Parhaat The Speak Easy Podcast Podcastit (2024)

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The Most Important Advisors You Need in Your Life: Biz Edition 19:01

12d ago19:01

19:01

For a lot of business owners, it can be hard to let go of the idea that you can do it all. However, as your business grows, there reaches a point where you shouldn’t be doing it all, and instead should be utilizing a team of advisors.In-house or outsourced, having a team of advisors you can turn to is a necessary investment for the health of your b…

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Case Study: Origami Rehabilitation 20:47

26d ago20:47

20:47

For more than twenty years, Origami Rehabilitation has trusted Render Studios with capturing the stories of those affected by neurological conditions with compassion and nuance. Through this long-standing partnership, Render has mastered carefully navigating the intersection of marketing and human stories, and the ability to find a unique angle yea…

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Setting Expectations for Employees 21:33

1M ago21:33

21:33

Setting expectations for your team is a crucial task. However, in our current work environment where the playbook seems ever-evolving, that process can seem easier said than done. For many business owners in the creative industry, defining these expectations comes with a boatload of questions — what should they encompass? Which expectations are out…

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Why Your Budget Isn’t Big Enough: Advocacy Edition 15:12

2M ago15:12

15:12

Tight marketing budgets are a reality for many organizations, including nonprofits and advocacy groups. Clients like these operate with limited resources, yet they play a vital role in addressing societal issues, driving change, and raising awareness about important causes. Oftentimes, when nonprofits and advocacy organizations struggle with ineffe…

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Case Study: The Michigan Achievement Scholarship for MCAN 20:26

2M ago20:26

20:26

What do you do when you want to spread the word about free money for college to quite literally every graduating high school student in the state? A large-scale public awareness campaign with some pretty creative tactics, of course. This episode, we’re diving into a case study on The Michigan Achievement Scholarship campaign — a multi-modal marketi…

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Have the Hard Conversations Before It’s Too Late 22:04

3M ago22:04

22:04

Navigating the complexities of caregiving for aging parents is an endeavor fraught with uncertainty and emotion. It's a journey that often catches us off guard, forcing us to confront the profound responsibility of guiding our parents through end-of-life care.In this episode, we delve into our personal experiences with aging parents, reflecting on …

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Is Your Job a Job or Is Your Job a Lifestyle? 12:46

3M ago12:46

12:46

For better or worse, sometimes we are our job, or our brand, or our leadership role…you get the picture. When you’re in a situation where your job isn’t something you put down at the end of the day and walk away from, what does that mean in terms of work-life balance?If you’re in a position where your job follows you into the other aspects of your …

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Case Study: ScrapFest Documentary 23:18

4M ago23:18

23:18

Founded by David Such and Larry Bass in 2008, ScrapFest is a Lansing art festival that brings together artists from around the country to compete in a scrap metal sculpture competition. Earlier this year, Karen’s media production company, Render Studios, premiered their debut ScrapFest documentary. The film highlights various artists and their scul…

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Clients Who Bait and Switch 17:10

4M ago17:10

17:10

Whether intentional or not, sometimes a client is disingenuous about the end goals of a project. For whatever reason, they are not upfront with their initial objective, and massage the creative process through nitpicking and endless revisions to achieve an end product that is decidedly different from what was agreed upon.In situations like these, i…

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Don't Confuse Youth with Being Youthful 18:21

5M ago18:21

18:21

Youth might be a limited period in life, but youthfulness is a mindset that transcends age. When it comes to opportunities for career growth or probleming-solving, qualities like open-mindedness and curiosity are critical for success. But what are those qualities if not the characteristics of a youthful mindset?Maintaining a youthful mindset doesn’…

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Case Study: Sad Little Town 24:12

5M ago24:12

24:12

Last month, the Detroit Free Press’s editorial page editor ran a piece about moving the state capital to Detroit, deeming Lansing a “sad little town.” It caused quite the stir, to say the least. Lansing residents and Detroiters alike sounded off on social media, the comments sections grew tense, and water cooler conversation was fueled for days.As …

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Another Round – The Most Important Things We Do Each Year 18:35

6M ago18:35

18:35

For many entrepreneurs, the end of the year is a time for holiday get-togethers, meeting deadlines, and – the big one – goal setting. We take time to visualize where we see our organization in the coming year, in five years, or even a decade down the line. We carefully map out our business's progress and trajectory. But are we focusing on what’s mo…

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Another Round – A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way 20:52

6M ago20:52

20:52

‘Tis the season for gratitude, but, in fact, it’s healthier to practice grateful thinking all year long. When we think about what’s missing, rather than what’s present, we invite anxiety, frustration, and bundles of other negative emotions to flood our minds. If you think about it, brains are like kindergarten classes: without some discipline, chao…

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Another Round – Burnout and Overwhelm 17:10

6M ago17:10

17:10

We frequently talk about balance on the podcast and the truth is that something has to give when life becomes hectic. But don’t worry, we’ll return to the regularly scheduled programming in January. For now, we’re rebroadcasting some episodes that are hitting especially close to home right now. Enjoy Another Round – Ep. 164: Burnout and Overwhelm!B…

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Evolution & Reinvention 17:57

7M ago17:57

17:57

If you’ve got anxiety about reaching “midlife” or stumbling into the dreaded “midlife crisis,” just know that it’s not an inevitability. “Midlife” is a construct. By taking a proactive approach to life, you can avoid general monotony and the tired cliche of a “midlife rut.”By embracing change and staying curious about new possibilities, you can avo…

1
Hiring Employees With Experience Outside Your Realm 17:48

7M ago17:48

17:48

Hiring people who have skills that differ from your own adds additional challenges to the recruitment process. When a potential new hire’s skill set is outside of your wheelhouse, it’s essential to remember why you are hiring, and that diversifying the skills of your team is necessary for growth. It expands what you can offer your clients, and brin…

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Professional Advocacy – How Do Advocacy Organizations Avoid Polarizing Politics? 19:02

8M ago19:02

19:02

When it comes to supporting clients whose mission, if accomplished, would make the world a better place, strategy has shifted over the years. The divisive nature of politics today requires much stricter demands for how we can effectively create tools for clients who do advocacy work. Now more than ever, the tools you create must lay the groundwork …

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Quality and Standards: What Does Quality Mean in the Industry Right Now? 14:55

8M ago14:55

14:55

When talking about quality and standards in the creative industry, it can be easy to miss the fact that producing work that’s “good enough” is often the result of a capacity issue. When firms have a limited budget or staff for a project, not every product can be made with expert care, so they have to settle for a deliverable that’s “good enough.” T…

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Time Wasters - What Habitual Parts of Your Day Need To Be Swept Aside? 19:15

9M ago19:15

19:15

When thinking about habits that are time wasters, it’s easy to name things like scrolling TikTok or doing superficial “reorganizing” because those feel like conscious time wasters. It’s the unconscious time wasters that are much more insidious and hard to kick. Things like indecision, lack of planning, or even overplanning result in time wasted, wh…

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Shitcake: The Seven-Layer Cake of Our Lives 17:38

9M ago17:38

17:38

Life can feel like a mess even on good days. The personal responsibilities of life that bring us joy often start to feel overwhelming when the demands for our time and energy surpass what is possible for us to give. For many people, this is where shame and self-judgment kick in, because dealing with every layer of life all at once shouldn’t be that…

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Junk RFPs: Navigating the ‘Request for Proposal’ Process 19:53

10M ago19:53

19:53

RFPs, or Requests for Proposals, are a common way of soliciting work in the creative industry — and they can be an equally challenging (and often painful) process for everyone involved. In a written description alone, it can be difficult for a buyer to clearly articulate what service or product they’re looking for in an RFP. This can leave folks in…

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Leadership: Sometimes You’re Stuck With It 14:58

10M ago14:58

14:58

Leadership can be as overwhelming as it is rewarding. To view leadership as a ladder to climb ignores the aspects of the job that are far from a reward. Whether it’s a plumbing issue at the office, concerns about this quarter’s budget, or a conflict between staff, when you’re in a leadership position, the tough decisions are yours to make.In our ca…

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The Creative Process: How The Sausage Gets Made 22:58

11M ago22:58

22:58

Talking about creativity and the creative process can be necessarily abstract, but it doesn't have to be. There is value to looking at creativity as an investment. Creativity takes a willingness to challenge yourself to break down what already exists and start from scratch. This process requires a lot of trust in yourself or your team, and that can…

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When To Hire — And When Not To 22:05

11M ago22:05

22:05

The question of when to hire and when not to isn’t about neglecting your team’s capacity needs. Rather, it’s about taking a more meditative approach to the hiring process. Beyond determining if your business has the budget to hire and what the capacity needs of your team are, it’s important to consider if your organization needs to change and how i…

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Delegating Decision-Making: Why and How 17:14

12M ago17:14

17:14

As leaders, we can’t (and shouldn’t) do it all. Bringing your team into the decision-making process is important to the health and wellness of your organization. No part of the organization benefits from being overprotective of decision-making, and being excluded from this process limits a team's growth potential. All that said, putting this delega…

