Self Employed Parent Podcast With Joel Bower

In Episode 34, I interview Keri Lehmann, a self-employed parent who runs a skin-care product business, Savvy Boheme, while wrangling three amazing kids. Learn more about Keri’s biggest wins as a parent, as a business owner, and what she does to take care of herself in the midst of it all. Running business for the non-business minded. Keri knows what it’s like first-hand to start a business when you aren’t a business minded person. Business itself was a challenge, but her gut instinct drove her forward. Winning at business. One of the biggest wins Keri’s had as a business owner? When her friends bought her products on their own. Another? Moving to a larger space to up her business game. Raise your kids to capture their hearts. Keri believes in raising your kids to capture their hearts - where they listen and act well not because they “have” to but because they choose to. "I love." Keri is inspired by her love - her love of beauty, of her children, and of the moment. How to reach Keri. Find Keri and her product

In Episode 33, I talk about the amazing kind of people you want in your life, from the optimist to the friend to the partner. These are the kinds of people that will help you thrive in business and make you happier at home. The Optimist This is the person who is the best to throw new ideas by. They get you inspired and they can see really great things happening in new opportunities. The Friend I see my friends of fans of mine - and I am fans of theirs. We enjoy and believe in each other. These allow me to do more with them than I can do on my own. The Partner This is everything you see in the friends - they believe in you, they’re your fan, and they see your potential - but this person also shares your ups and downs. Check out the episodes we talked about in this one! Episode 31: 3 Toxic People you must avoid to protect your business and your family. Do you have any questions about this episode? Ask them here!

In Episode 32, I answer a couple of great questions about how to keep your kids from picking up your bad habits, such as snacking and self defeat, and some general questions about sourcing and custom work. I also talk about some cool suggestions our listeners had about fun toys to bring in to enhance the time you spend with your family. Managing the bad snack habit. This is a unique problem to every family. Maybe the kids have too much access to unhealthy foods, even if you eat well. Try talking to your kids like they’re adults to help them understand the consequences of bad food without talking down to them. Defeating self defeat. The best thing to teach your kids is that you mess up, too. Show them your consequences, what you’re working on, and make them a part of the solution. Help them help you adapt your behavior. Family toys our listeners love. People love these! Bubble Machine. Tabletop Ping Pong Set Water Balloon Slingshots Picnic Backpack More on outsourcing. Eliminate the fear of jumping into some

In episode 31, I talk about something a little hard for some of us to do but critically important to keeping our businesses and our families happy and healthy. These three kinds of people usually cause more harm than good in our lives and should be limited to make sure we’re successful - both as business owners and as parents. The Pessimist This person will kill motivation - theirs and yours. They see the world as unrelenting and horrible, and they want you to see it from their perspective. Note: many of them hide behind the phrase, “I’m just a realist,” but sometimes, these “realists” are really just negative people. The Egotist These people are so caught up in how they’re perceived that they will do whatever it takes to make themselves look good - even if they aren’t doing anything valuable at all. They do this in business and in personal relationships, essentially becoming unreliable. The Drama Queen Note: it’s not just the people who create drama, it’s the people who can create drama out of seemingly noth

In episode 30, we go over the five ways being an entrepreneur has helped me grow not only as a business person, but as a parent as well. These things have changed everything about the way I run my company and the way I interact with my family in the best ways. I understand the value of time. When you’re “always busy” and never have a lot of time to spare, you really appreciate the time you DO get. The quality of the time I get with my family is amazing and I don’t take it for granted. I’m used to making difficult decisions. Entrepreneurs make difficult decisions all the time that affect the lives of all of the people around us. I’ve learned how to not freak out about decisions and how to handle them well and quickly. I know when to trust my gut. Sometimes we have to ignore the “rulebook” for owning a business, which is essentially trusting ourselves when something feels off. Parenting is the same way. No rulebook will prepare us from everything and sometimes we need to trust our gut feelings about our kids. I

In episode 29, I answer a few great questions from episode 24 about outsourcing work without sacrificing quality and episode 25 about using personality profiling to better your business and all your relationships. Freelancing preferences and skills I use different freelancing sites for different projects. Elance, 99 Designs, and oDesk are ones I’ve used recently. Additionally, test out the sites to find freelancers with a lot of quality - and remember, price doesn’t necessarily indicate quality. Take the DISC test Check out Tony Robbin’s DISC test here! Myers Briggs vs DISC Realistically, Myer’s Briggs and DISC both work in four different types. Myer’s Briggs has more letter breakdowns, but they’re essentially just shades of the same personality types that DISC offers. DISC is also easier to use in every day life. Other personality tests Most other tests seem to be based on the DISC system. There are color codes, Myer’s Briggs, DISC, and others that all come back to the same place. Find a system that works fo

