The Badass CEO

Photographer: Kelly Sikkema | Source: Unsplash The thing everyone dreads- Tax Season. Ugh. I don’t know about you but my stomach drops when I think about it even being a CPA. If this is your first business and first time filing taxes for a business, the process can be daunting and confusing, but there is no need to stress. I have put together a simple guide that will walk you through the most critical steps now so when tax season comes along, you are confident and prepared. If you are like me - booked and busy - you might not have time to always think about your tax files and organize your bookkeeping; that is why today’s blog sponsor is a service that has personally helped me stay on track with all of my business expenses and tax information. Bench's online bookkeeping platform pairs you and your business with intuitive software that takes care of most financial tasks that come with being an entrepreneur. From filing taxes to organizing your expenses, you can sign up for Bench...

Photographer: Javier Allegue Barros | Source: Unsplash Sometimes things in our entrepreneurship journey do not go as planned - COVID shuts down the economy, the launch we built up does not take off, the social media campaign does not get good engagement. Pivoting a business whether from in-person to online or in its core service/product offerings can be a daunting task - Where do you begin? Who do you turn to? Will it be successful? Pivoting is a natural part of growing a business even without the extenuating circumstances of the current times - for you to keep up with your target market that will evolve in its needs, you have to evolve as well. If you have noticed that your overall sales are going down, competition is taking away from your sales and you are finding yourself playing catch up in your own niche, or that one product you offer is taking off while the rest trail behind - it might be time to think about pivoting and switching it up. This is an underlying theme throughout m...

Hilary McCain is the founder of the first CBD infused drinks business beverage on the US market, Sweet Reason. Her company is all about providing consumers with a calm focus and an alternative to carbonated beverages and alcohol. Her business has had incredible success with over 1,000 retailers carrying Sweet Reason and their Instagram growing to over 18,000 followers. McCain walks us through her journey in starting Sweet Reason, what inspired her, how she overcame regulation changes, and how she was able to secure investors for her groundbreaking business. Mimi: Hillary, thank you so much for coming on. I'm so excited to hear your story and I love CBD infused drinks, it's my favorite thing. So thank you so much. Hilary: Thanks for having me. Mimi: So I would love to hear your journey about, how you picked from the food industry, how you picked this particular product, a drink versus food, and how you picked CBD. Table Contents Growing Up the Food Industry Obsession Delivers R...

Photographer: Brooke Cagle | Source: Unsplash “You do not have to be the best techie or the best entrepreneur to have a successful business but you do have to be an expert in a category. A powerful statement by our recent podcast guest and founder of WellSet, Tegan Bukowski . Her episode brought up insight into how entrepreneurs need to approach creating products and companies in the 2021 landscape. Investors are looking more towards entrepreneurs that are experts in their business’s niche when looking for investment opportunities. Expertise drives profitability and longevity in this new crowded and virtual business world. Understanding your category is no longer enough to build out a business - expertise and influence are necessary in order to give you authority in the market you want to disrupt. As a female entrepreneur, you need to have the power of knowledge and experience in your niche in order to have influence over your team, investors, and potential customers. This experience...

Photographer: Chris Montgomery | Source: Unsplash When it comes to running a business today something many of us were not prepared to work on and pivot into is creating a strong company culture through Zoom - how do you even begin to bridge the gap between your company’s mission and new hires when there is a screen between you? Many businesses suffer due to people problems - whether it be hiring the right people or retaining the right ones thus it is clear you need to set the right cornerstones for your company’s culture and environment (online and offline). On the Badass CEO podcast, we have had an array of insightful discussions surrounding how to prioritize and succeed in creating the right, motivated employee roster that is aligned with your mission. Creating a healthy and empowering company culture only can begin when you have hired the right set of people for the right set of positions. As another former podcast guest and successful business owner, Michelle Seiler Tucker pointed...

To help your business succeed, a timely reminder that mindset is key along with detailed systems, and a trustworthy team. Brooke Mason, a former model, photographer, and founder of Brooke Mason Creative boasts clients such as Bentley and Rolls Royce. Brooke explains the necessity of creating a level-headed mindset through mentorship, following people on social media, and always getting feedback. She shares her amazing insights into bootstrapping a business and harnessing her creativity in order to establish herself as an expert in her field. Mimi: Hi, welcome back to The Badass CEO. This is Mimi, and today we have Brooke Mason, and she is the founder and CEO of Brooke Mason Creative. This creative agency was a natural expansion of her already fast paced career as a celebrity photographer. Brooke Mason Creative helps high-end clientele with their brand and creative strategy. Brooke, thank you so much for coming on today. I'm so excited to hear about your business and your journey....