PODCAST · business
The Capable Collective Podcast
by Ellie McBride
How can I earn more from my business without working longer hours? How can I spend more time with my family alongside running a business? How do I set up a website? How much should I charge for my services? Do I have to be on every social media platform? How do I stop procrastinating and get more done? How can I market my business in a way that feels good?I answer all of these questions and more. Host Ellie McBride and experts guests share tips, advice and strategies to help women (female-identifying or non-binary) find ease and enjoyment in running a business.
Episodes
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Why your website isn't making sales (it's not your products or services)
So, you built the website, you launched the business... and now you're wondering why the hell it isn't making any sales. We are breaking down the most common trip-up points that are actively causing your website to leak leads and lose customers. I've broken this down into three main categories:...
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How to Actually Get Google Reviews (Without Feeling Sleazy)
We all know Google reviews are the hugely important for social proof and local SEO. But how do you actually get clients to write them without feeling awkward AF? Let me walk you through the exact system I use to gather reviews for my own business and my clients’ businesses. Whether you are a…
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Squarespace's Best Updates of 2026 (so far)
Squarespace has rolled out some massive updates in the first half of 2026. If keeping up with the tech is starting to feel like a full-time job, this video is for you. I’m breaking down the best new Squarespace features so you can get your digital storefront out of manual mode. We cover the…
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Get found! Fixable website mistakes that many small-town businesses make
Is your business invisible online? Small town businesses run on relationships, but your digital presence needs to prove you are a real, rooted business. Your website shouldn't just be a brochure. It should answer questions and help clients take the next step with you! We are breaking down the...
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The Anatomy of a High-Converting Contact Page
Is your contact page a dead end? Most businesses treat this crucial page like an afterthought—slapping a generic "Name, Email, Message" form on a blank page and wondering why they only get spam or crickets.Your contact page should be a high-converting "Start Here" page! It is the bridge between a...
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Take Back Your Time: Quick & Easy Business Automations
In this episode, I discuss how to reclaim your time and energy by using simple tech tools to automate your business processes.I break down why time, money, and energy are all connected, and how you can use simple tech tools as your "extra employee" to buy back your life. We are talking about...
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Steal My Email Welcome Sequence (Step-by-Step Guide)
Are you collecting emails but hearing crickets when you hit send? The problem might be your Welcome Sequence. Your very first emails have the highest open rates you will ever get from a subscriber—don't waste that opportunity!I am taking you behind the scenes of Calibrated Concepts to show you...
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Etsy vs. Shopify: When is it time to move?
"I have a successful Etsy shop... do I really need a website?" It’s the question I get asked most by makers and crafters. While Etsy is fantastic for getting discovered, relying on it 100% means you are renting your business on land you don't own and therefore are subject to algorithm changes…
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The Pivot: Why I’m Done Selling "Systems" (And What I’m Building Instead)
💌 Grab the Hometown Business Health Check: https://www.calibratedconcepts.com/freebies Welcome to 2026! After taking a month off to rest and reset, I’m back in the office with a major update. I just celebrated my 8th business anniversary, and looking back, my journey from VA to web designer to...
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Building a Strong Foundation: 3 Systems for Small Business Success
Does your brain always feel full? If you're stuck in "chaos mode" and feel like you have no time to be the CEO, you're not failing — you just need a solid foundation. In this video, I break down the three key systems that every small business owner needs to create a scaffolding for their work....
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Hustle-Free Business? Here’s What I Say No To (and Why)
I’m breaking down all the things I don’t do in my business and why I’m so glad I’ve learned to say no to them. From ditching hustle culture (no working weekends here!) to ditching outdated definitions of “professionalism,” I’m sharing the boundaries, systems, and choices that have made my…
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My Childhood Love of Organizing (Matchbox Cars!) Turned Into a Career
What do Matchbox cars, a racetrack rug, and an alphabetized movie collection have to do with running a business? In this video, I’m sharing the childhood quirks that became the foundation of my career — and how my love of tidying, organizing, and creating systems became the heart of Calibrated...
