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by Esther Littlefield

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christianwomanbusiness

Esther Littlefield
Happy New Year friends!! Let’s chat about goals Happy New Year friends!! Let’s chat about goals and planning for 2021. This year, I knew that I really needed to step back and take time to process, reflect, pray, dream, and plan about the future. Here's the 3 decisions I made and the actions I took to help me with this process. I'd love to hear from you what you've done as well! #1: The first decision I made was to take a break from social media. I knew that I needed the space to allow my brain to stop taking in input from others and just wander. I needed to allow God to speak to me rather than hear from other people. #2: The second decision I made was to set aside dedicated time to do my reflection and planning. I knew I was on vacation this week, so I had already planned to do some of that this week. But I also know that it's more effective for me when I have a large block of time to focus. So very spur of the moment, I talked with my husband and snuck away for one night at a hotel about an hour away. It was enough separation for me to feel like I was not at home, but not too far that it was a huge ordeal. I managed to use points to get a free night and took all my planning materials with me. Now, you might also be saying, "But Esther, I can't get away, so this won't work." Do not let your circumstances stop you from taking this time! Get creative and engage your family (if necessary) in helping you to create this time. #3: The third decision I'm making is how to make sure I follow through on my goals and planning. I'm actually not done finalizing my goals or plans for 2021. But one thing I know that I need is a way to consistently check in on my goals and make sure I'm following through. I’ve made the decision to use a digital planner on my iPad this year, and I’ll let you know how it goes. Where are you at with your reflecting and goal setting? What tips do you have?
HOW TO PRESS PAUSE IN YOUR BUSINESS - the 5 things HOW TO PRESS PAUSE IN YOUR BUSINESS - the 5 things I do to take a break in my business.⁠ ⁠ 1. Turn on "vacation replies" in gmail. I manage all of my email through my gmail accounts, so a few days ago, I turned on my "out of office" reply. This is very freeing, and I highly recommend it anytime you are going to step away from your biz.⁠ ⁠ 2. Take email off my phone. Yes, I know! This is actually very hard for me, but if I truly want to take a break, I need to remove it from my phone entirely. ⁠ ⁠ 3. Turn on post approval in my FB group(s). This is something new I decided to do after I saw another group admin do it, and I thought it was genius. Here's the truth: if you run a free FB group, there will be spammers and people who don't follow the rules, no matter how hard you try to keep them out.⁠ ⁠ 4. Take a social media break. This one is tough, too, especially as a business owner! I feel the need to be present on an ongoing basis. Yet, I know that it truly will not hurt my business long-term to take a break. ⁠ ⁠ 5. Spend time reflecting, praying, and seeking God for the next steps in my business. Again, this is something that i'd like to make a quarterly ritual, but I haven't been as strict about it in the past. However it's definitely something I do at the end of the year, and it's so valuable.⁠ ⁠ I find that the steps above are a vital part of this, because without clearing the clutter and noise out of my head, it's tough to make space and think clearly about my business! If I'm still scrolling social media, I tend to start comparing what I'm thinking about doing with what others are doing, and it's just not helpful.⁠ ⁠ So, those are some of the things I'll be doing over the next week or so. It doesn't mean my business stops entirely... it just slows down a lot. If you are in a place where you feel like you can't even take any break at all. ⁠ ⁠ If that's the case: please take a listen to episode 7 of the Christian Woman Business Podcast and consider how to build the life (and business) you want (a good exercise for this time of year).⁠ ⁠ Tell me in the comments: which of these 5 things can you commit to doing over the next week??
This fall, I had the opportunity to go to Arizona This fall, I had the opportunity to go to Arizona for a business mastermind. While there, my sister and I hiked as much as we could whenever I wasn't with my business group.⁠ ⁠ Hiking up Cathedral Rock, I looked back and saw the sunlight just begin to peek up over the mountains. It's a magical moment... you can see the beginnings of what is coming, but things are still dark and you're not sure how it's going to look once the sun is all the way up.⁠ ⁠ Here at the end of the year, I feel that I'm in a similar place in my business. I can see a glimpse of what is to come in the next year... and I have big ideas and dreams and plans. But I'm not sure how it will all look in the end.⁠ ⁠ Right now, I'm grateful for the hope and anticipation of what is to come.⁠ ⁠ How about you? Are you looking forward to 2021?
Whenever you take on a new project or endeavor in Whenever you take on a new project or endeavor in your business or personal life, it's essential to know why you are doing it.⁠ ⁠ And that's no different with podcasting. If you start a podcast without being clear on your why, it will be easy to get discouraged or even give up when the excitement wears off.⁠ ⁠ If you have a podcast, or if you've considered starting one, what is your why?
