Here’s how to pull off a sabbatical and make sure you actually enjoy taking it

Have you ever thought about taking a sabbatical? 

When I say sabbatical, I mean taking an extended period of time away from your business or work to travel, pursue your interests, or heck, just relax.

I don’t know about you, but for many years I thought that only people with careers in higher education were “allowed” to take a sabbatical because I’ve never heard about anyone in a typical 9 to 5 jetting off for a month (or more) to do whatever their heart pleases.

That’s why I am beyond grateful to have my own business, which gives me so much – especially the opportunity to create the life I want to live. And guess what? Taking a sabbatical is a part of it. 

Four years ago I made the commitment to take a sabbatical, and this summer I’m actually doing it. I’ll be taking 30 whole days away from my business to relax, spend quality time with friends and family, and completely disconnect. 

Yes, I said it: Completely disconnect. There will be no check-ins, emails, Slack messages, or Asana tasks. I’m going off the grid from my business, and I’ve got my team set up to win.

I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, “But Amy, you’re obsessed with your business. How on Earth can you be confident that everything will run smoothly AND be totally present while you’re away?” 

And that’s what this episode is all about. In it, I’ll share:  

• How far in advance I started planning for my sabbatical
• What I’m doing to make sure I have enough content stockpiled
• The systems I have in place to ensure everything runs on autopilot
• What I’m most nervous about and excited for
• How to approach your boss about taking a sabbatical if you’re in a 9 to 5 job

So if you’ve ever considered taking a little break from your business, tune in to hear exactly what I’m doing to set myself (and my team) up for success.

Here’s a glance at this episode...

• [03:08] I'm taking a sabbatical -- 30 days to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with my friends and family. 
• [08:25] By completely disconnecting from your business for an extended period of time, you can come back with so much more energy, creativity, and innovation.
• [10:30] I am stockpiling videos, media, podcasts, and other content for when I’m out. My team had to get any recording requests to me in advance. 
• [11:22] My executive assistant and I have been mindful of my calendar leading up to the sabbatical. We've also thought about how I'll ease back in when I return.
• [12:58] Taking a sabbatical does take financial resources and planning. You want to have things squared away before you go. 
• [13:59] If you still have a 9 to 5 job, you'll most likely have to get approval from your boss. Explain to them how they will benefit from your time away.
• [15:49] I'm equally excited and nervous about my sabbatical. This will be a challenge for me to fully let go of what’s going on in my business.
• [17:11] I'm excited because I think I'll come back even better. I'll be recharged and ready to go. 
• [20:36] It was important to spend my sabbatical somewhere other than my home because I don't trust myself to not text my team or get involved in the business.
• [22:56] Take out your journal and write down where you want to go, and then DM me @AmyPorterfield on Instagram and let me know.

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How you use your strengths and weaknesses to your advantage

An Enneagram is much more than just a funny word. 

It’s a system of personality typing that identifies nine types of people and how they relate to one another and the world. It’s not just a powerful tool for personal growth, but also a great resource for transforming relationships in your personal and professional lives.

You’ve probably heard me talk about Enneagrams on this podcast before because I love this tool SO MUCH. Understanding my own personality -- including my strengths and weaknesses -- as well as how I relate to others has helped me enormously in my business, from hiring the right people to improving my leadership skills. 

That’s why I’m so excited to have Ian Morgan Cron on the show. He’s the real deal when it comes to Enneagrams and a pioneer in the modern Enneagram movement. In this eye-opening episode, we discuss: 

• What the Enneagram is and how you can use it to transform your life 
• The nine different Enneagram personalities
• How to utilize your strengths as a leader based on your personality type
• What your Enneagram results tell you about how to set up and run your business
• If your Enneagram results indicate if you’ll be successful as an entrepreneur 

I promise you that this conversation will leave you with a much better understanding of yourself as a leader, and ways that you can hone in on your specific strengths to build a stronger business.

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What’s the point of working your life away? Instead, let’s do less and make more. 

But what I’m about to tell you will most likely surprise you, because it goes against what we hear from many entrepreneurs who are in the public eye, and most conventional wisdom.

Ready for it? 

Lean in a little closer…

You do not need to work your life away to be incredibly profitable in your online business.

I wish I would’ve realized this much earlier because now that I’m 13 years into it, I know that the best entrepreneurs value their downtime away from their business. 

Honestly, I have a little guilt about how much time I spent working when I was ramping up, and in retrospect, I know I could have done even better if I would have allowed for a little bit of rest in my life. 

I know, I know… you’re probably thinking that there’s no way you’ll be able to achieve what you want unless you’re constantly grinding. And that may be true for the first couple of years when you’re just getting started, but once you’ve gotten into a good groove and are making money, you’ve got to ask yourself, what am I doing this for? 

These days I am all about creating a life and business on my terms, and if you’ve been tuning in for a while, you know that last year I transitioned my team to a 4-day workweek. And guess what? We are still meeting our goals, and I’m still able to have a multi-million dollar business. In letting go of my ‘hustle hard’ mentality, I’ve gained so much more than I ever could have imagined -- and I know you will too. 

So if you feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends, tune in to this episode for some peace of mind, and to hear firsthand how I’ve created a successful business without sacrificing what’s most important.

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The step-by-step playbook I used to nearly double my podcast downloads

If you’ve listened to Online Marketing Made Easy for a while, you know that a) it’s been a true labor of love, and b) a) it’s come a loooooong way since I first started it nine years ago.

It’s taken a lot of hard work and late nights burning the midnight oil to become what it is today -- and it's all paid off because we recently hit a MAJOR milestone -- 1 million downloads in a single month. That’s almost DOUBLE the downloads from the previous month! I’m beyond proud of my team, and so incredibly grateful for our listeners! 

But like anything, achieving this goal took a willingness to try something that we’ve never done before, and as always, a little bit of trial and error. Luckily, our perfect storm of strategies worked like a charm, and I am so excited to share them with you in this episode. 

Whether you have a podcast now or are looking to start one soon, this episode will give you a step-by-step playbook on how to increase your downloads in a really big way. 

I share the exact steps of what I did -- not only covering the strategies themselves but everything from the software we used, to where we placed ads -- so grab a pen and paper because you’re definitely going to want to take notes.

Here’s a glance at this episode...

• [07:57] In December of 2021, we went from being just shy of 600,000 downloads to over one million in January. 
• [08:42] Strategy #1: We created a quiz that made a curated playlist for listeners. We used Interact to make the quiz, created a landing page for the quiz, and directed listeners to podcasts that would best help them using a PDF. 
• [14:14] Strategy #2: We did two types of ads during our promo week. 
• [17:32] Strategy #3: We used Instagram Live for Coffee and Coaching. During the live coaching, I was plugging the quiz. 
• [20:53] Strategy #4: We were strategic about our promo email sequence – making sure to keep our subscribers engaged. 
• [22:49] Strategy #6: We drove visitors from our website to our promo using a pop-up box and a sky bar banner.
• [25:06] Strategy #7: We got scrappy and sent out an email to our students and asked them to help us reach that 1 million mark. If you are a student who helped, I greatly appreciate it!
• [28:37] Strategy #8: Be super intentional about what episode or episodes you release during your promo week. We wanted a big-name guest and that was my friend Brendon Burchard.
• [35:30] Action items: Pull out your calendar and select a few dates that would be good for a promo like this!

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This strategy has been used for centuries by the most brilliant minds in business

In a world where most people play the short game, playing the long game offers a big advantage because it ensures your success as an entrepreneur for your entire career. 

If you ask me, that sounds pretty great. So, why doesn’t everybody do it?

The reason why so many entrepreneurs forgo playing the long game (or completely fail at it) is because it’s not exactly easy to do. It takes patience, hard work, and the right mindset in order to master it. Plus, it requires long-term consistency and dedication, which -- let’s face it -- doesn’t sound very exciting, and it’s certainly not sexy. 

But I’m here to tell you that it works. This has been one of the keys to my own success in business, despite the fact that it doesn’t come naturally to me. 

Yes, friend, I’m not ashamed to admit that sometimes I get distracted by shiny short-term outcomes, and let my emotions get the best of me when challenges arise or when I feel the overwhelming pressure to stay ahead of the curve.

That’s why I constantly remind myself that there’s a reason why it’s said that success is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s because the long game is a time-tested strategy that has been used for centuries by the most brilliant minds in business.

In this episode, I not only share how playing the long game can help you get ahead in business, but the mindset you need in order to play the game correctly.

You’ll hear:

• What to tell yourself when you want to give up completely
• How to use your failures to help push you forward
• Why setting long-term goals is key, and can help you win the game
• Examples of how the long game has gotten me through challenges in my business

Alright, friend. I hope that you enjoy this episode, and after listening to it, you’ll be in-it-to-win-it, for the long haul.

Here’s a glance at this episode...

• [05:45] Playing the long game is all about your mindset, especially when things don't work out the way that you want them to. 
• [11:32] If you're playing the long game, then a failure should just be your opportunity to fix something or make it better. 
• [12:31] Don't be afraid to set audacious long-term goals. With a 3-year plan, you will show up differently versus a 6-month plan. 
• [14:21] Sometimes it takes a while to achieve the benchmarks and goals that you set for your business. It might be much longer than you thought it would take.
• [18:13]  You launch, you learn, you tweak, and then you repeat. This is a formula for success!
• [19:58] You are no longer allowed to have that conversation in your head that you're going to give up or jump ship!

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The co-founder of Olea & Fig shares how she generated $200K in digital course revenue in less than 2 years

There is, quite literally, nothing that brings me greater joy than to see my students become incredibly successful. It’s what drives me to keep creating, teaching, and pushing myself to be the best version of myself that I can be.

And that’s why I’m so excited to share this student success story with you. In this episode I’m chatting with one of my students, Annie Chang of Olea and Fig -- an online business that helps women solopreneurs become the “go-to” in their markets by attracting the right customers online.

Annie and her business partner and sister, Terrie, used what they learned in Digital Course Academy to create a thriving online business that works for them. Not only did they generate $200,000 in revenue from their digital course after only two years of being in business, but Annie was even able to take an eight-month maternity leave.

Yes, friend -- you read that correctly. Eight months. If that’s not the definition of a flexible (and ideal) work environment, then I don’t know what is. 

The thing is, they set up their business in a way that all comes back to listening to their audience. And if you’ve been tuning in to this podcast for a while, you know that tapping into your audience’s wants and needs is crucial to having a successful online business. 

In this episode, Annie shares:

•  How they launched their core program with two completely different offers
•  When they knew it was time to add a membership program to their business
•  Their most successful strategy for selling during live launches
•  How to run an automated challenge and keep the engagement up
•  Ways to serve two audiences with the same program

This was a super fun and informative conversation, and it’s my hope that Annie and Terrie’s story will give you a little peek at what’s possible.

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There’s a reason it’s said that investing in yourself is the best investment you can make

Newsflash: As your business grows, you need to grow too. 

You’re probably thinking, “Well, duh, Amy -- that’s obvious.” And I agree, it is. But the thing is, all-too-many entrepreneurs completely neglect their own growth and development as their business grows.

It’s super easy to do, and believe me, I can relate. You’re so focused and invested in making your business the very best it can be, that you forget about the person behind the scenes, in the trenches, doing all the hard work: Yourself.

You, my friend, are the force behind your business’ success. By giving it everything you’ve got (and more), it’s easy to be left feeling a bit drained and uninspired, which is not a great state to be in if you want to continue achieving. So that’s why it’s crucially important to invest in yourself, so you continue to grow right along with your thriving business.

It doesn’t need to be anything major, friend -- and as you’ll see, what I do in order to continue growing is very simple. Think about it like a little tune-up. Every once in a while, you have to take a pause, check yourself, and take a little time to ensure that you’re running on all cylinders. 

Believe me, after listening to this episode, you’ll understand why it’s said that the best investment you can make is in yourself.

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Newsflash: When your email list grows, so does your business

I get asked about list building allllll. the. time. And when I say all the time, I mean in my DMs, in my Lives, on social media -- everywhere! 

It’s not that list building is particularly sexy or the latest and greatest thing in digital marketing. It’s such a hot topic because when your email list grows, your business grows right along with it -- a plain and simple truth that I would probably get tattooed on my body, if I were a tattoo person.

I’ve learned a ton about list building over the past 13 years of being an online entrepreneur, and it’s been a crucial part of my success in business. In this episode, I answer the six questions I get asked about the most when it comes to list building -- so I can help you get started on the right foot and avoid the lessons that I had to learn the hard way.

So whether you’re just getting started with your online business or a seasoned vet, grab a pen and paper because you’re going to want to take notes on this one.

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Learn actionable strategies for boosting your self-confidence

We all know that person who can walk into a room and totally own it without even having to speak a word. I won’t lie -- every time I see that person, I’m a little bit envious of their natural confidence.

You’re probably thinking, “But Amy, you’re out there in front of the world! You are a confident person!” And I’m here to tell you that even though it seems like I’ve been blessed by the confidence Gods, it’s taken a lot of hard work. I’ve had to make confidence a practice, just like everything else that I want to succeed in.

But here’s the thing. Even if you’re not a confident person right now, you 100% can be, and my dear friend -- Lisa Bilyeu -- co-founder of Quest Nutrition and author of Radical Confidence, is here to talk about how to do just that. 

In this episode, Lisa shares:

• How to deal with your weak spots and reframe your negative voice
• A step-by-step practice for identifying self-sabotage and how to break the pattern
• Tangible ways that you can boost your confidence
• How to change how you experience failure

Because let’s be real here. When it comes to growing a business, confidence is essential. It fuels your ability to take action, stretch your limits, overcome fear, and most importantly -- know that you can win the game.

Here’s a glance at this episode...

• [05:20] Radical Confidence is using tools to move forward even when you don't feel great about doing something. It's having the skills and tools to turn to when you feel insecure.
• [07:04] No bull-shit! What would it take? Instead of just sitting around wishing, ask what it would take for you to be the best pianist in the world. Break it down to steps and then decide if those steps are for you. You get to assess and decide whether to do it or not. 
• [09:46] Failure can be inevitable when you're going after something you want. Look at your weaknesses, and accept that failure isn't an option. When you try to do those things, you will find inevitable weaknesses that you'll have to take a hard look at.
• [12:15] How do I stop this negative voice that's absolutely paralyzing me? A negative voice can be your kryptonite, think about how you can make it your superpower? It's about perspective and reframing. Be nice to yourself and don't beat yourself up.
• [14:20] Flip the mean girl in your head and find out what she's really trying to say to you in a positive way. Let the voice run wild and write everything down with no emotion. The critic becomes the coach.
• [19:01] Identifying self-sabotage and breaking the pattern. If we are the ones in our own way, then we can change that. What are you doing that gets in your way? Is your goal in line with what you want to do with your life? Is that why you're self-sabotaging yourself?
• [21:23] You can make choices that allow you to stop self-sabotaging over the goal you want. Not giving yourself the opportunity to experiment and explore is another form of self-sabotage we don't even recognize.
• [22:31] Get clear and write out your goal. Who? What? When? Why? How? This will give you a north star to move forward. Make a commitment and write down whether you did it or not. Address, reframe, and access. 
• [26:24] Tangible ways for boosting your confidence. Have a hype song. There's a difference between knowing how to do something and wanting to do it. Have a strategy and game plan. Say yes! Find things that empower you. Cultivate a mental state that will empower you. 
• [33:44] Emotional sobriety. Don't get so upset that you say or do things you regret. Being emotion drunk does not serve you. There are going to be people who frustrate you. Losing it does not serve you. Take an emotional shot of sobriety. You could just leave the room. 
• [38:11] Write down what took place, but not your emotions. Once you have the words, you can look at your emotions and identify triggers. Use it as a guide and identify a game plan.
• [39:55] Radical Confidence is about living the life you want. This book will help you break down all of the things that are getting in the way like mindset and the way you show up every day. It's a guide and blueprint of how to navigate the life you want.
• [48:30] We need to work on confidence everyday. Choose one practice that resonated with you today and grab a pen and paper and embody that practice.

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"I love Amy and Online Marketing Made Easy." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the online life and business that they desire. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!

What I do to turn jealous thoughts into something productive

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a jealousy hangover. You know, the lingering envy you have after seeing another entrepreneur achieve something that you want in your own business. 

I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve had a jealousy hangover or two and as you’d expect, they’re no fun. But instead of letting these unsettled feelings get the best of me (which I’m 100% guilty of doing in the past), I use them to my advantage. 

Yes, friend -- I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I use every single time I start comparing myself to other entrepreneurs. They not only help me steer clear of the dreaded jealousy hangover, but they also get me closer to focusing and achieving what I want. In this episode, I share: 

• The exact questions I ask myself when I start comparing myself to others 
• How to pinpoint where your jealousy comes from
• Ways to use feelings of envy in a productive way 
• What I do to turn resentment of other entrepreneurs into excitement for them and motivation for myself

By shifting the way you think about other entrepreneurs’ success, I promise you’ll find that it brings you closer to achieving everything you’ve ever wanted and more.

Here’s a glance at this episode...

• [04:00] If you're feeling jealous or envious of another online business owner, ask yourself what they have that you want. What do they have that I want? You could use these envious feelings in a more productive way.
• [06:22] Get clear on your why, and you might uncover something that you hadn't even thought of. Then ask why I want that. This can give you clarity.
• [08:27] If you really work on your insecurities the next time you feel jealousy, it will be easier to cheer that person on and think I want that too.
• [10:15] The next time you feel bad, jealous, or envious toward another entrepreneur, just stop and notice it. It's okay to feel those feelings. Then you can turn that jealousy into something productive. Write down that thought in your phone or your journal.
• [11:03] What are you jealous about? What did they have that I wanted? Why do I want that? What will it bring me? How will it make me feel? What are some small steps I can take to get there? Take action on those steps!

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"I love Amy and Online Marketing Made Easy." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the online life and business that they desire. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!