Deb Zahn: Hi. I want to welcome you to this week's episode of the Craft of Consulting Podcasts. On this episode, we are going to talk about how to shine on social media. And in particular, how to use social media to serve your consulting business.

And I brought on an expert in this. Her name is Nika Stewart, and we're going to dive into the ins and outs of how to do social media marketing, and then we're going to hone in specifically on how to do LinkedIn Live events to help you grow your business. So, let's get started.

Well, hello. I want to welcome Nika Stewart to the show today. Nika, I'm so excited to have you on.

Nika Stewart: I'm more excited.

Deb Zahn: You win. You win. So, let's start off. Tell my listeners what you do.

Nika Stewart: I run a social media agency and a membership for entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants. And I help them show up and shine as the unique, brilliant superstars that they are. So, they can get the recognition they deserve, make a bigger impact in the world, and grow a profitable business.

Deb Zahn: All good things. All things that consultants want to do. So, that's why we're having you on is we're actually going to talk about the use of social media generally when you're trying to build your consulting business. And we're going to highlight LinkedIn Lives because that's where you saved my butt. I'll explain later how you saved me.

So, if I'm a new consultant and I'm like, "I got to go get business," how can social media actually help me? If they're thinking about it, how should they be thinking about it?

Nika Stewart: Yeah, and I'm glad they're thinking about it. Social media is one slice in your marketing pie. So, it's not the end all be all. Many people are using social media as a large slice of their marketing pie. Some people are using it as a little sliver.

But I believe it's very important because the internet is the way that we communicate, whether you like it or not. We get our news, we get our information, we search, we connect with people online. Social media started as a way to chat with your friends or share pictures with your family. And it is now how we're sharing information and gathering the news. And businesses, you have a business. You're a consultant, you are running a small business. And you need to be marketing yourself.

The cool thing, the best thing for consultants is the most effective social media marketing is personal rather than trying to be corporate and sound big, a big logo. So, you want to have your face. You want to talk and be personal and share your personality. And as a human being, it's easier to do that rather than a big corporation. So, you will as a consultant have an easier time growing a social media platform than a larger company. It sounds crazy, but you'll have an easier time connecting with people.

Deb Zahn: Yeah. Because people buy from people, and you show up. I will tell you that the photo I posted of my new tractor got more play than probably anything. So, yeah, the personal matters. Love that.

Nika Stewart: Absolutely. Yeah. And then people think, "Well, what does a tractor have to do with"... It does, it has to do with your business. Because if I don't like you as a person or feel that I know you, I'm never going to work with you. So, please share yourself.

Deb Zahn: Oh yeah. No, I have consulting clients because they know I name my tractor Lucy, who actually now when they talk to me, they're like, "Hey, how's Lucy doing?"

Nika Stewart: Exactly. And when you meet someone in person, they know you, and it's really fun because you've shared yourself. And yes, those are the people who become loyal, loving clients.

Deb Zahn: Well, that's a hundred percent true. So, let me ask this because one of the things that I always think is important when consultants are approaching doing any type of marketing, but let's say with social media, what your expectation should be. Because the expectation of, "Well, I posted. So, boom, I should start getting clients just flooding in. I did that one post," isn't realistic. So, what should their expectations be?

Nika Stewart: It's such a good question and very important to think about. Because, like you said, if you are unrealistic, you will get discouraged and likely not continue it. The truth is, it's good to know that social media is marketing. Social media is not sales. That doesn't mean it won't lead to sales. But if you think of posting on social media as a direct sales technique, you will be disappointed. Social media is not great at making direct sales, but it is great at finding your ideal clients, and then knowing to follow up and make the sale. So, the sale doesn't often happen directly on social media. It's less and less happening. Now there are paid ads, and so there might be a direct, buy a product. You typically are not going to buy consulting services from a link on social media.

So, just know that social media, without awareness of your brand, and who you are, and how you help people, no one can find you and no one can buy from you. So, marketing is building that awareness in front of the right people. So, you need marketing to start the sales process, so you don't get the sale without the marketing first. But just know that great marketing doesn't mean big sales. It means you then have a pool of people to make offers to.

