Brandmerry Blog Archives
The Vision Alignment: How to Set Revenue Goals That Actually Mean Something
Welcome back to Your Most Aligned Year. This is episode two, my friend. Check out episode one here.
I am so excited you're joining me because today we're talking about the vision alignment. We're taking what we talked about in episode one and expanding on it to start thinking about the revenue you want to generate from your business.
Because here's the thing: your business and your life absolutely coexist. Many of us have businesses so we can create an impact in the lives of others AND better our own life and the life of our family. And that requires cash. That requires money.
But this isn't a number we can just pick out of thin air.
This isn't something we can look at Susie online who has a similar business, or someone we admire and go, "Oh, she did this. So that's the number I'm gonna use."
Because if we're not aligned and connected to that number, then it truly is just a number. And just a number is not gonna motivate you at the end of the day.
I remember my first six figure year. It was also my first year in business. I was so obsessed with that number that I felt with 100% confidence I was gonna make it happen because it was so connected to my identity and I was so crystal clear on what I needed to do to get there.
I want you to feel the same way.
But plot twist: We're not gonna pick just one number. We're gonna pick three numbers.
That's what we're gonna focus on today. It's the Good, Better, and Best Framework, my friend, and it's what you're gonna walk away with after today's episode.
Listen to the full episode below:
Every Dollar Has a Purpose
Today is all about setting business goals that match your identity. The first thing we need to strip away are any preconceived ideas of numbers or goals we might be carrying that are not ours.
This goes back to the shoulds. Who we should be, how much money we should be making, all those things we talked about in episode one.
One of my first accountants said something that changed everything for me: Every dollar has a purpose.
That was her methodology. Every dollar was either going into savings, paying off debt, paying team members, or going to my personal paycheck. Whatever it was, it had a purpose.
And I started implementing this in my actual revenue planning. Not just "the money is in, now what?" but "I'm gonna hit this number because these are the things I actually want to fund, and this is the money required to fund those things."
Because then you're not just choosing a number that sounds impressive, or something someone else did, or something you feel like you should be making.
It's a more emotional and grounded decision.
And I personally believe that when we are more rooted, when we are grounded (yes, I'm hinting at all the woo, we talked about burning things in episode one, and now we're talking about walking barefoot outside), that's when the magic happens.
Money can feel very fluffy. It's like it's imaginary. I don't see that dollar bill, that physical thing coming through. But when we can root it and ground it and feel more connected to it? That's where the magic really happens.
The Connection That Changed Everything
I still remember that first six figure year. I've done six figures continuously since then, and I've done $300,000 as my highest year. But the connection I had that first year has not been matched.
And I'm really wanting and hoping to match that feeling in this new year. Because that certainty I had, at a time when I should NOT have been certain (I did not know what the fuck I was doing in year one, I was throwing spaghetti at the wall), that feeling came from doing the identity work.
I wanted to say I was a six figure business owner, and I was crystal clear on what I was gonna be able to do with that money.
When we connect every dollar to your actual life priorities, that's when the shift happens.
Your business revenue isn't just about the business. It's about your life. YOUR life. And that's where these goals should be coming from.
The Good/Better/Best Framework
So instead of one magic number (air quotes, you can't see them, but I'm making them), you're setting three goals. Three of them.
This is called the Good/Better/Best Framework. I did not make it up, I don't know who did, but I've been doing it for years and teaching my clients how to do this.
Here's how it works:
Your GOOD is your baseline.
If I hit this, I'm good. For a lot of my clients, this could be what you've hit previously.
And I want to pause here because we don't talk about this enough. I remember Vanessa Lau (a fantastic entrepreneur I've followed for years) mentioned something before she took her sabbatical. She said one of the things we're constantly taught is that we have to be growing, and every year we have to have a new revenue goal. Every year it has to be different, more. It always has to be more.
But no one talks about the fact that you start over from zero at the beginning of the year. Not in your bank account, but the goal starts at zero. The year starts over. So you not only have to replicate what you did the year before, but also add to that.
Is that something you have the capacity to do?
When I heard her say this, I was like, holy crap. I've never thought about that before. Some of you might hear this and be like "duh," and some of you might be having that moment I had.
We're constantly just focused on more and growth, and this sent me into a whole spiral. But I digress.
The idea is that your good goal is GOOD. In fact, I'd argue it's great.
This is your baseline. This keeps your life running. It pays your bills, it covers your life. If you're a business owner, it's most likely what you've achieved this past year or in a recent year.
If you're not a full-time business owner, maybe it's what you need to make so you can take a step, maybe cut hours at your full-time job. (And by the way, not everyone needs to leave their nine to five. Entrepreneurship is hard as shit, and I know a lot of people who do it for years and then go back to a nine to five or get side jobs. There's absolutely no judgment there.)
Your BETTER goal is your growth goal.
Your good is what you've done, you can repeat this. Your better is the growth area. This allows for expansion, some breathing room. Maybe this is where you get to pay off some debt. Maybe you want to pay off your house or your cars. Maybe this is taking a trip you've been wanting to take. Maybe this just allows you to pay yourself more so you can do X, Y, and Z.
Your BEST goal is your stretch goal.
This is the dream scenario. This is the holy shit moment. BUT it is YOUR holy shit moment, not someone else's. Please don't do what I did.
That year I talked about in the last episode? In reality, based on how I was feeling and what I needed most in my life, I should have gone for my good goal being what I'd already achieved, and then incrementally raised from there.
Why This Framework Works
Here's what Good/Better/Best does:
It takes the pressure off having one perfect number.
You're not staking everything on hitting one specific target.
It gives you flexibility as the year unfolds.
And let's be clear, these numbers are NOT set in stone. You can adjust them. I highly recommend (and this is built into Brand New Plan) that you check in every 90 days to see if you need to adjust your goals.
These might shift. These might change. Because we don't know what's happening in Q3 of 2026. It could be something we didn't plan for. You could hit your goal in June. Then you better raise it.
It allows you to celebrate progress at multiple levels.
All three goals are actually wins. You don't "settle" for good. They're all winning numbers.
A Planning Hack I Love
Here's something I tell my clients in the Academy: When you're mapping out the nitty gritty (which we'll talk about more in episode three), when you're thinking about your offers and launches and revenue per product, plan for your best scenario.
Plan for the holy shit goal.
Because guess what? If you go for that and maybe don't hit it (because it's the "this will be crazy" goal), you're still on track for good and better.
And that's a cool mindset shift you can take. You're planning for the best, and if you hit it? Whoa. And if you don't? That's great too. We're still growing, we're still making progress, we're still doing amazing things.
Where Is Your Money Actually Going?
Now that we've thought about Good/Better/Best, let's talk about the "every dollar has a purpose" piece.
We get to connect the money to your actual life.
Don't skip these questions. You're probably already thinking of numbers. I can't keep you from doing that (that's your intuition going "this feels good, this feels exciting"), but this process really helps you feel grounded and rooted in that number.
Here's what I want you to consider:
Your personal salary: What are you gonna pay yourself from your business? If you haven't done that already, that's a fantastic goal for this next year. And not just what you're paying yourself, but break that down too.
If you're paying yourself $5,000 every single month, where does that $5,000 go? Some goes to taxes (hate to break it to you), but where does the rest go?
I'm really going to encourage you to think about these things from a best perspective. You could do this for all the numbers (feel free to do it for good, better, AND best, I actually love that because then you're very connected to each of them).
But for that best one? This is the part where you get to really dream.
Are you going on a family trip to Europe? Are you buying a new home or getting a new car? Does your kid really want to do some sort of trip or class that you can now get for them? Think about how that personal salary translates into everyday expenses and those goals.
Your business needs:
Business savings fund
Are you getting ready for maternity leave? Do you need a cushion?
Do you need to take a sabbatical for three months in the summertime?
Hiring support?
New programs or certifications?
Building an emergency fund (I recommend this for both business and personal life)?
I want you to do this for each of your goals, but bare minimum for your best.