"I can not get over the amount of value in this co "I can not get over the amount of value in this course. I used it to relaunch my podcast and went through it in a few days. I wish I had this course 18 months ago. It would have saved me so much time and I would have had a better understanding of where my podcast was leading. More than worth it! Thank you, Esther!"⁠ ⁠ Getting this feedback from Jen, one of my Podcast in a Weekend students, made my day! I love seeing someone who takes action, and I can't wait to dig even deeper in January during Podcasting Simplified.⁠ ⁠ What has made you smile this week??⁠
If you want to grow your business or audience onli If you want to grow your business or audience online you should have either a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel.⁠ ⁠ These are the 3 primary ways to share your content; after you create your core content in one of these ways, you want to make sure it lives on your website as well.⁠ ⁠ And of course, you can repurpose it from there onto social media as well as connecting with your audience via your email list.⁠ ⁠ What about you? Do you currently have a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel? ⁠ ⁠ If not, what has held you back from diving into one of these methods of content creation?
Happy Friday, friends! It's been a bit since I've Happy Friday, friends! It's been a bit since I've done a Friday introduction, so I thought I'd do a quick update for anyone who's new here.⁠ ⁠ I'm Esther, a podcast consultant, marketer, and host of the award-winning Christian Woman Leadership Podcast and the Christian Woman Business Podcast.⁠ ⁠ My passion lies in helping Christian and mission-driven women lead with confidence, shine online, and amplify their message through the power of podcasting. ⁠ ⁠ I've been married to my husband Scott for 18 years--we met right before my senior year of high school, dated for 4.5 years while I went off to college, and got married a month after college graduation.⁠ ⁠ We have an incredible daughter, Kirsten, who is now 12 (!!!), and a super fun golden retriever puppy, as well as 2 cats and 2 leopard geckos.⁠ ⁠ We live in Maine and being in nature is my therapy. I absolutely love getting out to go hiking, spending the Maine summers near a lake, and even snowshoeing in the winter (if it's not too cold out... I don't like the cold).⁠ ⁠ One random fact about me is that I always have a real Christmas tree... I cannot remember ever having a fake one! Living in Maine, it definitely feels appropriate to have a real tree.⁠ ⁠ So tell me 2 things about yourself in the comments PLUS tell me: real or fake tree??
There are 4 aspects of a website that works for yo There are 4 aspects of a website that works for you and your business... as in, it actually brings you the types of clients or customers you want, helps people to connect with you, and invites people to stick around. One of the most important aspects is that it's not about you. This is one of the BIGGEST mistakes I see my fellow entrepeneurs make on their websites... they make it all about them. They name their site something that's important to them, but no one else will get or understand. The first thing you read on their website is something all about them. But an effective website will be more about the ideal customer, reader, or client, than it will be about you. Yes, you still need to include stuff about you, your business, and what you offer. But it needs to be in the context of how it's going to help your person! So, to evaluate this for yourself, look at your website as objectively as possible and ask, "Is my website all about me, or is it about the person I’m trying to reach?" If you're not sure, ask an honest colleague to give you their perspective as an outsider! For the other 3 things your website should do, check out episode 13 of the Christian Woman Business Podcast. christianwomanbusiness.com/13
Yesterday my family went to pick out our Christmas Yesterday my family went to pick out our Christmas tree. Every year we head to a local tree farm, wander through the fields, and cut down the one we like the best. On the way home, I told my husband that I was so happy because we managed to get through the entire process without having any family "discussions" (aka arguments). You see, usually I have this grand plan in my head of how this wonderful Christmas tradition will go. I imagine picture-perfect moments, smiling faces, and absolutely no conflict at all. I'm not sure what it was this year... perhaps 2020 has lowered my expectations (😂) but we managed to get through the whole process (even the decorating later in the day) without any major issues. I realized that when I go into a family outing with unrealistic expecations, things rarely go well. But when I keep my expectations low--or at least realistic--then the day usually turns out much better. Much of what I do with my clients when they are launching or growing a podcast is manage expecations. We talk about what's realistic and what is doable, as well as what their individual goals are. Not everyone's podcasting goals are the same, so the way they measure success can't be either. It's not about having no expectations; it's about having realistic expectations. In my new mini-course, Podcast in a Weekend, I'm helping you determine your own podcasting goals AND helping you manage your exepectations. Rather than going in blind and having no idea what your results might be, I will help you create a plan for your success. One more thing about expectations: sometimes when we go in with lower expectations, we get pleasantly surprised! And that's why I threw in a couple of extra bonuses for this weekend: I wanted you to have some fun surpises you could get just for being one of the first to grab this new mini-course (link in bio). Check out the comments for details on the bonuses! Now tell me: real tree or fake for you?
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