No BS Mastery Podcast

Predictable income. Recurring revenue. Long-term client relationships. These are the reasons why retainer clients seem so appealing. Who wants to start from zero every month when you could have a committed client?But the truth is retainer clients don’t actually provide, let alone ensure, financial stability. They might actually keep you from having the kind of business and freedom you really want.In this episode, I talk about why retainers seem so appealing, and how they’re actually holding you back. Tune into this episode to hear:Why retainers feel like the “safe” option (and why that’s misleading)The hidden reason retainers are almost always less profitable than project workThe real danger: what happens when one (or all) of those clients leaveHow to create predictable income without relying on retainersWhat to do if you already have retainer clients (don’t panic—no burning bridges required)Resources:Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comGrab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/programProgram: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-masteryNo BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

What do I do when a client keeps changing their mind? What do I do when we're halfway through a project and they want to add five more things? What do I do when I present a price to a prospect and they get sticker shock and start trying negotiating with me or taking things out?These were the kinds of questions I heard in the Q & A sessions during a recent 3-day workshop. And while I can and did give advice on what to do in those specific situations, wouldn't it be better to prevent them from happening in the first place?Anything I could tell you to do to fix those problems as they come up is just a Band-Aid. You have to go back to the source if you don’t want to keep running into them over and over again with future clients. And the source of the problem isn’t your clients. It’s your process. Tune into this episode to hear:Why so-called “difficult clients” are usually created before the project even startsThe real reason scope creep and endless back-and-forth keep happeningHow to eliminate sticker shock (without awkward sales conversations)What to put in place before you start a project to avoid burnout laterHow a simple shift in your process can completely change your client experienceMentioned:Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comProgram: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/programNo BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/Resources:Grab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/Program: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-masteryThe Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

When people hear about the No BS business model for the first time, a lot of times their immediate reaction is, “Sounds great, but that would never work for me, my clients, my industry…”Aga Siuda is proof that anyone can make the No BS model work. And in this conversation, she shared how she effectively applied the model with nonprofit clients — with typical RFP-heavy requirements and layers of decision-making processes that result in delays and long project timelines — with incredible results. Aga Siuda is a nonprofit branding and marketing expert and is the founder of Graphroots Design, specializing in user-focused website design to help organizations grow their mission and boost engagement. With over 20 years of experience, Aga collaborates with nonprofits and social good businesses to create intuitive digital experiences that inspire action. Tune into this episode to hear:Moving from reactive, proposal-heavy work to confident, value-led sellingHow she adapted the No BS Mastery model to work for nonprofit clients with large projectsHow to position yourself as a trusted advisor (even in complex industries)The mindset shifts behind charging more — and being chosen because of itBuilding a business that supports your life, not the other way aroundLearn more about Aga Siuda:Graphroots Design: http://graphrootsdesign.com/Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agasiuda/Resources:Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comGrab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/programProgram: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-masteryNo BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

Everyone is talking about AI all the time, but a lot of people are still unsure about how to use it and how to make it really work for them.Which is why I invited Erika Stanley back to the show. She is one of my star-students-turned- incredible-resource and coach within the No BS program, and she is our resident AI expert. She built an incredible tool for us that we’re rolling out in our programs as we speak. Erika is so good at taking the hot air out of AI and making it something easy to understand and implement in your business. You definitely want to listen in.Erika Stanley helps women founders stop sounding like everyone else online. As a Human-First Brand and AI Strategist, she’s obsessed with turning fuzzy messaging and generic AI output into sharp, strategic brand systems that actually work.The founder of Mile End Digital and AI Queens, Erika has spent 20+ years helping brands find their voice, tell better stories, and scale without losing their humanity. Her Brand-to-Bot Blueprint is where brand clarity meets AI strategy — so your message finally sounds as good as your vision.Tune into this episode to hear:How Erika is using custom GPTs in her own business to help her scale without a massive increase in her overheadErika’s process for using a GPT to organize her strategy thoughts and create a draft brief as part of her LPWhy you always have to review and edit what AI gives youOne simple question to get better outputs from any AIErika’s top three AIs and how she uses themLearn more about Erika Stanley:AI Queens: http://aiqueens.comMile End Digital: http://mileenddigital.comInstagram: @erikatheaiqueenConnect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejstanley/Mentioned:The AI CMO: https://www.aiqueens.com/cmoResources:Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comGrab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/Program: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/programProgram: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-masteryNo BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price

This episode perfectly captures something I think a lot about: what does it actually look like to build a business that supports your life?My guest, Lydia Savramis, is someone who truly embodies that.Lydia didn’t start out in marketing or online business at all. She was running an orthotics practice, seeing patients all day, when she started a podcast as a creative outlet back when podcasts were still a pretty new thing. That little experiment ended up opening the door to a completely different career.But what I loved most about our conversation isn’t the pivot story. It’s the way Lydia has designed her business so that it genuinely fits her life.We talk about burnout, boundaries, creativity, and what it takes to build a business that doesn’t consume you. Lydia Savramis runs RTL Productions, a boutique marketing and branding studio in Cumberland, Maryland. She helps non-profits, municipalities and professionals show up clearly and confidently online without all the overwhelm.Tune into this episode to hear:What burning out in her first profession taught Lydia about designing a sustainable businessThe mindset shift that helps you ride the natural ups and downs of businessWhy having more “tools in your toolbox” changes how you experience the rollercoaster of entrepreneurshipWhat it actually looks like to build a business with clear boundariesLearn more about Lydia Savramis:RTL Productions: http://hellortlpro.comInstagram: @rtlpro Resources:Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comGrab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/Program: No BS Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/masteryProgram: No BS Agency Mastery: https://join.nobsmastery.com/agency-masteryNo BS Clients Lab: https://nobsclientslab.com/The Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/price