showing up to a conversation and being focused on service rather than landing the sale. Clarity breeds confidence. When you have clarity on your pricing, your process, your ideal client, and your follow-up plan, the confidence follows.  Earl even shares a golden nugget of his own, being “passionately confident and confidently passionate.” That's the exact energy that lands clients, builds audiences, and grows businesses. People know passion when they see it. I also get into when to bring up pricing. Talking about it too early, before you’ve made a real connection, turns everything into a negotiation. In small business, the relationship has to be the priority. The price is just a detail that comes after. Connect with Earl Thomas, aka “The Voice” here: Website: www.earlthomasthevoice.com Podcast: voicepower.buzzsprout.com LinkedIn: @earlthomasthevoice Facebook: @EarlThomasTheVoice YouTube: @EarlThomasTheVOICE   If you’re interested in a Business Therapy Thursday session, shoot me an email to marshall@marshallstern.net.   Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    43 min
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About

The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered is the no-BS podcast for overwhelmed small business owners & entrepreneurs who are tired of the noise, the hype, and the so-called “experts” telling them how to grow their business. Hosted by Marshall Stern, a seasoned business owner and coach with over 35 years of experience, this podcast cuts through the confusion to bring you real, practical advice that actually works. If you feel stuck, exhausted, and like you’re doing it all alone—this is for you. Each episode delivers honest conversations, actionable strategies, and straight talk about what it really takes to grow and lead a thriving business. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just The Stern Truth you need to move forward with confidence. It's time to stop spinning your wheels and start leading your business like the unstoppable force you are.

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