Small Business Casual

Deeper, Not Wider: 3 Unexpected Ways to Niche Down

Text Emily! To Niche or not to Niche? It’s the question more often than we’d probably like it to be. That's the case for me anyway (no one puts THIS baby in a corner!) In this episode, we’ll get into three unexpected ways to define your niche and, of course, how to do it YOUR way. Is it pronounced, "neesh" or "nitch"? What is a niche, really? What can a niche provide your business with? How can you grow by niching DOWN? How to niche by who you're not forNiching by transformation Niching by how you show up 9 More slightly unconventional ways to niche down And more! Individuals & Links Mentioned Vinnie Potestivo on LinkedIn Ande Lyon's Don't Be Caged By Your Age PodcastStephanie McLaughlin's The Big Four-Oh! PodcastAmy Bolduc's Grounded in Maine PodcastAbout Me! I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence. Email: emily@emilyaborn.comWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInSubstack

Decluttering & Deprioritizing: 5 things to leave in the dust

Text Emily! What if the secret to a better life and business is doing LESS?Not less of everything. But less of the wrong things.In this final episode of 2025, we’re not focusing on what everyone else is doing… this isn’t your big goal-setting, vision boarding, new year, new you episode. Instead, we’re cleaning house! Deprioritizing, decluttering, and getting really honest about what’s NOT coming with us into the New Year. We’re taking a good, hard look at where you can decide, eliminate, and do LESS to do better. How visual and digital clutter affects us 3 Quick digital decluttering actions 4 Simple ways to keep a cleaner inbox 4 Tab decluttering actions your browser is begging you for4 Things to unsubscribe from and unfollow 4 Ways to audit your calendar for the coming year Links & Resources Mentioned 👉🏻 EXTENDED SHOW NOTESAbout Me! I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence. Email: emily@emilyaborn.comWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInSubstack

Reclaim Your Brain: Breaking Free from the Algorithm

Text Emily! “Our brains are sprinting while clocks stay still.” - Researcher, Helena GrieveIn 2024, a Cambridge physics team tracking circadian data noticed the average human day feels 8% shorter than ten years ago—even though atomic time hasn’t changed.The cause: information velocity. The average person now consumes more data in a week than their grandparents did in a year. Each notification triggers a micro-adrenaline spike, speeding up neural clocks.In this episode, we get into leaning more analog in an ever-digitalized world as we examine our habits with all the pings, dings, screens, and scrolling. 3 Ideas for a slower, more peaceful life The myth of the dopamine detox and how to reset yours insteadThe 24-Hour Screen Free Challenge Small habits from digital to analog And more! Links & Resources Mentioned 👉🏻 EXTENDED SHOW NOTESFacebook post with Cambridge Study on TIME. Karen Kenney's Podcast Episode: Everything Old is New AgainAmy Bolduc's Episode with Kelsey Greene: Digital MinimalismHarvard Health Article: Dopamine Fasting: Misunderstanding Science Spawns a Maladaptive FadCleveland Health Article: Dopamine Detoxes Don’t Work: Here’s What To Do InsteadKelsey Greene's Screen-Free ChallengesKelsey Greene's Instagram Post About Me! I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence. Email: emily@emilyaborn.comWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInSubstack

Deciding Who You Are

Text Emily! Every year teaches us something. (well, probably a lot of somethings). This year's lessons changed my life and business from the inside out. It was a year of sneaky, quiet, LOUD lessons and hard truths that made me question everything and get clear and grounded on what matters most. In this special end-of-year episode, I'm sharing my 3 top lessons of the past year and how each changed my approach to business and life. How you do one thing is how you do everything. Deciding who you are and who you're becomingClear branding inspires confidence in who you are and who you're becoming No one person can be everything (including you)And more! Resources & Links MentionedKaren Kenney's Episode #338: You Must Be What You AreNew England Podcaster's Group Ande's Don't Be Caged By Your Age PodcastJess Mercier's Branding Website & Instagram Small Business Casual Episode on Rebranding vs. Refreshing (with Lindsay Dreyer)Danielle LaPorte's Quote on Branding: “Your brand is a gateway to your true work. You know you are here to do something – to create something or help others in some way. "Don't Be a Stranger... Let's Connect!I'm Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I believe that sharing your work goes beyond strategies, frameworks, content for content’s sake, more social media posts, more, more, more. Successful marketing starts with a big picture approach and begins with genuine connection as you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. Email: emily@emilyaborn.comWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInSubstack

2025 Podcasting Debrief: Insights & Wisdom to Guide Your New Year

Text Emily! As you will hear in this episode, podcasting can change your life. Each year, I love the opportunity to reflect and learn from what went WELL, what didn't go so well, and what NEW things I want to experiment with and try in the coming year. In this episode, I share industry reports with data and stats, plus 7 takeaways full of insights and wisdom to provide you with info you can use for your podcasting year ahead. We get into: Niching vs. not nichingThe power of experimentation in your podcast and overall marketingWhy it's important to go beyond the downloads and metrics Repurposing in a new way will set you apart Collaborations are the game-changerMicro insights around audio, video, ads, and more The big WHY And so much more!Links & Resources Mentioned: 👉🏻 EXTENDED SHOW NOTES: including names/quotes/links of podcaster contributors Here's the Extended Show Notes link for desktop listeners to copy and paste: open.substack.com/pub/smallbusinesscasual/p/2025-podcast-insights-reportCollaborative "About Me" post on Instagram Collaborative "Podcaster Wisdom" post on InstagramOne Stone Creative's State of Business Podcasting ReportPodMatch's Indie Podcaster's Industry Report New England Podcaster's Group PodMatch  About Me! I’m Emily Aborn, a Small Business Copywriter and host of Small Business Casual. I help small businesses grow with marketing that makes a distinct imprint. I take a big picture approach and genuine connection as I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence. Email: emily@emilyaborn.comWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInSubstack