Fri, 31 July 2020
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Wed, 29 July 2020
Today I have Shannon Irvine back on the show, and I’m happy to have her! Today we’re going to help people who want to build a business that will set them free and help them avoid doing things they don’t want to do by removing their negative mindset.
Your An Entrepreneur At Heart
Entrepreneurs share common DNA. We always have our foot on the gas and are always in some stage of learning and growing our business. However, at the same time, we have our foot on the break without our knowledge or permission.
At times it feels like our business growth is slow, and we can’t get it to where we want it to go. Why? Because our brain is wired to keep us safe and familiar. As entrepreneurs, we have to show up and do things that most won’t, and that’s difficult for our brain to allow.
We’ve also inherited stories about worth, being successful, and failing. Because we were young when we learned these things, they are holding us back as an adult. These roadblocks make it difficult for us to surpass expectations and achieve our greatest dreams!
Why We Have Negative Thoughts on Repeat
You want a big business, and you have a high vision, but you have a story on automation that says that “money doesn’t grow on trees” or something similar. And it makes it easy to sabotage your success. We tend to repeat the negative instead of the positive. If you repeat the same negative story over and over, your subconscious will say that’s what you believe, and it’s on autopilot. It eventually turns into an identity, and you become that person. Out of that place, 90% of our decisions are made, and we take action based on our decisions. So, it’s time to control your thought process so you can stop the self-sabotage.
The 4 Steps of the Mind Matrix Process
It’s possible to transform our way of thinking. The Mind Matrix is a four-step process that I take my clients through to help erase these negative stories and achieve their goals.
Step 1:
Recognize the exact words that you’re saying to yourself that is sabotaging your success. You need to pinpoint the actual words because that is what’s automated and needs to work to reverse.
Step 2:
Record you saying those words out loud and write them down on a piece of paper. It’s been on automation your entire life. Now we’re taking it out of your subconscious mind. What you focus on does grow, so it’s time to focus on the positive and remove those specific negative thoughts.
Step 3:
Start to refute it. Your logical adult mind will look at that sentence on a piece of paper and realize that it’s not a thought that you want to keep. Usually, the first time you read it out loud, your brain will start to reject that thought immediately. But sometimes deep down, it still feels like it’s true even though our logical mind knows that it’s not true.
At this moment, think about someone that you love. Take the lie and put it on that person. So use their name instead of yours when you say it out loud. You’ll realize that it’s absurd to say those things about someone that you love, so why would you say those things about yourself.
Step 4:
Record yourself saying those truths in the first person and listen to it first thing in the morning and right as you’re drifting off to sleep. This is the most simple step, but it’s still so hard. This will help reverse your way of thinking about prune away a story that has been holding you back from success.
Note from Scott:
Once you go through this process, you’ll see that as you grow and scale your business, you’ll have new insecurities that you can apply these same tools for the rest of your life.
It’s Time To Change Your Mindset
There are people out there waiting for you to start your business. There is only of you, and they need to hear what you have to say! It’s important that you get unchained from these stories holding you back so you can help those people and automate the thing you want most.
What I see most is entrepreneurs chasing the next strategy or shiny object. They expect some secret sauce to help them. If you’re on this entrepreneur hamster wheel, it’s time to make a change! The faster you train your brain to be a million-dollar entrepreneur, the faster that you will get there.
If you don’t think that you need help, it’s hard to get help. You have to know that you need it before you’re ready to take action. We’re here to help you unlock your true potential and share the tools that will help!
Final Note From Scott
My mind is literally blown. I love spending time with Shannon and am always learning from her. She makes it super simple to understand the brain and explaining the reason behind our actions. Sign up for her free series to learn how to unlock your mind and reach your full potential.
Thanks For Tuning in!
“Remember, I'm here for you, I believe in you, and I'm rooting for you! Now it's time for you to take action and go rock your brand”!
Take-Aways From Today’s Episode
Quote:
"We always have our foot on the gas and are always in some stage of learning and growing our business. However, at the same time, we have our foot on the break without our knowledge or permission". |
Mon, 27 July 2020
Today we're going to talk all about email writing mistakes and how to fix them. I'm talking with Karen from our Brand Creators about an email she recently created and sent out to her new email list. I rewrote it for her and made a few recommendations on how she can improve her emails moving forward.
You'll learn a ton from today's episode, and when we're finished, you're going to be ready to write effective emails for your email list! If you want to be apart of our coffee talks throughout the week, head over to takeactioncrew.com and join us every Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 10 am. We would love to have you!
Real-Time Email Review
Today I'm sharing a real email example from Karen Curtis, one of our Brand Creators members, and how I would improve it. The best part is that you can always better create better emails, including better stories and content within each one, so never get discouraged when you're writing. When we talk about sending out email broadcast messages to my mailing list, I recommend sending out at least once a week.
Use The Subject Line As Your Hook
If a subject line catches your eye, save it, so you know what types of emails are effective. You can always come back and reference those later on. Sometimes it won't be something that you think would be effective but actually is.
I prefer not to send an email with a subject line in all caps. It signals to the spam traps and could go to the promotions or spam folder, which we want to avoid. I like to have the first letter of each word capitalized or capitalize on a keyword to catch the person's attention. It still stands out without your email heading to spam.