Deb Zahn: That's right. And when a lot of new consultants start off, they'll tap into their networks, and they'll do things like that. And you can get really great business for a while doing that. But ultimately, that outreach has to be married with marketing, where you're getting new people to become aware of you, new people becoming interested in you. And that's what you're talking about.

Nika Stewart: Yeah. And I love that tapping into your current connections and network to offer your services, social media helps you build that. Like you said, you still want to tap into them, but now you want more and more people. I often say purple feathered peacocks. If you identify who your target is, they're purple feathered peacocks. That's who I want to target.

Well, you could find them on social media and bring them all into this beautiful pen where you keep your purple feathered peacocks. And the more you have, the more you can reach out to. So, you start with your current network. Like you said, I love that you said that social media will help build that pen, and more and more peacocks will come in for you.

Deb Zahn: I love that. And for people who aren't seeing the video of this, you have the purple hair to prove it.

Nika Stewart: I am a purple feathered target.

Deb Zahn: You are indeed. But you keep saying something that I don't want to gloss over because it's so important, as you've mentioned ideal client, you've mentioned the exact right people. You mentioned your peacock, your purple feathered peacocks. That's a part I see people skip over a lot, so they just start posting. And sometimes, I will see posts and I'm like, "I don't know who you're talking to." And it looks like every time you're talking to someone different or you're talking to everybody, in which case you're talking to no one. So, what's that step that you think is important before someone leaps onto social media to get that kind of clarity?

Nika Stewart: So, important. And it is so true. One of the biggest struggles I see... Well, there's so many challenges running our business. One of them is really deciding on your niche, on who your audience is, your target avatar. There are so many different terms that we have heard.

If you don't speak their language, like you said, if you're speaking to everyone, no one is hearing it. It's vanilla. It's not exciting to anyone. And choosing a target does not limit your ability to make more sales. It actually expands your ability because you are really speaking their language.

My group that I run is called SHINE because we want to show up and shine. And I made an acronym out of it. And N in SHINE is niche or niche. I will say it both ways.

Deb Zahn: Me too.

Nika Stewart: So, these are all the things that it's like a litmus test. If you write a post for social media, look to see if it follows SHINE. N is the niche. Are you speaking the language of your target audience? And if you don't know who that is, you need to start with that. You absolutely need to make a decision.

Deb Zahn: Yeah. And I just want to underline that and bold that, which I never do. But I want to say it's so important for everything, not just marketing. Because everything gets easier once you've decided who your buyer is, who your ideal client, whatever you want to call it. Everything gets easier after that.

Nika Stewart: Totally. The great news also is that it doesn't mean it's specific, whatever you think that is. "You mean I can only serve doctors?" No, you can decide to serve. And your description of who your niche is, who your target is, can be anything. It may not be a specific industry. Maybe it is. Or maybe it's people who are struggling with this very unique specific challenge, which may cross over industries. So, it's something specific. So, when you speak to the pain that I have, you know it because you know who your audience is, so you know their pains, and their struggles, and their wishes, and their desires, and now you're really talking to me.

Deb Zahn: That's right. And then their experience is, "That person gets me. They get me." And then reaching out to them is so much easier. So, one other thing that I've seen... OK, I'm not going to lie. I haven't just seen it. I did it. When I first started doing social media marketing, I was on almost every platform, except TikTok because I didn't think anybody needed to see me dance because I need them to respect me.

Nika Stewart: I'm sorry, I need to interrupt you because if you think that TikTok is now still about dancing, it has one, a very effective place for any industry adults, professionals. I get so much value. I buy many products and services on TikTok. So, take that out of your mind.

Deb Zahn: Absolutely. And I know that it's more than that. When I first started, I could only think of it as that, and then that made me run away. But you're right, it is so much more than that.