How much is gonna stay in the business and what is that going to fund? How much is gonna be your personal salary and what is that funding? What are you saving for? What are you investing in?
Think about all these different areas so you can look at that number and it's not just a number anymore. It's a vacation. It's a new couch. It's investments. It's being able to take time off from work.
This is how revenue goals become more motivating, because they're connected to your real desires. They're not just a number you picked out of thin air.
The Alignment Check
As we go through these numbers, it's really important that we do a little alignment check with our future self, what we talked about in episode one.
As you're going through this, ask yourself:
Does this revenue goal support the person I'm becoming?
Do I have the capacity? Not "are there small things I need to shift" (that's gonna happen), not "are there challenges I'm going to face" (that's gonna happen), but am I READY for this? Do I have the capacity for this?
Do the priorities I'm funding match my values?
The things I'm not willing to compromise on?
How does hitting this goal make me actually feel?
Not just as an entrepreneur, but as a parent, as a caregiver, as a spouse, as a partner, as a human being?
This is all connected. We talked about feelings in episode one. If something feels off or one of the numbers just doesn't feel quite aligned, now's the time to dig deeper and shift that a bit.
This isn't about being perfect. This is about alignment.
Your intuition is already guiding you through this process. Listen to that. Trust that. And also know that this is an evolution. Just like your identity will slowly shift throughout the year, your goals can also be adjusted, especially this revenue goal.
How My Goals Have Evolved
My revenue goals have shifted SO much as my identity has evolved.
After that debacle (you know, where I realized I was going for a monetary goal that did not and was not aligned), I purposely took it back. I was like, "I'm gonna go back to six figures. I'm gonna make less, actually, because I need to do some inner work, and I know I don't have the capacity to be there for my clients and my family with everything we're going through."
I gave myself permission. And that was hard. It was very hard.
But if I wouldn't have done that, if I would've set these crazy goals and then not even come close to hitting them, not even been able to make a plan to hit them? I would have felt horrible.
That's not alignment.
The Mission Beyond the Money
As you've probably picked up on, I'm a very mission-driven individual. If you've followed any of my work, you know I have a background in nonprofit management. I worked for nonprofits for years, and my family actually had a nonprofit when my brother was really sick with cancer.
I believe that in order to build not only powerful and impactful businesses, but also sustainable businesses that you actually believe in and stick with, you need to have the mission behind it all.
So I'm gonna challenge you to think about the mission behind the money.
Revenue is important, but it's not our only goal here. And if you're only building your goals for the next year based on your revenue, and you are in fact someone who wants to make an impact, it's not gonna feel good.
What else matters to you as a business owner?
The type of community you want to build?
The lives you want to impact? (Does a number come up there, the number of people you want to serve?)
Freedom in your schedule? (What can you do with that freedom?)
Creative fulfillment?
These non-revenue goals matter too.
One of my big ones for the next year is to become an author. I have a book sitting in my drafts. I've had this conversation with some amazing individuals. I'm ready to share it. (I have to finish it first, obviously.)
That is one of my goals. It will most likely result in revenue for my business, but that's not the main goal. The main goal is that I publish a book. That's creative fulfillment for me.
What are those things for you?
Even just one to two non-revenue priorities for your business will be incredibly impactful.
When you have both the money and the mission? That is some beautiful alignment, my friend.
Your Action Steps for This Week
This week you are on a mission to:
Set your Good/Better/Best revenue goals
Map out where the money is going (specific life priorities and business priorities for each dollar)
Check your alignment (Does this feel aligned with the person you visualized in episode one?)
Identify your non-revenue goals (What are those other priorities you want to carry into your planning process?)
Next week in episode three, we're creating your adaptable roadmap. Another signature thing I love to teach. We're going to talk about monthly themes instead of rigid monthly goals, and you're gonna map out your entire Q1.
Yes, because I want you to start the year really strong. We can map out the next 90 days. I don't know what you're doing in September, I don't know who you're gonna be in September of next year, but the first 90 days? We can absolutely do that.
We're also going to cover the quarterly evaluation so you can recalibrate every 90 days without abandoning your plan. This is how we stay on track.
Want to go deeper? Brand New Plan is my signature planning course, and it's still available for a limited time. This is where we go even deeper into this work. There's an entire workbook, about eight additional audio trainings that break it all down. You're gonna get templates for breaking down your revenue priorities, putting actual dollar amounts on everything.
Everything we're talking about here is super actionable inside Brand New Plan. It's where the magic really happens, and it's only available one time every year.
You can get yours for just $67, one payment, lifetime access, all updates. Go to brandmerry.com/newplan.
Happy planning! If you're listening to this in real time, happy new year!
I'll be back with episode three.
Michelle
Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU
--
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU --
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.
Check Out the Latest Posts
Must-Reads on the Blog
The Identity Shift: Why Your Goals Keep Failing (And What to Do About It)
There came a moment for me at the end of 2021, mid 2022, when I realized that the way I was planning my business was not benefiting my life.
I was on the edge of burnout. I was building a business that wasn't aligned with how I actually wanted to build it. I didn't want a giant team, and I was setting revenue goals that didn't match the life I wanted to live, the day-to-day life I wanted to live.
And as someone who is very gung-ho and ambitious, I was compromising different aspects of my life to hit those goals.
I sat there and thought, how the hell did I get here?
And I realized I'd fallen back into those traditional planning methods. The rigid, pick-a-number-that-sounds-impressive-but-has-no-meaning planning methods.
Sound familiar?
Listen to the full episode below:
Why Traditional Goal Setting Fails Creative Entrepreneurs
Traditional goal setting fails us, and I'm talking specifically to you creative entrepreneurs, creative business owners, the people building personal brands and putting something meaningful into the world.
You're driven by creativity. You love creating content, creating offers, creating solutions. And the traditional rigid ways of planning? They don't work for people like us.
Here's why:
Most people set goals based on what they think they should be doing.
Raise your hand if you're a recovering perfectionist like me. I can't see you, but I feel it. There's so much should in our businesses. What we should be doing, where we should be at, what we should be achieving, how we should have a team by now.
And it can be really hard to face those shoulds and instead look inward to determine what you actually need to be doing, what you want to be doing.
When those don't match up? That's when you start to wonder: Am I cut out for this? Can I really break all the rules?
But here's the thing, when we don't challenge the should, when we don't ask ourselves "is this actually aligned with who I am and how I want to live my life?", that's when the problems start.
The consistency falls off. You abandon your goals in February or March because they're not actually connected to who you are.
The Million Dollar Mistake I Made
Let me tell you a story.
I hit $300,000 cash in my business and I decided I was going to hit a million dollars. Just like that. I picked the number out of thin air, honestly because most of my peers were hitting that number and I wanted to do it too.
So I figured out how to get there. I built a big team. I shifted my entire business. I set myself up for a million dollar year.
And it didn't happen.
There are a lot of reasons it didn't happen, but I slowly realized that the person I needed to become to hit a million dollars? There were so many things I needed to go through before I could get there.
I'm sitting here on this podcast right now telling you that I am absolutely ready for a million dollar cash year. I don't know if it's gonna happen in 2026, but I know I'm ready.
That took three years.
Three years of therapy, getting my health in order, becoming a homeschool mama, restructuring my business. Lots of things shifted.
But here's what became very clear to me: if I would have slowed down, if I would have really asked myself what feels like an identity I can step into right now, it would not have been a million dollars.
And looking back, I know that now.
It's not that it wasn't possible. I've seen people go from $100K to a million. But it was not going to happen for me based on the work I needed to do.
The Identity-First Approach to Goal Setting
That story, that year, that's how I shifted my entire method of planning. That's why I teach what I teach now.
The identity-first approach.
Because when you actually slow down and start with who you need to become, who you want to become? You can set goals that match that.
If I had really paused at that moment when I hit $300K, I would have realized something: I was so tired. I needed a break.
Instead of asking "how can I ride this $300K wave and create more sustainable systems," I picked a million dollars out of thin air and expected myself to somehow catapult into that.
But I didn't actually want that. I wasn't ready to receive it.
