Have you been thinking about creating a membership to add recurring revenue or scale beyond one-to-one work?

Memberships CAN be a powerful way to package your expertise, serve more people, and create recurring revenue... but that definitely doesn’t mean creating one is automatically worth your time right *now.*

In this final episode of my 4-part "Worth Your Time" Series, I’m breaking down the key ingredients that need to be in place before a membership really makes sense for you and your business.

And I’ll share why waiting 8 years to create my own membership turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I made.

🎯 You’ll Discover:

• Why having a body of existing content, tools, trainings, and intellectual property can make a membership dramatically easier to build
• Why a successful membership needs a specific audience, specific problem, and clear transformation
• Why “a giant library of stuff” is becoming a harder value proposition in the age of AI
• The question you need to answer about why someone would stay, not just why they would join
• Why a lower-priced membership does not eliminate the need to build an engaged audience first
• Why easier delivery doesn’t necessarily mean easier marketing
• How to tell whether your business already has the ingredients to make a membership worth creating
• What to focus on now if your answer is “not yet”

And perhaps most importantly, I’ll share why I don’t think of myself as having spent eight years waiting to create Action Club.

I spent eight years building the things that eventually made Action Club make sense.

🤝 Special Bonus to Work With Me This September:

If this has you thinking, “I really DO want to build something like this eventually — but first I need to get clearer on what I’m known for, who I help, what problem I solve, and how to package what I do,” this is exactly where I can help.

Inside Package Your Process™ with the Expert, I help you get clear on your positioning, define the problem you solve, package your expertise into a clear offer or framework, and create tangible messaging tools you can actually use to grow your business.

Whether you create a membership a month from now or five years from now, that clarity becomes the foundation for whatever you decide to build next.

🌟 If you book Package Your Process™ with the Expert with me this September, you’ll also receive three months of Establish Yourself® Action Club for FREE! 🌟

That means you’ll get to experience the membership model we’re talking about in this episode from the inside, including how I’ve designed it to provide a LOT of value without requiring a ton of my time.

You’ll also get access to more than 40 of my tools and trainings for streamlining and growing your business, plus the opportunity to ask me questions during our monthly Action Club sessions.

📅 To get started, set a free consultation with me now:

➡️ https://www.greateststorycreative.com/consult

PS - I take December off, so if you've been thinking about talking, right now is a great time before I'm booked for the rest of the year!

✅ Dive Deeper:

Worth Your Time Series:

• Episode 84: "Is Podcasting Worth Your Time Right Now?"
• Episode 85: "Is Speaking for Free as a Marketing Strategy Worth Your Time Right Now?"
• Episode 86: "Is Posting on LinkedIn Worth Your Time Right Now?"

Action Club Insights:

• Episode 4: "My 5 Time-Saving Secrets to Build a Membership Without Overwhelm"

Explore more episodes and resources at

https://www.greateststorycreative.com/podcast

*Promotion limited to Package Your Process™ with the Expert engagements booked during September 2026. Mention this podcast episode during your free consultation to qualify.

Should you be posting on LinkedIn to grow your coaching or consulting business? Or have you been posting consistently, trying to “do LinkedIn right,” and still wondering: Where the heck are the clients?

LinkedIn can be a powerful place to build credibility, stay visible, and remind your network what you do.

But just because LinkedIn can help your business doesn’t mean it needs to become your entire marketing strategy — or that spending hours trying to outsmart the algorithm is worth your time right now.

In this third episode of my "Worth Your Time" Series, we’re looking at LinkedIn specifically as a marketing strategy: when it makes sense to invest your time there, what role it can realistically play in your business, and what may need to come first before posting more will actually help.

I’ve been on LinkedIn for decades and have used it throughout nearly 13 years in business. I’ve tried different strategies, worked with LinkedIn experts, and watched what actually leads to visibility, credibility, relationships, and clients.

And one thing has become very clear: before you worry about passing the LinkedIn algorithm test, you need to pass what I call the Coffee Test.

✨ If you’ve been wondering whether you should post more, change your strategy, or take some pressure off yourself altogether, this episode will help you decide whether LinkedIn is a “yes,” a “no,” or simply a “not yet.”

