Small Business Casual

Emily Aborn
  • 5.0 (38)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Where small business meets your favorite pair of slippers.  A little quirky, not too buttoned up, one less accessory, ahhh… just right. Welcome to Small Business Casual, where we focus on designing sustainable, cozy, and thriving businesses tailored to your LIFE. Not the other way around! From general business and marketing to making sense of the behind-the-scenes chaos, I’m Emily Aborn, your host and Small Business Copywriter! I’m here to walk alongside you as we make running our businesses less of a roller coaster and more like a scenic train ride (don't forget the snacks!).  Want to be a guest on Small Business Casual? Send Emily Aborn a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/smallbusinesscasual

  1. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen: When Serial Help Becomes a Recipe for Disaster

    5D AGO

    Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen: When Serial Help Becomes a Recipe for Disaster

    Text Emily! Have you ever seen a business owner pay for help and then get all a gazillion different opinions from Mary, Larry, Harry, Tom, Billy, and Sally? Maybe it's been YOU seeking helper after helper whose help isn't "working"? It can be really frustrating and entirely unhelpful when we poll everyone and anyone for help on how to move forward and proceed.  Too many cooks in the kitchen can cause you to be forever catching up. It can create chaos, endless pivots and updates, and unwarranted or unnecessary strategy.  In today’s episode, we’re going to get into the issue of hiring serial help to fix problems that sometimes don’t even exist, and what happens when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. In the Episode:  3 Ways I see "too many cooks in the kitchen" play out in businesses What's at risk when we look to anyone and everyone to weigh in 4 Things that go wrong when seeking serial help What to do before asking for help And more! Key Takeaways:  1. Get clear FIRST before asking for help  2. Look for help strategically, not reactively 3. Trust the process (and the person you hired) 4. Ask fewer people for advice 5. Don’t forget to listen to YOUR voice too! 6. AI is NOT your business strategist  Quotes:  “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” - Jim Rohn About Me:  Emily Aborn | Small Business Copywriter & host of Small Business Casual. 12+ years of copywriting experience in 122+ industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! emily@emilyaborn.com Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack

    26 min
  2. Leaving the Casino: Building a Business that Actually Works for YOU with Jessica Lackey

    APR 14

    Leaving the Casino: Building a Business that Actually Works for YOU with Jessica Lackey

    Text Emily! Have you been burned by bro marketing? Exhausted by all the social media hacks? Underwhelmed with the "just manifest it" advice?  If so, you're going to LOVE the wisdom of my guest, Jessica Lackey.  Jessica reminds us that when you play by their rules, the house always wins in the entrepreneurial casino.  We discuss how to stop betting on tactics and build a business that actually works for YOU as we tackle some of the bigger, better questions.  In our conversation about Leaving the Casino:   What does being in a casino have to do with entrepreneurship? How to identify which type of business you're running and what that might mean for your marketing How to determine your stage of growth and use it as a filter for focus and the actions that matter most What is ENOUGH? The myth of passive income Why more isn't always a good thingAnd more (despite having said more isn't always a good thing in my previous bullet point 🤪 but if you're reading the show notes, at least you'll get a chuckle) About Jessica - Links & Resources  Jessica Lackey is a business systems consultant and guide. She brings both corporate sophistication and soulful wisdom to the table to help established service providers build sustainable businesses. She’s worked with over 60 entrepreneurs 1:1, served as a fractional COO for multiple 7-figure organizations, and helped hundreds of business owners through her memberships and programs. She brings an exceptional depth of business knowledge, a genuine care for her client’s success, and the ability to make complex business concepts practical and actionable. Book Website LinkedIn YouTube About the Host, Emily Aborn  Emily Aborn | Small Business Copywriter & host of Small Business Casual. 12+ years of copywriting experience in 121+ industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! emily@emilyaborn.com Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack

    42 min
  3. Business Owner Guilt Trip: Overcoming False Guilt

    APR 7

    Business Owner Guilt Trip: Overcoming False Guilt

    Text Emily! Do you feel guilty if you don't post or engage on social media for a week? Do you feel like you did something WRONG if you just spent an hour scrolling instead of being productive? I recently asked this question about social media guilt on LinkedIn, asking people to share their experience with this no-win guilt phenomenon, and the comments and solidarity totally surprised me! Lots of people felt equally guilty posting as they did NOT posting! People felt just as bad being ON it as they did NOT being on it.  Something sparked in me well beyond social media guilt... I think businesses feel guilt in a whole lot of other ways, too. Even if they didn't do anything "wrong"!  Making too much money, not enough money, saying no to clients, taking a break, working too much, the list goes on...  Let's unpack the TRUTH about guilt and talk about how to overcome it to get us back on track with how we want to feel and be:  Inside the episode:  Guilt vs. shame: Which is which, and do they really motivate us to change? False guilt vs. real guilt The guilt inventory: Oh, the things we can inflict upon ourselves! Should you feel guilty marketing your business when the world is falling apart? Why guilt isn't a productive emotion and how to turn it into beneficial thoughts and behaviors Resources, Links & Key Takeaways:  👋🏼 Welcome to our new listener, Richard, of Groove Fitness, who said hello to me from Belgium!! Follow him on Instagram HERE 🪩💃🏻 Guilt isn't always bad: It can signal misalignment and show you where you need to course-correct A lot of entrepreneurial guilt is false guilt or borrowed guilt: Who's telling you that what you're doing is WRONG? Is that your voice or someone else's expectations?  Guilt implies there's a right way and a wrong way and you're not doing it RIGHT. Usually, there's no right/wrong, you're doing it your way. People who make you feel guilty for XYZ: Might be on a guilt trip of their own. Don't take on their guilt. Don't borrow anyone else's moral compass.   Tangible Steps to Unpacking Guilt:  1. Specifically name the guilt  2. Ask where the voice of guilt is coming from  3. Check it against YOUR values (not that external voice's values)  4. Give yourself permission to do things your way  5. Reframe the action: i.e., "I feel guilty for resting." → "Rested and recharged is how I do my best work."  About Me & Let's Connect  Emily Aborn | Small Business Copywriter & host of Small Business Casual. 12+ years of copywriting experience in 121+ industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! emily@emilyaborn.com Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack

    33 min
  4. Human vs. Search Engine: A modern SEO strategy with Sarah Moon

    MAR 31

    Human vs. Search Engine: A modern SEO strategy with Sarah Moon

    Text Emily! Over 80% of internet users rely on search engines regularly, and billions of searches happen every day! If you're not thinking about how people find you through search, you're missing a massive opportunity for your business.  In this episode of Small Business Casual, I’m joined by Marketing and Business Strategy Consultant, Sarah Moon, for a deep dive into what’s working in search in 2026 We go beyond keywords and algorithm hacks and instead look at building a solid foundation, establishing true topical authority, and sharing your human expertise, all while playing nice with Google, AI chatbots, YouTube, and more.  Sarah breaks down her “layer cake” approach to modern SEO and walks us through establishing core topics, building a hub-and-spoke system, and creating content people and search engines will find delicious!  We dig into:  What on earth is Dog Dancing? Click HERE to watch a dog-dancing video! How large language models (LLM’s) are changing discoverability and visibilityWhere AI fits (and doesn’t) in your content Why your unique insights and credibility matter more than everHow to future-proof your website in a world of chatbots and constant change And more! About Sarah Moon & Resources Mentioned  Sarah Moon is a Portland, Oregon-based marketing and business strategy consultant who founded Sarah Moon Consulting in 2008. She specializes in helping conscious entrepreneurs and thought leaders increase their online visibility using her proprietary, SEO-fueled Alignthority® System. Her work focuses on data-informed ethical, sustainable, and tailored marketing strategies. When she's not supporting awesome clients doing awesome work, you'll find her practicing dog dancing (yes, really), befriending local crows, or baking sourdough to share with her neighbors. Find her at sarahmoon.com! Google Business Profile Workshop Tuesday, April 14th @ 4pm ET  Engineer Luck with SEO: FREE SEO Course 50 Post Titles for Business Blogs: FREE E-Book Website: sarahmoon.net/ Instagram: instagram.com/sarahmoonco/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahmoon/ YouTube: youtube.com/@sarahmoonco About Me, Host Emily Aborn Emily Aborn | Small Business Copywriter & host of Small Business Casual. 12+ years of copywriting experience in 121+ industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! emily@emilyaborn.com Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack

    55 min
  5. DO Sweat the Small Stuff: Tiny Writing Shifts that Make a BIG Difference in Your Business

    MAR 24

    DO Sweat the Small Stuff: Tiny Writing Shifts that Make a BIG Difference in Your Business

    Text Emily! Calling all word nerds!!  And, of course, non-word nerds who are ready to start writing with more impact.  This episode is for you!  We’re getting tactical and hands-on as I share tiny writing shifts that make a massive difference in how your emails, social posts, web copy, and marketing land.  These aren’t complicated shifts. You don’t need an MFA in Creative Writing or to spend the next year curled up with your dictionary... these are simple, small, specific shifts that will help make your writing clearer, punchier, and more effective.  Inside the episode:  Building better bullets Ending sentences on a power word STOP saying, "cut the fluff!": my no-fluff reminder to CUT the fluff in your content Shifting from passive → active voice Varying your sentence lengthsAnd MORE! Resources & Links Mentioned  👉🏻 EXTENDED SHOW NOTES About Me & Let's Connect  I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. With over a decade of copywriting experience in 121+ industries, I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Email: emily@emilyaborn.com Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Substack

    27 min
  6. Words that Build Trust

    MAR 17

    Words that Build Trust

    Text Emily! In the world of AI, misinformation, and a whole lot of suspicious stuff out there in the ether... building trust matters more than ever as small business owners and creators!  In this episode, we’re going to get into what you can do to build it apart from simply saying, “Trust me!”  We're laying a foundation of trust by addressing 5 important pillars you can't afford to overlook. Plus, a bonus one that so many people neglect to strengthen! Inside the episode:  What is trust really? Is it the same for everyone? How consistency builds trust Words that show competency (and incompetency) Building trust by showing you CAREWhere transparency and honesty play a role in business The crucial pillar of integrity Collaborations and endorsements as a vital trust bolster And more! Resources & Links Mentioned  Tad Hargrove's "Build Trust But Not in the Way You Think" Reel on Instagram @marketingforhippies About Me & Let's Connect  I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. With over a decade of copywriting experience in 121+ industries, I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Email: emily@emilyaborn.com Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Substack

    31 min
  7. Entrepreneur vs. Small Business Owner: What's in a Name?

    MAR 10

    Entrepreneur vs. Small Business Owner: What's in a Name?

    Text Emily! Entrepreneur, Freelancer, Self-Employed, Business Owner, Small Business Owner, Founder, CEO... what's in a name?  Don't they all just mean the same thing? Does it even matter what we call ourselves? Does it matter what we call our clients?  In this episode, we’ll explore why "entrepreneur" vs. "small business owner" feel a bit different. We'll get into what they actually each MEAN on paper, and we’ll identify together which one YOU might be while giving you permission to reject both if you so choose.  What you'll learn:  What these labels actually mean (and who's deciding what they mean)Why "entrepreneur" can feel icky to some and empowering to others Why "small business owner" feels limiting for some (and grounding to others)What’s freelancing and self-employment got to do with it How to choose what to call yourself (or reject the labels entirely)What should you call your B2B clients and customers? And more! Connect with Me!  I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. With over a decade of copywriting experience in 120+ industries, I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Email: emily@emilyaborn.com Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Substack

    26 min
  8. A Matter of "Semantics": Dirty Word or Secret Weapon?

    MAR 3

    A Matter of "Semantics": Dirty Word or Secret Weapon?

    Text Emily! Words aren't neutral. The specific words you choose shape how people perceive you, your business, and your message. Sometimes, it's just a word, and trying to find the exact right one is just overthinking in disguise, and sometimes... the tiniest words matter.  Two words, two different ways of saying the same thing, can feel completely different and set a totally different tone.  Semantics is defined as: the branch of linguistics concerned with meaning. You get into word origins, context, implications, word relations, structures, and  more.  In this episode, we're getting into whether or not it is just a matter of semantics or if it's something to look at more closely.  Real examples of how word choice shifts meaningShould you say "fully booked" "at capacity" or "busy"? Why vague language kills your messageWords that sound professional but mean absolutely nothingA few tips on how to choose words that actually landAnd more Links & References Mentioned:  John McWhorter - articles on the NYT What to Expect in 2026 featuring linguist, John McWhorter Grammar Girl Podcast with Mignon Fogarty  The Karen Kenney Show, hosted by Karen Kenney  "I hate terminological arguments. Nothing important rests on the specific words we use so long as we understand each other.” - Paul Bloom Let's Connect!  I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. With over a decade of copywriting experience in 120+ industries, I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.  Email: emily@emilyaborn.com Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Substack

    27 min
See All (165)

Trailer

5
out of 5
38 Ratings

About

Where small business meets your favorite pair of slippers.  A little quirky, not too buttoned up, one less accessory, ahhh… just right. Welcome to Small Business Casual, where we focus on designing sustainable, cozy, and thriving businesses tailored to your LIFE. Not the other way around! From general business and marketing to making sense of the behind-the-scenes chaos, I’m Emily Aborn, your host and Small Business Copywriter! I’m here to walk alongside you as we make running our businesses less of a roller coaster and more like a scenic train ride (don't forget the snacks!).  Want to be a guest on Small Business Casual? Send Emily Aborn a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/smallbusinesscasual

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Aborn
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    165
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Small Business Casual
  • Show Website
    Small Business Casual

You Might Also Like