Business franchises are everywhere! You see several in the form of fast food chains whenever and wherever you get off the interstate. And while I’ve talked about scaling your business on the show before, I haven’t gone deep into more traditional ways to do it like this.
Today, I’ve invited The Scout Guide co-founders Susie Matheson and Christy Ford onto the podcast. They’ve built an enterprise that showcases small businesses nationwide for people in their own cities, with the help of over 70 local entrepreneurs. In this episode, you’ll hear some incredible takeaways as they talk about their journey, which you can learn from even if you’re not interested in turning your business into a franchise.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
1:22 - I give a short introduction to The Scout Guide. It actually started near my town of Richmond, VA.
8:29 - How did Susie and Christy come up with the idea for The Scout Guide? Listen as they describe exactly what it is they do.
11:20 - A lot of people think of traditional print advertising as dead. Why has The Scout Guide turned that idea on its head, and how does it complement social media marketing?
20:18 - The Scout Guide is also a resource (and source of inspiration) for small business entrepreneurs across the country. Christy and Susie explain how.
23:43 - Why did the co-founders decide to pursue a franchise model instead of doing everything themselves?
28:22 - Susie and Christy discuss some considerations when making the jump from owning a single business to forming a franchise.
33:03 - The key to making a franchise work is what also makes it easier to sell your business down the line.
37:11 - What did the co-founders struggle with as they launched their franchise? They talk about getting clear on your long-term vision and setting yourself up for success.
43:21 - What’s next on the horizon for The Scout Guide? Christy and Susie reveal their ultimate goal.
Social media and online marketing and content creation strategies are wonderful and I use them. But... business grows at the speed of relationships. If you’ve heard it’s impossible to scale a referral-based business or that you shouldn’t rely on referrals for your business, then tune in as me and my Operations Director Amber Kinney expose these myths.
Amber can certainly vouch for this promotional strategy as she’s built her business entirely on referrals. So we have a conversation about how referrals are here to stay, can serve as one of the best things you do for your business, and cover five key strategies to think about so your business can become referrable.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:23 - Amber briefly discusses a little bit about her business.
9:29 - Is it sustainable to only have a referral-based business? Amber shares her thoughts on the matter.
12:21 - Growing too fast has its consequences. Amber reveals two must-have components for a referrable AND scalable business.
17:07 - How does Amber get referrals? It’s such a simple, casual process.
18:48 - With referrals, a lot of the heavy lifting in vetting both sides (the client and the CEO) is done for you. We discuss the reasons why.
22:46 - Why do some people really struggle with referrals? It’s tied to the transactional feeling of relationships that lack buildup.
27:04 - We talk about how we’ve networked, made connections, and built relationships as introverts to stay on top of our game.
32:28 - Amber offers some final advice to wrap up the interview.
34:23 - I end the episode with a quick summary of the five key things Amber and I talked about regarding building a more referral-based business.
Mentioned in Why Referrals Are STILL the Gold Standard
One of the biggest things you need to plan for your business in the coming new year is marketing; how are you going to get more visibility? I’m a bit biased because I love using podcast interviews as a marketing tool. But how do you get started with pitching yourself for podcast interviews, especially if you don’t have a team to help you?
Luckily, Danielle Weibe, the founder of the Business Babes Collective, knows how and is here to share it with us as my special guest today! She’s doing something that’s so accessible for many people.
In this episode, she talks about how she’s able to consistently land more interviews, opportunities, and visibility for her business by pitching really, really smartly.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
8:21 - What is the Business Babes Collective, and how did Danielle get started in business?
14:50 - Danielle and I talk about why it takes an abundance mentality and a strategic approach to make collaborations work effectively.
19:34 - How does Danielle define collaborations vs. partnerships, and how does she increase her chances of creating them for her business?
24:30 - I reveal the red flags I often see when others try to pitch themselves as a guest on my show. What did Danielle do differently to get my attention?
28:18 - Too many treat business relationship building like speed dating. Danielle discusses how being pleasantly persistent over quite some time secured a collaboration.
33:22 - Sometimes, you have to get creative to secure a collab. Also, be careful not to fall into this trap when on the receiving end of opportunities.
35:00 - What is Danielle’s process for finding the right people to work with? She goes through it, step-by-step.
39:05 - I add my own tip that works especially well if you’re a beginner or trying to collaborate with someone with a bigger audience.
We women entrepreneurs keep underpricing ourselves when offering the same service or product as our male counterparts. On average, we price up to 20% less. When I first heard that, I was blown away!
Pricing is one of the quickest and most powerful ways to adjust your business trajectory and make it more sustainable. I’ve seen it in my business and those of my clients. So in this episode, I discuss why properly pricing your offers is the first step to designing a successfully sustainable business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:36 - What is the feast or famine zone, and does your business fall into it? Discover the two biggest reasons why businesses in this zone struggle to compete.
8:40 - I demonstrate how underpricing can easily lead to overworking by using the example of a wedding photographer.
12:18 - Taking the wedding photographer example further, this simple step is an easy way to improve your profitability and ease burnout.
14:42 - What if you want to double your rates? You need to take a deeper look at these factors in your business.
17:42 - Pricing impacts other aspects of your business. Michalowicz’s Profit First percentages can help you figure out the math to meet your revenue goal.
20:43 - I push back against the hype of online gurus who have a certain mindset about pricing. There’s a reason why I primarily work with service providers.
23:50 - What if you’re not used to selling at a higher price or booking multiple sessions at a time per client?
26:55 - Here’s why you don’t need a large audience to get enough clients for your higher-priced programs and services. I give you a behind-the-scenes look.
28:52 - Keep these questions in mind as you crunch your numbers.
Mentioned in Why Underpricing (and Overdelivering) Is Creating Business Burnout
Celebrity entrepreneurs don’t do any favors with all their hustle talk, and despite everything you hear about escaping burnout and hustle culture, too many women entrepreneurs still can’t escape. They desperately need the cash flow in their business right now. So if you’re struggling to get your business working on all cylinders, keep listening. Today’s episode kicks off a new series to help you break free from entrepreneurial poverty of time, energy, and money so you can attain the sustainable success you desire.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:06 - People prescribe this antidote too often to the burnout problem. It’s creating a FOMO culture for an increasing number of women.
4:55 - I discuss the entrepreneurial poverty of time and what it looks like for women business owners.
9:42 - Energy poverty is HUGE right now. How does this impact you as a female entrepreneur?
13:07 - While lack of money is easy to point to, it doesn’t just have an effect on you financially.
14:16 - I see so many women in the middle stage of their business succumb to this cycle. Why do some stay stuck in it for years?
17:17 - I quickly overview what’s coming up next in this new podcast series of episodes.
As mentioned in How the Current Hustle Culture Creates Entrepreneurial Poverty for Women
A couple of years ago, I received an invitation to a thank you party via email. That incredibly heartfelt invitation gave me the best feeling and became the catalyst for a friendship and business contact. In this Thanksgiving Day episode, the woman behind that email, Shannon Siriano Greenwood, is back on the show. She and I talk about how gratitude can have a huge impact on and should be the driving force behind your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:23 – I read the entire email from Shannon that caused me, a super introvert, to dress up and attend a restaurant downtown.
8:54 – Shannon discusses how she and I met. She calls it our own little love story.
14:53 – When did Shannon realize that bringing people together was her strength? She discusses why the realization didn’t come quickly.
20:25 – Shannon reveals a huge component of making connections and building relationships. It looks different from most people’s image of networking.
22:48 – What’s even better than a typical referral? All it takes is a simple mindset shift to see it, and it definitely has a huge effect on your business.
25:53 – We talk about how we remember to touch base and stay in contact with people.
31:04 – Why does Shannon get invited to a lot of things? She’s already done five podcast interviews this month without having to pitch herself.
34:32 – Shannon reveals the purpose behind her new program that brings women together.
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Angie Trueblood came to me years ago when she wanted to go all in on her idea. She’d learned how to pitch herself to podcasts as an interview guest and had the idea to do the same for other entrepreneurs. As someone in the podcast space who was in the target market for her services, she was the first person I saw talking about something like this in 2019. So, of course, I had to have her on the show (and immediately hire her after)!
