The Sustainable Creator

UGC Expert: How I Turn Free Videos Into 12-Month Paid Contracts

Today, we are joined by Belle Grubb, an author, podcast host, and Salt Lake City-based content creator. After recently moving across the country, Belle intentionally embedded herself into her new city by rapidly collaborating with local brands and small businesses. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about what it looks like to start pitching and working with local businesses to secure brand partnerships and build genuine community. In this episode: * Belle shares her exact methods for finding and pitching local businesses, which includes driving around to spot mom-and-pop shops, making in-person connections, having her husband call on the phone, or sending a short, sweet DM. * You will learn how to build "relational equity" by vision casting and serving the business first, allowing you to snowball free initial videos into paid, month-long user-generated content (UGC) contracts. * We break down the step-by-step process of fulfilling a local partnership, including why Belle avoids using a media kit in her initial pitch and how she streamlines her workflow using the Edits app. Free Companion Workbook Download the companion workbook based on this interview to plan out your first local business pitch: https://joandlyndon.kit.com/05e6c232eb [https://joandlyndon.kit.com/05e6c232eb] Connect with Belle * Follow Belle on social media: @bellgrub [https://www.instagram.com/bellemgrubb/] * Listen to her podcast: @madetodwellpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/madetodwellpodcast/] Connect with Us * Website: joandlyndon.com [joandlyndon.com] * Instagram: @joandlyndon [https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/], @thesustainablecreator [https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/] Feature Us on Your Show! Interview us on your podcast: We speak on pivoting as a creative entrepreneur, working with a partner, and building communities - shoot us a DM on IG we'd love to chat!

Studio Owner: How I Manage 2 Physical Locations Working Just 2 Hours A Week

Hannah has built a business model around running a rental photo studio to create time freedom so she can be more present as a mom. From renting her first space just two years ago to recently opening her second physical location, Hannah breaks down what it takes to own and operate a highly versatile, profitable studio. We talk about the importance of market research, creating seamless systems, and how to successfully market your physical business to a diverse clientele. In this episode: * Hannah explains the diverse ways a studio generates revenue. She lists hourly rentals, memberships, add-ons, seasonal setups, and content days as key income streams. * We explore the difference in marketing strategies between online and local businesses. Hannah emphasizes the value of in-person connections, physical signage, and SEO to drive traffic to her spaces. * Hannah reveals her strategies for managing two distinct studio locations. She achieves this by using automated booking systems, clear rules, and separated social media accounts. ---------------------------------------- Join The Breakroom! Ready to build a sustainable business alongside a supportive community of like-minded creative entrepreneurs? Join us inside The Breakroom! Head over to joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom [http://joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom] to learn more, get access to our Friday Peer Masterminds, and become a member today. ---------------------------------------- Connect with Hannah: * Follow Hannah on Instagram & TikTok: @alwaysflourishingphotography [https://www.instagram.com/alwaysflourishingphotography/]. * Check out her studios on Instagram: @thestudioonsampson [https://www.instagram.com/thestudioonsampson/] & @thestudioatgrandprairie [https://www.instagram.com/thestudioatgrandprairie/]. ---------------------------------------- Connect with Jo & Lyndon: * Website: joandlyndon.com [http://joandlyndon.com] * Instagram: @joandlyndon [https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/] * Podcast Instagram: @thesustainablecreator [https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/] ---------------------------------------- Interview Jo & Lyndon on Your Podcast! Looking for guests for your show? We'd love to speak to your audience! We speak on pivoting as a creative entrepreneur, working with a partner, and building communities. Send us a DM we'd love to chat!

Agency Founder: I Walked Away From a $500k Business. Here’s How I Ended Up On Stage With MrBeast

Ever wonder what it’s actually like to share a stage with MrBeast and Will Smith? In this episode, we chat with Kahlea Wade, founder of the influencer management agency Alora Society, about her incredible experience MCing the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai. Who is this episode for? This conversation is a must-listen for creative service providers who are feeling stuck, looking to scale, or trying to figure out how to step fully into a position of authority. If you are navigating a major business transition or want to know how to position yourself for massive global opportunities, press play. A QUICK BREAK FOR THE BREAK ROOM: We love bringing you these conversations, but we also know that building a creative business can feel incredibly isolating. If you're an entrepreneur who spends most of your time building other people’s businesses and you need a space to focus on your own, come join us inside The Break Room [https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom]. Surround yourself with peers who are solving the same problems, hyping you up, and holding you accountable. THE PIVOT: FROM EDUCATOR TO AUTHORITY Kahlea shares the raw, behind-the-scenes truth about making the difficult choice to shut down a highly successful course business when she started to resent the work and feel out of alignment. She breaks down the strategic difference between showing up online as a helpful "how-to" educator versus an industry authority, and how making that mindset and content shift is what ultimately put her in rooms with top global creators. Quick-Hitting Highlights: * The Dubai Experience: The palpable energy shift when MrBeast's entourage walked in, and the 10-11 hours of sleep Kahlea survived on over four intense days of speaking. * Social Strategy: How Kahlea intentionally splits her strategy, using Instagram to attract creators and LinkedIn to secure massive speaking gigs and brand decision-makers. * Next-Level Networking: A genius tip for conference networking—taking selfies with new connections to help them put a face to the name later. Quote of the Episode: > "If you're going to give up, it has to be when it's the best day for you. Give up then. And I never allowed myself to quit on a hard day." — Kahlea Wade  Kahlea's Reading & Learning List: * 10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan  * The Blue Book (Devotional)  * Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath  * Allie K. Miller's AI Mastermind Ready to level up your creative business? Don't wait for the perfect moment to start treating your business like the priority it is. Come join us inside The Break Room [https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom] today to get the accountability and community you need to reach your next milestone! Connect with Us! * Kahlea Wade: Connect with Kahlea on LinkedIn or slide into her Instagram DMs at @kahleanicolee. * Jo & Lyndon: Share that you listened to this episode on Instagram and tag us at @JoandLyndon [https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/] and the podcast at @thesustainablecreator [https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/].

Newsletter Strategist: Why I'm Doing a 30 Day Sequence (Again) with Chenell Basilio

Today, we are sitting down with Chenell Basilio, a newsletter growth strategist who helps creators cut through the hacks and grow their email lists sustainably. Chenell shares her entrepreneurial journey, transitioning from experiencing intense burnout doing client ads to building a thriving email list that sits at around 40,000 subscribers today. We dive deep into the mechanics of her "30 Days of Growth" email sequence and nerd out on the marketing strategies you need to grow your own audience effectively. IN THIS EPISODE * The Power of Deep Research: For her first email, Chenell spent 40 to 50 hours reverse-engineering how top creators built their newsletters. Creating insanely valuable, deeply researched content acts as a powerful flywheel, naturally encouraging people to share your work. * Redefining Subscriber Quality: You cannot rely on open rates these days because platforms like Apple will automatically open almost every email. Instead, a high-quality email list is defined by the actual humans who actively reply to your emails, share your work without being prompted, or buy your products. * The "Hidden Genius" Concept: Many creators pour time into an incredible project but never share it out of fear of posting on social media. However, sharing personal stories and leaning into transparency often generates the most replies and creates the deepest audience connection. * Mastering Cross-Promotions: When collaborating, the size of a partner's email list matters far less than the engagement of their audience. A dedicated email from a smaller creator with raving fans will often yield leaps and bounds more subscribers than a quick shoutout in a massive newsletter. * Be Shameless and Keep Going: The biggest piece of advice from successful people in the creator space is simply not to quit, because everyone else eventually will. Don't be afraid to be a little more shameless when asking for collaborations, and never take a "no" personally! CONNECT WITH US * Follow us on Instagram: @joandlyndon [https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/] * Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thesustainablecreator [https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/] CONNECT WITH CHENELL BASILIO * Listen to her co-host the Growth in Reverse podcast [https://growthinreverse.com/podcast/], where she breaks down how top creators grew from zero to 50,000+ subscribers. * Check out her 30 Days of Growth sequence and join her newsletter at 30daysofgrowth.co [https://growthinreverse.com/30-days-of-growth/?referralCode=w1v9txn&refSource=copy]. JOIN THE BREAKROOM! Ready to build a sustainable business alongside a supportive community of like-minded creators? Join us inside The Breakroom! Head over to joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom [http://joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom] to learn more, get access to our Friday Peer Masterminds, and become a member today.

The Reality of a Traditional Book Deal (& Balancing Business Through It All) with Sam Vander Wielen

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your book on a Barnes & Noble shelf, you need to hear this episode. Today, we are joined by the amazing Sam VanderWielen, an attorney-turned-entrepreneur who scaled her digital product business to over $10 million using just two products. We're celebrating the one-year anniversary of her incredible book, When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy! Most people think getting a book deal means instant wealth and a massive team doing all the heavy lifting. Sam is pulling back the curtain on the grueling 4-year process of getting a Big Five book deal. She shares why an advance doesn't actually pay the bills, and how she managed to grow her business by several hundreds of thousands of dollars while writing a manuscript and navigating profound personal grief. In this episode, we cover: * The actual timeline and steps of traditional publishing (hint: for non-fiction, you write a proposal, not a manuscript!). * Why 100% of the book marketing falls on the author, and Sam’s genius "B-roll by month" evergreen content strategy. * How to keep your creative business afloat using established email marketing and ads when your capacity is completely maxed out. * Navigating the emotional toll of writing a book while experiencing loss, and learning to give yourself permission to let your work just be "good enough". * What to include in influencer marketing boxes to make sharing your work foolproof. ---------------------------------------- 🌟 JOIN THE BREAK ROOM! You don't have to navigate the marathon of entrepreneurship alone! Come join us inside The Breakroom, our membership community for creative service providers who crave honest conversations, actionable strategy, and real support. We actually read Sam's book together in our book club (and she even showed up to our call!). 👉 Click here to join The Break Room today! [https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom] ---------------------------------------- Connect with Sam VanderWielen: * Grab her book: When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy [https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book/] * Instagram: @SamVanderWielen [https://www.instagram.com/samvanderwielen/] * Newsletter: Subscribe to Sam's Sidebar  [https://www.samvanderwielen.com/newsletter/] * Podcast: Listen to On Your Terms [https://www.samvanderwielen.com/podcast/] Connect with Jo & Lyndon: * Website: joandlyndon.com [http://joandlyndon.com] * Instagram: @joandlyndon [https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/]  * Podcast Instagram: @thesustainablecreator  [https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/] If you enjoyed this episode, please do us a favor and share it on socials (tag us and Sam!), and leave a review to help other creators find the show. We appreciate you!