In episode 28, I take a break from the serious topics to tell you about six awesome toys I really love and that I think you’ll love, too. I wanted to play with my kids more, and these were awesome ways to do that without having to break out the dolls or action figures. The best part? These were a way for me to spend QUALITY time with my family. Lightahead® LED Projector Strobe flash Holographic Disco party Lighting Light Mini Portable Voice-activated Version with tripod for Club Dj Disco Bar Stage House etc (6 Patterns) (Black) This is an experience-toy, where it gives our family a fun experience to remember together. This thing is awesome. Consider this: sneak it into your kid’s room to surprise them with a fun, new experience. Chauvet Hurricane 700 Fog Machine Another experience toy - the fog machine! This makes a great surprise, too, and is awesome for Halloween and other memorable events. Transform your home and their space into something really amazing. LED Light up Balloons 20 Mixed color Party Pack The

In episode 27, we talk about how our kids pick up on what we say and do automatically, which means we may find them displaying unwanted behavior they learned by watching us. Here are four things we may be misleading our children about. Family is most important We all say this, but a lot of the time we spend way more time working than we do spending time with our families. Instead, remind them that time does not determine value and that the reason you work is so you can enable your family to get to spend more awesome, quality time together. Eat healthy When we’re busy, we tend to let ourselves slip on our healthy diets. Our kids watch us eat junk food while we tell them to eat their vegetables. Instead, find healthier snacks for yourself and explain to your kids what the costs are for you not eating well. Don’t lie We ruin this every time we make up an excuse about why we can’t make it somewhere, or when we tell them to tell the people at the phone we’re not home. It’s your prerogative to explain these to your

In episode 26, we bring Chris Shaffer back to answer some of your questions about selling on Amazon. He covers how to handle having limited skills in writing and photography, how to set up a store without a lot of time, product varieties, and categories. Check out Chris’s interview! Before you go on, you may want to listen to the interview with Chris in episodes 21 and 22! When in doubt, outsource. Having high quality photos and copy on Amazon is important. If you’re in doubt about your skills, outsource. Check out freelancing sites to get these things done. Focus on selling variants. While many competitors sell a lot of different variations, focus your time on selling the variants you know that sell. Additionally, you can also try to sell the variant that stands out the most. Build your products on each other. Amazon is built to sell as much as possible to as many people as possible. If your products are closely related and in the same category, you have an increased chance of upselling from one product to a

In episode 25, we cover one of my favorite topics: personality profiling. I’ve been using personality profiling in my own relationships and business for years, and it’s improved my life immensely. Here are four ways you can use personality profiling to make everything in your life better. Know yourself. Determine what your limitations are so you can continue to move forward in your life (and business) in a way that suits who you are and in a way that works for you. Know your family. Figure out what they’re motivated by, what they really want in their lives, and how they respond to help build them up in a way that is unique to them as individuals. Know your clients. Understand why your client behaves the way they do, what they’re expecting, how they deal with potential conflict, and how to talk to them in a way that makes them appreciate and understand you. Know your employees. Make sure you have the right person working on the jobs you need and keep them motivated by knowing what they personally strive and as

In episode 24, I talk about how to outsource the work you don’t want to do, shouldn’t be doing, and don’t have time for successfully, which not only will help your business grow and thrive, but will give you back the time with your family you’ve been looking for. Test, test, test. Check out all the different freelancing and outsourcing sites to test out how outsourcing works for you and your company. Test both project type and different sites, as well as how you’ll manage the projects. Qualify for ongoing projects. It’s great to find someone you like, but even better if you can find someone reliable who can work with you long-term on bigger projects. Make clear descriptions. Know exactly what you want. If you give unclear instructions on how you’d like a project done, you can’t really expect the outsourced contractor to get it exactly right. Reward contractors you enjoy. By tipping and rewarding great contractors, you will build better relationships and set standards about what you expect from your freelancer