But I didn't think about my ideal client enough. So, I went on every single platform that existed, which felt exhausting. And some places, it was hidden, some places it wasn't. So, what do you suggest that people think about before they decide what platforms they go on?

Nika Stewart: Yes. So, great question. First, I want to say if you choose to be on five platforms, unless you have a team with an unlimited budget, you need to divide your time between five platforms. That's 20% of your time and energy and focus on each platform, for example. Or 100% of your time, energy, and focus on one platform. So, which do you think will get you better results?

So, less is better. It doesn't mean you won't eventually be on more platforms. But choosing one or two to start will give you that... Like you said, it's exhausting, and you're going to be discouraged because you don't get results if you give a tiny bit of effort.

Deb Zahn: That's right.

Nika Stewart: Give all the effort to one or two. That is more effective. Which platforms? I'm asked that all the time. And although I wish I could say, "Well, the answer is Pinterest." But what it is, and it's different for every person, every industry, every niche. And what it really is for you, so how you can decide is, I call it the intersection between where your clients are and the culture that you enjoy. So, if you have a lot of clients that are on TikTok, but you hate the culture, you just hate it, you're not going to do it and you're not going to thrive.

So, pick a platform that you enjoy. Twitter has changed over the last few years. Years ago it was like, if you like quick little snippets, and I always like that. Like a cocktail party. Let me chat, let me chat, let me chat. So, I happen to love it. Over the years it's changed, and it's not my favorite anymore. But whatever culture of the platform that you love, if your clients spend time on that platform, that's the one to start on.

Deb Zahn: Yeah. And again, emphasizing that you won't know which platforms to pick if you haven't done the step that you said previous to that, which is figure out who your clients are and who it is you're most trying to serve. But I was on all of them. And there's different reasons that I chose not to be on some of them.

The only social media I do is I do stuff for this business, which is all on LinkedIn because that's where my folks are then. But I try not to be stuffy. Even though I find LinkedIn can get a little stuffy, I still try to be me. And then Facebook to find homes for cats, and that's it. Because Instagram didn't find homes for cats. LinkedIn's not going to find homes for cats. Facebook's going to find homes for cats. So, that's the only reason I go on Facebook is that's where I find homes. LinkedIn is where I find business.

Nika Stewart: Great. And you have gotten comfortable with it, and you know your clients are there. I also think we should remember that we can be ourselves, like you said. And also, think counterintuitively. Sometimes for me and my clients on LinkedIn, the lighter, fluffier topics do very well. Because even though LinkedIn doesn't seem to have that culture, it is becoming a little more casual. So, they may stand out because they're doing something more humorous, where LinkedIn is used to more stuffy professionals. So, just to have an open mind when you look around at the platforms.

Deb Zahn: Yeah, yeah. So, your acronym is SHINE. That's the other point is that you can shine, including on a platform where other folks are maybe picking more of a dull gray.

Nika Stewart: Exactly. Exactly.

Deb Zahn: Love it.

Nika Stewart: And I think people often say, "If you are yourself, you have no competition." And that's a nice phrase and it's inspirational, but what does that really mean when you're posting on social media? So, just a quick thought, you probably would need time to think more about this. And I assume, Deb, you work on this with your clients. The S in the acronym stands for spin. And what I call your spin is your take on things. So, your overall view on life and business.

So, I have a whole program where we figure out your spin. It's your personal brand messages. And once you have those messages, it's not one thing like a tagline, it's because we are multifaceted. So, it's all about us and our viewpoints in life. And once you're clear on that, if you tie your messages or one message to anything you put out... So, I want to put something out about a cat. What the heck does that have to do with running a social media agency and helping people with videos? I take one of my spins, which is, let's say one of my messages is that you need to feel a connection with human beings. You need to be human, even in business.

Well, I could talk about that. I could talk about that when I talk about my cat. I could say, "Isn't it awesome that we get to share our personalities online and still be ourselves and connect with clients?" So, now, it doesn't seem weird that Nika is sharing a picture of a cat when that's not her business.

