Christy Wright's Business Boutique

Today we're celebrating mom entrepreneurs! Some call us mompreneurs, but basically, we're talking about moms who run their own businesses. What is a mom entrepreneur, or "mompreneur"? According to a quick Google search, a mompreneur is: "a woman who sets up and runs her own business in addition to caring for her young child or children." Well that's the basic, glossed-over version, isn't it? As moms, we're responsible for all kinds of things-all the time. There's grocery shopping, laundry, doctor's appointments, laundry, after school activities, laundry . . . it's a full-time job (and a half). And adding a business into the mix makes it feel like we're working several full-time jobs. As a business owner, you're the CEO-but you're also the bookkeeper, chief marketing officer, receptionist, saleswoman, creative director and the janitor. It's no wonder that being both a mom and an entrepreneur can feel a tad overwhelming at times. Being Successful in Both Business and Motherhood Back when I was a little girl wit

Ronald Reagan once famously said, "There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit." I mean, have truer words ever been spoken? I don't think so. I love those words. I love the humility of them. I love the heart behind that sentiment. And I'd love to think that I live my life by those words every. single. day. But guess what? I don't. It's a real struggle for me. Words of affirmation are my love language. I'm just wired that way. It's hard for me to let go of my need for recognition-even a simple thank you-when I contribute to something. Related: Letting Go of Getting Credit Can I Still Make a Difference If I Don't Get Credit? Here's the thing: It's really not even about getting praise. When I don't get credit, I feel disappointed because I'm left wondering if I accomplished what I set out to do. Did I help anyone? Was I good enough? Did I make any sort of impact at all? Well, once I take a second to get over myself, I realize the answer to that question is a resoundin

Dressing For Success I'm so excited about today's episode because, y'all, we are talking about clothes! Okay, I'm not a fashion expert and I'm certainly not a stylist. But I will tell you, I've never met a pair of pumps I didn't like-and I know that the right outfit can instantly change the way I carry myself, how confident I feel, and my overall mood. It's simple, really: I feel my best when I look my best. And I think you will, too. Now I'm the first to admit: I've made my share of fashion mistakes. A few years ago, I was at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas speaking at a huge conference wearing my most favorite black waxed jeans and a teal blouse. I was in one of my-shall we say-"fluffier" stages. And I may or may not have had to squeeze into those jeans, but I did happen to think I looked pretty cute. But then the photographs from my client came in. One look and all I could see were jeans that were creasing and pulling-in all the wrong places, I might add. Throw in the reflection of the bright stage lights, an

In Episode 12: How to Find Your Business Idea, we talked about taking a look at what you already have to come up with some business ideas. In that episode, I mentioned three things to look at specifically. Three ways to come up with business ideas: Your skills Your stuff Your strengths When you look for business ideas in those three areas, you're making it so much easier on yourself to win! For example, my first business idea came from my stuff. There was an 11-stall barn already on the property I was renting, so I used that to start a horse-boarding business. Now, my second business came out of my strengths and skills. That was a side business doing life coaching, and it was long before I ever became a speaker for Dave Ramsey. But now we're going to take this a step further. If you want to start a business of any kind and you want it to work, your idea needs to be based on two things: It needs to solve a problem. It needs to serve a target market. In this episode, I'll walk you through examples of how to det

Did you know that the beginning stages of Paul the Apostle's ministry were greatly affected by a woman? And not just any woman: Lydia, a successful businesswoman, who many scholars believe to be his first known convert. Specifically, she sold purple cloth-which, back then, was valuable and expensive. It was a sign of wealth, nobility and royalty. Purple cloth was purchased and worn by members of the royal family and Roman senators. So Lydia's customers-her demographic and target market, in fact-were upper-class people. And we can assume that Lydia was successful and prosperous because she owned a home with enough rooms to host Paul and three of his friends overnight at the same time! What I love about Lydia's story is that it's a biblical example of how God cares about our life as a whole, not just our spiritual life. The biblical account of her life doesn't shy away from the fact that she was a successful businesswoman. And why would it? God cares about our business pursuits! He is the One who gave us those

