Breakthrough Brand Podcast - Online Business Growth, Website Design Strategies, Grow a Podcast, Motherhood and Business, Pass Elizabeth McCravy

 
In this episode, I’m sharing all about having a word of the year for your business! I've alluded to having a word of the year (I actually had THREE words of the year) on the show many times so if you're a regular listener, you've heard me talk about this already but today I’m sharing WHAT those words are, why I picked them, why this matters, and how you can do the same! 
 
In this short episode, I’m covering:
Why your business word of the year and personal word of the year should be separate
What my words of the year for 2023 were (I had three!)
How to choose YOUR word of the year
How I actually USED by words of the year to guide my decisions
 
And so much more. On top of that, I’m going to share practical ways that having a word of the year has positively impacted my business this year, and I'll also give you tips on how to keep your word of the year at the forefront of your mind for the entire 365 days. I know how easy it is to choose a word and forget about it. But not this year!
And speaking of goals, I'd love to support you in yours! I'd love to know what you want more of on the podcast in 2024! Take my End of the Year Survey at https://elizabethmccravy.com/survey! You might just hear your questions answered on a future episode of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast + you'll be entered to win a Starbucks gift card! I appreciate your feedback so much!
 




Links Mentioned:
Get the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/245 
Take my End of the Year Survey: https://elizabethmccravy.com/survey  Shop Elizabeth McCravy Templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  
Starting a Podcast? Learn more about Podcast Success Blueprint: https://elizabethmccravy.com/psb 
Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod
Grab my Profit Sheet before the new year:  https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet 
Not sure what template is for you? Take the quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz 
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy    

This episode is a recast from 2022, aired at the same time of year last year. You guys loved it then, and I loved it too! It was such a fun episode to record. I just finished listening to the whole thing on a walk before I re-recorded the intro. I decided to re-air it because it's as relevant now as it was a year ago. Let's talk about what this episode is and then dive right into it.
Today’s episode is a fun friend-to-friend chat about Christmas, and I am certainly bringing the Christmas ENERGY in this episode. I’m totally a “Christmas person” and I start getting excited about Christmas in July typically (not kidding). But, let’s talk about the elephant in the room… 
Resting and actually taking time off for the holidays doesn’t always come easy as business owners. 
There’s often a lot to do to “close out the year” and at the same time you’re ready to dream about the next year in your business, PLUS you have the everyday to do’s of life to keep up with. You also might be listening to this right after Black Friday which can be really exhausting as a business owner. Resting and slowing down can feel really hard.
 
That’s what we’re talking about today. I’m sharing with you: 
1. My time-off and rest strategy for Christmas that I do basically every year, and how you can do this yourself as well! (We’re talking PRACTICAL planning here!) 
2. Holiday bucket list ideas for you to do to strengthen your faith and enjoy the month of December, even in its chaos. 
3. Tradition ideas – I was a NEW mom when this first aired, and even still I don’t have tons of traditions to share for with kiddos. But, I am sharing some traditions you could try with your spouse that we do and some family tradition ideas I love! 
4. I’m sharing Advent resources, books, other podcast episodes, and things I think will help you out as you plan your own holiday season. 
 
So, that is our agenda. This is a GOOD EPISODE, if you often tell me that you wish I did more personal content – this is it. I’m excited to chat. Go get a peppermint mocha, a sugar cookie latte, or some wine and let’s dive into it! 
 
Lots of links mentioned today that you can find below:
Get the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/244  Shop website templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  Starting a Podcast? Learn more about Podcast Success Blueprint: https://elizabethmccravy.com/psb  Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod Grab my Profit Sheet before the new year:  https://elizabethmccravy.com/profit-sheet  Not sure what template is for you? Take the quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz  Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/  Connect with me on my website: http://elizabethmccravy.com/ 

Advent Devotionals To Check Out:
- The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper
- Unwrapping the Names of Jesus by Asheritah Ciuciu
- Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp 
- Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons 
- Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Plan for Kids
- FREE Advent Reading Plan for Really Little Kids
- Risen Motherhood Advent Round Up List
 
Advent/Christmas Podcast Resources:
- Risen Motherhood Episode #81 Celebrating Advent with Little Ones
- Risen Motherhood Episode #42 Making Christmas Traditions Matter
- Risen Motherhood Episode #146 Finding Rest in Advent  
- Risen Motherhood Episode #177 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- Work and Play Episode #90 Our Favorite Christmas Traditions 
- Work and Play Episode #172 My Christmas Game Plan
- Behind the Bliss Episode #208 An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always with Ruth Chou Simons 
 
Random Links I Mentioned:
- Peppermint Mocha Nutpods  
- Red Christmas Pajamas from Amazon 
- Sugared Cranberries Recipe
- “The Hunting Party” Book

Now, are you ready to get your new website up fast? Today, I’m sharing my TOP tips to getting yourself a new website my new years instead of letting that website template you bought sit on your virtual shelf. After 5 years of selling Showit templates - there have been some recurring themes between those that get their website up FAST (like within days!) and those who take many months to make their site live. 
While either scenario is completely OK, if you DO want a new website by New Years, I’m giving you real tactical and practical tips to help you customize your website template faster (even if you’re not a natural designer!). Because let’s face it - your website can’t get you an ROI until it’s actually live!
 