And then there is no competition. Because when you talk about anything, in the news, what's going on in the world, in your business, when you put your spin on it, you stand out.

Deb Zahn: I agree. And if my brother's listening to this, see, I told you. He hates it that I mention cats on any of my podcasts. He's like, "Why are you talking about that?" He's not an animal person.

Nika Stewart: OK. He's probably not your ideal audience for it.

Deb Zahn: He's not. I adore him. I love him. He's not my ideal audience. So, I love that. For this business, part of my spin is I think consulting is all about service, and doing good in the world, and making the world a better place. Not everybody who does what I do thinks that, or believes that, or embodies that. I do. And if people don't like it, I'm OK with it. But the people who do it tend to love it.

Nika Stewart: Exactly. And those are the people that you cannot wait to work with and can't wait to work with you. And then business becomes a little easier and more fun.

Deb Zahn: Yeah. It does. And then you get to feel all the warms and fuzzies that go with it. So, there's two issues I see when consultants are approaching social media. Let's say they've figured out who their ideal client is. They figured out what platform they should be on. Starting is always hard, taking the actual leap. And then consistency once the leap is actually taken. So, what kind of advice would you give for consultants to solve those two problems, or get unstuck?

Nika Stewart: Yeah. I have found that part of that common challenge is that there's so much available and so many options. And we know we should be doing this, and we can do it in many ways. And there's so many tools to help us do it.

So, all of that is overwhelming and often causes decision paralysis, perfection paralysis. I don't know how to do it perfectly or I don't know which tool to help me. And we don't consciously choose to do nothing, but we end up doing nothing and not getting started because there's too much to choose, and there's a blank screen in front of us. So, how do we even get started?

What has helped me and all the entrepreneurs that I've worked with over the years, one of the things that has helped us is having a system, or template, or checklist. It's kind of like finding a proven process for doing it. Not to follow the letter because then everyone is just copying each other. But a process that we make our own.

So, if you know that a social media post involves these three things, now I go and put these three things in it. And it's totally personal to me. But I have a formula, so I'm not just confused and blank. That helps me every day. I've been in business... I can't really admit it because I look so young, you would never believe-

Deb Zahn: I know, right?

Nika Stewart: But in all the decades I've been in business, I still will have days where I just go, "What the heck?" My morning just feels, how do I get started? And I will often pull out, I have Daily Diamonds. It's a checklist of marketing tools of things that I should do every morning. And sometimes, I just need that checklist to get me going. So, when you have that kind of formula or proven process, it really helps you take the first step.

The second thing is to remind you that good enough is perfect. In fact, I remember hearing years ago, "Good enough is good enough," and that really helped me. But I've realized that good enough is not good enough. Good enough is actually perfect. If we wait for perfection, we will never do anything. And you can improve once you get started.

The third thing I want to say about getting started is you are already ready. So, if you're waiting to be ready, the only way to be ready is to do it not ready. And then you will feel more ready.

Deb Zahn: Yep. Yeah, that's what people said about starting a podcast too. And they were right, that's hundred percent true. So, how did they tackle consistency, or enough consistency that actually gets them results?

Nika Stewart: So, the two things that I have learned... Well, there's three things, and they don't all work for everybody. But one thing that a lot of people love is a content calendar. I have to admit, I hate the content calendar. And as a social media teacher and professional, I used to be afraid to admit. People would say, "You're going to create a content calendar for me?" OK, I will do that for you. I don't do it for myself. I don't follow a calendar.

I do have guidelines that I like to follow because it makes it easier to create, and pre-schedule, and feel like I've gotten things done so I don't worry every day. Things are ready to go because I have kind of a guideline schedule. It's totally flexible for me because I like going, "I just saw a bird fly by and it reminded me of this," and I want to write a post.

But with a content calendar, if that works for you, if something doesn't come up spontaneously, you don't have to worry because you have everything. If not pre-scheduled, at least you can look at your calendar and say, "This week we're talking about this topic. And here are three parts of my spin that I want to share with that topic." And now you know what kind of post to put out. So, a content calendar is very helpful for some people.

Pre-scheduling and batching content is often helpful because we're not always in every moment feeling motivated to get this thing done. Write a social media post, create a video, go live. But there are moments where we have sparks of motivation. During those times, my suggestion is to not just write a post, but write 10 posts. Write whatever you can get to. And then the next time you're not motivated, you have something that you've already created for yourself.

And the third thing that I find for me personally is the most effective in keeping me consistent, and motivated, and inspired when I don't feel motivated and inspired is having a support group. Whatever it may be. An accountability partner, or join a mastermind group, or hire a coach. It's kind of like other people's jobs to keep you accountable.

When you have a job, you are held accountable. When you are an entrepreneur, you never have to do anything, ever. So, we need to find ways to hold ourselves accountable. And for me, being a part of a mastermind group of other people where we meet consistently, and we create our action plan, and then we hold each other accountable. "I'm having trouble with this. Can you help me?" It's going to get done.

Deb Zahn: Or somebody's checking. So, I now have an exercise coach, and it's part of an app. And it's an exercise coach for every workout, I have to check in afterwards. And she can see. It's connected to my iWatch. She can see exactly what I did and didn't do, so I can't fake it. I am telling you, I have not ever worked out so consistently as I have when I got that system and support in place. And it works the same way with business stuff.

Nika Stewart: Absolutely. It's like a game. You don't have a boss anymore to make sure you did the project. So, we need to create that feeling of a boss checking in on us. And it can be fun. Make it a game, like an app, check in. Ding. "I have to do my exercise. I have to write my social media post." So, make it a game, and allow others to help you hold you accountable too.

Deb Zahn: Yeah, it makes life easier. So, let's dig a little bit into LinkedIn Live. So, this is where I'm going to tell people how you saved my butt. So, I met you because I was on someone else's LinkedIn Live. And it was a wonderful guy, and you were his producer for his LinkedIn Live, and I met you and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this was the smoothest live event that I've ever been on. And then I was going to do a LinkedIn Live and we could not figure out the technology. And bless your heart, LinkedIn, you don't make it easy.

And the level of stress, my eye was twitching. I was referring to myself in the third person. I mean, all the triggers of stress were there. And I'm like, "Wait a minute. I know someone who's really good at this." And you were so gracious to step in and to help me. It's not just smooth and works well. And I know this is just one of the things that you do. But it's also so thoughtful in terms of how to curate a fantastic experience for the people who are on the other side of it. You know this better than anybody I've seen, and I just got to give you those kudos.

Nika Stewart: Well, I appreciate that. And I'm so glad that you felt comfortable. I love how you described it, a curated experience for people watching. Because you could pick up your phone and go live, and that's fine. And once in a while, that does work. But for a professional presentation you want to give, obviously with someone there producing it, you can feel more comfortable to just focus on what you do best.

Deb Zahn: That's right. And I was able to do that, and it has worked wonders. So, I got to give you love for that. So, LinkedIn Lives are obviously one choice among many that people can make. When do you think a consultant should consider doing that as part of their bucket of activities?

Nika Stewart: Today.

Deb Zahn: I love that.

Nika Stewart: So, it's part of social media. Having a live show once a month, once a week, once a quarter, the more often you do it, the more people start to expect it. Like having a show, you might watch a show once a week if it comes every other week. Or once a month, you might forget that it's on.

But even once a month is amazing because it helps you grow your credibility. People can connect with you. When I think about... Social media started with text, and people found ways to tell their story, and text to get people to like them and to get to know them. Then pictures. Visual came about, and that was even better. Now we can see the person we're talking to. Then a video came out, and now it's like I now can hear their voice and see them move.

Live streaming is a step above that because during the live, it can't be edited. It is, you are who you are. So, I am now seeing authentically the real you. And it is one of the fastest ways to connect with people and have them feel like you're credible, the people want more from you, they know the real you. Those are the people who work with you. So, it is one of the fastest ways to connect with your ideal audience.