Make sure your subject line direct and easy to understand. Make it clear what the email is about so they can know what to expect before they even open it up.
How to Write an Effective Email
People don't care about us as business owners. If I just talked about myself and what I'm doing, you'd probably just ignore me. You want to know how I can help you. Keep the language of your email all about the customer and how your products and services are going to benefit them.
Avoid asking questions right out of the gate because they can't answer you even if they wanted to. Instead, use a question as a call to action. Hold off on images if your email list is new. Anytime we put links or images, it's easier for them to get flagged when you send them. Always add a ps.
Keep your emails very clean and very lean. Always get them to reply back to you. Ask them a question to get them to respond to help build brand credibility. Not only will it give you a better chance of being delivered, but you'll also have people opening and replying to.
Always make sure that your emails are searchable and super easy to read. Break up the text with space, so it's simple to follow along.
Send an Email to Your Unopened List
A day after you send an email to your new list, send another email to the people who haven't opened your first email. You'll keep it similar but always change up the subject like to help pique their interest. Try to make it more appealing and give them a reason to open the email.
If you haven't purchased our Brand Creators book, get yours today. There is an entire section teaching you how to create an effective email list and how to send out effective emails. |
Fri, 24 July 2020
Welcome to this week's Friday Jam session, glad to have you here! As always, this is one of the highlights of my week. Every Friday, I get to hang out with some awesome people and answer some great questions. Join us by heading over to takeactioncrew.com to join in on the fun every week and get your questions answered.
The question we're going to start with today is, "how do you build a brand with the intention of selling it?" The goal is to find traffic in the market that produces revenue if you want your business to be successful and prepare it for sale. Not only will you be making money from ads, products, etc. as you go along, you'll also be able to sell your blog for around 3x the amount of your net profit when you're ready.
We're in the process of selling one of our businesses now. We had a previous offer before COVID hit that was an amazing offer. We were ready to go, and we were a month into the sale, and they backed out right in the middle of the pandemic. We've now supposed to close with a new buyer in a week that has been a long two-month process, and today, I'm going to share what we need to make that brand success and ready to sell. Create Your Strategy From The StartWe built traffic following our Brand Creator's playbook. Everything we've implemented follows that same model. We focus on creating content that gets indexed by Google, sending three emails a week to our audience, a Pinterest strategy, selling over ten physical products, and a digital product. On top of that, we also implemented our ad and affiliate revenue streams. We even have some Etsy and eBay sales. The key is to have diversification in place, which buyers love.
If you want to start a business to sell it, make sure that you get your accounts set up by a 3rd party accounting team. Your books have to be to make the sale a success. When you want to sell your business, having your books done by a third party helps build credibility, so potential buyers know it was done accurately. I would get that process set up when you make your first sale. How To Prepare Your Business to SaleStart by finding a market or a niche that will be around for the long haul. Make sure that you validate that you'll get traffic, and there is money to be had in the market. Can you make money selling digital products and putting ads on your site? Focus on getting the ad networks, affiliate links, and digital products set up to start with. If you want to sell your business, they want to see diversification.
If you want to sell your business for a million dollars, you'd need to make $350,00 net profit per year. Keep in mind you'll have to have your business for at least 18 months before you can sell. Buyers want to see a positive trend for longer than a year. So you should always start planning ahead of time before you want to sell.
The perfect formula to sell your business includes diversification, traffic, and revenue. By following this formula, you'll be able to sell your business quickly because you want to buy something that they know has the potential to grow quickly.
If you're really niched down, it might be hard for someone to take it over, but it can still be done if you have a good strategy in play. It's also hard if you're the face of the brand, so branch out and bring in others contributes to making it easier to transition ownership. You can still be the face of the brand but had other people to the mix too.
I recommend getting help with your business by finding people who are good at what they do and get a good process in play. You'll learn how to do things but delegate the day to day process to a team member. It'll help you sell it, so it's easy to transfer to a new order. How to Choose a Good Broker For Your SalePersonally, I work with Joe Valley's team. Their whole business model is to help you before you decide if you want to work with them or not. It's helpful to have a plan in place a year before you actually sell your business, so it's important to talk with a broker before you decide to sell. So they can walk you through the process and get you prepared before you move forward when you're ready. Do You Need an LLC
Yes, you should have an LLC and start it fairly quickly. For the brand we're selling, we started sourcing a product, to begin with, and began with an email list. As we were building it, we were building content and driving people from our email to the website. During that time, we were getting an LLC up and running. It's not that difficult of a process, but you'll need it in place when you sell your business, so the sooner you set it up, the better.
I hope you found our Friday Jam session helpful today!
Remember, I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.
Now it's time to take action and go rock your brand! Take-Aways From Today's Episode
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"The perfect formula to sell your business includes diversification, traffic, and revenue".
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Wed, 22 July 2020
Today I’m interviewing Dave Tarun. I wanted to get him on the show. I’m a huge fan of his show “Gold Rush". The cool thing about Dave is he is such a hard worker. He’s had some struggles along the way but has overcome it all. Let’s get right to it and hear from Dave. |
Mon, 20 July 2020
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Fri, 17 July 2020
Welcome! This is always one of my favorite highlights of the week. I get to hang out with some awesome people and answer some great questions. To hang out with us head over to takeactioncrew.com, its totally free! We always have a blast. I want to start our conversation today with something that came up yesterday on our 100th celebration of our coffee talk session. The question we’re going to answer today is how to niche down your brand. This is a bottleneck for a lot of people. If you can’t get out of this stage, you can’t build your brand, so I’m here to answer all your questions about this particular topic. How to Niche Down Your Brand
You should always have a market that you’re going to focus your efforts on, and from there, you can start to niche down, so you’re focused on one segment of the market. For example, a main niche would be fishing. From there, you would niche down to bass fishing, fly fishing, and deep-sea fishing. And even go down a third level and do kayak bass fishing and tournament bass fishing.
If I’m selling a fishing rod, I want to sell a bass fishing rod that is designed specifically for kayak bass fishing. It’s going to be much easier to rank for long-tail keywords instead of being too broad, and I’ll be able to reach the right audience.
Anytime you’re able to tailor content for a specific demographic or person, you’ll bring in a lot more traffic to your website. Validate the Market
Now we need to make sure that people are searching for our niche and that there is money to be made in that niche. So, you’re not wasting your efforts. Ask yourself what type of products people would want to buy in your market, and from there, you would find affiliate links you could add to your blog posts to bring in revenue.
Always ask yourself what problems your market might be having and how you can help them find a solution to those problems.
Tailor Your Content to Your Sub-Niche
You have to start by determining what your big market is. That will be your angle, and from there, you can show your audience what you’re going to give them. You want to find a specific target market that you want to serve and tailor all of your content for that specific audience. Start with the greatest opportunity, so you’re not wasting your time.
For example, keto would be the niche market within the health and fitness market.
Be sure to grab our Brand Creators checklist. Once you’ve validated your sub-niche, you’ll be well prepared to get started. I also recommend you grab our playbook. It’ll help you create your entire brand once you’ve validated your market and is meant to be a guide to help you along every step of the way.
Thanks again for joining me today! As always I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you. Now it’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand!
Take-Aways From Today’s Episode
Quote: Find a specific, target market that you want to serve and tailor all of your content for that specific audience.
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Wed, 15 July 2020
Welcome! Today I have a special guest on the show, Jordan Harbinger. He’s got a fairly new and very popular podcast, and he’s getting over 6 million views a month! The first podcast he had with his old partners, he got kicked out and had to start over. He struggled for a little while with the whole thing, but he got back up and started his own podcast without having to compete with the old one. The big take away I want you to get while you listen is that no matter where you are in your journey, you will face something that will challenge you, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. Let’s get right to it and learn a few valuable takeaways from Jordan. Jordan’s Starting Over Story
I’ve been doing a podcast for a decade. I started a company in my twenties with some friends that did well. As we got older, I realized that I was doing all the work, and they weren’t doing as much. When you’re running a business, you’re married to your business partner. So whatever their problems are you have to deal with them because it becomes your problem too. I didn’t feel like I could start over because we had been together for so long and didn’t know what would happen if I left.
I ended up moving to a different city to get away from it all, but every day it was still so hard to deal with it all. I talked to my team and asked what they would do if I left, and many said they would come with me if I did. I tried to convenience my partner to split the company to we could end on good turns. We negotiated a split, but in the middle of it my partners decided they could do it all without me and drove me out of the company completely.
In the meantime, I had moved on to the Jordan Harbinger show. My partner didn’t want me to be successful after I left the company. He sued me, and I just drug them through the mud, and I cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars through the process. They ended up destroying their business in the process. I was so worried about starting over, but within eight months, we had built the show to the same size as the first show I had.
I’m happier than I’ve ever been, but its a shame watching something I built get ruined. Nobody wants to see something that they’ve worked so hard to get destroyed, so that was definitely a challenge to deal with. How I Relied On My Network
I had to lean on my network to get through the hard times. Because I knew I couldn’t get through this on my own. You can’t really do anything by yourself. Luckily many of the fans from the old show came over to my new show. Luckily I grew up with good saving habits and was able to keep going while we started over and pay my team during the process.
In the first month, I made over 100 calls to ask for favors and use my network to keep things going. I also had to work with advertisers that had been on my old podcast for free for a while. It was all about damage control and using the relationships that I had built to ask for help and keep moving forward even when things were tough.
That’s the thing about digging the well before you get thirsty. Many people say, “hey, that’s a good idea,” but don’t think they’re ever going to be thirsty or that anything bad could happen to them, so they don’t end up doing it. I was so glad that I practiced what I preached.
In my mind, I thought that my business partners would never be able to get by without me. I did most of the lead generation and marketing. So, I felt like I was relativity safe, but once I got sued, my options were a bit limited to what I could do. The company is in a lot of trouble now, but when you’re talking about people who don’t know how to run a business, they’re not really thinking about what’s bad for revenue, they’re just acting impulsively.
My family and friends helped me put one foot in front of the other and keep going. I was so angry for a while, but I had a great support system who helped me move forward and told me this was the best thing that could have happened to me, and they were right. All the negativity I was putting into being angry I could have used in a positive light and put into my business and my personal life. I lived in the past for a while, but it’s so important to get out of that mindset because it’s such a waste of energy and time.