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What I’d Tell Myself If I Were Starting My Business All Over Again
What would I tell myself if I were starting my business from scratch? After nearly 8 years in business (and a whole lot of trial and error), I’ve learned a thing or two about what actually makes a business sustainable... and what doesn’t. In this video, I’m sharing the lessons I wish I’d known...
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From Burnout to Business Wins: My Quarterly Check-In
In this quarterly update, I’m sharing the latest happenings in my life and business, including the launch of my newly updated website with exciting new services and ongoing experiments with a quiz freebie. I'm also battling some burnout while trying to maintain balance and prepare for my annual...
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What To Do If Your To-Do List Makes You Want to Scream!
In this episode, I share my personal strategies for tackling overwhelm when your to-do list feels unmanageable. I discuss the importance of journaling, tracking your time, and allowing flexibility in deadlines to maintain sanity. I also emphasize the need for self-kindness and the power of saying...
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Business overwhelm? What to automate first!
I'm sharing my top three tips for automating and simplifying your business processes to help you regain control over your time and energy. I'm also covering the importance of tracking where you lose time and my favorite tools, like scheduling software and client relationship management systems to...
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How to Prep for a Brand Shoot Without Losing Your Mind or Your Style
If you've been putting off a brand photo shoot (because posing awkwardly in front of a camera sounds like actual torture), this one's for you. In this episode, I’m breaking down everything I’ve learned from doing three very different brand photo shoots for my business. From choosing the right...
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Catching You Up! Behind-the-Scenes in Life & Business
Some exciting updates about my life and business since moving back to the States at the end of August. I've been appointed as the city councillor for Ward 2, and I'm really passionate about investing in my community. I also discuss my pivot towards creating more evergreen content and the upcoming...
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Feeling Lost in Your Business? Here's How to Organize Your Digital Life
These are my top tips for decluttering and streamlining your digital workspace, focusing on effective email management, file organization, and project management systems. I'm also talking about the importance of using templates and automation to save time and enhance productivity as well as…
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What I didn’t Know When I Moved my Business (from Northern Ireland to the US)
I'm sharing my experience of moving my business from Northern Ireland back to Oregon, US after seven years. The transition over the last few months has been more complicated than I anticipated, especially with banking and tax regulations. I'm sharing the challenges I've faced, including setting…
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Why Dubsado Is (Still) My Go-To Tool in 2025
This is how I use Dubsado for managing my client communications and workflow processes. If you want more help with your Dubsado setup, I have other videos on Dubsado and resources on my website which I've linked here.Let me know if this was helpful - do you use Dubsado or are you planning to this...
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Boundaries = Freedom: 10 Ways to Protect Your Peace in Business
The importance of setting boundaries, especially for those who often struggle with people-pleasing tendencies. I'm sharing practical tips on how to implement boundaries in your business, working with your natural rhythm and the importance of saying no. Let me know if boundaries is something you...
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How I Structure My Week As A Small Business Owner
A behind the scenes look at how I structure my week and days to balance client work, my own business work and personal time effectively! I'd love to hear your key takeaways 🙌
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S5E14: Behind the Scenes of Building an Interact(ive) Quiz to Grow My Small Business
I’m diving into why I created a quiz as a fun, engaging lead magnet for small business owners. The goal? To help people figure out their biggest business headaches and give them real, useful resources to tackle them. In the video, I talk about the time and effort it took to create something...
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S5E13: It's All About Balance & Boundaries with Chikumo Fiseko
Dive into this captivating episode where Ellie interviews multi-passionate entrepreneur Chikumo Fiseko. From accidental influencer to thriving CEO, Chikumo shares her inspiring journey through content creation, business management, and personal growth. Discover how implementing systems and asking...
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S5E12: Navigating Creativity & Connection with Eve Earley
In this episode, Ellie interviews Eve Earley, an American living in Ireland, about her journey as a business owner and the impact of their collaboration over the years. They discuss Eve's transition to Ireland, her approach to teaching creativity through workshops, and the importance of...
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S5E11: My guiding question when I feel overwhelmed in business: 'How can I make this simple?'