Your goals should be a natural extension of who you're becoming.
That's why the vision work is so powerful. That's why you've got to do this deeper work. (Sound familiar to my approach to branding? Same energy.)
Who Are You at the End of 2026?
Here's what I want you to do right now:
Close your eyes. (Okay, maybe don't close them if you're reading this. But get present.)
It's December 31st, 2026.
Who are you? What are you celebrating? Who are you surrounded by? What are you wearing? Where are you? What does it feel like?
Really imagine that version of you.
Now think quickly, the faster, the better with this piece, what are you celebrating having achieved?
The things that come BAM out of you? Those are the truth. That's your intuition cutting through all the outside noise.
Write down 3, 5, 10 things. Whatever comes up. The more specific, the better.
Now ask yourself about that version of you:
What do they believe about themselves?
What are their values?
What are they prioritizing?
How are they feeling in their different roles? (Entrepreneur, parent, partner, friend, etc.)
Because here's the thing: when your goals match your identity, they will feel effortless to pursue.
Let me be crystal clear, the work will still be there. You're being challenged to grow. But it won't feel like a constant uphill climb where nothing is working and it's always hard.
This Is About Evolution, Not Transformation
You're not going to wake up on January 1st and suddenly be that person.
I'm not the same person I was when I started my business in 2016. In fact, and I didn't even realize this until I was recording this episode, you're receiving this on December 23rd. Ten years ago on this exact day, I gave birth to my son. I became a mother and began the process of my own rebirth.
A few months later, I started my business.
I'm not that person anymore. Thank God. I'm not even who I was in 2018. I'm nowhere near who I was in 2020. I'm not even the same person I was in January of this year.
Every single day, I'm thinking about who I need to become.
Not just for the next year, but for the next five years. The next ten years.
And that's what I want for you, to give yourself the grace and permission to evolve into that new identity. It doesn't happen overnight. It happens through small, consistent choices that compound over time.
Looking Back So You Can Move Forward
Before we step into the new, we need to look at what we're leaving behind.
Take some time to reflect on these questions:
What did you accomplish that you're proud of?
I'm really gonna challenge you here. Even if you didn't hit your main goal, what did you achieve?
What went right this year?
What felt good? What worked?
What went wrong?
What didn't play out the way you thought it would?
What did you learn about yourself this year?
What felt draining or out of alignment?
This is big. WHY did it feel that way? Is it not serving you anymore? Did something you used to love stop working?
(For me? I made a commitment at the end of last year that I would not host a damn webinar in 2025. And I didn't. Full stop. Because I hated doing them.)
What brought you the most joy in your work?
This reflection tells a story if we actually listen to it.
Release What's No Longer Serving You
In order to step into the new version of you, you have to release the old beliefs, habits, and identities that don't align anymore.
This could look like:
I release the version of me that hustles until I burn out
I release the belief that I need to do it all myself
I release the identity of the entrepreneur who doesn't take breaks
I release the version of me who's afraid to fail, who's afraid to stand out
For me, this year was very much a releasing year. Releasing the beliefs I had around how I needed to run a business, what I needed to be offering. Moving from my Girl Boss era to my Soft Girl era and finally saying fuck the eras, I'm writing my own rules.
This creates space for who you're becoming.
Write down what you're releasing. And if you're into the woo of it all (I am), write these on a piece of paper and burn them safely. We're right around the winter solstice, it's a powerful time for release. Watch those beliefs float away.
Choose Your Word for 2026
The final piece of this process is choosing a word or theme for the year.
Think of it as a guiding light. A filter for your decisions. When something comes up, you can ask: does this match how I wanted to feel this year?
Some examples: Aligned. Ease. Becoming. Expansion. Rest. Focus.
What feeling do you want to experience this year?
At the end of 2026, what do you want to say you felt? What do you want to say you honored?
Your word should connect to your future identity.
I'm still deciding on my 2026 word, I usually don't pick until the 31st. I float around with a few and then trust my intuition. (Which was actually my word this year: Intuition. I wanted to trust myself more. And I did.)