I strongly encourage anyone who’s angry about something in their life to stop. It’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die; it only makes things worse for you.
I would say that networking and relationship development is key. Do something every day that increases it. In the morning, go to your contacts that you haven’t talked to in a long time and recultivate those relationships. If you help 100 people with something tiny, you’ll find that you’ll end up having a lot of help from them in the long run. Jordan’s Take Action Moment
By taking action, I was able to move forward. I focused like a laser beam. Every time I had negative thoughts, I pushed them out of my head. Instead, I would focus on preparing for my podcast, revenue a relationship, or workout. I had to stay focused on challenging the positive. After doing this for a while, I realized that everything was going to be ok.
Towards the end, I had many close friends who told me that I needed to get out. It was a forcing function because I didn’t have the guts to leave on my own. Once the rug was pulled out from under me, I didn’t have a choice. Once I started to rebuild, I realized that I should have done it years ago. I’ve never going to let my family or future business partners get in a negative mindset as I did.
Luck Plays a Big Role in Success 28:30
If I had started over from scratch without a base to start with, I would have gone on to other shows to build momentum, just like I did. It’s important to build relationships with other businesses. Short of getting extremely lucky, whatever you’ve done in the past, will help prepare you to be successful. The skills that you’ve learned will help you succeed.
We usually only hear from those who’ve made it big. It’s called survivor bias, and it’s really unhealthy to focus on that. Part of the reason I have a show is because of hard work, but the rest of it really is luck, and many successful people don’t want to admit that.
You have to increase your surface area for luck. You can control how much time and energy you put into something and how worthy you are of an opportunity. Luck is the spice, not the dish. Final Note From Scott
Everything might look good on the surface, but there may be some challenges someone is going through that we don’t see. Like Jordan says, it’s so important to build relationships and improve your network that will benefit you later. Go back and think about what Jordan said today and how you can apply it to your own life.
Remember, I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.
It’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand! Take-Aways From Today’s Episode
Quote: That’s the thing about digging the well before you get thirsty, many people say “hey that’s a good idea” but don’t think they’re ever going to be thirsty or that anything bad could happen to them so they don’t end up doing it. Or You have to increase your surface area for luck. You can control how much time and energy you put into something and how worthy you are of an opportunity. Luck is the spice not the dish. |
Mon, 13 July 2020
Today I’m’ gong over the exact roadmap that I would use if I was starting from scratch. There were a lot of things I’m teaching you today that I have done in the past and would do again in a heartbeat because they work! Get ready to listen and apply what you learn to your own business. Let’s get right to it!
If you haven’t downloaded a copy of my Brand Creator’s book, you need to get one. Head over to brandcreatorsbook.com as I talk a lot about the methods taught in my book, and it’s definitely a game-changer. How I Would Start Over From Scratch
I actually start over from scratch quite often with all of our new businesses, and I follow these same principles that I’m teaching you today. There are three main things you’ll do to start,
Your Website Is Your Home Page
You need a home base where all of your content will reside and where the traffic will be coming. Spend a day going through domain name ideas, choose one, buy it and go out and get your hosting. Then it’s time to start building your WordPress website. If you’re using Host Gator or Bluehost, they have a quick process. You’ll add in your logo and a few plugins to help with SEO, social sharing, and an image compressor. But other than that, just keep it simple to start. You can always improve on things later. Outline Your First 10-20 Blog Posts
You’ll start by building your content out. I would start with 2-3 articles a week to get the ball rolling to just get them out there. Post about your blog content on social media to get them to head over to your website. You’ll start by writing about the following categories:
You’ll start by building your content out. I would start with 2-3 articles a week to get the ball rolling to just get them out there. Post about your blog content on social media to get them to head over to your website. You’ll start by writing about the following categories:
Use Pinterest To Boost Your Blog Posts
Every single blog post that I create, I would make a Pinterest image that goes within my blog post and also starts pinning on Pinterest that directs to my blog posts. Create a Facebook Fan Page
When I start to build my email list, I need to be able to have access to Facebook ads, so go ahead and create a Facebook page, so you have it ready. You can also repurpose your blog content to add to your Facebook page. Build Out Your Email List
Email about what you wrote on your blog and send them there to find your digital products and articles. It’s as simple as that. Create a Digital Product
Create ten blog posts that you could include in a book. Start by posting them on your blog, then compiling them to create an ebook that you could sell on your website. Create a lead magnet that you can drive people to sign up and promote your new product. This is a great way to start making money quickly.
Most of the time, I’m starting a site to build out for the long haul, so I’m not always focused on making money right away. However, if you see an opportunity, you should go ahead and create digital products.
I would repeat this same process no matter the brand or niche that I’m in.
My energy is focused on this exact strategy and nothing else! Stay away from shiny objects if you want to achieve your goal! Thanks For Being Here!This process doesn’t have to complicated. Once you have the direction of your niche, you just need to create your 30-day road map and continue on from there.
Remember, I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.
It’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand! Take-Aways From Todays Episode
Quote: Your energy should be focused on this exact strategy and nothing else! Stay away from shiny objects if you want to achieve your goal! |
Fri, 10 July 2020
Hey guys! Welcome to this week's edition of our Friday jam session, I'm so glad you're here. As always, this is one of the highlights of my week. I get to hang out with some amazing people and answer some awesome questions. To join us head over to takeactioncrew.com. It's totally free, and you can join us every single Friday at 10 am. We'd love to have you.