🎯 You’ll Discover:

• Why LinkedIn may be more valuable as a credibility and awareness tool than a direct client-acquisition machine
• The Coffee Test to use before you spend more time worrying about what to post
• Why your LinkedIn profile needs to tell the right story before your posts can do much for you
• How to know whether your clients, referral partners, and network make LinkedIn worth your time
• Why posting to your network is not the same thing as actually working your network
• What to focus on first if you’re not yet clear on what you want to be known for
• How to use LinkedIn consistently without letting it consume your marketing life

🤝 Special Bonus to Work With Me This September:

If this episode has you thinking, “I know I need to be more visible, but I’m not actually clear enough on what I should be saying yet,” this is exactly where I can help.

Inside Package Your Process™ with the Expert, I help you get clear on your positioning, define the problem you solve, package your expertise into a clear offer or framework, and create messaging you can confidently use when you network, market, speak, post on LinkedIn, and invite people to work with you.

🌟 If you book Package Your Process™ with the Expert with me this September, you’ll also receive three months of Action Club for FREE*! 🌟

Establish Yourself® Action Club gives you access to more than 40 of my tools and trainings for streamlining and growing your business — including 12 weeks of cut-and-paste LinkedIn post templates to help you consistently build awareness around your expertise without starting from a blank page every week.

📅 To get started, set a free consultation with me now:

➡️ www.greateststorycreative.com/consult

PS - I always take December off, so if you've been thinking about talking to me - right now's the best time before I'm booked up for the rest of the year!

*Promotion limited to PYPE engagements booked during September 2026. Mention this podcast episode during your free consultation to qualify.

✅ Dive Deeper:

• Episode 84: "Is Podcasting Worth Your Time Right Now?"
• Episode 85: "Is Speaking for Free Worth Your Time Right Now?"
• Explore more episodes and resources at www.greateststorycreative.com/podcast

✨ Moment of Magic:

Enjoy "The Corporate Anthem" Song by Cat McDonnell (@Doobystuf on Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dcd6ZT2FaC_/?stkn=MWEzbmJkdGIyNmlyZA==

Would speaking for free be a smart way to market your business? Of if you’ve already been giving great talks, getting glowing feedback, and are you still wondering: Where are the clients?

Speaking can be an incredibly powerful way to get discovered, build trust quickly, and attract new clients.

But just because speaking can work doesn’t mean it’s automatically worth your time right now!

In this second episode of my "Worth Your Time" Series, we’re looking at speaking for free specifically as a marketing strategy (not whether professional speakers should work without a fee), but whether speaking complimentary or for low fees to create visibility, credibility, relationships, and potential clients makes sense for your business.

Speaking has been the strongest discovery engine I’ve used in nearly 13 years of business. But I’ve also seen firsthand why an amazing, well-reviewed talk doesn’t necessarily turn into clients.

✨ If you’ve been considering speaking more — or wondering why your current speaking isn’t leading to business — this episode will help you decide whether it’s a “yes,” a “no,” or simply a “not yet.”

🎯 You’ll Discover:

• Why a great talk and a great marketing asset are not necessarily the same thing
• The three conditions that can make speaking for free worth your time
• Why speaking can build trust incredibly fast, but still take time to build as a marketing engine
• How to know whether you need more speaking or more clarity first
• Why your message, offer, and next step need to be clear before you step onto the stage
• What to do instead if you need clients sooner rather than later

🤝 Special Bonus to Work With Me This September:

If this episode has you thinking, “I want to use speaking to grow my business, but I’m not actually clear enough on what I’m marketing yet,” this is exactly where I can help.

Inside Package Your Process™ with the Expert, I help you get clear on your positioning, define the problem you solve, package your expertise into a clear offer or framework, and create messaging you can confidently use when you network, market, speak, and invite people to work with you.

🌟 If you book Package Your Process™ with the Expert with me this September, you’ll also receive three months of Action Club for FREE!* 🌟

Establish Yourself® Action Club gives you access to more than 40 of my tools and trainings for streamlining and growing your business — including my complete Clients From Speaking system, with strategies and templates to help you get into the right rooms, build talks that naturally tee up working with you, and create a clear next step for interested clients.

📅 To get started, set a free 20-minute clarity consultation with me now:

➡️ www.greateststorycreative.com/consult

PS - I always take December off, so if you've been thinking about talking to me - right now's the best time before I'm booked up for the rest of the year!

*Promotion limited to PYPE engagements booked during September 2026. Mention this podcast episode during your free consultation to qualify.

✅ Dive Deeper:

• Episode 72: "Speaking as Marketing: Get Booked to Speak Without Cold Pitching"
• Episode 73: "Turn Free Talks Into Real Clients: A Proven Path to Get Clients From Speaking"
• Explore more episodes and resources at www.greateststorycreative.com/podcast

Have you been wondering whether starting a podcast would actually be worth your time?