There's this idea out there that building relationships is just easy for some people. And sure, if you have a social personality and are naturally an extrovert, or if you love to talk and connect with people, then yes, maybe building relationships is easier for you. But your personality style doesn't have to dictate your ability to build relationships! After all, everyone has a little bit of insecurity in them. As you can probably guess, I'm a huge extrovert. But I still get a little nervous walking into a party or situation where I don't know anyone. We all know what it's like to feel like the new kid at school. So for those of us who have a super extroverted personality style, it doesn't mean that we won't ever struggle with building relationships. And building relationships isn't only vital in your life, but it's also vital to your business. Everything you will ever achieve in your life will come through people-so becoming good at building relationships is one of the most important skills you can develop.

Digital Marketing Strategies That Work "People will take away one thing, and that's if you make your point really clear." Looking back on my earliest speaking events as part of Dave Ramsey's speaking group, it makes me cringe to think about how I made one of the most common mistakes that all new speakers make. I tried to say everything. I would get onstage for a speaking event, thinking, Well, I've just got to tell them all the things. I need to talk about life balance, living from your values, making time for yourself, how to manage your money and get out of debt, and also how to be a good parent and achieve all your life goals and grow your business . . . How effective do you think that strategy was? Not very, because I was trying to say five million different things! And people can't process-let alone remember-five million things at once. People will take away one, maybe two things, if you make your point(s) really clear. But it took me several speaking engagements of not connecting with audiences to reali

What makes a highly successful woman? Society often paints a picture of success that looks like this: Either you're home all the time, dedicating 100% of your time to your family, or you're at work all the time, completely abandoning your friends, family and the rest of your life. But as I discussed with Laura Vanderkam in Episode 34: Excuses That Steal Your Time, that's a myth! The truth is, you can be successful in multiple areas of your life. You can be successful in your career, your relationships, your business and even your health and exercise routines-get this!-all in the same life.     It's all about priorities. When every waking minute is taken up for work, routine responsibilities, or taking care of others, you'll feel the opposite of successful; you'll feel stressed out and set back. For example, when I start to feel overwhelmed, it's usually because I'm not spending time on the things that I care about the most. So, I've made it a habit to take a look at my schedule when that happens. It's pretty

Which Lies Are Holding You Back? Many of you are being held back by something you aren't even aware of: You're believing lies about yourselves and about your businesses. See, when you believe something that isn't true, you're living our life based on misinformation. You're missing out on something that could change your life, that could make you happy or even make you a better person and open up opportunities you couldn't even imagine. Recently a woman came up to me at a speaking event and told me she'd been hearing me for about a year on The Dave Ramsey Show. But every time she heard me, she thought, "Well, that's nice. But it's not for me. I could never start my own business." Eight months later, guess what she's doing? She's running her own business! I love her story because it's a great example of how we all believe lies we think are true. And if you don't hear the truth, you're going to continue to live in those lies and you'll never be free to win. So in this episode, I'll talk about five common lies th

Let's talk about goals for your business-but not big, huge, overwhelming goals. Instead, we'll talk about tiny, baby, daily, micro goals. These are the smaller goals along the way that it takes to get to the finish line. In this episode, I'll teach you how to break down your big goals into weekly and then daily goals so you can actually achieve them! My guest this week is speaker, best-selling author, podcast host and my good friend, Chris Hogan. He'll get real practical with us about how to eliminate excuses and chase down our results so that we can run businesses and lives that we're proud of. And Chris and I will answer your burning business questions together! Our success story this week is Naomi Duncan, owner of Naomi Ruth Photography. Naomi has grown her humble hobby into a business that brings her over $40K per year on the side! 1:08 Hitting Big Goals By Winning Small 12:03 Interview with Chris Hogan 41:22 BB Success Story with Naomi Duncan 52:29 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT 64:11 Homework Get Christy's Goal Sett

This episode is all about recognizing and celebrating you, and the hard work you've put in all year long! We'll hear the story of Catherine Cramer's Southern Home Bakery and Kathy Lozano's Parents' Academy. We'll also hear from the incredible women behind businesses like Howdy Honey, Old St. Augustine Gourmet Foods, and more. Here's to another year making money doing what you love! 1:20 BB Success Story with Catherine Cramer 17:20 BB Email Success Stories 44:18 BB Success Story with Kathy Lozano 54:10 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT Click here to use Christy's Profit Potential Tool  To save $5 on any Business Boutique 1-Day ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Sign up for the Business Boutique Academy at BusinessBoutique.com/Academy. - If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week.