In Episode 23, we answer some awesome questions from the last few weeks, particularly about how to teach our kids to be confident without being cocky, how to manage and prioritize your family and business, and how to handle a client you hate that your partners may not want to get rid of. Make money doing what you love. Figure out what you want from your business, and work around those parameters to build a business out of your passions. Start off by finding an entry piece that other companies aren’t doing, offer that at a price they can’t turn away from, to build your clientele and trustability. Compliment your kids on things they’ve done. Focus on building your kids up about their own personal accomplishments. Show them that what they do, not just who they are, is amazing. Your personal choices determine your priority sort. What do you actually want to do in life? Prioritize things to get you closer to the life you want. Handling bad clients when your partner wants to keep them. Work it out with your partner

In episode 22, I finish off the interview with Chris Shaffer, my go-to guy for all things Amazon, with a ton of great information about how you can start selling on Amazon today. Chris has done this for several companies, from break-out brands to huge products with massive audiences. Private label versus retail arbitrage. With private labeling, while more expensive, you have a little more security and don’t have to go into retail stores every week to find the items you need to sell. What products to sell. For private label, you want a product that can sell around 10 items a day for around 10 dollars in profit. Smaller products work better, as Amazon won’t charge you more for warehousing. Sourcing products for Amazon. There are several sourcing avenues you can use, from national or international sources. The interview covers how to do that, what sources are best, and how to select the right one for you.

In Episode 21, we begin our first interview with Chris Shaffer, my business partner and manager of our Amazon business. Chris will go over why we should be selling on Amazon, which products are best for Amazon, how to sell on Amazon when you don’t have any experience with online sales, and what the future of Amazon actually looks like. About Chris Chris has been selling on Amazon for over a year. He worked with ecommerce consulting with small and large brands, from new product launches to multi-billion dollar brands in the ecommerce space. His experience began in digital ads and public relations and as he grew, he started working with small, physical product businesses. Why Amazon? Amazon is a unique beast for physical product sales. Amazon has mastered bringing in traffic and making people convert. Conversion rates are 2 - 3 times higher than on other ecommerce sites. It’s also really easy to launch a store on Amazon. By launching on Amazon, you can start seeing sales on the first day. What resources should

In episode 20, we’re going to look the things we could be teaching our children that are leading them down a path of NOT being self-employed, and how this actually also affects our businesses. There are three limitations here, and each of them are things most of us are teaching to our children without realizing how damaging they are. Limit One: Everything must be perfect. By insisting everything is perfect (grades, the clean room, and others) we’re teaching our kids not only to push themselves too hard for unreasonable standards, but that maybe they don’t deserve it. Limit Two: Do whatever anyone says to do. On some level, by saying yes to everyone and doing whatever people tell you to do, you limit yourself and stop yourself from growing. By teaching your kids not to say no, you’re making them afraid of letting anyone else down. Limit Three: Always be humble. It’s hard to take a lot of pride in yourself at the beginning, but if you’re too humble all the time and don’t say positive things about yourself, your

In episode 19, we cover the hard-learned lesson that being busy does NOT equal being successful. By answering every phone call and filling up my time with busy work, I was taking away from not only my family, but from my business, too. Prioritize your business tasks. If you make sure all your task items (business AND personal) are prioritized based on what will have the most effect on your life, your business, and your relationships with your family. Realize what is taking away from your family. You can find out what tasks are actually damaging your business and your family, and get rid of those things! List, list, list. Write everything you get to do to get to where you want in your life: Everything you want to accomplish for yourself, your family, and your business. Then create a list of must-completes - the things you absolutely MUST do to move forward in your life. Finally… stick to your list! Finish your list first and foremost - before you make calls, send emails, or take any walk-ins! This goes for you

  In episode 18, I answer some great questions viewers had about episodes 14, 15, and 16, concerning how to leave stress from work at the door when you come home, how to tell if that stress is affecting your family, and what to do when you can’t really afford to hire someone to do the work you shouldn’t be doing in the first place.

  In episode 17, we talk about how devastating it can be for your business (and yourself) if you take on clients you don’t like. This can be even WORSE for your business when you’re struggling and feel like you “just need someone” until you can make ends meet.

  In episode 16, I talk about how being a “Jack of all Trades” may sound like a benefit, but it can really cost your company time and money. While it can be hard, sometimes the best thing for our business is to step back and let someone else handle the tasks we can’t - or shouldn’t - do. These are three clear ways to tell if you’re working on something you shouldn’t be doing.

In episode 15, we cover a bit more about what we talked about in episode 14 - why it’s important to leave the stress of your business out of your family life. This time, we focus on how you can achieve that goal to take care of you, your family, and your business.