When you go through the steps I just shared, the visualization, the reflection, the release, it's going to be a lot easier to pick an aligned word. Not just one you saw on the internet.
Your Action Steps for This Week
Here's what I want you to do:
Choose your word or theme for 2026
Write down what you're releasing from your previous identity
If you did the other pieces (the visualization, the reflection), amazing. But these two things are going to set you up for success in next week's episode.
Because next week, we're talking about setting revenue goals that actually mean something. $100K, $500K, $30K, they're just numbers until you connect them to what they're actually funding in your real life.
We're going to walk through the Good/Better/Best Framework that I've been using for years, and you're going to map out exactly where your money is going.
Not just something you're picking out of thin air or something you saw someone else share on social media. (I'm not calling you out, but I'm just saying, we're taking a different approach.)
Want to go deeper? If you want the complete workbook with all the prompts, templates, business audit frameworks, and audio trainings, check out Brand New Plan. It's only available once a year and it's $67 right now.
This is just the intro into that deeper work. Brand New Plan walks you through my complete 7-module planning system, everything we're covering in this series and so much more.
See you next week for Episode 2.
Michelle
Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU
--
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU --
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.
Check Out the Latest Posts
Must-Reads on the Blog
Your Most Aligned Year: A 4-Week Planning Series for Entrepreneurs
Traditional goal setting doesn't work for creative entrepreneurs, and it's not because you lack discipline. It's because the system is broken.
Welcome to "Your Most Aligned Year," a 4-week planning series that will completely change how you approach business planning. Instead of rigid goals that break the moment life happens, you'll learn how to create a flexible planning system that evolves with you.
In this series, you'll:
Start with identity instead of just setting arbitrary revenue goals
Create an adaptable roadmap that works with your real life
Build habits that actually stick
Learn how to recalibrate quarterly without starting from scratch
This isn't about listening and nodding along, you're going to take action each week. By mid-January, you'll have your complete 2026 plan mapped out.
Ready to plan differently? Let's go.
Want the complete system? Get all the deep dive questions, templates, business audit frameworks, and habit trackers inside Brand New Plan:https://brandmerry.com/newplan
Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU
--
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU --
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.
Check Out the Latest Posts
Must-Reads on the Blog
Authentic Sales Conversations: How to Build Trust and Grow Your Business
Welcome back, friend, to another episode of the Authentic Brand Builders Podcast!
Today, we’re diving into a topic that often gets overlooked in branding and marketing conversations: sales conversations.
While branding, content creation, and marketing are crucial for getting your business seen and building an authentic brand, at some point, you also have to do the one thing many business owners resist…selling.
Let’s talk about why authentic sales conversations matter today more than ever, and how you can master them to grow your brand and serve your audience.
Why Sales Conversations Are Making a Comeback
In the past, many entrepreneurs relied solely on sales pages, DMs, ads, and email funnels to close sales. But the online industry is shifting.
Consumers are becoming more cautious. They're craving trust, connection, and authenticity before making an investment.
That’s why we’re seeing a return to real human conversations, especially for high-ticket offers and personalized programs.
Here at Brandmerry, we’re embracing this shift by offering more opportunities for small Q&A conversations for our programs, including the Authentic Brand Builders Academy. And today’s guest on the podcast, Leah from Digital Trailblazer, is a true expert in building authentic sales conversations.
Meet Leah: From Nursing to High-Ticket Sales Coaching
Leah’s entrepreneurial journey started in an unexpected place, nursing.
After struggling to start a family and facing the challenges of solo parenting while her husband traveled for work, Leah and her husband Todd decided to find a way to bring him home.
Their path led them through network marketing (where they initially struggled), to affiliate marketing (where they thrived), and eventually to building a seven-figure business teaching others how to own and sell their expertise online.
Why Selling Your Expertise Is the Best Business Move
When you build a business based on your expertise, you tap into:
Higher profit margins and faster ROI
More aligned, sustainable work
Deeper connections with your ideal customers
Your story, your transformation, and your lived experiences are valuable.
