Mistakes That Made Me
Mistakes That Made Me

Mistakes That Made Me

Eman Ismail

Overview
Episodes

Details

Mistakes That Made Me is the podcast that asks extraordinary business owners to share their biggest business mistake – so you know what NOT to do on your road to success.

Join Eman Ismail as she chats to some of the smartest minds in business about how to push through failure and accept it as an important and necessary part of building a business.

Because it turns out: your biggest business mistake often leads to your biggest lesson and then your biggest blessing.

Recent Episodes

"Ignoring my cash flow almost cost me my business" with Sandra Booker [OBG]
NOV 25, 2025
"Ignoring my cash flow almost cost me my business" with Sandra Booker [OBG]

Sandra Booker is a fractional COO and right-hand woman to some of the top 7-figure business owners I know.  


In this episode (an Oldie But Goodie), she shares her near-catastrophic business mistake of losing track of her cash flow, and she walks us through her strategies for managing finances, the lessons she’s learned, and money management advice for small business owners.


We also get into the difference between a virtual assistant and an online business manager, common hiring mistakes, and what to look out for when spending money on tools.


Links from the show:


Find the transcript of this episode on my site, emancopyco.com/podcast


If you loved this episode, take a screenshot, post it on Instagram, and tell everyone you know that this is the podcast to listen to. Don’t forget to tag me! @emancopyco

Loving the podcast?



Work with Eman Copy Co. to power up your email strategy, your launches, and your revenue


Want to learn with me?


Say hi 👋🏽


Tools for your business: (Affiliate links 👇🏽)


Start your 14-day trial with ConvertKit: https://emancopyco.com/kit

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94 MIN
“My Business Became My Entire Identity” with Laura Jane Barnes (TikTok & IG viral sensation!) [OBG]
NOV 11, 2025
“My Business Became My Entire Identity” with Laura Jane Barnes (TikTok & IG viral sensation!) [OBG]

Laura Jane Barnes is an entrepreneur, creator, musician, and social media savant who also happens to be a TikTok & IG viral sensation. (You’ve probably heard one of her songs!)


In this interview, Laura shares her biggest business mistake: the inability to separate her personal identity from her business. (It's an Oldie But Goodie!)


I talk about my own personal loss and Laura recounts her journey from viral music creation on social media to redefining her business approach after a critical injury.


Together, we examine how tying your identity too closely to business successes can often be disastrous. 



Find the transcript of this episode on my site, emancopyco.com/podcast


If you loved this episode, take a screenshot, post it on Instagram, and tell everyone you know that this is the podcast to listen to. Don’t forget to tag me! @emancopyco.

Loving the podcast?



Work with Eman Copy Co. to power up your email strategy, your launches, and your revenue


Want to learn with me?


Say hi 👋🏽


Tools for your business: (Affiliate links 👇🏽)


Start your 14-day trial with ConvertKit: https://emancopyco.com/kit

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81 MIN
The 4 ingredients that turn a newsletter into a sales tool with Eman Ismail & Anja Lordanić on Freelance Business Unlocked
OCT 28, 2025
The 4 ingredients that turn a newsletter into a sales tool with Eman Ismail & Anja Lordanić on Freelance Business Unlocked

On the Freelance Business Unlocked podcast with Anja Lordanić, I share how I use email to build trust, spark action, and keep sales steady – without feeling overly salesy.


We talk emails that actually gets replies, simple segmentation that doesn’t take up your entire week, and the tiny edits that make one email feel impossibly personal.


We also get into experimenting (even with a small list), writing that sounds like you (not a template), values-led marketing, and staying consistent when life gets busy.


If you want marketing emails people open, read and buy from, this episode gives you strategies you can implement today.


Check out the Freelance Business Unlocked website & subscribe to the podcast: https://www.freelancebusinessunlocked.com/

Connect with Anja on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjalordanic/

Loving the podcast?



Work with Eman Copy Co. to power up your email strategy, your launches, and your revenue


Want to learn with me?


Say hi 👋🏽


Tools for your business: (Affiliate links 👇🏽)


Start your 14-day trial with ConvertKit: https://emancopyco.com/kit

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59 MIN
Launching without a plan with Amy Posner & Kirsty Fanton [OBG]
OCT 14, 2025
Launching without a plan with Amy Posner & Kirsty Fanton [OBG]

Amy Posner and Kirsty Fanton have been (highly successful) lone wolves in the online business world for years. So when they teamed up to launch a new group coaching programme, they were so excited to be working together they forgot to create a launch strategy.


Without a plan, their launch totally flopped. They sold just 2 spots.


On this episode of Mistakes That Made Me, Amy and Kirsty join me for a conversation about how us business owners sometimes preach one thing for our clients and but then don't do the same thing for ourselves. As Amy puts it, "It’s difficult to do for yourself what you do naturally for your clients".


Listen to this episode to understand how they bounced back from their launch failure.


Find the transcript of this episode on my site, emancopyco.com/podcast


Links from this episode:


If you loved this episode, take a screenshot, post it on Instagram and tell everyone you know that this is the podcast to listen to. Don’t forget to tag me! @emancopyco


And if you’re interested in working with me, visit emancopyco.com/contact

Loving the podcast?



Work with Eman Copy Co. to power up your email strategy, your launches, and your revenue


Want to learn with me?


Say hi 👋🏽


Tools for your business: (Affiliate links 👇🏽)


Start your 14-day trial with ConvertKit: https://emancopyco.com/kit

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75 MIN
Overhiring (and firing) with Jordan Gill [OBG]
OCT 1, 2025
Overhiring (and firing) with Jordan Gill [OBG]

Self-made millionaire Jordan Gill opens up about her biggest mistake — overhiring for her coaching programme. (This episode is an oldie but goodie!)


Jordan tells us how overhiring meant she had to lay off the majority of her employees, how it caused clients to call her reputation into question, and how it led to her shutting down her Done in a Day programme – a programme that brought in 90% of her company’s revenue.


Find the transcript of this episode on my site, emancopyco.com/podcast


Links from this episode:


If you loved this episode, take a screenshot, post it on Instagram, and tell everyone you know that this is the podcast to listen to. Don’t forget to tag me! @emancopyco

Loving the podcast?



Work with Eman Copy Co. to power up your email strategy, your launches, and your revenue


Want to learn with me?


Say hi 👋🏽


Tools for your business: (Affiliate links 👇🏽)


Start your 14-day trial with ConvertKit: https://emancopyco.com/kit

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88 MIN