With so many ways you could market your business, it’s easy to get pulled into a strategy simply because it seems to be working for someone else.

But just because something could help your business doesn’t mean it’s the smartest place to put your time, money, energy, and focus right now.

This episode kicks off my new "Worth Your Time" Series, a special 4-part collection designed to help you make smarter decisions about the business-growth strategies competing for your attention.

And we’re starting with podcasting.

Before launching this show, I spent five months researching podcast strategy because I knew it would be a major commitment. Nearly two years and more than 80 episodes later, I’ve learned a lot about when podcasting can be incredibly valuable — and when I’d recommend focusing somewhere else first.

✨ If you’ve been circling the idea of starting a podcast and want a clearer answer about whether now is actually the right time, this episode is for you.

🎯 You’ll Discover:

• The question I wish I’d asked before starting my podcast
• What surprised me most about how the show actually grew my business
• Why the same strategy can be brilliant for one business and a distraction for another
• The business conditions that can make podcasting far more valuable
• How to tell whether your answer is “yes,” “no,” or “not yet”

🤝 Special Bonus to Work With Me This September:

If this has you thinking, “I don’t actually know what strategy I should be focusing on right now,” this is exactly the kind of question I love helping you answer.

Inside Package Your Process™ with the Expert, I help you get clear on what you do, package your expertise into a clear offer or framework, and create practical messaging you can actually use to network, email, speak, market — and eventually, maybe even sit down behind that podcast mic!

🌟 If you book Package Your Process™ with the Expert with me this September, you’ll also receive three months of Action Club for FREE!* 🌟

Establish Yourself® Action Club gives you access to more than 40 of my tools and trainings for streamlining and growing your business, plus an ongoing monthly Zoom to bring me your questions as you move into your next season (and maybe even create a podcast!)

📅 To get started, set a free 20-minute clarity consultation with me now:

➡️ www.greateststorycreative.com/consult

PS - I always take December off, so if you've been thinking about talking to me - right now's the best time before I'm booked up for the rest of the year!

*Promotion limited to PYPE engagements booked during September 2026. Mention this podcast episode during your free consultation to qualify.

✅ Dive Deeper:

• Listen to Episode 28: “My Secret to Marketing Without Losing My Mind: Consistency Containers”
• Explore more episodes and resources at www.greateststorycreative.com/podcast

Yesterday, I raved to my bestie about a company I’d been ready to throw in the towel on just a month earlier. What changed? How they handled my customer experience!

What can you take away from that in your own business is what we’re exploring in this episode.

I’m sharing the customer service moment that turned me from frustrated buyer back into loyal fan, and what it reminded me about the way we serve our own clients.

Because your clients don’t need every part of their experience to be flawless. But they do need to feel heard, understood, and cared for when something isn’t working.

I’m also sharing the simple question I ask clients to uncover blind spots, strengthen relationships, and improve the experience in ways I could never see from inside my own business.

Whether you’re a coach, consultant, speaker, or service provider, this is a small client experience strategy that can help you keep great clients longer, create stronger advocates, and make your business better at the same time.

🎯 YOU’LL DISCOVER

• How one company turned a frustrating customer experience into a glowing poolside recommendation
• Why being heard can completely change the way someone feels about your business
• The hidden client experience blind spots you may never notice on your own
• The simple question I ask to uncover what could be better
• Why honest feedback can strengthen trust instead of damaging it
• How better client conversations can lead to stronger relationships, referrals, and repeat business

🎧 DIVE INTO THIS RELATED EPISODE

EPISODE 37 - Why You Shouldn’t Ask for Testimonials (and What to Ask for Instead)

💌 GET THE NEXT NEW EPISODE!

Want new episodes like this and helpful resources sent straight to your inbox?

Sign up here: https://www.greateststorycreative.com/podlinks

😂 LOCAL TO NC? SEE ANNIE DO STAND-UP COMEDY THIS OCTOBER!

Catch Annie's stand-up set in her hometown of Fayetteville, NC!

Headlined & Created by Kiki Wynns

Friday, October 16 at 7:30pm | Ladies Laugh Lounge (all invited!)

Get tickets here: https://ticketmesandhills.com/events/ladies-laugh-lounge-show-october-16-10-16-2026

#clientexperience #clientexperiencestrategies #clientfeedback #clientretention #clientrelationships #referrals #businesssystems #coaches #consultants #servicebusiness #establishyourself

Remember the amazing Choose Your Own Adventure Books?! Well, instead of one big lesson today, I’m giving you three possible paths you get to choose from, based on what your business needs most right now.

So, what do you need today? Choose your adventure to listen to now:

Need more balance?

Episode 32: How to Be a Better Boss to Yourself Without Losing Business

https://www.greateststorycreative.com/biz/ep32-be-a-better-boss-to-yourself

Need a better elevator pitch?

Episode 9: Elevator Pitches That Get Clients: Clarify Your Message With My Brand Chips Formula

https://www.greateststorycreative.com/biz/ep9-how-to-write-an-elevator-pitch-for-your-business

Ready to move from corporate to clients?

Episode 71: Corporate to Clients: The Branding You Actually Need to Start Consulting or Coaching

https://www.greateststorycreative.com/biz/ep71-branding-essentials-for-consultants

Or enjoy listening to all 3!!

📬 GET NEW EPISODES SENT TO YOUR INBOX

Want new episodes delivered straight to you?

https://www.greateststorycreative.com/podlinks

Wishing you an epic adventure!

What if the biggest opportunity in your messaging isn’t finding better words… but getting better at using them?

Most business owners think of messaging as a tool: your elevator pitch, your positioning, the words on your website. But messaging is also a verb — a skill you practice every time you talk about what you do.

And that’s what can create and sustain your "Messaging Flywheel" - momentum that brings, keeps, and creates more clients and opportunities over time by leveraging your messaging (not keeping it a secret til it's "perfect").

Like a craftsman gets better at using his tools, the more you use your message in real conversations, the more confident and natural you become, the more you learn what resonates, and the more opportunities you create to attract clients, referrals, and new possibilities.

🎯 YOU’LL DISCOVER

• Why messaging is both a noun and a verb — a tool and a skill
• The hidden opportunity most business owners miss when working on their message
• Why your message gets stronger when you actually use it
• How conversations help you refine the way you explain what you do
• Why practicing your messaging builds confidence and creates more opportunities
• How "The Messaging Flywheel" turns sharing, listening, and refining into ongoing momentum

🙌 PUT THIS INTO ACTION

Want help getting clear on how to talk about what you do and package your expertise into an offer that’s easier to explain and sell?

👉 Set a free 20-minute consult at greateststorycreative.com/consult and we’ll look at how to strengthen your message, clarify your offer, and help you become a more confident messenger of your business.

🎧 DIVE INTO THIS RELATED EPISODE

Want a practical way to start sharing what you do more naturally and more often?

Episode 64: "Authentic Networking: The SHARE Approach That Turns Conversations Into Opportunities": Learn Annie’s simple framework for talking about your work in networking chats without being super salesy or pitchy.

If you record client calls, strategy sessions, or coaching conversations, you know the recording itself is only part of the job. The real time drain often comes afterward—waiting for files to process, downloading transcripts, organizing notes, and sending everything to your client.

In this episode, I’m sharing the client call tool that has completely changed that process for me. It helps me follow up within minutes, gives my clients an organized recap they can actually use, and lets me stay fully present during our sessions instead of trying to capture every detail myself.

And the biggest surprise? It has also helped me uncover valuable patterns and marketing insights across my client conversations.

🎯 YOU'LL DISCOVER

• How I create a polished, high-touch client follow-up without adding more administrative work
• Why I use Fathom alongside Zoom instead of relying on Zoom’s built-in recording and transcript tools
• How searchable transcripts, summaries, and call takeaways help clients get more value from every session
• The unexpected way I use past client calls to prepare better, personalize the client experience, and find useful marketing insights

🛠️ TRY FATHOM FOR YOURSELF... FOR FREE!

The tool I use is Fathom, an AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, summarizes, and organizes my client calls.

Try one month of Fathom Premium for free using my referral link 👉

https://fathom.video/invite/k_3ATg

(This is a referral link, which means I may receive a benefit if you sign up—at no extra cost to you. I only share tools I genuinely use and love, and Fathom has become an essential part of how I deliver a thoughtful, premium client experience. And any use of Fathom is per its terms and conditions.)

✨ SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE!

I’m also working on a new idea around appreciation, gratitude, and how we show up for the people in our lives—and I’d love your input.

Complete the Appreciation Project Survey by Monday, August 10, 2026:

https://greateststorycreative.com/survey

It takes just five minutes, and your perspective will help shape what I create next!

#clientexperience #clientcalls #businesssystems #businessefficiency #coachingbusiness #consultingbusiness #marketinginsights #establishyourselfpodcast