Now, Angie’s back to give an update on what’s happening in her business now and how it’s changed since she’s become part of The CEO Collective. In this episode, she talks about the service side of her business and why she’s making the choice to do the opposite of what so many other service-based entrepreneurs are doing.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:20 - What was business like for Angie in the summer of 2019 (before life as we knew it shifted drastically)?
12:02 - Angie reveals how the rinse and repeat process of the 90-Day planner impacted her business that year.
14:49 - Angie talks about what it’s like for her to have both group programming and a service up for offer in her business.
19:48 - Resistant to growing an agency for so long, Angie is leaning towards the service side of her business more. Why?
25:54 - People worry that growing a service-based business means more time and energy spent in the business. How does Angie find balance?
28:51 - Here’s something you need to know as a service provider looking to create and launch a course or membership.
33:42 - What excites Angie the most in this next stage of her business?
Certain subjects are polarizing, and I’m not just talking about the usual topics like politics or religion. The last time I had MegAnne Ford on the show we discussed the dark side of visibility she experienced through her coaching business…her parenting coach business.
As you can imagine, parents have particular thoughts about raising their (and sometimes others’) kids. And someone took umbrage to what MegAnne had to say that they bullied and essentially stalked her! She’s come out on the other side of it, though, and years later she’s still here and visible as ever.
In this episode, she talks about how she’s developed a community around her coaching and continued to grow her business since then. If you’ve had to deal with a bully, suffered vulnerability hangovers, or fear putting yourself out there due to the potential backlash over a disagreement, then you’ll want to listen in!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
5:17 – I first met MegAnne a few months after she started her business. She talks about how she stumbled into it.
9:27 – What was MegAnne’s first year in business like? She realized she had to make this shift.
12:35 – MegAnne discusses how she developed her popular frameworks for parents.
15:14 – Building and nurturing a community has become a huge part of MegAnne’s business. She reveals how.
19:11 – How did MegAnne get into using Instagram stories and Tik Tok to gain visibility?
28:12 – MegAnne reveals what drew her to join The CEO Collective and talks about her prior “$18,000 learning experiment.”
33:37 – Before The CEO Collective, there was the Sweet Spot Strategy. Here’s why shutting it down benefited me and my clients tremendously!
38:16 – With her larger audience now, what does MegAnne have planned for her coaching business in 2023?
We all love hearing success stories. If you’ve listened to this podcast since August of 2021, you may remember Sarah Young and her accounting business. Back then, she was about a year into her experience with The CEO Collective. Now a year later, she’s back! And she’s here to let us know what happened after she shared her success story on the show.
Today kicks off a series I’m doing with clients who’ve taken part in my flagship program. In this episode, Sarah talks about what’s changed in the last year, the incredible wins she’s enjoyed in her business, and how she plans to move forward with even more success. As you listen, you’ll come away with some major takeaways and lessons to implement in your own business!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
5:24 - Sarah recaps how she started her business and changed it over a period of a couple of years.
11:53 - What’s happened in Sarah’s business since she last guested on the show? And how has it affected her husband?
16:54 - Sarah talks about the support she now has behind the scenes of her business and areas where she wants to improve.
19:24 - How has Sara’s business evolved to incorporate two different audiences? She discusses her trial and error process.
23:47 - Sarah reveals where she wants to go next in her business. It highlights the missing wealth piece for so many women entrepreneurs.
28:44 - As an entrepreneur, you may think you know what diversifying your income means. Here’s what it really means.
31:11 - What’s coming up for Sarah in 2023? She reveals what she plans to prioritize for the coming new year.
34:35 - Sarah made this mindset shift that can benefit you as an entrepreneur.
Forgetting to consistently market and prioritize making sales? What about letting your schedule get so out of control that you don’t give yourself any time off for months on end? Or chasing every next shiny object instead of focusing on what works in your business?
What you suffer from, dear entrepreneur, is a lack of plan implementation. In the final part of this year’s Best Year Ever challenge, you’ll discover how to take all the insight from the previous episodes and turn them into an actionable 12-month profit plan for 2023.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:32 - How does my 5-part framework (attract, engage, nurture, invite, and delight) form the foundation for your 12-month plan?
11:20 - Here’s where I start when I’m mapping out my 12-month big picture profit plan.
15:12 - Discover how to plan out what you’re going to sell and when you’re going to sell it.
20:31 - What’s one easily forgettable thing you need to keep in mind throughout this process? I reveal what it is.
24:49 - To wrap up, I give you this reminder as you go about planning things out for the first time.
You tell yourself, “This year, I’m gonna do it!” You write down your business goal. You put it where you can see it constantly. You’re determined to reach that pinnacle you’ve set for yourself this time! A few months later... you’ve forgotten about it or given up on it.
We tend to only set goals once a year, and that’s one of the reasons why goal setting often doesn’t work for most people. On day 4 of this series, I take a different approach to goal setting to help you establish business milestones you’ll actually follow through on in 2023.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:16 - Many of us have such a love/hate relationship with goal setting. Why does it fail so often?
5:18 - As you brainstorm all of your potential goals for the new year, refrain from doing this. I also offer a huge tip to ensure you don’t miss out on key things.
7:07 - I go through the process of making sure you have the business systems you need set up before taking on additional projects.
10:45 - I talk about how I apply my five-part systems process to my own business.
13:58 - Once you’ve brainstormed, how can you narrow your goals down to five for the year? What will it take to make each goal happen?
15:48 - One of the most important pieces of the puzzle involves thinking about how you’re setting yourself up for success. Think of it like a marathon.
17:55 - What if you have more than five goals you want to accomplish? Here’s what I do.
18:35 - Finally, I encourage you to do this as you complete the BYE workbook.
Are you constantly running your business in emergency mode? You might be running your company by default instead of by design, constantly putting out fires and working crazy long hours. But panic as a business strategy isn’t a wise recipe for success.
So in this episode, I talk about how to design a business that works for you and runs like clockwork in 2023.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:39 - I give a quick recap of the Best Year Ever series thus far.
5:45 - What does personal and professional success mean to you? Here are some things to keep in mind.
9:23 - Who are the dream clients you want to focus on attracting and attaining in 2023?
10:25 - Time to shift into money mode! But you don’t want to pull a revenue goal out of thin air here.
14:29 - The final thing you want to look at as you go through this process of (re)creating your business by design.
With our hustle and bustle culture, we’re always in danger of burning ourselves out. The last couple of years, however, have made it even worse. It always feels like there’s something going wrong in the world--pandemics, war breakouts, etc.--that can have an effect on our business, causing us to worry about its future.
No matter what’s happening in the world, though, you can still build your dream business. This Best Year Ever series can help you get clarity about what you want to experience right now. In this episode, I dive into the second challenge and it’s a powerful one!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:40 - Today’s the day you jump into your time machine! What do I mean?
5:25 - I reveal the best place to start as you go through today’s exercises. This is all about getting intentional.
6:59 - I give an example of how you can go through this exercise (with a little insight from my own life).
8:53 - Keep it simple. Sometimes you can dream so big that you overwhelm yourself and get frustrated.
10:36 - My company’s #1 value is putting life before business. How can your business support the life you want?
12:41 - This is when you bring some numbers into play. I talk about how doing so affects me and my family.
With the holidays just around the corner, it’s not just time to look ahead in your business. This is also a good time to reflect on your progress over the last year. So many entrepreneurs don’t reach their goals because they keep running up on the same obstacles over and over.
If that’s you, let’s not do that again. Instead, let’s start planning your best year ever! In this episode, I kick off my annual five-part series where I walk you through the same strategic planning process I’ve used for over 20 years and shared with thousands of women entrepreneurs to help create a solid action plan for 2023.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:31 - Do this before you listen to the episode. It’ll help you follow along as I dive into the first BYE challenge.
6:19 - Doing this helps you determine the best course of action as you shift your business. It’s a move professional athletes understand well.
8:30 - Do you need assistance answering the questions for this challenge? Using these tools can help.
9:38 - Here are a few key questions to ask yourself to get really clear on what’s gone on in your business.
11:14 - As you go through this exercise, you’ll start seeing patterns that bring up more questions to ask.
13:44 - Double down or let go? I share some scenarios where you might want to do either.
As we head towards the end of 2022, we look forward to setting aims for the incoming new year. But sometimes, goal setting can be a pain in the neck! Everybody’s trying to tell you that you should do this or that: create a seven-figure business (or several), gain millions of social media followers, etc. It can leave you feeling frustrated and like you’re shooting yourself in the foot!
But what if there was another way? My friend Tara McMullin has a unique view on goal setting. In this episode, we discuss her latest book What Works and why it’s so radically different from what most people think about when it comes to goal setting. So if you’re like me and have a love/hate relationship with setting goals, then you’ll love this conversation!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:54 - What led Tara to radically shifting her relationship with goal setting?
9:57 - The struggle over goal setting really boils down to this belief, and social media and news just reinforce it.
13:35 - How are goals like “cultural technology”? Tara describes how goals can affect your values and how you think of yourself.
16:27 - Tara and I discuss how society has reached the point where following the usual goal setting advice is such a challenge (and one that can actually cause more harm than good).
32:14 - So how do we move forward and do goal setting differently? Tara reveals the process step-by-step and warns about “value hijacking.”
40:52 - What does personal growth without striving or being beholden to harmful cultural systems look like?
43:00 - Tara and I discuss the low-stakes way she went about making commitments for herself over recent years.
49:41 - This low-stakes approach can translate into business too, like my six-month Tik Tok experiment. I describe my approach to using the social media site.
51:00 - Tara mentions a couple of important things to keep in mind when it comes to your projects and plans.
Are you running a business that works for you? Or does your business have you running in circles? So many entrepreneurs think that reaching a certain income level will make things easier and finally give them the life they want. Too many of them wonder if it’s really worth it and just want to burn their business to cinders in frustration and start fresh.
Hold up before you burn it down or drastically change anything because you hope someone else’s approach will finally strike gold! We’re winding down the year 2022 and gearing up to help entrepreneurs have their best year in 2023 with the next launch of the Best Year Ever Challenge. So to prepare for it, in this episode I discuss five things to strategically think about to align your business so that it truly works for you as an individual, instead of you for it based on what others tell you to do.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
5:19 - What’s your definition of success? I reveal the first area of alignment to think about when deciding what success looks like for you.
9:15 - I discuss the second area of aligned success to look at. I used to struggle with this one!
10:42 - The third area naturally fits us as entrepreneurs and is especially helpful in the beginning. But you’ll want to limit yourself here, and I reveal why.
13:02 - How do you want to feel in your business? I share my thoughts, including what luxurious felt like to me at the time I first went through this exercise.
17:48 - A lot of people talk about flow but not about what it truly looks like. I discuss one area of my personal life where I’ve made sure ease and flow show up.
20:51 - This final thing to take a look at is usually the first thing we entrepreneurs dismiss. But it’s your biggest competitive advantage.
So many people use the threat of an incoming recession to fear-bait you. They promise that they have the answer (in the form of a product, a free email course, etc.) on how to recession-proof your business. But they’re all about increasing their sales, not giving you useful information.
A digital course, high-ticket program, or 37-step email funnel won’t save your business from suffering the effects of an economic downturn. I’ll tell you what will, though--without you having to join my list or purchase anything from me first! In this episode, I reveal the three areas you need to pay attention to so that your business will be prepared to weather the storm of a recession.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:38 - Take a look at money management in your business. Here’s why you need to be ahead of the curve on this.
9:02 - How can you prepare for the worst case scenario (clients dropping out like flies and sending you into a sudden cash crunch)?
12:37 - When it comes to investing in your business, it’s important to be very discerning. Here’s what I mean.
15:36 - What’s the biggest culprit behind so many small businesses slowing down during an economic downturn? If you’re especially dependent on referrals, heads up!
22:32 - Don’t be afraid to add this into your marketing. It’ll help make you and your business stand out.
24:09 - What’s the simplest, easiest way to make more sales? I reveal a few things I’m thinking about and implementing on a regular basis in my own business.
29:25 - I went through a lot of stuff in this episode. But I recap what I most want you to take away from it.
You make yourself available to your clients constantly. They can email or text or call you 24/7, and you make it a priority to respond to them as soon as possible. And you might even be making great money in the process!
From the client's perspective, this sounds great. But while the constant availability works for them, it means your business isn’t really working for you.
Today, I talk with CEO Collective member Dr. Libby Wilson whose functional medicine practice looked great on the surface with successful clients and cash flow. But she had to make shifts so that she could truly have freedom in her business to enjoy life.
In this episode, she talks about how she turned things around over the last year to ensure that her practice not only works for her clients but also for herself and her family.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:25 - Who is Dr. Libby Wilson, how does she help her clients, and where was she struggling in her business before joining the CEO Collective?
7:55 - Hustle culture created this health issue for Dr. Libby. She had to fix the root cause and talks about how the 90-Day Planner helped.
13:07 - Content creation is a major sticking point for a lot of entrepreneurs. Dr. Libby has a 12-month rinse-and-repeat content calendar, so how does she do it?
16:29 - Dr. Libby reveals something she does for her practice and that every entrepreneur needs to apply in their business. We discuss what it is and why it’s so important.
22:34 - Watching how my business runs behind-the-scenes helped Dr. Libby get away from making herself constantly available to clients. What changes did she make in her practice as a result?
30:04 - Dr. Libby discusses how making the adjustments to her business has improved her life and her mindset.
36:30 - To wrap the show, Dr. Libby reveals what she’d say to anyone thinking of joining The CEO Collective. She also briefly discusses her new book and how she works with clients.
Not every entrepreneur wants or needs to scale their business. And that’s okay! But if you do want to go through this third stage of business, then you’ll have to show up differently than you did in either of the previous two stages. In this final part of my business growth series, I talk about what it looks like to scale and the foundational habits, tasks, and mindset needed for success at this point in your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:41 - What’s often missing from the conversation about scaling your business?
8:21 - You’ll need to put this in place when you’re ready to move beyond a lifestyle business.
13:14 - I talk about the “lifestyle creep” I see with a lot of entrepreneurs.
15:13 - What’s your vision, and why do you want your business to grow?
17:16 - You’ll need to plan further ahead and undergo this focus shift as your company expands.
22:28 - What do the most consistently-growing and fastest-growing businesses do that others don’t?
25:04 - I discuss the necessity of uncomplicating your business and how to dramatically increase your visibility as you scale.
31:37 - This next piece of the puzzle is where some people drop the ball. But it’s the easiest place to start getting support.
33:09 - People will often use a rebrand opportunity as a distraction. So when should you wait to level up your branding?
38:45 - I talk about sales as you scale, specifically making the process as “rinse and repeat” as possible while maximizing your profits.
46:26 - Along with leadership skills, your business growth success depends on your personal development too. Why?
Getting lackluster results from the same strategies that the experts insist will work for those who work it? You’re not the problem, and neither is the strategy. Your business just might not be ready for that particular step. In episode two of this Business Growth Checklist series, I want to hone in on the second stage of business and how to stabilize it with the implementation of four key systems.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:38 - The second stage of business doesn’t get enough credit because of this untrue assumption.
7:44 - What’s the biggest challenge in this stage of business, and why?
10:35 - Implementing this plan is one of the most powerful things you can do for your business in this stage.
14:04 - I reveal a couple of recommendations to make sure you’re doing CEO level work instead of day-to-day busy work.
16:27 - What’s an additional puzzle piece that can make your business run smoother?
21:04 - Make sure you have this marketing framework in place. I go through it step-by-step.
27:30 - Once you’ve stabilized your business, what will your next offer look like? Here are some ideas.
29:39 - At this point, you may also want to internally streamline your business too. I discuss my favorite ways to do this.
33:05 - I’ve added something new to the checklist because of seeing how stressed out so many entrepreneurs were about money in their business.
39:30 - Make sure you have this kind of team in place, as well. It’s not a matter of when (not if) you’ll have to use it.
40:26 - One final thing I recommend before you try to get to stage three of your business.
You’ve taken course after course or tried strategy after strategy and still aren’t where you want to be in your business. You’re frustrated and confused because other people seem to get results but not you!
Building a business is hard enough. But it’s even more difficult when you don’t know what the big picture is supposed to look like. It’s like trying to build one of those 1000-piece puzzles without ever looking at the front of the box to see what it should look like in the end.