1
Going with the Flow 14:54

12M ago14:54

14:54

Long description: How often does it actually serve us to have our expectations set in stone? Even when the circumstances of a project change, the work still needs to be done. This is where “going with the flow” comes in. Instead of becoming mentally invested in things happening a certain way, it takes a lot less energy to focus on the things that c…

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Celebrating Other People's Success 15:13

1y ago15:13

15:13

What difference would it make in your work if you celebrated the success of others? Being happy for someone who has something you want takes practice. It also takes patience with yourself. When we shift away from envying our competition, we abandon a scarcity mindset that brings pressure and negativity into our work and prohibits our own growth. At…

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Bandwidth: Navigating Cognitive and Emotional Capacity 16:58

1y ago16:58

16:58

Cheers to our 150th episode! What better way to celebrate than with a topic we both have challenges with? Bandwidth. There are only so many tasks you can work on at any given time, even for us multitaskers. And when overwhelmed, it takes an emotional toll on how we organize cognitively. In our experience, it’s essential to acknowledge your bandwidt…

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A Halfway Point Goal Check In 14:11

1y ago14:11

14:11

How are we already nearing the back half of the year? This is the time of year when we look back on our goals and resolutions. Achieving your goals can be unpredictable, due to any number of distracting outside factors. However, the key is remembering that you can only change what is in your circle of control. Falling off the goal track is inevitab…

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Compensation: Lessons Learned Over the Years 15:56

1y ago15:56

15:56

Compensation is so much more than pay – it demonstrates that you value your employees as human beings, and acknowledges their lives outside of the workplace. At the bare minimum, of course, we’re required to follow the law; but we’re proud to say that our businesses offer benefits beyond what’s expected. A small business’s benefits will certainly l…

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The Role that Joy Plays in Leadership 13:03

1y ago13:03

13:03

A balanced life involves joy: that feeling of shared positivity, satisfaction from a job well done, or just plain giddiness. But how do we lead with it? As we transition into new seasons with our teams, this is a question we’ve been asking ourselves a lot. Joy doesn’t just arrive at your doorstep; the balanced, authentic skill of joy takes practice…

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Using Client Feedback to Your Advantage 16:34

1y ago16:34

16:34

Client feedback is a permanent aspect of the creative industry, due to the endless opinions associated with creative products. For us, client feedback is a daily occurance. It is how we move forward, finish products, and maintain relationships. Although client feedback may not always be positive, we see it as a mindset shift. Think of feedback as a…

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Risk Tolerance: Roller Coasters and Business Ownership 17:38

1+ y ago17:38

17:38

Risk is a roller coaster, and we all have different tolerance levels. As entrepreneurs, we believe the more risk you take on, the better the rewards. But the flip side, of course, is the heightened consequences if the risk doesn’t pay off. The roller coaster of risk has many ups and downs, but it is ultimately your decision whether or not to get on…

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Reframing Artificial Intelligence 15:53

1+ y ago15:53

15:53

Artificial intelligence carries a lot of controversy within the creative industry, and it's not going away any time soon. We already use many forms of AI within our own businesses to enhance our work, but is it a tool to further improve our work or a replacement for people altogether? Our solution (for right now, at least) is that AI needs boundari…

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Leading with Your Personal Values 20:59

1+ y ago20:59

20:59

If you’ve listened to our podcast before, you know that we never miss an opportunity to discuss our values. They’re the foundation for how we function as individuals and as professionals. As business owners, our values are what creates a cohesive and sustainable space for employees and customers, but they also act as boundaries. However, it’s impor…

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Rejection: A Redirection to Something Better 20:16

1+ y ago20:16

20:16

Rejection is inevitable. But in our experience the more you fail, the more successful you’ll be. Especially in the creative industry, rejection is everywhere. We reject clients and they reject us, but this ensures balance. It never feels good or is easy, but how do we persevere? Our secret is to turn off the feelings and turn on the logic. In this …

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I’m Not the Hot Young Thing Anymore 9:26

1+ y ago9:26

9:26

It’s impossible to stay the “hot young thing” forever, but how can we reevaluate our skills and goals to better match who we are as leaders today, while keeping an agile, inventive mindset? We love seeing our staff create ideas and solve problems in ways we never expected, so we hope to fine tune their passions and act as mentors on their journey. …

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Assess, Reset, Refocus 18:16