In this video, I share my guiding principle for business success: keeping things simple. I discuss how simplicity can make a big difference for small business owners, especially when feeling overwhelmed or unsure of how to proceed. I provide examples of how I apply this principle in my own...
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S5E10: Going Digital with Wivi-Anne Nyberg
Ellie interviews Wivi-Anne Nyberg, a yoga teacher with over 20 years of experience. Wivi-Anne shares her journey from a high-stress corporate career to finding solace in yoga and Ayurveda, leading her to teach and empower others in their holistic living. The conversation delves into Wivi-Anne's...
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S5E9: Taking Business off Manual-mode with Mel Wiggins
It was great to bring Mel Wiggins back onto the show to discuss the evolution of Mel's business, starting from gathering creative women in 2016 to establishing a partnership called Embodied Leadership. We chat about our arework together and the significance of using systems like Asana and Acuity…
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S5E8: The Secret to Simplifying Business Operations is a Kickass CRM
Let's discuss how I streamlined my processes, automated client hand-holding, improved consistent communication, provided a clear dashboard for tracking my business, enabled lead tracking, and saved me time and headspace. Watch the video to learn more about how a CRM can transform your business.
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S5E7: 5 Sneaky Side Effects of Skipping Systems in Your Business
These 5 side effects include having a brain that always feels full, accidentally dropping the ball, miscommunication, making less money, and having no CEO time. I provide examples and explain how these side effects can impact your business.
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S5E6: Maximizing Your Impact: Why Your Business Thrives When You Focus on Your Zone of Genius
Let's discuss the importance of small businesses focusing on what they are good at and not getting caught up in administrative tasks and marketing. I explain how automating certain processes, such as client care emails and appointment scheduling, can free up time for entrepreneurs to work in…
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S5E5: Think you're too disorganized for The Simplicity Solution?
Let's address the common misconception that small business owners are too disorganized to simplify and automate their businesses. I share my personal experience and offer solutions to tackle messy file systems, overflowing inboxes, client onboarding/offboarding, creating templates, and making...
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S5E4: From Chaos to Cash: Boosting Your Bottom Line with Systems
So will sorting your systems make you more money? Imagine once you've simplified client care, marketing processes, scheduling, file management, project management and more. How much more time you have to make money? How much better boundaried you are with your clients? How much more consistently...
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S5E3: Why Now is the Time to Make Your Business Simple
What would you do with an extra five hours a week? What would you do with all that extra time? With that extra energy? With that extra space, that flexibility? What would you do if when you stepped away from your computer and you got a potential new client or a lead, or you got a new sale, or a…
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S5E2: Creative Freedom: How Systems Create Space & Flexibility
It's a really common thing I hear from small business owners where they think, “Okay, if I put up systems, put in systems, I won't be able to create the way that I want to.” People will often conflate being creative with being disorganized. The clients that I've had over the years, they’ve found...
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S5E1: CEO Who? Imposter Syndrome & Behind-the-Scenes Chaos
Is imposter syndrome creeping up because you feel like you don’t have your shit together behind the scenes? This is a sentiment that comes up a lot. I guess it's that people often feel like they're not really a business owner because their back end, their operations, the way that they do business...
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S4E10: From Inbox to Website & Back: How Email Marketing Drives Results with Minal Patel
Join host Ellie McBride in a lively YouTube live interview as she sits down with Minal Patel, the founder of Marketing by Minal, to delve into the exciting world of email marketing. Minal will share her expertise on successfully driving traffic to your email list and, more importantly, guiding…
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S4E9: Website Words: Crafting Compelling Copy with Emma Greer
Ellie sits down with Emma Greer, a talented copywriter and content writer hailing from Northern Ireland and now based in Glasgow, Scotland. Emma shared her expertise in creating captivating website copy that leaves a lasting impression. As a skilled copywriter, Emma understands the power of words...
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S4E8: Website + Podcasting: The Perfect Pair for Online Success with Amanda Sloan
We're diving into the world of podcasting and how it can supercharge your website. My guest, Amanda Sloan, is an award-winning content creator, podcast enthusiast, and multi-passionate entrepreneur from Thankful Cow Solutions. Amanda is not just a talented writer and podcast host but also the...