Years ago, I created the ultimate Business Growth Checklist but have completely overhauled it recently with even more insight and resources. In this episode, I kick off a three-part series that covers each of the three core stages of business growth and what to do for each so that your company has a solid footing each step of the way.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:13 - What I heard over and over again that inspired me to create the Business Growth Checklist
4:40 - A quick overview of the three stages outlined in the checklist
6:29 - Revealing the first stage of business and its biggest challenge
9:27 - Strategies that work best for stage one of your business
12:32 - Walk-through of critical actions steps for the first stage
15:19 - Questions for each specific new offer in your business
18:25 - Why you’ll want to keep your starter offer as simple as possible
22:09 - One of the best things I did when I got started and highly recommend
26:12 - Your goal in implementing the 5-part marketing system in stage one of your business
Sometimes, you just wish you could do several months worth of things in a single day. You’ve felt it in business and probably other areas like health or personal development, too.
What if you could do that as an entrepreneur for others? You’ve more than likely seen VIP days as a revenue stream for client-based businesses. But instead of making it an add-on to your business, what if you could turn that concept into the main offer of your business?
Today I have Jordan Gill of Systems Saved Me who has made VIP days the cornerstone of her company. In this episode, we dive into the upside of having a VIP day offer in your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
5:04 - Why is Jordan so passionate about VIP days versus other types of service offers? She tells her story.
8:21 - Jordan describes what she did for VIP clients and the kind of entrepreneur VIP days are especially well-suited for.
12:45 - What VIP day ideas has Jordan seen from others? She reveals what any VIP day offer (including the more intangible ones) really comes down to.
16:21 - Jordan discusses what she did during her three-day workweek, including the non-VIP client days, and what.
18:22 - Jordan shares what she dislikes most about the retainer business model and how a VIP day offer helps mitigate it.
21:38 - What can attendees look forward to in Jordan’s upcoming Done In a Day virtual conference?
25:18 - How can you know if VIP days are a good fit for you as an entrepreneur? Jordan reveals a couple of things you’ll want to consider.
What’s the antidote to inconsistent cash flow and clients in your business? Having a solid plan certainly helps, but too many entrepreneurs are just winging it in hopes of finding success. In this episode, I deliver a little tough love and talk about how to figure out the kind of plan you need in place for your business to grow.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
1:25 - What do most entrepreneurs do first when wanting to create the freedom and flexibility they desire? I explain why it’s a backward approach and a short-term solution.
5:08 - You find true freedom with a certain level of control in your business. I clarify what I mean by control here, because a lot of people might have mixed feelings on it.
7:39 - What do you need to have in place to get consistent cash flow and clients? I reveal the first of several different components necessary.
10:28 - The second component is one where a lot of people trip up. There’s a common trap entrepreneurs can fall into here as well, and I discuss how to avoid it.
14:23 - Having these two things in your business makes predictable profits so much easier to obtain. I explain how.
18:44 - How can you ensure that your team helps you create sustainable revenue, freedom, and flexibility? Without a plan here, things can become chaotic very quickly.
25:36 - I talk about another key thing to keep in mind as you’re working with your team to grow your business.
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It’s really easy for you to add complex layers to your business as it grows. But sometimes you gotta pause and simplify things in order to amplify your results.
This has been the secret to success for so many of my clients, including yoga studio owner Letitia Walker. In this episode, she shares how she simplified her business’s infrastructure to maximize her results.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:35 - Letitia talks about her business journey. What is her yoga business, and how did she get started?
7:50 - Initially, Letitia didn’t see herself as a CEO. She discusses how being part of the CEO Collective changed that.
13:35 - Letitia reveals how she found virtual assistants for her studio and the mindset that makes it easier.
17:44 - What has forgoing the $10 and (most of) the $100 tasks allowed Letitia to focus on these days to help grow her business?
22:41 - Letitia discusses the two things she’s most excited about in her business right now.
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Ready to Fully OWN Your Role as CEO? It starts with the Fired Up & Focused Challenge! Over these 5 days, I’m sharing a strategy to help you find more time to work ON your business (ya’ know, those $1K - $10K Revenue Generating Activities) vs. IN the day to day grind.
To get the full challenge videos, workbooks, exercises, transcripts, and bonus content - join at firedupandfocused.com