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In this episode, I share what changes when we stop doing free work that doesn’t lead anywhere and start building offers that respect our time and our audience’s goals. I break down how “No More Free For Free” reshapes speaking, webinars, memberships, and the way to plan paid events.

Other topics include:

• why we should stop apologizing for gaps and just jump back in
• the “No More Free For Free” rule and what it means in practice
• how we ask “Do you have a speaker budget?” early and confidently
• why you consider stop doing free webinars, office hours, and masterclasses
• my shift toward serving solopreneurs, small business owners, and teams with real budgets
• how Marketing With Meller delivers ongoing value through monthly live, virtual sessions
• how my signature program, The Recipe For Social Selling on LinkedIn, rotates coaching topics so members never feel behind
• my goal of 24 paid speaking engagements and the lessons I learned from saying yes to a “free” gig
• becoming an international speaker after UpLift Live 2026 in the UK
• the Small Business Marketing Summit and the speaker lineup built for practical action https://www.mellermarketing.com/sbms2026

Shout Outs include:

• Carol Dorsey (VA Services) https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroledorsey/
• Joshua Meller https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshmeller/
• Giulia Santos dos Reis https://www.linkedin.com/in/giuliasantosdosreis/
  
  

UpLift Live Planning Team:

• John Espirian https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnespirian/
• Jeremy Freeman https://www.linkedin.com/in/businessbrainbox/
• Gus Bhandal https://www.linkedin.com/in/mguruuk/

Small Business Marketing Summit speakers & topics:

• Pam Lippitt: From Hello to Success: Creating the Network that worked for you
• Tom Wells: The numbers behind your best marketing decisions
• Elaine Belson: Why people overthink marketing and how to stop
• Umut Aslan: Building an ideal customer profile to move "from confusion to clarity
• Linda Brubaker: Ditch Your What and Sell Your Why
• Judi Hays: Building a LinkedIn presence that attracts high fee clients
• Annette Richmond: Less stress, more fun, better video
• Nancie Steinberg: Getting media coverage without a PR agency
• Lori Jo Vest: Why certain AI-generated videos and copy fail to sell
• Christopher G. Johnson: The 10 minute meeting fix
• Lori Vajda: How to lodge expertise in an audience's memory
• Liz M. Lopez: Dominating your business success

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My name is Brenda Meller. I'm a LinkedIn coach, consultant, speaker, and author. My company is Meller Marketing and I help business professionals get a bigger slice of the LinkedIn pie. 

Visit mellermarketing.com

Let's connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brendameller 
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