Why Story = Sales w/ Megan Yelaney
Story is THE thing that gives you content that leads to conversations vs conversions.
(Read that again)
It’s such an ego boost to be called “inspirational”—but inspiration does not pay the bills, weirdly.
Sharing your story, building instant trust, & establishing your expertise quickly—that’s what generates leads!
And that’s what leads to sales, my friend!
For this hugely impactful topic, Meg Yelaney is baaaaack! (She previously joined us for a conversation about business pivots & identity shifts.)
Take us for a walk or pop us in those AirPods while you’re making dinner. This is the conversation about storytelling, authenticity, & content creation that you didn’t even know you needed.
Topics covered in this podcast episode:
How to even begin to figure out your business origin story
How AI is impacting storytelling especially for personal brands in 2025
The difference between telling a story that gets "you're so inspiring" vs "I need to hire you"
How to be vulnerable—intentionally—in your content & storytelling
Why defining AND marketing your distinctive edge is essential for success in 2025
What to do if you feel like your story isn't "dramatic" or "big" enough
How to structure an insanely powerful origin story
Meet: Megan Yelaney
Megan Yelaney is a business strategist who’s helped over 1,000 coaches stand out online and sell out their offers by developing a magnetic brand rooted in what makes them distinctively different. Through her Distinctive Edge Framework, she's helped clients go from overlooked to fully booked (the corny rhyme is intended AND on brand) and even hit million-dollar years—without chasing trends or burning out.
Mentioned Resources:
Define Your Edge To Attract Clients on Repeat 3-Day Free Workshop goes from June 2-4 at 12:30PM EST daily with replays avail! It's a 3-day series to clarify your brands message and make selling simple again!
Related Episodes:
Business Pivots & Identity Shifts w/ Meg Yelaney
Connect w/ Meg:
Connect w/ Brittany:
This episode of The Basic B podcast is brought to you in partnership w/ Leah Bryant Co.! Help me reach more service providers like you by following the show & leaving a rating or review on Apple & Spotify!
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of The Basic B podcast follows
Hello and welcome back to the Basic Bee podcast. I have one of my favorite humans back on the podcast with us. She's back. I will link the last episode where we were talking about business pivots and identity shifts, but we have the one and only Meg Yelaney and we are going to be talking about this time why story equals sales.
Megan Yelaney: Yay.
Brittany Herzberg: So before I bring Meg on for the conversation, here is a little bit about her. Megan Yelaney is a business strategist who's helped over a thousand coaches stand out online and sell their offers by developing a magnetic brand rooted in what makes them distinctively different. Through her Distinctive Edge framework, she's helped clients go from overlooked to fully booked. The corny rhyme is intended and on brand and even hit million dollar years without chasing trends or branding out. Meg. Hello, my friend.
Megan Yelaney: Hi. I love it. I'm so excited. It's so weird to listen to yourself like your bio sometimes. It's like we've done some cool stuff. That's great. You know, it's a little confidence.
Brittany Herzberg: I've joked before that I think it's the reason that my downloads have increased.
Megan Yelaney: People are listening to their own stuff over and over again.
Brittany Herzberg: Like, why not? Might as well.
Megan Yelaney: Oh my gosh, I love it. And it's funny. I thought you said wink instead of link the episode. And I was like, oh, we're winking.
Brittany Herzberg: Okay, we can wink and wink. I have called myself a wink happy human before, so, you know, I love it.
Megan Yelaney: Oh my gosh, I'm so pumped to be here.
Brittany Herzberg: I know. I'm so happy to have you back. So to set the stage a little bit, you have this incredible program called the Distinctive Edge and you've been helping me with things. We talked about that. I'll make sure that episode is linked as well. Cause we were on your podcast talking about that and how it's changed my life, my business. But what have you been up to since the last time you were on here? Which I think was like last fall.
Megan Yelaney: Yes, I think so. 2024.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah.
Megan Yelaney: Okay. Okay. So not crazy. I was like, did I have babies yet? I don't know. Cause that was crazy. Crazy time in my life, actually. Yes, I'm remembering that episode. So, you know what's interesting is I think on that episode I might have talked naturally about like, business remodels and having the boys and how much that changed me and all that. And it's funny to even think back since then. I feel like I didn't get my clarity on what my distinctive Edge Is even though I've known it very inceptiony until about 10 months postpartum, and I didn't really start implementing it until the end of the year. So even though I thought I was, like, kind of getting my mojo back and just putting myself out there and going, okay, you're ready to take on clients again. You're coming back after maternity, and you don't want to do what you did. So you like helping people remodel. So that's it. That's your thing. And sure, that's part of it. But I realized that wasn't, like, the deep thing. I think it was just the easy thing to pull from. And I was like, oh, this feels easy right now and I need it easy. And I had, like, a dark night of the soul. I had a long season of that. And something finally hit where I realized, you have been doing this for years. You've been helping people find what is unique about them and in a way that's marketable and viable and really helps them stand out. So it's not just something random, but it's something that people are like, I need that. That's the person I need. That's the process I need. That's why you stand out. And that's something I've been doing for years with clients. I just never claimed it this fiercely.
Brittany Herzberg: I guess, if you will.
Megan Yelaney: Because I think, like, a lot of people listening probably, we think we have to be all things to all people, and we think we have to be the best marketing expert. If you're a business coach, sales expert, social media expert, all these things. And you don't. You don't need to be good at everything. And I'm decent at a lot of these things. And I'm really an expert at this, at the branding, at helping you really take your message, take your story, take your framework and put it into cohesive. Like, this is who I am and why you should hire me over everyone else. Right. And so I just doubled down on it and I had two cohorts. You were in this second one, which has been so incredible, sold behind the scenes. We're going into a public launch soon. And it's just been. I don't want to say it hasn't been effortless, because business is not effortless, but it's just felt, like, easy in the sense that this is what I'm supposed to do. And it feels really nice having that, like, ah, purpose solidified. Because postpartum I was a hot mess and, like, I don't know what I want to do anymore, which is very common postpartum. I don't really know anyone who doesn't experience that. So it's just been a very nice, like, oh, my gosh, this feels so good to think about where I was a year ago. So that's kind of where we're at now.
Brittany Herzberg: I love it. No, it's been really cool to watch everything kind of evolve for you, because when you landed on this, I was like, oh, yeah. It's really funny when that happens, where it's like, the thing magically appears, and then it's like, duh.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: So I think that's how you know you've landed on the right thing.
Megan Yelaney: Yes. I'm so glad you said that. Cause I think, again, a lot of people are like, oh, my gosh. My distinctive edge, it feels so big, and it's like, you actually have it. You have a process, you have a story. You have all of it. We just help extract it and put it out in a way that's like, oh, I get it. I need that person. So everyone has one. They just haven't necessarily uncovered it or they've been, like, hiding it for some reason.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah. Which was definitely a big thing for me coming in with that. I'm like, okay, I have a story. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the heck it is. And so I was just like, here's my massive brain dump, Meg. Figure it out.
Megan Yelaney: I was like, great. Challenge accepted.
Brittany Herzberg: And he did such a great job. And then again, when you were like, this is a thing, I was like, oh, yeah, duh. Duh.
Megan Yelaney: That's the thing. I think, you know, we were saying this when you came on my podcast. When people like yourself, which a lot of people listening probably fall into this camp, feel like a little multi passionate. Right. Like, you're great at many things, and you have lived a lot of lives. You're like, I've had so many different career paths and journeys, and I don't know which I should mention or which are kind of like, that doesn't really relate. And it can be really hard to, like, pick that avenue. And that's really. I feel like what we nailed in on is, like, what is your client experiencing now? And how will this piece of your story relate to them? Because if it doesn't, we can just keep it out for now and add it back in just for fun, even sharing, like, your life.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah. Or even, like you said, like, you can have the different angles. You can highlight them in different pieces of content or on different interviews. Or something like that. I joke because I have done copywriting, and I always had, like, a cutting room floor, so there was always, like, quote unquote junk pieces where I'm like, I just can't figure out how to put this into the puzzle. But, like, we can use it some other point. So it's almost like having that now I have that massive brain dump, and I can go, oh, yeah. I could talk about being a barista at Starbucks. Oh, yeah. I could talk about, like, nannying and pet sitting.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: And weave it in. And I totally can. But, like, the core of the story is much more focused now, which I wanted and I knew I needed. And now that I have it, I'm like, here's my story all over the place. It's like confetti.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. I love it. Oh, I'm so excited and so proud of you for just taking such action so quickly.
Brittany Herzberg: I mean, thanks. You made it easy. Like, truly, just having the brain dump and being like, figure this out for me was, like, magical.
Megan Yelaney: It's helpful when you have, like, a process to follow and someone to be like, okay, great. Now here's where we cut. Here's where we add. And we've just done it a lot. So funny. I'm sure you get this a lot with what you do. People be like, oh, my gosh, you're so good at this. I'm like, I've been doing it for so long, so I better be like. It'd be really sad if I wasn't. Honestly. Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: Okay, so we're in 2025, and I know that selling and marketing in general is shifting a good bit, or how are you seeing it play out?
Megan Yelaney: Oh, my gosh. It is so different. It's wild, and I think it's funny. I was talking to another friend who had a baby last year. She just had one underachiever. And we were joking that we timed it so perfectly, because postpartum, honest, for me, it was like, almost a year of what's happening. Right. I was saying I didn't get that clarity for 10 months, even though I thought it would happen after maternity leave, after two months didn't. And it was also the year that a lot happened. So it was just a tough year for so many people. Lots changed. AI went wild last year, and that's changed the landscape a ton of. And so I was like, wow, this is a good year to have babies. Cause I was gonna chill anyway, and everyone's, like, freaking out over here. So I kind of had, like, an advantage in many ways because I intentionally was taking time off and then I needed to take more time off just for myself and the boys and just what do I wanna do? So I observed a ton and it's really cool to be in that position. I was like, this is fun. And just watching how people are using AI, watching how people are showing up, not showing up. A lot of people quit last year. Like there was just so much going on. And what I noticed is because of the rise of AI, it's, it's definitely a huge reason. That's why I want to mention it. People are losing themselves in their marketing.
Brittany Herzberg: Yes.
Megan Yelaney: And it's funny, I was working with a client doing one on one. We just ended. And she's a very good friend of mine and we've worked together many times and so much of the time we work together. A lot of what I was noticing, I'm like, you're such an expert at what you do. You're so good.
Brittany Herzberg: I.
Megan Yelaney: But all your content is like educating. Even when it was quote unquote story, it was still like so education heavy. And I was like, we need to share you, we need to bring you back in your business. And that was like the biggest transformation is we realized everything that she was putting out there was talking to her at ideal clients, pain points, talking to their desires. Of course we have to do that. But that was it. It was like leaving her completely out. I'm like, wait, you sound like everyone else out there. Right? Like, and of course we had some of her personality and stuff in the copy, but it still was like missing that. But who are you behind the scenes? I really want to know who the person is. Especially if you're a coach or even if you're a service provider, but especially if you're coaching and someone is going to be working with you at a high touch point. Right. They have to have that trust build. And nothing builds trust like story and AI can't copy your story. Like someone else can't make your story of it's yours. So I think there's this rise in a personal brand. No matter if you're a service provider or if you're a coach, it doesn't matter whether you like are the face of your brand all the time or not. They want to know who the human is. So personal branding is huge right now and authenticity is in. It's cool. Which is great. And I'm going to say intentional vulnerability and we can dive into that a little bit. But definitely is why are you doing what you do and how has it impacted all of your clients? So that's storytelling and, and time and time again. I mean I've had so many people in the last like two weeks especially, it's been wild. Will send me their story and be like, oh my gosh, this is popping off. Oh my gosh. I just got these client inquiries from this story. I'm not doing any educational content anymore. You know, and I'm like, you can educate through story. And it's not saying educational content's not dead. It's just the way we tell it is slightly different. The whole three steps to. And all these things. It just doesn't work like it used to because people are tired of it, they're bored. And there's a lot of that out there that is from AI and they're like, I can tell. So when you take a chance and get a little vulnerable and start sharing parts of you and why you're doing what you're doing, that's when people stop and that's when they notice.
Brittany Herzberg: I'm even seeing e commerce brands where they're leaning into the personal branding and the storytelling and having that come to life through a single person in the company or even like shoppers, customers, buyers, where it's like they're featuring people.
Megan Yelaney: Yes.
Brittany Herzberg: And they're showing those stories.
Megan Yelaney: That's huge.
Brittany Herzberg: It's very huge. Like that's just to say it's going across all types of industries, I think.
Megan Yelaney: Because it also shows your values. Like I want to buy from a company, an E commerce brand that I know I share similar values with, you know, and if I don't, I'm not going to buy from them. And I try to buy women owned. You know, I try to buy women of color owned a lot of the times. Like there's just certain things that I'm like, okay, if I know the person behind and I can support that, it can line up with what you care about. It's funny, I had a client in the first round of tde. She helps like mission driven organizations, a lot of nonprofits. Yeah. And not that she wasn't sharing her story, but she is so passionate about helping them. And a lot of military based ones because she came from military family and she lived overseas and like she had so many personal attachments to these companies and I'm like, we need to tell them that, like share that. And that plus her process, her framework. She ended up booking out all her contracts, sending her biggest proposals yet. It wasn't like we didn't change a ton. We just Highlighted what she was already doing in a way that they were like, oh, my God, this makes so much sense. No one's ever presented it like this. It's so clear how you're going to help us. I think that's the key here, is, like, within your short story, you do share your process. It helps people go, oh, my gosh, I can see what's been missing. And this person gets me because they've been through it. I see them now as an expert and as someone I can relate to, which you have to have both. If you just have the relatability you're going to get, you're so inspiring, and no one's going to sign up. And that's very, like, annoying. Right?
Brittany Herzberg: And that's more where I was.
Megan Yelaney: I used to hate those messages. I'd be like, oh, thank you. Can you pay me now? Right?
Brittany Herzberg: I'm like, great. Do you want to sign up for the thing?
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. Right. So it takes you from you're so inspiring to. You're so inspiring, and I need to work with you.
Brittany Herzberg: I think that having that connection is really big, and I think that people maybe we're getting the connection, but I think it's really something that people are craving. And I'm even thinking back to, like, I think it was last week I went with my friend. She lives basically on one side of Connecticut. I live on the other side. And we've gone to, like, her side of Connecticut. And I'm like, do you want to come see the other half? And she's, like, born and raised here. So we were going around, and when I was thinking about the places that I wanted to take her, I was like, oh, we can go to this coffee shop. Like, it's a cute little family, owns it. And I've been wanting to go try it. It's like, we can go there. And then there was a cafe that I wanted to go to that I had been to, and I was like, it's so cute. It's like this little couple that owns it. So I was like, we have to go to these things. And each time, like, we were getting closer to the places. I was, like, telling her the story. I'm like, this is how they started. And this is, like, some of the stuff that they've done. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, story is in everything.
Megan Yelaney: Mm. I love it. And I mean, anyone who loves books or TV or movies, I like all of the above.
Brittany Herzberg: Yes.
Megan Yelaney: You're following story. That's what it is. You know, that's why you're hooked in and you want to keep following along. It's not just a list of facts. And I think that's where people mess up storytelling sometimes. They just kind of list the facts.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah.
Megan Yelaney: But they don't put the emotion in there. Like, how did you actually feel? What was the reason you had to start this business?
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah. And you were even hinting at it a little bit. So I would love to talk more about, like, the intentional vulnerability, because even with my story, I was like, I do have, like, the breakdown, crying in a ball on my bed moment. But I'm like, do I need to highlight that? Does it tie in? Does every story have to have, like, that? So I know you have, like, thoughts on that. So share with us for sure.
Megan Yelaney: Oh, my gosh. Yes. So it's funny with vulnerability, like, again, not that I've been doing it since before it was cool, but I feel like I've always just naturally shared that, like, that's what my brand's been kind of built upon. And I. I share a lot of my life. I definitely keep many things private, but I do share a ton of my life. And you don't need to share all of that. Right? I probably share most than a lot of other people feel comfortable. It's just who I am. And I tend to share after something has been processed. So. Great example. My husband and I, we separated for six months in 2020. I mean, not. No one knew. Like, my closest friends and family knew and, like, maybe one or two clients. And I think people maybe thought something was happening, but it was not announced we got back together, and I didn't share that story until April of the following year. So, like, a year after, basically, we got back together a little less than a year. And I said, honey, I feel like I want to share our story. It's a very rare thing that a married couple separates and gets back together. In fact, it's like an 87%. And that might have gone up since I've last checked that stat, that separate divorce. And my relationship coach at the time, she was like, the only reason I encouraged this is I was pretty sure you guys were solid and you had the foundation. You just needed the time apart. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have recommended it because it is not likely. So, anyway, long story short, he was like, yeah, let's do it if it's going to help people. After I'd processed, after, I could go, how does this relate to the business? How can I share, like, the parts of the business that did Impact it and just inspire other people right now. It did go viral, and I got a lot of followers that weren't right for my page, so I learned a lesson there as well. So big lesson. Don't share just to share. That being said, it literally sparked a whole new brand. I have now a new brand that has a ton of followers, and I get to share my motherhood journey. And it's just my passion project, and I love it. So that really started a lot for me. But I think one of the biggest things with sharing the story was I didn't share it till I, like, processed it. And I think what people do sometimes with vulnerability is they share so in the moment that they're crying on camera. And there's nothing wrong with crying on camera, but I'm not a fan. I'm personally not a fan. If you have done it, no judgment. I've had good friends do it, and I'm like, to each his own. It's just not my thing. And I cry a lot, so I definitely cried. I just do it behind the scenes. I think the reason is there's this fine line between, like, being yourself, of course, and being a professional. And when I see professional, it's just like, people know they can rely on you. And if they're like, oh, I don't want to, like, rock the boat if you know stuff is going on. It's like, you want to be vulnerable and you want to still present, hey, I'm good, though. I can still take clients. Unless you can't. Then you should probably just not be on social media for a bit. You know, the intentionality of it is like, more sharing the reflection and the lesson. And then you're honest about, hey, this is how I was feeling, and here's how I worked through it, and now here's how I help my clients with it or how it has affected how I approach things. Then it comes from, like, that expert opinion versus, like, feel bad for me in the moment. And you might not want to hire me because I feel like I look overwhelmed. Does that make sense?
Brittany Herzberg: Totally. And even, like, I remember you even talking through, like, how you created the story and, like, when you shared it and wanting to share it. I think the saying is something like, sharing from the scar and not from the wound.
Megan Yelaney: Yes, exactly. That's perfect.
Brittany Herzberg: Which is huge. Yeah. So I'm even remembering, like, me sharing my story A couple weeks ago, I was like, oh, I have this picture that I took from a video where I was like, I don't know why I Even recorded the video. But I was singing in the car. It was when I was in Vermont, like when I had the big dramatic thing and I was like singing. And then the next thing I know, I'm like bawling my eyes out. And so I was like, I'm saving this video just for me. And then I guess I took a picture maybe like a couple years later, like a screenshot from that video. And so it was just like, you could tell that I was like, choked up. But I'm happy I have that because it was helpful to portray something. Yes, but I'm so not like a I'm gonna film myself crying intentionally kind of person. Something just feels a little interesting about that.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. It's funny because when I started my new brand, I follow a lot of twin mom vloggers. And I'm like, okay, I want to like, do this. I'm going to study them and see what they do. And I'm like, it's a full time job. And it's why I haven't kept it up as much as I'd like to, because it's. When I started back with clients very heavily in January, I was like, I had a lot of time. That's why I was able to do that. Oh, my gosh. So. But one of the biggest things is like, they're constantly recording themselves all the time, 24 7. And I don't think that's the path necessarily for me. I say that now, maybe that'll change. But the one time I have this one video of me crying, and it's from the first time I got pregnant, I knew I was pregnant. I was like, I know I'm pregnant, so I'm gonna record my reaction. And I was so excited. It was actually happy tears. But I use it actually for sad videos, which is kind of funny because I don't have any videos of me crying when I'm sad because I don't think to take them. You know what I mean? I'm just like, sad. Right?
Brittany Herzberg: You're just in the moment and really upset for whatever the reason is. Yeah, it's not. Let me break out my camera and do the thing.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. And like, I sometimes wish I did. Cause I'm like, oh, that would have been good to get.
Brittany Herzberg: Right.
Megan Yelaney: Like you say, just for yourself. Right. And I'm so glad I had that video because I'm like, oh, man. Even though it did end in a miscarriage, it was a beautiful moment, you know, And I'm so glad I had that because the second time I didn't record because I was just a nervous wreck. And so it's so interesting. Even after sharing all of that, I can see those moments and see those dots connecting of like, oh, yeah, this is where someone can relate. Okay. This is how I can relate it back. You know what I mean? So I think one of the biggest things which we can totally dive into is, like, there's a couple core differences between the inspiring we talked about versus. Okay, I actually think I need to hire this person based on your story. So if you want, I can totally dive into that.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah, let's follow that, because I know that there's like, oh, this is so great. And I really was. I was hanging out in that camp for, like, years.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: It was like, Brittany's so great. Da, da, da. And people would still refer me, but I was getting more of, like, the conversations versus the conversions.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. Ooh, I like that. Conversations versus conversations.
Brittany Herzberg: I know. I was like, I'm just gonna finish that. Cause that kind of sounds.
Megan Yelaney: That was really good. Yeah, I love it. So the biggest difference is kind of the structure of how you tell it and the emotion too. Of course. This is how most people I see do stories. And I used to do this a lot back in the day with health and wellness. And again, back in the day, I think it worked because there was just simply less people to choose from.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah.
Megan Yelaney: Doesn't work as much now because there's a lot more people out there. So it was like before what I did to overcome it after, and that was kind of it. And again, it was like, I get it. I've been where you are, but here's what I did, and here's where I am now. And that's, like, the basis, like, a simple way to tell it. And it used to work. Doesn't really work as much anymore. It gets more of that inspiring. And I think the reason is there's not these aspects which I'll dive into that position. You also, as the expert, it positions you more as that relatable person. And I kind of have this, like, opinion on relatability that's, like, been evolving.
Brittany Herzberg: Yes.
Megan Yelaney: I want to be relatable, and I don't want to be relatable say more. So I want to be relatable in the sense that I want them to know I get where you've been. Your massage story of, like, you didn't have any of these clients coming in. You were like, oh, my gosh, where's it going to happen? Whoa. SEO started bringing it in. Right? So you want them to see. I get it. Because I've been where you are, but now where you're at, they aspire to be. You know what I mean? They're like, yep. Oh my gosh. And that's where the expert piece comes in. And that's where I think a lot of people are trying to be almost too relatable to where they see you as a friend and you can be someone's friend, but also you want to be positioned as like, I need their process, I need to know how to do that. Does that make sense in that relatable aspect?
Brittany Herzberg: It very much does. Because that was one thing that I was like, I don't know how to weave that into my story. Because I am self taught with SEO. I did decide to dive in once. I was like, oh, snap, this is working and I'm doing something right. But what am I doing right?
Megan Yelaney: Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: And how can I do more of it?
Megan Yelaney: You're like, accidentally great at it. And then you're like, okay, let's look at the process.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Megan Yelaney: I love that. That's amazing. So the way to like redo this, there's three other aspects that you want to weave in. So instead of just saying like, before, this is how I felt. You have to have a catalyst moment. And your moment doesn't have to be one specific break down. You're in the dressing room and you're like, nothing's fitting. Like, right. Using health example, it might be that, but it might be a culmination of like, you wake up and you're like, after this, after this, after this, after this, I'm done. Something has to change, I have to make a change. And so you realize, or for yours, for example, you were like, oh my gosh, nothing was coming in. And then all of a sudden I realized, oh, these clients are coming in. And it's coming in from SEO. Whoa. That was like a light bulb moment. Right? So that's a catalyst moment. That when you're like putting it out on social, whether it's a carousel post, an email, subject line, a podcast title, that has to have some kind of hooky. Ooh, I have to keep reading. So just remember that when it comes to like bringing people in, it has to be a little clickbaity. Honestly, we gotta get em in, we gotta get em to read, and then you can explain a little bit more of the truth to it. So the catalyst moment is huge. And then is the transformation. So this made you go, oh my gosh, something's gotta happen. Here's what happened in the transformation. But from that transformation, this is the impact that it had. So that's. The third section is the impact for you. It made you go, oh, my gosh, this is working. I need to go do this for myself even more, and I need to go do this for other people. It was like a domino effect that kind of spurred everything. So what's that impact that. That one transformation made all these other areas of your life, or one other area or whatever, it is a little bit better, a little bit more rich, a little bit more fulfilling. Like, it started to impact other areas. Right? And then the fourth part is that impact made you go, whoa, I need to do this. This is, like, my mission. So it's your mission. What is your mission? Why are you doing what you're doing? Right? This is your business origin story. So why are you actually going to help other people with this? Your impact impacted you so much that now it's your mission, and you have to go help other people. And within that part, that's where it's great to mention. And I've helped thousands of people, a hundred people, ten people. You don't have to say a number necessarily, but, like, that's why I am now helping clients with X, Y, Z. Giving an example of one or two is great. And then the last part of it is your. What's your edge? So what is something that you do that is slightly different than someone else? Or maybe it's the way you approach it, Right? So for you, Brittany, I think one of the biggest things that you do is you make SEO so simple. You simplify it for your people. That's one of your edges, right? And so I think people, like, overcomplicate their edge so much. Like, it doesn't have to be this huge thing. It can be, like, such a slight little difference. And all of those five things together, though, no one's gonna have the same exact story, because those five things are never gonna be the same exact. Unless they're literally copying you. So, again, it's the catalyst moment, the transformation, the impact, the mission, and then the edge.
Brittany Herzberg: I love it because having that all broken down and having almost like a template to follow is really helpful. So for anyone who's perhaps not going to continue working with you, which would be sad, then they at least have something to work from where they can kind of, like, take a stab at it. But that was really helpful, and that was, like, the thing that I was looking for. I'm like, I know I need this thing. I want this Thing. But like, how do I get the thing?
Megan Yelaney: Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: And what some other person last year was like, oh, you make SEO fun. So that's another edge for me. Just for anyone who's like, what else? And I'm like, oh yeah, everyone else makes it boring and complicated. And I'm over here like, this can be a party, guys.
Megan Yelaney: You can actually enjoy your business. Oh my gosh. I can enjoy what I'm doing. That's amazing.
Brittany Herzberg: Like the journey. I do think that you're right that people overcomplicate their edge.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah.
Brittany Herzberg: So what are some of those other maybe edges? If you have just examples you can spitball that anyone listening can go like, oh, yeah, maybe that's my thing.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. A lot of times when it comes to the edge, it might relate to your niche or your process. That's a huge thing I noticed for a lot of people. So one of my private clients, she has a really cool framework like her, her steps names are just like awesome. And the first one of her framework steps is the foundation fix. And she makes her clients put off fat loss for a few phases. And she explains it in a way that they're like, okay, I'm ready, I'm going all in. She helps like incredibly busy people who are in high stress, nine to five jobs, a lot of sales jobs, things like that, who just like don't eat anything all day, sit at their computer 24 7. Because that's what her past life was. And so she realized her clients were getting such incredible results because they were putting off the fat loss phase and doing this priming phase for a good chunk of time. And then it came off like quick. But it's because they took that time. So it was a quick fix, but it wasn't a quick fix, if you will. And so she started to like really talk about that because she wasn't talking about that, I think in fear that people wouldn't want to wait to do it. And the way we explained it was that is the quick fix. Right. The other way is you keep gaining it back and. Or whatever the goal was, it never stuck. And she has case study after case study after case study. So she was so confident once she mapped out her framework. She's like, oh my gosh, this is like a huge thing I do. So her edge is kind of double edged. It's that she has this incredible first phase and she works with again, people in high stress corporate jobs because that was her. And she gets it. She understands where they're coming from. I have another client who Again, kind of a little bit of a, a niche edge as well. She is health coach too. She works with healthcare workers. Cause she's also a healthcare worker. Very different demands. And she did hire a coach that wasn't a healthcare worker. And they were like, oh, well, you just need to work out after your shift. And she's like, that's not happening. I'm not working out after a 12 hour shift. And so she helps her clients. I don't know the exact term, but like certain splits of workouts, certain splits of eating. I think it's like nutrition periodization. Don't kill me. They're gonna be like, Megan, you should know this by now, working with me. Basically their nutrition matches their goals right. At certain points. And because she knows their stressors, she understands the shift work. She can really weave that in. And so that's a huge, huge part of how she stands out. So those are just two examples. But there's just so many yours. You know, like you said, you make it so simple. You make it fun and you have a very simplified process. It's three steps. It's not 10 million steps. You help people understand it in a way that's like, oh, I can actually do this. They get the confidence and that's why they're having such great results. With SEO.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah. Even with having you like break all that down, I'm like, man, my stuff really is simple. But like it can and it gets to be that simple and it's like done. Of course. It's like very on brand for me.
Megan Yelaney: Yeah, we like to over complicate things.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah. With tde, do people like you mentioned rebrands? We've talked about like even like my iterations of my business and your iterations of your business, Are there certain people who should maybe consider TDE or not consider like, is there any like prerequisite stuff that they need to have?
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. Great question. This program really helps people who are already working with clients. So if you've never signed a client before, if you've never posted on social media or used anything, there's some things in here that we work through that. Yes, there's a lot of foundation building, but you need some of that already built. So if you've never ever worked with a client, you basically have to feel confident that you're good at what you do. You're just like not bringing in the amount that you know you deserve to.
Brittany Herzberg: Right.
Megan Yelaney: So you're like, I know when I have them, I'm amazing. It's great. So that's one thing, you want a clear, more cohesive brand that, like, matches your personality. Again, like I was saying with that client in the beginning, you feel like you've been missing. You're like, I'm just talking to the pain points. I'm just talking to the desires, but they don't really know who I am. I look at my page and I'm like, who am I? Like, I don't see any of me there. It looks like the other 10 business coaches or 10 SEO experts that are out there, like, what is different about me? You're really tired of constantly pivoting your content and just following trends. You're like, all I feel like I'm doing is scrolling on reels and seeing what's trending. So for my content, I'm always going, what should I post today? You're ready to be intentional, and you want every single piece of content to lead back to how you really can help people, even if it's subtly and not like an outright call to action. You're really ready to sell offers that feel fun and not forced. And this is something that we focus usually on one main offer or, like, you know, with yours. We were looking at the different offers and how they all work together. But when you have an edge and a process, ideally we take that process throughout all of your offers. And that way, it's like a very singular, clear message versus, well, I can help you with this and this and this and this and this and this. And that can get a little confusing. Especially I'm talking about distinctive edge right now. You listen to this. Months later, you come to my page, and all of a sudden, I'm a launch expert. You're like, wait, what happened? Guess what? I do help my clients with launching. You and I are doing launch stuff behind the scenes. You can do a lot of other stuff once they're in, I promise you. So that's just one other thing. And you really want your clients to come to you proactively because they're like, oh, my gosh, that landed. You don't want to just have to constantly be in that outreach mode, which, I mean, you're a genius at with your SEO, so it's not for you. It's kind of the opposite of all that. Again, you've never signed a client or don't have clarity on, like, what you want to do. That would be more a program that's, like, helping you figure out what you actually want to do and what your offer is, who your client is. Now, we still go over Ideal client. We still go over offer because you always need an upgrade and we always need to refine it after we look through your distinctive edge. I do see a lot of people's offers slightly change. I see once their framework is in motion, that slightly changes. But you have to have something in place. If you're looking for a plug and play and me to tell you every little thing you're going to post every single second. Not for you.
Brittany Herzberg: Nope.
Megan Yelaney: We have good prompts and stuff like that. But you have to use some of your creativity. I promise it's there. You want someone to, like, hand you a strategy without doing the inner work. And I say this, and I know you did so well with this. The first phase brings up a lot for people. Would you agree, as far as, like, who am I? What am I doing on this?
Brittany Herzberg: What am I doing?
Megan Yelaney: Yeah. You have to embrace that you are doing the work that people don't do. And that's why they're struggling. They skip right to the content and they don't want to do this hard work. They don't want to, like, think about their life and then their story and how it all weaves together. That's why you're joining. So you have to be open to doing some of that inner work. I think that's just like such a huge part. If you're cool with just blending in and don't want to stand out, it's probably not for you. And this last one's my favorite. You're not willing to get a little weird or a little bold or, like, be yourself.
Brittany Herzberg: Yes.
Megan Yelaney: You don't need to be weird in the sense, like, I have wands in my videos sometimes. You know, you don't need to do that. You don't just sing in your videos like I do. I kind of take it to an extreme sometimes. Cause that's just who I am. But I'm saying, like, you have to be willing to air out a little of who you truly are. Because if you're gonna keep that all bottled up inside, it's probably not gonna work for you.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah. So on that last one, I'm glad you said that because I was like, I wanna mention this. So now I get to mention this. When I first came to you, I was talking to spiritual entrepreneurs. And then we were talking and you're like, is that really your people? And I was like, yeah. And then the more we talked about it, you kind of, like, poked and teased stuff out. I was like, ah, crap, I'm that person. But I'm Putting that on them instead of me embracing that. That's me. And so I was like, all right, I'm just gonna, like, flip it. And so now I help establish entrepreneurs, but I have more of, like, that spiritual woo woo, funky, fun side.
Megan Yelaney: Exactly. And I love that you made that distinction, because a lot of people won't say, I'm a spiritual entrepreneur. They won't understand even what that means necessarily. Some people will, but usually they're going to be like tarot card readers or astrologers. Like, that's like, their actual job. Right? And yes, you work with some of those people, but you also work with sober coaches. You work with. I just know once I work with so many other people. So many other kinds of people.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah.
Megan Yelaney: So they have a spiritual bent. You sharing your practices, your own personal routines. Like, I'm an SEO expert and I've got this side to me. They're like, oh, my gosh, I do too. I like her. Oh, I feel this connection to her, and I need help with SEO great versus just an essay or SEO expert who just doesn't share any of that. And it's just kind of a transactional nature. They immediately feel more trust with you, but it's not putting it on them. It's like, I'm sharing this part of me.
Brittany Herzberg: Right. It's like, here's the door. You can peek open. And I was just, like, so nervous to do that. And honestly, like, exactly what you just said is what's happening now where people are like, I have this ongoing incredible, like, DM conversation with someone now where we've been chatting for three days because she had the best line I've ever seen in an Instagram profile. And I actually went and complimented her. Her line was, I see dead people and your highest potential.
Megan Yelaney: Love that.
Brittany Herzberg: Shut up.
Megan Yelaney: That's so good.
Brittany Herzberg: So, like, she's checking my stuff out, I'm checking her stuff out. And then we're, like, having this, like, really awesome conversation now. So it's just really cool. Okay. I love all of this. Everything with you has just been incredible.
Megan Yelaney: Thank you.
Brittany Herzberg: I'm so glad. Like, I have a story now. I have a framework. I have a completely different way of that I'm at least going to lean into and work with my offers, where it's like more of the one to many versus one to one. If you're listening and if you're familiar with that at all, I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is, like, so much easier. And it doesn't mean that I'm giving Up the done for you. It just means that I'm not front facing promoting that as much. But every time I talk about programs, I have people who reach out and are like, can I do the time for you? Can you do this thing for me? Can I hire you to do this thing? And so I'm like, oh, that's automatically happening. Why don't I just like try that for a hot minute? So we've talked about all of this amazing stuff. Where can people find you? What do you have going on? Tell us all the things.
Megan Yelaney: Yes, yes, yes. So we talked a lot about the business story. I actually have a template to walk you through everything, those five parts that I just named so you can go there. I'm sure Brit will drop the link in the show notes meganielaney.com forward/business-story-blueprint but the timing of this is really, really perfect. Look how you did that.
Brittany Herzberg: Brett, Check this out.
Megan Yelaney: Like you support me. I'm running a free event. It's three days. It's a live series to really clarify your brand's message, a lot of what we talked about today and make selling simple again. Define your edge to attract clients on repeat. And it's going to be happening the second, the third, the fourth, at 12:30pm Eastern. But of course it'll be recorded and sent out. I haven't done a workshop like this in forever.
Brittany Herzberg: No, you haven't.
Megan Yelaney: It's been like over a year and you know when I do these things, we go all in. Probably too much all in. So I might not post another one for another year. Probably not. I'm probably doing sooner than that, but I don't do them often. Let's just say that we really go all in. Like you're going to leave with actual tangible tools to integrate everything we talked about today. So I'm really pumped about that live series. Maggie. Laney.com define your edge. So those are two fun places.
Brittany Herzberg: Look at that SEO.
Megan Yelaney: Thought you'd be proud. And Instagram hanging out over there. Megan Yeleni all the things.
Brittany Herzberg: I love it. I'm just so happy that you got to come back on and we got to update the people and talk about all the things. So thank you for being you and for coming back and sharing all of your knowledge and for creating the Google Doc workbooks that I know will come with that free training. Like go for the workbooks.
Megan Yelaney: At the very least, people, thank you for having me. This was so great.
Brittany Herzberg: Of course. Thank you for joining us. And I'll catch you next time.
