Joseph ( Dr. Joey) Drolshagen, left behind a high-powered corporate career to launch his own coaching business built on the SMT Method—Subconscious Mindset Training. He's seen incredible success helping companies grow, but in this conversation we’re not talking about the wins. We're digging into one of his biggest flops: a year-long coaching program called Struggle to Soar —designed for men navigating divorce, loss, or career upheaval. He spent over a year building it and more than $50,000 on de...
Aug 10, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1161
What Went Wrong: I Was Talking to the Wrong Audience After years of interviewing guests about their marketing mistakes, I decided it was time to turn the microphone on myself. This solo episode of More than a Few Words dives into one of my biggest missteps—fifteen years in the making. When I launched More than a Few Words , I imagined it as a smart marketing resource for small business owners. I was running a digital agency, working with contractors, lawyers, and local service pros. Naturally, I...
Aug 03, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1160
Phillipa Games, has spent more than 25 years swimming in the deep end of digital strategy and analytics. With experience across nearly 500 clients and websites that have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, Phillipa has seen it all from the good, to the bad, and the wildly overlooked. In this conversation, we peeled back the curtain on website analytics, not the overwhelming, chart-filled dashboard version, but the real, human-centered data that tells the story of what your customers are ...
Jul 27, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1159
Imagine being a fly on the wall, hearing what people really say about your business when you’re not in the room. That’s the promise of AI-driven SEO today. I sat down with Michael Buckbee, a marketing and tech veteran, to talk about how tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping brand visibility. This isn’t your standard SEO conversation, it’s a peek behind the digital curtain to discover what AI thinks about your business. Trust me, it’s more revealing than you might expect. Wheth...
Jul 20, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1158
My guest, Steven Lewis, broke one my big rules. It is ok, to make mistakes, you just don't want to make the same mistake twice. And he did. Yep, Steven started not one, but two businesses that were—how shall I say this?—a bit too far ahead of their time. And in this candid chat, we unpack what he learned, how it shaped the work he does today, and what you, as a business owner, can take away without having to make the same mistakes. Key Ideas Timing is Everything (But Not Everything) Steven launc...
Jul 13, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1157
Have you ever had that one brilliant idea—the one you were sure would be a game-changer—only to watch it sputter out despite all your careful planning? Oh, friend, you’re not alone. I sat down with Whitney Bateson, a passionate entrepreneur who helps wellness professionals build their online credibility. But this time, we weren’t talking about wins, we were unpacking a launch that landed with a thud. Whitney shared the story of her well-intentioned (and very elaborate) launch strategy that misse...
Jul 06, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1156
“Yes, the world feels like a hot mess right now. But what if the real power lies not in fixing the chaos ‘out there,’ but in finding our footing ‘in here’?” That was the heart of my recent conversation on More Than a Few Words with the always wise and wonderfully grounded Deborah Sunderland. We didn’t talk strategy or spreadsheets this time—we talked soul. How we, as women business owners, can navigate the storms of our external world by coming back to the steady center within ourselves. Because...
Jun 29, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1155
Andrew Laws has back in my guest chair (if you missed our first conversation, find it here) it, you’ll find the link in the show notes). This time we shifted away from SEO tips and took a different route—down a bumpy road lined with good intentions, disastrous mistakes, and a hacker with way too much free time. Andrew’s story is packed with humor, hard-earned lessons, and a healthy reminder that if a business idea sounds too easy, it probably isn't really Chasing “Easy Money” Was the First Mista...
Jun 22, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1154
If you've been around here for a while, you already know—I’m an email marketing geek. Not the kind of geek who builds robots in her basement, but the kind who gets excited about subject lines and open rates the way some folks get excited about the first tulips of the season. That’s why chatting with Ellen McDowell Strauss felt like talking to an old friend who also happens to alphabetize her spice rack. Ellen and I first connected over our mutual affection for email, but our latest conversation ...
Jun 15, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1153
You know, I’ve spent years telling business owners to get laser-focused. Find your niche, talk to your niche, sell to your niche. It’s like that old saying: “You can’t please everyone, so pick your people.” But every once in a while, someone comes along and flips my perfectly organized marketing world on its head. That someone was Matt Diamante, founder of Hey Tony, a marketing agency that helps small business owners tackle SEO and social media in ways that actually work. When Matt pitched me th...
Jun 08, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1152
We've all had those “seemed like a good idea at the time” moments. Hers involved a Voxer coaching program, and in the spirit of learning from those detours, we unpacked what happened, what she learned, and how there might still be life in that idea yet. Main Points: Great ideas don’t always land the way you expect. Danielle created a Voxer-based coaching program for personal brand support between sessions. Despite promotions and enthusiasm from peers, it never gained traction with clients. Somet...
Jun 01, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1151
In this edition of What Went Wrong, I got a chance to explore mistakes, missteps, and the humbling reality that even seasoned pros can land flat on their face with repeat guest Robin Waite. This time, he didn’t come with a polished pitch or a shiny success story. He brought a cautionary tale about Facebook ads, cold leads, and a £9,000 lesson in what happens when you trust the algorithm more than your instincts. Key Points from the Conversation with Robin Waite Even Experts Trip Up Robin isn’t n...
May 25, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1150
You know, I’ve always believed marketing should feel more like a warm hug than a high-pressure sales pitch. So when Alesia Galati and I got to chatting about social media burnout (oh yes, that nagging, energy-draining beast), it was like she reached into my cluttered content calendar and whispered, “There’s a better way.” We laughed, we nodded, and somewhere between SEO tips and podcast rants, I found myself ready to trade reels for real conversations. If you’re teetering on the edge of social m...
May 18, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1149
When a Great Idea Doesn’t Get a Second Chance This is another one of my What Went Wrong? conversations, and I love these because we all have ideas that don’t turn out the way we hoped. Sometimes, they’re just bad ideas. Other times, we give up too soon. That’s exactly what happened to Nina Froriep, who had a smart, scalable concept for video production—but abandoned it after a rough first attempt. Years later, she watched someone else build a thriving business using the same model. What Happened...
May 11, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1148
Yes, we’re talking about AI again because, let’s be honest, it’s everywhere, everyone is using it and most people are using it wrong. It’s easy to feel like you’re just throwing AI at problems without a real plan. That’s why I was excited to talk to Melissa Reeve, an expert in agile marketing, about her TRISS framework—a simple way to decide where AI can make the biggest impact in your business. If you’ve ever caught yourself bouncing from one AI tool to another, hoping something sticks, Melissa...
May 04, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1147
Most small business owners dream of growing our small businesses into something bigger. But scaling comes with challenges—hiring, infrastructure, and managing processes without losing control. I sat down with Anthony Franco, a serial entrepreneur who has launched, scaled, and sold multiple businesses. He’s also the host of How the Founder, a podcast where he and his co-host dive deep into the challenges business owners face. In this conversation he shares his insights on scaling the right way. A...
Apr 27, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1146
My guest today is Iris Goldfeder, founder of Gas Stove Creative . Iris and I are two out-of-sync New Yorkers who somehow ended up in Indiana, crossing paths in the small business community for years. But today, instead of swapping stories about pizza and city life, we’re talking about something every business owner faces at some point: the growing pains of change. Iris recently had a lightbulb moment—she’d evolved her business, but she’d forgotten to tell people! So while she had moved on to wor...
Apr 20, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1145
We’ve all done it—Googled ourselves or our businesses, only to find something outdated, inaccurate, or just plain wrong. And the scary part? Most people believe whatever Google tells them. If Google says you’re permanently closed (even when your business is booming), potential customers won’t bother double-checking. They’ll just move on. That’s why it’s so important to take control of what Google says about you. I sat down with Andrew Laws founder of Yeseo, to talk about how business owners can ...
Apr 13, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1144
Marketing is all about connections, but too often, we skip over the most important piece—people. Sure, we love talking about product, price, place, and promotion, but what about the humans behind the strategy? That’s why I brought back Dave Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, for a lively chat about the Four P’s of People—peers, pros, patrons, and promoters. Spoiler: your next marketing breakthrough might come from focusing less on what you’re posting and more o...
Apr 06, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1143
Tina Bakehouse is living proof that even the best teachers are always learning. As an intuitive communication coach, she’s built a reputation for helping others communicate with confidence and authenticity. But as she shares in this conversation, her early days in business were filled with valuable lessons—especially about getting clear on her offers. Like many of us, Tina learned that trying to be everything to everyone only leads to confusion. It’s a little like showing up at a potluck with fi...
Mar 29, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1142
A few years ago I sat down with Wayne Mullins, founder of Ugly Mug Marketing, to dive into his unique “3-5-3” formula for turning your website from a static space into a real business driver. If you missed the original release of this episode, you want to be sure to catch it now. His approach is all about honing in on what users need, and it starts with capturing attention in the first three seconds. The truth is, visitors aren’t "browsing" anymore—they’re "hopping" from one page to the next, an...
Mar 25, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1141
Sometimes, as business owners and marketers, we get so wrapped up in what excites us about our products or services that we lose sight of what matters to our audience. That’s exactly what Brad Koch, a coach and business strategist, discovered the hard way. Brad talks about what went wrong as he shared a story of a marketing campaign that fell flat—and the lessons he learned about crafting messaging his customers really cared about. Key Takeaways: Shift the focus to your audience’s needs. Brad’s ...
Mar 23, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1140
Let’s face it: whether it’s a middle school rumor or a scathing online review, negative feedback stings. As business owners, those harsh words often hit close to home because they’re not just about our work—they’re about us. In this episode of More Than a Few Words , I chatted with David Oates, a seasoned crisis communications expert, about how to handle negative reviews and comments with grace. David shared practical advice on how to respond with "empathy and action"—a simple yet powerful appro...
Mar 18, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1139
We've all been there, when a great idea turns out to be, well, not so great? We’ve all been there, right? That lightning bolt moment where we think, “This is it! This is the idea that’s going to change everything.” And then reality sets in. To share her own “What Was I Thinking?” moment, I’ve invited my friend Jen Edds, the head brassy boss at Brassy Broadcasting Company. Jen had a vision of launching a daily podcast—short, punchy, and everywhere. But just before jumping in, she took a step back...
Mar 16, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1138
Let’s face it—if you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve got knowledge people would pay for. Years of experience, hard-won lessons, and insights that could save someone else time, money, and frustration. But turning that wisdom into a profitable business? That’s where things get tricky. It’s not enough to just “know stuff.” You need a structure, a system, and a way to package your expertise so that it delivers real transformation—not just another downloadable PDF gathering dust on someone’s ...
Mar 13, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1137
As a business owner, decision-making comes with the territory. But some people do it better than others. What sets them apart? That’s what I talked about with Andrea Liebross, a business and life coach who helps female entrepreneurs think and manage like CEOs. She shared insights from her book She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary , breaking down what it really takes to be a big thinker. 4 Steps to Thinking Big Choose Your Th...
Mar 11, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1136
In another of my continuing What Went Wrong series I chatted with Tracy Brinkman, a business success coach, podcast creator, and host of the Dark Horse Entrepreneur podcast. Tracy shared a story that every business owner can relate to: the time he created something he was certain people would love—only to be met with silence. Years ago, Tracy poured his heart into developing a goal-setting seminar. He thought he had all the pieces in place—a clear concept, valuable insights, and a hungry audienc...
Mar 09, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1135
Using AI to add a neighborhood feel to your marketing may sound contradictory, but it’s possible when approached with the right mindset and structure. In this conversation with Peter Murphy Lewis, a fractional CMO and founder of StrategicPete.com, we explored how AI can actually make your messaging more authentic and personal. Peter shared actionable strategies for turning AI into a trusted assistant that speaks in your voice and resonates with your audience. Key Points from the Conversation: As...
Mar 09, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1134
I know you think you know everything there is to know about LinkedIn, but trust me—there’s always more to learn. That’s exactly what I found when I chatted with Sam Swirsky, a LinkedIn coach and writer who’s helped some of the biggest content creators build hyper-engaged fan bases. He shared actionable advice on how small business owners can do more than just collect followers—they can cultivate real, engaged communities on the platform. Key Takeaways and Actionable Insights: Engagement is a Two...
Mar 04, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1133
In every sales conversation, there comes that moment when you're so excited about what you do, you want to share everything you know. But that is often a mistake, as Janice Porter, a LinkedIn trainer and relationship marketing strategist explained in our conversation, for the What Went Wrong Series Janice found herself giving away premium insights during free webinars and initial consultations. Like many of us who started as educators, her natural instinct to teach was getting in the way of buil...
Mar 02, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1132