Start there when building your brand and business. It’s the crucial step in branding many entrepreneurs skip, and the foundation of what we teach inside of You! Branded.
As Leah shared, some of the most successful businesses she’s seen came from people recognizing the everyday transformations they'd created for themselves, whether it was a fitness journey, a career change, or a marketing skill.
How to Approach Sales Conversations (Without Feeling “Salesy”)
Here’s the truth: if you're selling high-ticket offers, you need to have sales conversations.
Even if you dream of fully automated systems one day, talking to your ideal clients directly is essential early on. Why? Because:
You build real trust.
You gather market research to improve your messaging.
You filter for the right fit (important when working closely with clients).
You learn how your audience talks about their challenges.
And the good news? Sales conversations don’t have to be intimidating.
Here are Leah’s top tips for mastering authentic sales calls:
1. Lead the Conversation with Service, Not Pressure
Think of your role as a leader, not a closer.
Approach each call as an opportunity to help someone, not just make a sale.
Leah shared that she says a simple prayer before each call:
"Let this be fun. Let me serve them well. And if it’s the right fit, let’s move forward."
2. Practice “Hyperactive Listening”
Successful salespeople aren’t the best talkers, they’re the best listeners.
Pay attention not just to what your prospects say, but what they don't say—the hesitations, the body language, the energy shifts.
The better you listen, the better you can lead them to the right solution.
3. Don’t Fear Objections; Understand Them
If someone is hesitant, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Often, nerves are a sign that this decision matters to them.
Learn to spot the difference between natural hesitation and a true misalignment.
Tailor your responses to their decision-making style, whether they need more time, more details, or more emotional reassurance.
4. Start Simple and Build Over Time
You don’t need a complicated application process right away.
Start by simply getting on calls, listening, and learning.
Over time, you can add layers, like pre-call forms, prep videos, or nurture sequences, to make your sales process even stronger.
The Bottom Line: Authenticity Wins
We are in a new era of online business, where real connections and authentic conversations drive success more than ever before.
Whether you're selling one-on-one coaching, group programs, or digital offers, your ability to lead with service, listen deeply, and build trust will set you apart.
If you're nervous about sales calls, good.
That means you care. And with practice, authentic sales conversations will become one of your biggest business superpowers.
Connect with Leah and Digital Trailblazer
Want more support on sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship?
Check out Leah and Todd’s podcast, the Digital Trailblazer Podcast, where they dive deep into strategies for building a thriving business online.
You can also find all their resources at DigitalTrailblazer.com.
Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU
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FREE GIFTS FOR YOU --
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.
Check Out the Latest Posts
Must-Reads on the Blog
The Secret to Effortless Content Creation: How Storytelling Transforms Your Marketing
Lately, I've been diving deep into the topics of content creation and marketing, releasing videos and podcast episodes about consistency, top-of-the-funnel strategies, and everything you need to market your business effectively.
Why? Because, marketing your business can be incredibly frustrating.
But here's the truth: Marketing is essential. It's how your brand gets seen and ultimately, how your brand gets paid.
However, one common issue my clients and I experience is feeling disconnected from our own content. When you're disconnected, your audience feels it too.
Today, I’m sharing how you can realign with your content through storytelling to simplify your marketing and enhance audience connection.
Inside today’s episode of the Authentic Brand Builders podcast, we’ll dive into:
Why your struggle with marketing might not be about your skills, but rather about your content alignment.
5 actionable strategies to effortlessly weave personal and micro stories into your marketing for improved connection, engagement, and conversions.
How to prioritize content that genuinely excites you boosts creativity, consistency, and ultimately drives stronger audience relationships and results.
**I’ve included the main points below, but I encourage you to dive into the full episode via audio or video!
For the full content and all the insider tips, listen to Episode 141 or watch it here.
Why Your Marketing Feels Difficult (Hint: It's Not Your Strategy)
It's easy to assume you're just bad at marketing or copywriting. But more often than not, it's simply an alignment issue.
You might be missing the core element that makes content creation effortless and enjoyable: Storytelling.
I've experienced this personally. As a business owner, it's easy to slip into sharing endless tips and strategies, losing sight of the storytelling aspect that initially inspired me to start my business.
When I realize I'm disconnected, I always come back to storytelling, and every single time it transforms my content creation from feeling like a chore into something exciting and genuinely valuable.
Why Storytelling Matters in Marketing
Storytelling helps:
Create authentic connections with your audience.
Generate content ideas effortlessly.
Improve content performance and engagement.
Showcase your authority and empathy clearly.
Turn your content from fluff into valuable messaging.
Consider this example of how a storytelling approach improves your marketing hook:
Instead of:
"I help entrepreneurs clarify their brand message."
Try:
"When I first started my business, I struggled to explain what I did. Every post felt generic, and nobody engaged. When I started sharing my personal stories, everything clicked. Now, I help entrepreneurs do the same."
Can you feel the difference?
5 Ways to Integrate Authentic Storytelling into Your Content Strategy
1. Prioritize Personal Stories First
If your content feels dry or disconnected, start by sharing personal stories. Reflect on shared experiences with your audience. Even if your exact circumstances differ, your story will make them feel something, and this creates a powerful connection.
Challenge yourself: For two weeks, share nothing but personal stories on your social media, email newsletters, blogs, or podcasts. Notice how your creativity and audience engagement shift.
2. Aim for Connection, Not Perfection
Drop the overly "expert" tone. Yes, even if your brand is considered “professional,” your expert tone can often come across as too “teachy” rather than heartfelt.
Striving for perfection can prevent you from sharing powerful, spontaneous stories, and in the process, you’ll lose a lot of what makes storytelling effective. When we reach for an expert tone, we lose the feeling.
I once shared a quickly written, raw post about my fitness journey. It was a photo of my reflection in the mirror, and the caption was choppy, but clearly shared my feelings about my fitness goals and the time it took to reach them. I didn’t overthink it, I shared what I was feeling in the moment and focused on providing value to my ideal customer.
To my surprise, it resonated deeply and achieved incredible engagement. Authenticity always beats perfection.
3. Leverage Micro Stories in Your Content
Many entrepreneurs obsess over their extensive brand stories. While your overall brand story is important, micro stories (aka digital stories) are where the magic happens.
These are small, specific moments in time, rather than chapters that have unfolded over a period of time.
Use micro stories as captions, carousels, or short-form videos on social media, or infuse them into longer-form content like podcasts or YouTube videos. This video (aka the full-length episode of this post) is a masterclass in this process.
4. Create Content That Excites You
If your content feels forced, reevaluate your topics. Talk about what genuinely excites you, not just what's trending. If you’re feeling stuck, stop asking yourself, “What should I post?” and instead ask yourself, “What does my audience need to hear?”
For example, I love teaching SEO and Pinterest strategies to clients individually, but general content on these topics doesn't excite me. I prefer sharing insights on sustainable marketing, branding, and storytelling publicly, and when I stopped creating content that felt forced, I found my joy again.
Keeping content exciting and aligned ensures consistency.
5. Practice Storytelling Regularly
Storytelling improves with practice. Before creating content, ask yourself:
What story connects to this topic?
What lived experience can I share?
Is there a client story that applies?
Can I illustrate this with a fictional scenario?
Regularly practicing storytelling will make integrating it into your content effortless and natural.
Why Storytelling Changes Everything
No strategy will sustain your marketing success if you're not excited about the content you're creating. If you’re stuck in a cycle of feeling frustrated with your marketing or stuck with your content, then return to storytelling and authentic expression.
Storytelling not only makes your content enjoyable to create, it makes your content memorable, engaging, and highly converting for your audience.
To go deeper into aligning your marketing through storytelling, I'm hosting the Brand Clarity Breakthrough Challenge starting April 6th. It's completely free, and you'll learn how to clarify your brand messaging and confidently share your story.
Sign up here: brandmerry.com/challenge
For weekly branding and marketing tips, subscribe to the Authentic Brand Builders podcast and our newsletter at brandmerry.com/subscribe.
Happy storytelling!
Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU
--
FREE GIFTS FOR YOU --
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.