1+ y ago18:16

18:16

We don’t like new years resolutions, but we do like setting goals. Setting goals and achieving them instantly is not realistic. It takes time and persistence to change our habits and routines. In the business world, Q1 and Q4, have expectations which come with them. How do we switch gears as business owners? Refocusing and creating short-term and l…

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Amber Clark: Uplifting Neighborhoods Through Economic Development 31:35

1+ y ago31:35

31:35

In our guest Amber Clark’s own words, she "sort of fell into" her career as neighborhoods and economic development director for Meridian Township – but since then, it has become her dream job. As a Mid-Michigan native, Amber understands her community at its core and has a passion for creating environmental and educational change. Initiating change …

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Burnout and Overwhelm 17:34

1+ y ago17:34

17:34

Burnout often comes in waves — so to prepare, we need to have tools ready to counteract the feelings of stress and anxiety when they hit. Being overwhelmed and experiencing burnout is a toxic duo that weighs down all professionals from time to time. To cope, we often go on autopilot hoping we’ll overcome these stressors over a few weeks or months; …

1
It Doesn’t Matter How You Got There 13:27

1+ y ago13:27

13:27

Every individual has their own path toward their professional career. Aspects of academics, lifestyles, and family expectations all integrate to direct a person toward a career that best suits them. In the case of entrepreneurship, people use their individual experiences to fuel their careers. Karen grew up with parents and siblings who were entrep…

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Courtney Millbrook: Creating Purpose and Longevity 27:38

1+ y ago27:38

27:38

Entrepreneurship is the ability to find new opportunities and act on them. Although it takes risk, our guest, Country Millbrook, does not take this risk alone. Courtney has been the executive director of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra for 13 years and her team has been sharing the gift of music with the Greater Lansing community for almost 100 year…

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Pressure Testing your Brand 16:43

1+ y ago16:43

16:43

Culture within a business reflects the company's values. However, with many changes occurring over the past few years, we have an opportunity to step back and reform our businesses to become the best they can be. This presents itself as pressuring our employees and clients to step out of their comfort zone, but how do you do this? We start with the…

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Philosophy for Efficacy 17:39

1+ y ago17:39

17:39

Is there a formula to measure efficacy? Or is it wizardry? When it comes to developing creative content, we’ve developed some formulas over the years that usually create specific, intended results for video and marketing materials. But these formulas didn’t just magically appear — they come from years of trial and error, adjustment and readjustment…

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Ashlee Willis: Building a Business and a Strong Community 27:35

1+ y ago27:35

27:35

Ashlee Willis, CEO of Michigan Premiere Events, built her business from the ground up while balancing her busy family life. Along with her entrepreneurship, Ashlee is recognized as an active member in the community, serving on various boards and participating in many community organizations.Join us this week as Ashlee discusses the importance of co…

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Marketing: Avoiding the One-Legged Stool 15:06

2y ago15:06

15:06

Relying on one tactic or one channel for your marketing strategy is dangerous and unreliable. Especially in the digital age, we need to be careful to ensure social media isn’t the only way we’re reaching our audiences. Everyone consumes media in different ways, so it’s important to craft a strategic plan that covers all the bases.Join us this week …

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Creativity Is Only 25 Percent of the Job 17:20

2y ago17:20

17:20

Creatives just want to be creative, but there’s more to the job than pure creativity. There are wraparound parts and other skills that are needed to get to the final product. Strategic thinking and project management are needed to understand the problem at hand and to get the details right. Honestly, all the non-creative parts are beneficial to us …

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Roz Keith: Stand With Trans 34:14

2y ago34:14

34:14

When Roz Keith’s son came out as transgender in 2013, there were few resources available to help him transition socially, emotionally, psychologically and medically. In Roz’s search to find support for her own child, she realized she needed to fill the void of information for others. As a result, she founded Stand With Trans, a national resource fo…

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129: Adults Need to Have Fun Too 17:14

2y ago17:14

17:14

Play helps promote healthy brain development for children, but growing up doesn’t mean we need it any less. Doing activities for an internal reward, rather than an external one, relieves stress, fights depression, and even makes us better humans. Studies show that play makes us emotionally healthier and more empathetic.Join us this week as we discu…

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128: When to Let an Idea Go 17:46

2y ago17:46

17:46

Ideas are pieces of ourselves and though letting go of them is difficult, it’s an important part of creativity. Sometimes the idea doesn’t meet the objectives at hand, but sometimes it just isn’t the right time. Letting go doesn’t always mean forever.We’ve come to realize that quitting an idea isn’t failure, but it takes practice. This week we disc…

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