Shame is the root of so many things we experience in our lives, whether we realize it or not. It may be holding you back in your business, in your relationships, and from believing in yourself. Shame is a powerful, far-reaching force that will keep you from living the abundant life that God has for you! So in this episode, we're going to change what we believe about ourselves. We're going to overcome the mistakes you've made in your past, or maybe the wrong that's been done to you. It's time to remember who you are, and more importantly, Whose you are. My guest this week is my friend, author and speaker Lisa Bevere! Lisa co-founded Messenger International, and she'll tell us how she broke through the limits she thought were on her life to step into the big things God had for her. This is one of my favorite and most powerful interviews ever on the podcast! Our success story is Kasey Hill, founder of the financial literacy program, Growing Wealth From the Start. Kasey began her business while she was a stay-at-

For many of us, the holidays are a time when it's easy to be thankful. But when the celebrations are over and the decorations are packed, a spirit of gratitude becomes harder to maintain. So in this episode, we're going to dive deep into the benefits of incorporating daily gratitude into your business and life. I'll share my top twelve reasons I'm thankful for thankfulness! My guest this week is pastor, speaker and host of the Life, Money, Hope podcast, Chris Brown. As a businessman, father, husband and pastor, he has helped people discover what it means to intentionally pursue their God-given purpose, and he'll share his tips on how to incorporate gratitude into your daily life! Our success story is Jane VanOsdol, owner of Botanically Me. Jane is taking the concepts she's learned from Business Boutique and is in the process of relaunching her business. Plus, I'll answer your business questions from our Nashville Business Boutique event! 1:06 The 12 Benefits of Gratitude 16:54 Interview with Chris Brown 42:33

Time management and life balance are a struggle for-I'm just guessing-every adult on the planet. Amen? So in this episode, we're going to go beyond surface-level issues like how to time block your schedule. Instead, we'll dig deeper and I'll teach you how to overcome the underlying issue: Making excuses. I'll share the top five excuses I hear that steal your time, and how to kick them to the curb. When you can overcome these excuses, you make room for actual life change! My guest this week is author and speaker Laura Vanderkam. She's done extensive research on exactly how people spend their time, and she'll share her time management secrets with us! Plus, I'll answer your business questions from Business Boutique events! 1:13 Five Excuses That Steal Your Time 21:58 Interview with Laura Vanderkam 54:59 Back to Basics: Your Why 60:14 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT 67:35 Homework Get Christy's 25 Ways to Protect Your Time Guide by filling out the form here! To save $5 on any Business Boutique 1-Day ticket, use the code BBWRI

We all know what it feels like in the moments right before we try something new. There's a nagging, persistent voice of apprehension telling us all the reasons we should just stay in our comfort zone! We'd do anything to know: Is it fear, or is it wisdom speaking to us? So in this episode, I'll teach you some of the characteristics of fear and wisdom, so that you can become more confident in your decisions. My guest this week is a good friend of mine, best-selling author and speaker at this year's Business Boutique event, Patsy Clairmont. Patsy's experience with fear is very tangible, so she'll share her personal journey of how she finally disarmed the lies of fear. Plus, I'll answer your business questions from Business Boutique events! 1:17  How To Tell the Difference Between Fear and Wisdom 14:44 Interview with Patsy Clairmont 49:29 Business Boutique Nashville Event Info 51:33 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT 59:14 Homework Get Christy's Fear or Wisdom Filter by filling out the form here! - To save $10 on any Business Bo

Your brand is made up of look, tone and feel. We covered the look and tone in episode 31, so in this episode, we'll talk about the tone, so that your brand-and, as a result, your business-feels like you. Plus I'll teach you how to show your customers that you care through your policies, messaging and brand experience. My guest this week is branding expert, psychologist and author Joseph Michelli. Joseph has written several books, including The Starbucks Experience, and has helped companies like Zappos, Mercedes Benz and Starbucks develop their brands. He'll give you practical ways to give your customers an above-and-beyond experience and reveal two big mistakes to avoid when presenting your brand. And I'll give you simple, quick tips to make the most of the upcoming holiday season! Plus, I'll answer your business questions from Business Boutique events. 1:02  The Feel and Experience of Your Branding 21:00 Interview with Joseph Michelli 46:59 Preparing Your Life for Christmas 51:47 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT 59:13 Home

Branding is so much more than colors, fonts and pretty pictures-it's about creating an identity. When you make a purchase, whether you realize it or not, you're choosing that brand over another because you feel it represents you. So you may recall in Episode 2 of the podcast, we talked about the look, tone and feel of your brand. But in this episode, I want to take a deeper dive on the look and tone, so that when you're audience interacts with your business, they know it's for them! One of my absolute favorites-best-selling author and CEO of Storybrand-Donald Miller, is back! He'll unpack his Storybrand concept for us, and y'all, this is a powerful way to grow your customers and your profits. If you're dreaming up your brand right now or your existing brand isn't connecting, you need to hear this interview. Plus, I'll answer your business questions from Business Boutique events! 1:03  The Look and Tone of Your Branding 18:37 Interview with Donald Miller 50:09 Preparing Your Business for Christmas  53:04 #ASKC

Most small businesses make mistakes when hiring, but who you hire is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your business! So in this episode, I'll share the hiring mistakes I've made in the past, and teach you my 7 Rules of Hiring! My guest this week is one of my favorite speakers and authors, Patrick Lencioni! He has written 11 incredible books-many of which are about building strong teams and hiring. Y'all, this is one of my favorite interviews to date! Patrick is a wealth of information and practical advice, and he'll help you avoid the pitfalls of hiring the wrong people. He'll also share the best-kept hiring secrets that some of your favorite companies, like Southwest Airlines, actually use! And our success story this week is Katie Finklea. Katie owns Loving Well Living Well, which she was inspired to start after attending a Business Boutique event. She saw a gap between adoption and foster care advocacy and education, and was passionate about providing a solution to that problem. God is tru

In this episode, I'll give you four ways to make more money without adding on to your workload.  One way to do that is by creating passive income, which is exactly what my guest this week, Pat Flynn, will teach us about. Pat is a best-selling author and owns several wildly successful online businesses. He's speaking at my Business Boutique event in November, and today he'll tell us about how he wound up creating his first digital product years ago, and where it's taken him. And the success story this week is Heather Salopek. Heather owns Legacy Pecans, which sells delicious pecans and pecan products for retail and corporate gifts. The "Why" behind her business is remarkable, and I love how she got creative and took her family business to the next level. Plus, I'll answer your business questions from Business Boutique events! 1:10 Creating Passive Income 7:50 Interview with Pat Flynn 44:56 BB Success Story with Heather Salopek 57:38 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT 64:08 Homework  Find out how much money your business can ma

If you don't know your value, you'll settle. You'll undercharge, get pushed around, and dream small. That's why knowing your worth is so important, not just in business, but in life! In this episode, I'll give you three steps to determining the value of your product or service. My guest this week is Nicole Walters. Nicole created The Monetized Life and is one of our expert speakers at Business Boutique. She's taught me so much about selling and about knowing my worth! She'll give us some real talk about why women tend to undervalue ourselves. She'll also her share her best tips for selling, and I promise they're super easy-regardless of your personality style. Plus, I'll answer your business questions from Business Boutique events! 1:04 Knowing Your Worth 13:00 Interview with Nicole Walters 40:08 Fall Encouragement 43:00 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT 50:32 Homework  Find out how much money your business can make with my free Profit Potential tool here! - To save $10 on any Business Boutique Nashville ticket, use the code