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S4E7: Photography for Websites: The Secrets to Stunning Visuals with Karen Flower
As a renowned brand photography expert, Karen knows the art of creating a deep connection with your target audience through visually captivating branding. Whether you're running a service-based or product-based business, having a curated collection of impactful images that align with your vision...
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S4E6: Digital Advertising Unwrapped: How It Can Help Your Website with Peter Doak
Peter and Ellie delve into the powerful fast track of paid digital advertising and how it can drive website success. Learn how to leverage digital ads for maximum impact on your website's performance. My special guest is Peter Doak of PDG Advertising, a dynamic agency that has achieved remarkable...
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S4E5: Marketing & Websites: How to Drive Traffic to Your Site with Chikumo Fiseko
Join us as I chat with the amazing Chikumo Fiseko, a multi-talented entrepreneur, marketing consultant, food stylist, blogger, and content creator. With over 11 years of experience in the industry, Chikumo specializes in food and content that captivates and engages audiences. During this...
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S4E4: Blogging: The Ultimate Game-Changer for Website Growth with Jillian Henning
Guest expert Jillian Henning and I dove into the world of blogging and website content creation, discussing how it can supercharge your website's growth. Learn valuable methods and insider tips that will make your content creation easier and more effective. Whether you're a seasoned blogger or…
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S4E3: Unleash Online Potential: Video & Websites with Chris Colton, founder of SeeSee
An epic YouTube Live session with Chris Colton, the founder of See See — a one stop shop for creative services that include Website Design, Video, Photography & Drone Services. We're diving into the game-changing power of video and websites, and how they can transform your online presence.
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S4E2: The Power of Brand Design: Its Key Role of Brand Design in Website Success with Cara Bendon
In this video, I get to talk with the incredible Cara Bendon, a branding specialist with over 14 years of experience. With a track record of helping over 60 brands create a lasting impression, Cara is passionate about empowering ambitious sustainable brands to make a significant impact. In this...
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S4E1: Choosing the Right Website Platform with Zoe McCallum
Join Ellie McBride, the Squarespace pro from Calibrated Concepts, and Zoe McCallum, the WordPress guru behind ZCM Digital, as they spill the beans on website platforms. We'll talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of different options out there. Whether you're team Squarespace or team…
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S3E10: For the Love of Templates
In this episode I talk about why I use templates for every aspect of my business and how you can use them to add ease to your workflow. I also give you the low-down on my brand new Squarespace website templates which are available to purchase now from my Template Shop. This podcast is written and...
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S3E9: Exploring your identity with Adanna Onuekwusi
In this episode I talk to Adanna Onuekwusi about how exploring your identity can transform your content. We talk about writing techniques that can help you to find your voice, and learn to bring your identity to the work you do. Adanna Onuekwusi is the founder of Invicta Writers. An educator,...
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S3E8: Ethical Sales Pages with Dani Paige
In this episode I talk to Dani Paige, a launch copywriter who specialises in upgrading sales copy. Dani is passionate about creating persnality packed, ethical sales material for your business. She tells me how you can use different sections of your sales page to greater effect, and why we should...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
How can I earn more from my business without working longer hours? How can I spend more time with my family alongside running a business? How do I set up a website? How much should I charge for my services? Do I have to be on every social media platform? How do I stop procrastinating and get more done? How can I market my business in a way that feels good?I answer all of these questions and more. Host Ellie McBride and experts guests share tips, advice and strategies to help women (female-identifying or non-binary) find ease and enjoyment in running a business.
HOSTED BY
Ellie McBride
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Capable Collective Podcast have?
The Capable Collective Podcast currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Capable Collective Podcast about?
How can I earn more from my business without working longer hours? How can I spend more time with my family alongside running a business? How do I set up a website? How much should I charge for my services? Do I have to be on every social media platform? How do I stop procrastinating and get more...
How often does The Capable Collective Podcast release new episodes?
The Capable Collective Podcast has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Capable Collective Podcast?
You can listen to The Capable Collective Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Capable Collective Podcast?
The Capable Collective Podcast is created and hosted by Ellie McBride.
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