Kasia Johnson of Merge Forward, helps some of today's biggest brands with their branding and marketing.  We've had several conversations about branding, and what it really means for businesses.  Yes, it's so much more than a logo, however, it also doesn't need to be the extensive crazy expensive thing that we all think of when we think of companies like Apple.  Even if you're a solo shop, there are small things you can do now that make a huge difference in how your business is perceived by the world.

What's your best description of what branding your business even is?  It's visual storytelling and visually telling what your company is.  It's such an important aspect too because it's the first thing that clients see and how they identify with your company.  People don't realize that our brains process something sixty thousand times faster anything that's visual.  So a lot of buying decisions are made on what you see first.

Is branding just a logo...

Last year I ventured into my first live event, knowing absolutely nothing about doing one. I can't tell you it went off without a hitch, however, it was one of the best decisions I ever made for my business. I had no idea what would be on the other side for myself and my business by doing one.

In this podcast, I share:

• Why I did one
• The ins and outs of putting one together
• Some basics you should know as to how to make this work for your business

For more info on my event visit:http://www.entrepreneursummitdallas.com

Afton Negra is one of the sharpest people I know when it comes to systems and building a business.  She has some of today's biggest online personalities as some of her clients, and she's a rockstar at tips and tricks and tools to simplify your business life.  She's technically a social media strategist but does so much more beyond just that title.  Her mission is to help the smaller companies learn the tips and tricks to get the bigger reach and leverage that they may need to grow.

In this podcast, we're covering three areas where you can improve your social proof of your business.

The first one is content, can we dig deep into understanding how your content aligns with the social proof of your business and how to use it grow?  First, social proof is the positive influence when others find out when someone is doing something.  This is crucial in social media.  A great example of this is a nightclub, and why they make people wait outside....

I can speak from experience when I say writing a book can be a huge game changer in your business.  It immediately positions you as an expert and shines a completely different light upon you.  It can seem like a daunting task, and that's why I wanted Morgan of Paper Raven Books to talk about how to break down the process and use this to leverage your business.

What's the advice you give that first person trying to figure out what to write?  Morgan likes to start by talking about their business.  A book should be a strategic part of your business.  They discuss who they serve now, and who they want to serve in the future, and focus on topics for those people.

It's also a great tool for pivoting in your business.  Morgan was a broad general editor, and she wanted to focus on book editing.  So she wrote a book on how to write a book, and now her clients are from the book industry.  Make sure you're writing for that person who you want to...

Have you ever found yourself really excited about something, only to eventually talk yourself out of doing it with questions like 'who the hell are you?'  'Why would you think about doing something like this?' Or a statement of 'you're crazy to believe this will work.'

The good news is that you're not crazy.  We all have that inner voice talking us out of greatness and doing amazing things.  There's just a difference between people who succeed and those who don't.  Those who succeed have learned to turn off the voice.

Coach Jennie, has named this inner voice 'Hilda', and she's been using her with her coaching clients for years.  She has now published a book that talks about the four types of Hilda-isms that we seem to tell ourselves the most.  She came by to talk more in-depth about Hilda!

Everyone has a naysayer in your head ? That will say "Who do you think you are ?", " What if they laugh at you?"  Who is Hilda and does everybody have...

Joshua Dorkin was a teacher who decided to be a real estate investor.  After discovering the market was full of people more about making money than actually helping, he decided to do something about it.

Using a little bit of web design experience from college, he launched BiggerPockets.com.  Over the years, the site slowly grew until it became a full-time income for Joshua.  He shares how he got it rolling, some of the struggles he has faced, and what has made this such a successful site over 10 years later.

How did you start to monetize this business idea going against the grain of the industry?  Joshua was working another job, so he was able to keep the business going in the beginning.  He then started to put ads up with Google AdSense and started to slowly make money.

Talk about the side hustle part of it, when did you decide to make the leap?  Joshua started substitute teaching and on his first job, the teacher he was working for quit....

Dr. Susan O'Malley's story is an incredible journey of beating the odds time and time again.  After dropping out of college, she worked as a secretary for 11 years.  When her life took a drastic change, she decided to go back to school.  It was then when she changed her major from being a nutritionist to being a doctor.

After she was rejected from every medical school in the country, perseverance kicked in.  It took her that long to figure out what her dream was, and she wasn't going to be shut out of it.  She was accepted just a few weeks before school started.

Times had changed, as she found herself pregnant and no husband.  However, she decided to follow through and go to school.

How did you do it all being by yourself, with a baby, and in med school?  Dr. O'Malley got through it one day at a time, and sometimes it was one hour at a time.  Had she looked at graduation the first day of medical school, it would have been too overwhelming....

Master the Start is out and holding strong as an Amazon Best Seller!!!  It's been a journey and a process so beyond the steps it took to write and get it out to the world.

I share my struggles with getting it complete, and all of the things I learned about what needed to happen once you have completed the book.

I also get into things I want to do better next time, and things I wish I would have known!

Facebook Groups have become a popular way to build your business.  How it's typically done is where you have one group, and then you make comments, ask questions, connect people, etc. Gary Leland has taken Facebook Groups to an entirely new level and is using it as a way to build and connect the entire Fast Pitch Softball Community in the US.  He gives us some tips and tricks for how he manages it all, and how he is using it also to build his business.

Let's first talk about your group of 20,000, how are you utilizing that?  The main one started when groups started; Gary thought he would start a group.  It's a basic group, and he advertises his business in there.  His rules are that you can't sell anything in there, so he is the only allowed to sell.  Now, as he approaches close to 20,000, there are a lot of people to sell to. He tries not to sell to them all the time.  He does put stuff in there every week or every other week.  The only...

Facebook groups are the latest and greatest way to build a community for your business.  However, as great as they are, you also have to be sure to protect yourself from what legally could happen to you.

Yes, it's not a lot of fun to think about.  However, by putting precautions in place now, you could save yourself a lot of headaches down the line.

What are the general things we should know about Facebook Groups? No matter what type of group you have, there should be general term rules. Basically terms of use and terms and conditions. The big thing is that when they come into the group (especially if it’s not part of a paid program), you make this a pinned post, especially when you’re first starting. Make sure that you make it clear that being in the group isn’t a free for all.

What kind of rules are you making? Be specific, so like a promo day, don’t just say the day it is. Also say what kind of promo it is. You want to let people know if...