Links Mentioned:
 
- Get the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/243
- Shop my Black Friday sale + Enter to Win: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bf 
- Shop Elizabeth’s Favorite Things: https://elizabethmccravy.com/elizabeth-bf 
- Shop Elizabeth McCravy Templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop 
- Not sure what template is for you? Take the quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz 
- Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy

As a designer, I absolutely love talking about SEO, and I incorporate SEO strategy into every template and website I design. It might surprise you, but before you even input your own information, a website template can already be SEO-friendly or be a disaster that you'll have to fix later. While most SEO strategies are implemented after you customize the template with your own content, images, and SEO settings, there are certain things you can look for in templates to ensure they're SEO-friendly before you even buy them. 
 
Today, I'm sharing three common SEO mistakes that website templates might make, along with tips for how to check them on your own template and website to ensure you're on the right track. 
 
Basically - get ready to gain some major SEO knowledge because this episode is going way beyond the basics. Even if you already have a website template from me (so you know your website is SEO-friendly!), you'll still learn some cool SEO stuff that will benefit you as a business owner by listening to this episode. 
Last but not least - I just wanted to give you a heads up that my Black Friday sale is right around the corner, starting on November 17th. This year, we are celebrating the 5 YEAR anniversary of my Showit Website Template shop, and let me just say - I've got some AMAZING things planned for you this year. There will be some really cool giveaways so make sure you head here to get the info now: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bf 
 
Links Mentioned - Get the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/242
- Get the details of my Black Friday sale: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bf 
- Tune into episode 201 with Sara Does SEO: https://elizabethmccravy.com/201 
- Check your headings with this plugin: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/header-checker/oepknidjdghgapjdlmpffcpcloiaonhb 
- Shop Elizabeth McCravy Templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop 
- Not sure what template is for you? Take the quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz 
- Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy 
 

Today, I have an amazing guest, Colie James. I've known her online for years, and we finally got to meet in person at a conference in January. She's absolutely wonderful, inspiring, and incredibly knowledgeable about systems and all things business. I can’t wait to share her brilliance on the podcast today!
In our conversation, we’re diving deep into topics like:
- What most people MISS when starting to put more formal systems together in their business
- What to do first if you find yourself being a bottleneck in your business
- How to repurpose your content strategically (she has brilliant ideas on this!)
- Using automation in your business systems to save time
- How to create more freedom in your life by automating your business. 
And so much more - I absolutely loved this whole conversation! And heads up, we'll be diving into Dubsado in this episode, which is the CRM both Colie and I use. If you're not familiar with what a CRM is or what Dubsado is, don't worry! We'll explain it during the episode. 
Then, if you want to try out Dubsado and save on your subscription, use my code Elizabeth30 to get a 30% discount. If you want to learn more about how it differs from other tools and all the good stuff, you can check that out here: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado
Links Mentioned:
- Read the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/241 
- Try Dubsado: https://elizabethmccravy.com/dubsado
- Take Our Website Quiz (+ Get Free Canva Templates!): https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz 
- Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy
- Connect with Colie on Instagram: https://instagram.com/coliejames 
- Find more about Colie: https://coliejames.com/ 
- Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod 

We all have those days where we reach the end and think, "Wow, that was an awesome day!" Or maybe it's more like, "Wow, that day really sucked. I'm ready for a fresh start tomorrow." Often, we just move on without asking ourselves what made the day good or bad. We might acknowledge it if something big happened, but we often miss the opportunity to appreciate the small but amazing days. 
I believe that It's important to take note of what makes it good or bad, especially on those mundane days. Then, we can try to do more of what made it good and less of what made it bad. That’s what this episode is about today!
I've been having a mix of days with high highs and low lows lately, especially as I'm nearing the end of the first trimester of my pregnancy (at the time of recording). But there's this little practice that has been really helpful to me, so I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
 
Links Mentioned:
Get the full shownotes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/236 
Shop Elizabeth McCravy Templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop   
Not sure what template is for you? Take the quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz 
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elizabethmccravy    
Join Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod