People are quick to talk about their successes – after all, it feels good to share our wins publicly – but we can often learn much more from our failures, as well as others’ failures. I also think sharing our failures is important in order to remain transparent. In the interest of taking my own medicine, I’m going to share the story of my first business: why I started it, and, ultimately, why I think it ended in epic failure. I’ll also share the lessons I think you can learn from my mistakes so ...
Feb 07, 2022•50 min•Ep. 29
When I started my online business, over five years ago, I had no clue what I was doing or that it would end up being anything close to what it is today. While I’m thankful it is, I constantly think back to that time and all of the things I would (or wouldn’t) do if I had the chance to do it all over again. While I may not be planning on starting a new business any time soon, I can still put that thinking to good use by sharing with you the experiences I’ve had over the last few years, what I’ve ...
Jan 31, 2022•41 min•Ep. 28
There are so many options for tech tools out there – how do you find the ones that help your business sing, grow, and thrive? It can be such a hassle scouring reviews and trying different things just to find out it isn’t right for you. Sometimes the best way to find something you’ll love is to hear the good and the bad from someone you trust who actually uses it. That’s why I’m going to share my favorite tech tools and equipment, as well as all of the tools I have quit using and why. I don’t wan...
Jan 24, 2022•43 min•Ep. 27
If you were to believe everyone you hear online talking about Facebook ads, you’d either believe they are the one true answer to all of your business woes… or the worst thing to have ever happened in marketing. But which is it, really? In this episode, I break it down to find the answer nestled in the middle. I learned the hard way so that you don’t have to. So, I cover all of your questions, why you might run Facebook ads, their pros and cons, busting myths, and share nine things you need to ha...
Jan 17, 2022•49 min•Ep. 26
If you’re anything like me, you need more than one thing to talk about in your business – otherwise, you – and your followers! – might just lose your minds. But the answer isn’t to go crazy with all kinds of out-of-scope subject matter. The last thing you want to do is confuse potential customers about what it is your business offers and drive them into the waiting arms of your more content-savvy competitors. We all agree; social media can be an echo chamber sometimes. But, there’s a way to crea...
Jan 10, 2022•26 min•Ep. 25
Whether you believe Olive Garden is fine dining or low brow, one thing you have to admit is that they are doing something right – and no, it’s not the breadsticks. Olive Garden has a successful approach to customer service: Treating their customers like family. In this episode, I share two ways you can emulate that approach and why you’d want to in the first place. With this strategy, you can create your own army of word-of-mouth loyalists to market your business for you and increase their lifet...
Jan 03, 2022•37 min•Ep. 24
It’s the end of the year, which often brings a time of planning and reflection. While we previously discussed how to plan out your business year , I wanted to spend this episode doing some personal reflecting on what 2021 has looked like for me. Tune in to hear me discuss, openly and honestly, what’s been going on behind the scenes for me – both personally and professionally – and get a breakdown of the lessons I learned along the way. We go from multi-six figure launches to firing a Facebook ad...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 23
We’re approaching the new year, which means for many of us that it’s time to start planning out how we’ll run our businesses after the calendar flips to 2022. In this episode and the accompanying free guide, I share my exact annual business planning document and walk you through the steps you need to take to map out a plan you can execute easily. For healthy reference and a dose of reality, I also share what happened when I didn’t plan in the past, when I saw the light, what made me change my wa...
Dec 20, 2021•42 min•Ep. 22
Your time is valuable. As a business owner, you spend a lot of that time pursuing leads and, more specifically, making sales calls. Love it or hate it, it’s a part of business. The best thing you can do is to get good at it. I get tons of questions regarding what you legally can or can’t do on a sales call, whether or not you’re allowed to give advice, what counts as advice vs. education, taking payment over the phone, and so much more. So, in this episode, I break down three things you should n...
Dec 13, 2021•32 min•Ep. 21
We’ve all had problem clients – I know I have. Whether we find out after the fact or learn how to recognize warning signs, not everyone we work with is going to offer a smooth experience. I’ve learned a lot from dealing with them in the past and in this episode, I’m passing on those lessons to you. Problem clients often become legal problems. We’ve already talked about how to break things off when a client you’re dealing with becomes a pain, but let’s see how we can prevent dealing with them in ...
Dec 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 20
We all want to create and share content respectfully and properly online. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to draw the line between inspiration and imitation. Let’s go over some of the basics of copyright law, what it is, what content falls under that category, and how you can use other peoples’ content, legally. I also discuss the fair use exception, what it is, and what content falls under it. In this episode, you'll hear… 04:56 - Understanding the gray areas of copyright law 07:11 - What...
Nov 29, 2021•27 min•Ep. 19
Instagram Reels: You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em – or sometimes a bit of both all at once. If you listen to all the people out there, you’re bound to hear both sides of it, that Reels are a waste of time and also the only way to grow your business. Let’s cut through the noise and figure out how you can create content that actually moves the needle while using your valuable time effectively. In this episode, I detail 10 tips for Instagram Reels focusing on what’s best for your business, not w...
Nov 22, 2021•49 min•Ep. 18
Online businesses aren’t immune to the laws, regulations, and rules that traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have to follow – despite what some “armchair legal experts” may have told you in a Facebook group chat. On top of that, there are some rules that apply specifically to online businesses and the ways that they grow. In order to make sure you are legally protected in ALL aspects of your business, let’s go over six specific things that online businesses need to do to be run in a legally ...
Nov 15, 2021•35 min•Ep. 17
Self-talk plays a huge role in our lives, especially for anyone who’s putting themselves out on the wire in a public forum like social media. Today, we’re talking with Katie Horwitch, a New York City-based writer, speaker, mindset coach, and the founder of WANT (Women Against Negative Talk), a platform and podcast that offers tips, tools, motivation, and inspiration to help people move forward in life by shifting their negative self-talk. We talk about how you can improve your own self-talk, how...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 16
Let’s take a trip back in time to when I first started my online business. What was the marketing landscaping looking like and what was going on in the online business world at that time? I’ll dig into the details in the episode, but I can tell you one thing for sure: things are so different today! I’m going to share what was working when I started my business, what’s no longer working, the marketing strategies that DO work now, and look ahead to predict where things are going. It’s the past, pr...
Nov 01, 2021•41 min•Ep. 15
Wouldn’t you love to create a marketing strategy that sells your product on autopilot and amplifies your impact in a BIG way? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think! You can market a product that sells itself, all the while building a snowball effect without having to burn yourself out on social media every day or reinventing the wheel every time you want to make a sale. The universe doesn’t magically take your creation and put it in front of the right people with the wave of a wand – don’t ...
Oct 25, 2021•32 min•Ep. 14
I’ve experienced both success and failure when it comes to starting a business. I’m not ashamed to admit it because knowing what works and what doesn’t puts me in a powerful position to give advice on what differentiates the two. For me, one of the things I focused on in a different way that helped lead to my business’s success was the product. I have eight ways you can create a product that’s going to become your bread and butter for years to come. In this episode, you'll hear… 04:39 - Why you ...
Oct 18, 2021•34 min•Ep. 13
This week, we’re kicking off the first in a three-part series to help you make the transition from a startup business owner to soldout and scaling. We’re going to start things off with the basics: how do you find high-quality, paying customers – wherever you are in your business. We take a look at what some of the biggest companies are doing and scale them down to fit your business, finding a unique value proposition, getting to know your ideal client, and how to establish an expert status and u...
Oct 11, 2021•44 min•Ep. 12
I am in the early stages of writing my own book, and it is quite an adventure. I have put off writing this for so long because of all the worries I had around what had to be in place before I could write. When I started looking into where to start, I got one piece of advice: “Start by talking to Richelle Fredson.” We made a connection, and now she’s my writing coach and consultant on this project. Richelle’s going to share all the information I wish I had known before. If you have ever wanted to...
Oct 04, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 11
Being legally protected is going to help you build your business. With legal protection, you can be more comfortable and confident with putting yourself out there. In this episode we’ll talk about why your website needs legal defense and the three pieces of legal protection you absolutely need to go pro. I’ll share exactly what you need on your website, where to put it, and how it works to keep you protected. RESOURCES: GET THE BUNDLE WHILE IT’S ON SALE: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/last-chan...
Sep 27, 2021•31 min•Ep. 10
My goal is to make sure that you aren’t personally on the hook for whatever happens in your business – whether that’s getting sued, owing money, or something else entirely. That means you have to register your business properly so that you, yourself, are protected. It’s not as complicated as people make it out to be, so let’s make it easy for you to keep your assets covered! In this episode, you’ll learn: 03:46 - Why you need to be personally protected 06:55 - Where to start registering your bus...
Sep 20, 2021•23 min•Ep. 9
Story time: I always knew I wanted to be an attorney, but there was one event that really set off my interest. In college I got involved in a bad housing situation and couldn’t find a way out of my lease. I asked nicely, and I was denied. So I reviewed my lease, did some research, and found a hole in the tenant law that they missed. I brought it to their attention and ended up being let go of my lease and getting my money back. From then on, I knew the importance of a solid contract. I’m going t...
Sep 13, 2021•38 min•Ep. 8
Are you super overwhelmed with legal advice? Have you taken in way too much information and can't figure out where to start? I will go over the three steps you need to take to protect and grow your online business if you haven't done much yet. We keep it simple – just exactly what you need to know to get started. If you haven't taken any action to protect yourself and your business legally, start here! In this episode, you'll hear… 05:14 - The legally legit trifecta 09:13 - Forming your business...
Sep 06, 2021•31 min•Ep. 7
If you approach your business with a fixed mindset, you won’t be able to pivot when you need to. It’s inevitable that you’re going to have to make changes in your business at some point, and if you’re too rigid in your thinking you aren’t going to recognize those opportunities quickly enough. Whether it’s reacting to personal life events or if something in your business is no longer working, you need to be nimble and ready to move. I’m going to share my steps to handling change quickly and with ...
Aug 30, 2021•33 min•Ep. 6
Today, we’re talking about issues that are a real PITA (that stands for pain in the…). The worst of these problems can come from your paying clients. Whether you have all of the best legal protections in place or none at all, trouble clients can always find ways to end up causing legal headaches. I’m going to share how to identify warning signs early so that you can see problems coming, when to cut ties with a difficult client, and – ideally – how to avoid them altogether, in the first place. Ke...
Aug 23, 2021•57 min•Ep. 5
The online world can be a messy place for legal advice. I’m going to discuss some of the biggest and most dangerous legal myths I’ve seen, such as LLCs versus sole proprietorships, using free contracts when starting out, whether it’s true that the online world is a Wild West, and whether you really need an LLC or business insurance – or both. In this episode, you'll hear… 02:21 - The dangers of following anonymous online advice 05:20 - Know-it-all Facebook ad comments 07:50 - The myth of waiting...
Aug 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 4
Let’s get personal. I’m sure there are people out there who are going through a lot right now – I’m one of them! In fact, the last three years have been the hardest of my life. Despite that, I’ve managed to grow my business immensely. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve made it happen. So how did I do it? You’re going to hear all about what happened to me when I left being an attorney, how I used that experience as rocket fuel for my own business, what’s happened over the last three years in my person...
Aug 09, 2021•32 min•Ep. 3
Scope of practice is one of the most requested topics in my community, and in my DMs, so we’re going to get down and dirty, talking about what you are, and are not, legally allowed to do as a coach. First of all, you need to understand exactly what scope of practice is and which scope of practice covers what you do. This is where this episode starts. But there’s so much misinformation out there when it comes to scope of practice legislation that it can be a real minefield, and getting things wro...
Aug 02, 2021•27 min•Ep. 2
There can be so much pressure to engage with people offering the same professional services that you do online – especially when you’re starting out. I’m here to tell you that “community over competition” is BS. Don’t listen to it. That doesn’t mean you can’t be polite and friendly with other people doing what you do, but at the end of the day, they’re not your clients and they’re never going to be your clients. You only have a finite amount of time and energy to spend professionally, so why was...
Jul 26, 2021•40 min•Ep. 1
Hey, I'm Sam Vander Wielen, an attorney turned multi-seven-figure entrepreneur and the host of On Your Terms®, a podcast all about helping you legally protect your online business and learn the marketing strategies that will actually help you grow it. I understand how overwhelming legal protection can be, and I'm here to help break down the legal stuff that you need to know in a no-fear, no-fluff, your-best-friend-just-so-happens-to-be-a-lawyer kind of way. And the vibes? Think cozy coffee shop ...
Jul 12, 2021•2 min