Today I'm going to kick off our jam session with the question of how do you stay motivated in running your business. I get this question all the time and thought it would be a great place to start.
How Do I Stay Motivated
Let me remind you that if you ever start a business, you can't expect to make any money for a couple of years. Many people think that it's easy to make money quickly in the online space, but it still takes quite a bit of time. You can definitely have small motivators to help get you through to make it easier.
You need to have something you can measure so you can start to see results and celebrate those even when they aren't monetary. The key is to look at your results differently and always celebrate the smallest wins.
How to Install Small Habits Into Your Day
Figure out what you don't like doing and schedule a time to do it every day. I don't always love to work out, but I schedule it into my day and have made it a regular habit. It's become part of my everyday routine now.
Surround Yourself With The Right People
Everyone at our coffee jam sessions is inspired by other people here who are action takers and getting things done. It's really helpful to be around other people who are taking action and help lift you up and inspire you to take action yourself.
Are you being demotivated by the people you're surrounding yourself? Or do you feel uplifted and motivated after you've spent time with someone? These can be hard questions, but it's important to focus on being around positive people who are ready to lift you up and inspire you to keep moving forward to achieve your goals.
To me, being rich means spending time with my family and choosing my own hours and when and what I do for work. "Being successful" will be different for everyone.
I used to follow many people, but now I just draw inspiration from people and put blinders on so I don't get discouraged or lose momentum. Whatever is coming into the mix like texts, social media, emails, you need to turn them off and avoid getting discouraged or comparing yourself to others.
To start, just don't share anything with the negative people in your life. Sometimes it's hard for people to imagine because some of the things you're working for may seem far fetched.
What Are The Results You Are Trying to Achieve
Make sure you're being realistic with those goals and be specific. You won't gain any traction if you don't know what your goals are to start.
Create a Schedule To Feel Like Your Gaining Tracking
As you go along, you'll see progress and be able to check things off as you go along. If you put something out there, you have a chance to reach out.
I always have one main task that I focus on every single day. It's ok to have other small ones but only have one big thing to make sure you get your priorities straight.
Commit to Your Schedule
If you've only been going for a few months, you haven't committed fully. Give it at least a year, and make sure that you stay consistent in the process.
Try writing down three things that you will accomplish each week. Don't let anything get in the way of you doing those three things.
Today is a new day, and you can't kick yourself for what happened yesterday. Today is a fresh start for you to take action.
Put the Blinders On
Don't get distracted when you see other people doing other things. You need to stay laser-focused because staying distracted will make sure you never do anything consistently. Don't let anything get in your way.
There is so much opportunity out there. My advice is to focus on one brand for at least six months. You need to give all your attention to that one thing. So you can figure out the process for that brand. Limit yourself, so you're not spreading yourself too thin.
Simple will win...simple will get you results in the long run. It's less work for you and is very effective.
Embrace the Building Process
When you're excited about the opportunity, you're fired up. The building process can be boring and difficult to stay focused. Find new things to add to your business to help keep it exciting, but just don't lose focus. Stay committed and keep going because the results will come!
Use other people's doubts to help your stay motivated and move forward. Eventually, you'll be able to prove them wrong and show them the results of your hard work.
How to Support Your Side Hussle
I want you to clean out your garage or some part of your house this weekend. Anything that you aren't going to use or are ready to get rid of. Go ahead and post it on eBay or another platform and use that money to support your business. It's actually quite simple to just go out and start finding ways to flip products. People always want to buy second-hand stuff.
Thanks For Being Here!
If you want to join one of our live Friday jam sessions, head over to takeactioncrew.com. We'd love to have you!
Thanks so much for listening. Remember, I'm here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.
It's time for you to take action and go rock your brand!
Take-Aways From Today's Episode
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Wed, 8 July 2020
I’m excited to have Abel James here with me today. I love the story about how he started and how it’s led him to where he is today. He’s also gone through many struggles and ups and downs, but he’s come out on the other side, ready to take on the next challenge, take action, and make things happen. It was a great interview and will show you that you never know where your journey will lead you. Let’s get right to it and learn from Abel!
Abel’s Entrepreneurial Start
I loved the saxophone in elementary school and learned to play at a young age. Music was very important to me, growing up and helped me build confidence and become the great speaker that I am today.
In my teens, I was selling things on eBay and selling my music online, too, and have always had an entrepreneurial start.
After college, I worked as a strategist and got my business chops going. However, I wasn’t healthy and ended up being really sick for a long time. I was overweight and didn’t eat well. During that time, I actually ended up losing everything in an apartment fire in Texas. After hitting rock bottom I realized that I needed to make a change and started to research how to live a healthier lifestyle and spent a lot of time doing research to find the best methods for me. Be Prepared to Pivot At Anytime
Everyone gets burnt out eventually. For me personally, I’ve had multiple career paths, but I’ve created transferable skills that I can take with me no matter what industry or niche I’m working in. It’s important to see the waves and catch them when you can. However, there are times when the rug will be pulled right out from under you. In these moments, you’ve got to be ready for anything and to move on to a new path.
When you work online, you always have to be able to adapt because things are always changing. We’ve gone through multiple business models because things never stay the same. Just stay positive and keep moving forward.
Get out there and go to conferences and meetups, even virtually. It’s so important to build relationships and networks so you can help each other to grow. Your network will be able to help you when you need to pivot. Abel’s Transition to the Fat-Burning Man
In my 20’s I was following the wrong advice and was getting really sick all the time. When I started shifting my research I realized that I needed to change my lifestyle. I spent a lot of time interviewing people and coming up with my own health plan and within a month I saw a significant change and felt so much better overall.
I started running marathons for a while and realized that it wasn’t that hard to achieve those results. I’ve learned a lot about fueling through nutrition and realize just how important it is. My podcast took off fairly quickly once I started it. I had a lot of listeners and had some great people on the show even in the early days.
I had to deal with getting a roof over my head and making money at the same time as I was working on my business. I was working remotely part-time as a consultant until I was able to make enough money doing my business. I did my “passion project” for free for about two years before I was able to focus on it full time. I knew that I could make this type of business consistent if I put all my energy on it. You always need to make sure that you find a balance between doing what you love and providing for your family. How He Created a Steady Flow of Business
I had to determine what type of business model I wanted to get started. The most successful for me is a digital course that is priced at $27, brought in my organic traffic and podcast. The other one is a subscription-based coaching program. That really worked for a long time. When you charge people for a subscription service, you have to show up because people will expect the very best from you.
When you’re the face of your business, you have to keep your business up and continue to make money, which can be difficult. Building business and alternative streams of business is a whole thing. When you hit milestones, there will always be another one. We love the clime and always want to keep growing and improving.
If you think it’s right to pivot overnight, go for it. It’s really important to follow your heart.
It’s important to work together and help each other become successful too. Some of the best friends I’ve made I have given “trade secrets” to and have wanted to help.
Don’t always think of the people around as competition, instead learn from each other.
Abel’s Take Action Moment
Saying no at the beginning for anything that was over the line ethically. I started a brand that could have easily made a ton of money, but that’s not why I did it. I didn’t want to do anything that would put my morals in jeopardy. It’s important to protect our audience and only give them quality information that is beneficial. Abel’s Advice For People Getting Their Start Now
I'm actually so envious of people who are just starting out because you can be free and do things your way right now. People are making hundreds of millions of dollars doing venture capital and paying for traffic but have no soul, and they probably aren't as happy. Make sure you're doing what you love and don't lose sight of who you are. Find what you're natural talents are and build on those from the very start.
The digital space is getting very competitive, but you'll do well if you can get the traffic or sell a subscription-based product. However, keep in mind that the rug can be pulled out of you at any point. I would recommend building an audience and monetizing from there. That's what I would do if I was starting over right now.
You can't just have sales. You still have to pay for your employees and other expenses every single month. It's really challenging to make that happen even if you're making a lot of money. When you're starting out, you don't have a lot of overhead, which is a bonus. I would build a community from the very start and provide value where you can.
Just because you see people at the top and be successful, they’re still having issues and have to adapt often. Final Word From Scott
What a great guy! I loved getting to know Abel and about his journey. I agree with what he said about taking care of ourselves as entrepreneurs so we can take care of other people. It can be challenging when we’re busy, but he’s proof that it’s possible.
Think about how you can relate to his story and learn how he just took action even though he didn’t know what the final result would be. It’s not just about marketing and business. It’s about how he’s taken his situation and turned it into a successful business.
As always I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you!
It’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand!
Take-Aways From Today’s Episode
Quote: Build a community from the very start and provide value where you can. Or Don’t always think of the people around as competition, instead learn from each other and help each other grow.
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Mon, 6 July 2020
Welcome! Today I have one of my very own Brand Creator members, Thai Linda, on the show! She’s going to share how she was able to increase traffic and sales for her business and show that no matter where you are in business, you’ll want to see where the low hanging fruit is. She started building out an email list when she started Brand Creators, and it took off! It wasn’t always easy, but she never gave up. Let’s get right to it!
PSA: We’re opening up Brand Creators on July 6th, for five days! If you want to join, now is the time. We talk a lot about being stuck and how to overcome that. We show you how to get unstuck and to take action to see real results, and we’d love to have you. Head over to brandcreators.com/join to sign up.
Thai-Linda’s Backstory
I got my degree in speech pathology, and on the side, my husband and I had a boat dealership and were making tornado shelters. We were getting by until the economy took a downturn, and we had someone embezzle from us, and we lost everything.
There was a factory near us that made custom picture frames. After talking to a few people that worked in the factory, we discovered they were in need of wood. So we made the decision to move to the rustic wood business, especially because we had plenty of land to make it happen. We were recycling reclaimed wood by working with contractors in the area. We would pick up the wood they wouldn’t use or were planning to dump. We improved the services that our competitors were offering and started to get a lot of business.
Our primary customer at the time was a large chain store that built custom wood frames. We reached out to tell them we wanted to sell wood. They had specific requirements but said they would buy as much wood as we could get them as long as we met those criteria. It was going well until a couple of years ago when they decided to buy the picture frames from China. We had no warning, so we had to think fast of how we could make money moving forward.
We decided to pivot to selling online about three years ago. I had already done research about selling wood online but hadn’t taken any action yet. Once we lost our big client, we got to selling on Amazon. It took a long time to figure out how to ship everything, and it took a few months for me to send in inventory without any problems. Most of our inventory was reclaimed wood for projects. We weren’t making anything with it yet just selling the wood. Most of our competitors were selling processed products that looked like new wood, so we took the direction of going with the really rustic authentic barn style wood to stand out.
We just put it out there, and it took a couple of weeks to get the first sale. It was a sample box, but it was still exciting. It started to sell, and it just kept growing, and we sold more and more every week. The best part was that we were able to keep all of our original employees, and we ended up hiring a couple of other people in the process. I was a rehab director overseeing six rehab centers and then coming home at night to help with the business. We couldn’t survive on the business alone at the time, and I didn’t want to give up the income I was making.
Thai-Linda’s Next Pivot
We decided that we were ready to take the business to the next level so I wouldn’t have to work full-time anymore. I started adding more handmade projects, and soon enough, business started to pick up. We got to the point where it was busy enough where I felt like I could finally quit my job, which was such a great feeling. In March of 2019, I finally quit and decided to work on the business full time. I was just working in the shop all day, so I didn’t have much time to build the business.
I made the decision, so join Brand Creators, and I was actually one of the first groups to join. I just decided that I was going to do it, and once I got in the group and felt the motivation, that’s when everything started to pick up, and we’ve made huge progress since then. It really was life-changing.
How She Took Action With Brand Creators
When I started with the group, I had a good foundation. We had a website and sold on Amazon, Etsy, and Wayfair. But it was all organic, and I hadn’t done a lot to grow it. The first thing after starting with Brand Creators was completing the checklist and working alongside the group. We ended up getting over 10,000 email subscribers and extra sales, and it’s continued to grow since then. The essential push really helped us get a better presence on social media.
Note From Scott: It’s a big thing to be willing to go all-in and never give up even when things get tough. It really does pay off as you’ve shown us.
We almost quit right before we started Brand Creators. We had been to the same shop for a long time and had just expanded to the shop next store. It had cost a lot of money to make it happen. Unfortunately last July our landlord let us know he wasn’t renewing our lease. It was hard because we had 6,500 square feet with an acre lot full of equipment that was full of supplies and equipment. We had no idea what we would do next and how we could afford to move the shop.
It’s important to remember that when difficult things happen and you think it’s the worst thing possible, it can sometimes turn out to be the best possible thing.
Our new shop is much better than our old one, and it actually costs about the same. It was an example of something that turned out much better than we could have ever imagined. The new location has allowed us to expand our product line, hire more people, and up to our production. So it was a huge blessing.
Note From Scott: When you’re going through hard things, you’re asking ourselves why. However, once you’ve done it, you realize it’s actually a good thing. Always look at the lessons learned from the tough times. You gotta ask for help in order to give help, or you won’t get anywhere.
It’s a huge accomplishment to have a lot of families work for us that we can take care of, and we all count on each other. The transition from the little business to where we are now has been so tremendous and happened in such a short time. When we took the leap and started growing our email list and focused on our marketing, it took off like wildlife.
The big payoff is being able to enjoy some freedom as I’m sure that’s what we’re all working for. We all want that time with our kids and family, so it’s rewarding that we’ve finally been able to make it happen.
For people who are in a business like ours and you’re doing the daily grind, it can be hard to turn that off. You need to work on your business, not in your business. Make sure you take the time to build your business so it can eventually work for you. I recommend setting regular goals for yourself to get things done.
How Thai-Linda’s Email List Has Helped Grow Her Business
I’m still learning, but I’m getting more comfortable with sending out emails. The first giveaway we got 10,000 subscribers, and at first, I didn’t send anything because I didn’t know what to say. I would honestly just send them a coupon to say thanks.
The group helped me come up with some ideas to include in an email, and I actually had a few people reply, which was really rewarding. It was exciting to see that it was really working and that people actually cared about what I was sending. My open rates and click-through rates are getting better, too, as we get a more engaged audience.
Why It’s Worth Pushing Through The Tough Times
If you’re wondering if it’s worth the effort, it really is! We started Brand Creators in October, and below are a few stats to see our growth.
Just go out and take action. It’s never going to be perfect, just go for it! There is always room to improve later on.
Final Thoughts From Scott
I want you to go back and read each step that Thai-Linda took. She started by building an email list. Now that is taking off, she is focusing on her content. She now has a great foundation, which is great. Figure out what you need to focus on. If you’re looking for help, make sure that you go over to brandcreators.com/join to get more information if you’re reading this the week of July 6th so you can sign up and be a part of our awesome community.
Thanks so much for being here! Remember, I’m here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.
It’s time for you to take action, and go rock your brand!
Take-Aways From Today’s Episode
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Fri, 3 July 2020
Welcome to this week’s edition of our Friday jam session. This is always one of the highlights of my week. I love hanging out with some awesome people and answering some great questions. You can become part of our Take Action Crew by visiting takeactioncrew.com. We get together virtually single Friday, and it’s a total blast! Today we’re going to talk about how to simplify your business and a few ways on how you can make that happen. Let’s get started!
How to Keep Your Business Plan Simple
In the beginning, it’s all about simplifying. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t need to be complicated. It comes down to understanding what your business looks like and where are the drivers that you need to focus your time and energy on.
Where are the things in your business that are the best use of your time? If you’re in the beginning stages, it’s easy to focus on consuming content and get lost on what your first steps should be. If you can put the blinders on and see where you’re going, then nothing will get in your way.
Start by asking yourself where your business is going to be in twelve months from now. Make sure to set realistic expectations. What is the level of success you’d like to see? Make sure you have a detailed picture. A great tip is to reverse back to see how to get there.
Of course, you need to start by getting your business up and running. The problem I see is as people are building up their business, they keep consuming information that isn’t focused on what they are doing right now. Avoid shiny objects and stick to your path!
Content is King
I would always start with the content. It takes 3-6 months for it to index, so you need to get that going. Pinterest will help drive traffic there, too, while you wait for the content to be indexed.
Once you’ve figured out your long term target, work backward to get small targets done first so you can reach your long term goal. It’s all about taking it one step at a time.
Growing Your Business
I am adding Pinterest to all my brands moving forward. Most of the time, you’ll find that it’s a helpful platform, but always be sure to do a Pinterest audio first to make sure its worth your time.
At the same time, you should be planning on how to get your first digital product ready to go. I wish I would have focused more on this aspect in the early stages of my businesses in the past.
The most common questions that you should be asking yourself when you’re starting a business include:
Implementing a digital project is a great way to move the process along a bit quicker.
Should I Set Up a Timed Popup On My Website?
If you add a popup to your website always give visitors a few seconds before a popup comes up. Once you set up a timed popup on the website, you want to make sure they don’t see it again for 30 days if they come back to your website. This will make sure they aren’t getting spammed with your promotions and signups.
How Can I Transfer from Etsy to a Stand-Alone Online Store?
Don’t abandon Etsy. Instead, I would find a way on how you can grab the customer’s email address and direct them to your new website. Let Etsy work for you but have other assets in place as well.
12 Month Plan For Your Business
It really will just depend on your market and how much time and effort you put into it, how long it’ll take you to see substantial growth. You’ve got to be consistent and incorporate the following aspects that will help feed into each other.
You just need to make sure you’re creating content that people are searching for and using Pinterest and your lead magnet to help grow your reach.
You can build an email list pretty quickly too.
How Many Visitors Should I Expect Coming To My Website
If you can get 100 visitors per day within 2-3 months, that’s really great. It may depend on the season and your type of business.
Always start with one product to give visitors and see if another one makes sense. You need to have one product before you can focus on more. It’s important to focus on doing things well, not adding a ton of products that you can’t manage.
I recommend implementing ‘just in time learning” - what do you need to learn to get the task at hand done? This will help you stay focused on your current path.
How Long Should It Take To Complete Tasks For My Business?
Each task is pretty easy to get done if you set aside time for it. You could have a WordPress built up in an afternoon.
From there, you’ll move on to content creation mode. You’ll find long-tail keywords and write articles to post on your website. Then it’s time to focus on Pinterest to help drive traffic to your blog. Then you’ll implement an email list and your lead magnet. Each step will be a little different but could be done a week at a time. Just make sure to prioritize content creation first.
Once you start to actually do stuff, you’ll be able to look at the data to see what works well and what you should improve on. A lot of times, you’ll learn by doing something and taking action. When you notice that something is working, always do more of that!
Thanks For Being Here!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Friday Jam session. To join us next week, head over to takeactioncrew.com to sign up. We’re here every week at 10 am Eastern time and would love to have you here!
Remember, I’m here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you!
It’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand!
Take-Aways From Today’s Episodes
Quote: Just In Time Learning - what do you need to learn to get the task at hand done? This will help you stay focused on your current path. |
Wed, 1 July 2020
Today I have Todd Herman on the show, and I am thrilled he’s here! He wrote a book called “The Alter Ego Affect.” that I really enjoyed reading. In fact, he actually reads the book himself on the audiobook, which I love because it makes it more real. So, if you get a chance, you should definitely listen to it. Now let’s get right to it and learn a few things from Todd. Why Your Alter Ego Matters
How To Get Unstuck
How To Take Action and Embrace Your Alter-Ego
Note From Scott: Nowadays, it’s so easy to compare people, especially on social media. It can be hard to see other people who are successful and wonder how you’ll ever get there. Many people will show up on video or a blog post in fear of judgment or not good enough. What advice do you have someone who might be struggling with this? Avoid The Path of Least ResistanceWelcome to the club. It’s a heavy load to worry about what people are going to think about you. The reason you want to do something is that you like it. However, when you start, you’ll realize the difference of great work. Also, what you’ve done is discouraging. This is part of the process.
Final Note From ScottI wasn’t kidding when I said that Todd is an awesome guy. I consider him a good friend and loved having him on the show. He is someone worth having in your diet of consumption. He will help impact you in the right way, so go grab his book, “The Alter Ego Affect.” Now, take some time to think about what you’ve learned today and how you can apply it to your own life. Thanks for hanging out with us today! Thanks For Tuning in!
“Remember, I'm here for you, I believe in you, and I'm rooting for you! Now it's time for you to take action and go rock your brand”! Take-Aways From Today’s Episode
Quotes:
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