So, if you are a consultant, even a new consultant, you're not going to go live without preparing, obviously. So, maybe it isn't today. But I don't see why you wouldn't decide that this will be part of your marketing pie, going live, having a live show. It's similar to doing a webinar, doing a masterclass, a training. It really is all the same thing if you're doing it live.

And then have a plan and a strategy. So, who is your audience? What are the topics they would be interested in? What is your objective for yourself? What do you want to lead people to? What is the call to action at the end? Put that all together and you can easily... Now, one of my favorite things to do, and you mentioned Deb, that it felt overwhelming and complicated. I love to make the seemingly complicated, simple. So, just know that going live does not have to be complicated. When we do it, you and I Deb, we're doing a little more of a professional studio kind of feel. But that isn't necessary. But even if you want that, there are apps that make it simple, and you can do it yourself. But having support does make it easier.

Deb Zahn: It does, yeah. And I was so proud of myself. With your help of course, I did one by myself once. Just because I was going to do a little. I was going to pop on and talk about one particular topic. And it got easier because I knew how to do it because you had taught us so well.

So, what I've used it for, as folks may know who listened to this, is I will do a training masterclass, something like that, where I'm delivering a lot of value. Which I always encourage folks to do, show people the generosity and demonstrate your expertise in how you can help them. And then at the end of it, there's a call to action. There's a specific offer. And with your help, it's been tremendously successful.

And it helps me get in front of the folks that I most want to work with. And they get to kick the tires. So, I say things that are me like, "I want to help do-gooders do well," which is kind of my thing. People hear that and they're like, "I'm a do-gooder. I want to do well. Let me see what this is about." Yeah. So, it's a powerful, powerful tool, I think. I'm so glad I've added it.

Nika Stewart: Yeah. And it is a little scary for some people. And good enough is perfect. And the only way to be ready to go live is to do it, not ready.

Deb Zahn: That's right. And I know a lot of times when people first do them, they don't get 200, 300 people who are attending. And so it feels like it's a failure, but it's not. So, what should their expectations be when they're first starting out?

Nika Stewart: Well, there are certainly ways to increase your audience live. And a lot of it has to do with remembering to remind people. You pre-schedule it, you tell people to put it on their calendar. You have them RSVP, you remind them to show up.

However, live streams over the years have gotten less and less audience for a few reasons. Number one, it's not the newest feature on apps anymore. So, apps tend to prioritize the newest features. So, it's not being sent out to as many people when you go live. And we're so busy. So, we may not have the time right now to watch, but we plan on watching at least some of it later. So, understand that even if no one shows up live, it is saved on LinkedIn as a recording. So, now it is as if you uploaded a video, and anyone can watch it.

So, even if no one showed up, you are supposed to be there acting like you are delivering this to 100 people because you will. Because when you share it afterwards, you can get 100 people to watch it. So, you're recording an amazing presentation.

I know a colleague of mine had one person. Is it one? I think actually one person showed up, or no one showed up on a whole video, and he acted as if he was delivering it to a lot of people. He was discouraged and then said, "No, I'm supposed to do this." And later in the day, someone watched the replay and said, "This is exactly what I needed to see," and purchased a $10,000 package of his. He said, "I will never again be discouraged by not having people on my live stream." The recording, the replay is as valuable. Usually more valuable because that's when people watch it. So, just go do it anyway.

Deb Zahn: That's right. And you can repurpose it. So, I actually have put mine on YouTube, and so I will get even more people watching it. And you can slice and dice it into social media posts.

Nika Stewart: Absolutely. That's such a good point. So, not just you did it live. Now you shared the replay. You put it on other platforms. You slice it up and make lots of social media posts. You can send it out in emails. You can have content for months and months. Really, really valuable to do live streams.

Deb Zahn: Yeah, yeah. Totally agree with that. So, you obviously do so many good things to help people with this. Where can folks find you?

Nika Stewart: One of the places that I tell people to go is I have a free Facebook group. If you're on Facebook, come join us. It's called Grow Your Social with Nika. And it's a free group. I share tips three, four, five times a week. Videos, trainings, live streams. So, it will help. You can ask questions. I'm there chatting with people. There are other people you can network with, and that's a really good place to start. It's no risk. Come join us and see what you think.

Deb Zahn: That's wonderful. And of course, you are on other platforms as well. So, we will have a link to all of that in the show notes so people can find you. So, let me ask you this last question. Because in this process of us working together, I've actually learned other things about you that were very impressive. But how do you bring balance to your life, however you define that?

Nika Stewart: Yes. I love that question. As a mom entrepreneur, my daughter just turned 17. And it's easier now, although now we're going through fun college stuff. But especially in the beginning with a baby and a toddler, the balance of life, family, entrepreneurship, running a business was difficult. And I learned that there's very little actual balance. You're trying to balance the scale, and it's rarely balanced.

But I discovered that at any moment, I have a priority, and it changes all the time. Today, this afternoon, my priority is going to be spending time with my daughter because she needs to choose a college, and we need to have a heart-to-heart conversation. Nothing else matters. Well, not nothing else, but that's why priority. So, I don't have to feel guilty not doing work because I'm focusing on my priorities.

Then there were times where I had to say to my family, "I'm going to be out today. You cannot contact me. I have a program I'm launching. Please don't bother." And I don't want to feel guilty because tomorrow my priority is my family. And not that I won't see my family, but you focus on priorities. And then it feels like balance, even though sometimes it's like this, sometimes one goes up, the other goes down, and vice versa.

And then what has happened for me is I don't have work-life balance. I have work-life integration. So, I can go from chatting with you on a podcast, to jumping up and doing laundry, and then coming... And some people say, "No, that means you don't have boundaries." Well, this works for me. I get everything done that I want to get done in the time that I want to get it done because I'm not following someone else's rules. And it works for me, but I'm focusing on what works for me.

Deb Zahn: I love it. Now, can we mention that you're a rock and roll star?

Nika Stewart: A star?

Deb Zahn: I know. I love everything you just said, and I'm super impressed that you're a rock and roller.

Nika Stewart: I do enjoy screaming and angry rock tunes. I thought that your final question would be, "How many cats do you want?"

Deb Zahn: Well no. If anybody ever wants me to ask that question, yes indeed. How many can I sign you up for?

Nika Stewart: Yeah. My daughter will be going to college soon, so won't be around to help convince my husband. We have one and he's happy with one. So, as of right now... I don't want to say when my husband leaves because I don't want him to leave. But, when I convince him, we'll take a few more.

Deb Zahn: Yeah, I had a podcast guest on once who we had to delay it for some reason. And then when she got on, she's like, "I just adopted two kittens, so you might hear in the background." I'm like, "No, I have two kittens. I could have driven them to you." My husband's always like, "Missed opportunity."

Nika Stewart: Which is why you need to market more on social media. Tell everyone all the time.

Deb Zahn: So, no, I will. So, I'm about to finalize the process of having a nonprofit Remedios Cat Rescue, named after the surrealist artist Remedios Varo. So, yes, you will see me more on social.

Nika Stewart: So, excited.

Deb Zahn: Doing that, that's how I bring balances. I also say, "Hey, why not start a nonprofit?" But Nika, you are wonderful, amazing. I want to thank you publicly for everything that you've done for me. And I encourage everybody to go over to Facebook and join your membership because the whole way you describe things today, and I know the way you do things just makes it clearer and more focused, so it doesn't feel like random acts of marketing.

Nika Stewart: Good. Yeah. Because haphazard won't work, so be deliberate.

Deb Zahn: Love it. Love it. Thank you so much.

Nika Stewart: Thank you.

Deb Zahn: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Craft of Consulting podcast. I want to ask you to do actually three things. If you enjoyed this episode or you've enjoyed any of my other ones, hit subscribe. I got a lot of other great guests that are coming up in a lot of other great content, and I don't want you to miss anything.

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