One of the major hurdles online entrepreneurs face is that of scaling their business. How exactly do you generate the client base necessary to take your venture to the next level? 

Susan Cabezas quit her job as a digital marketing consultant in 2010, with the hopes of building an online business. She worked as a VA through Elance while she had her first child, but struggled to make a sustainable income and eventually went back to full-time work. She was laid off in 2013 and worked for a VA company doing subcontract work when her second son was born, but again returned to a ‘regular job’ to generate consistent income. Susan has been at her current full-time digital marketing position with a large non-profit for the past three years but has built an online social media management business as a side hustle. This venture, Being More Social, seeks to help female entrepreneurs connect with their audience and grow their businesses.

Susan is also a blogger, helping busy moms live happier and be more present with their families at The Mama Resource (formerly Modern Frugal Mom). Today she shares her best tips on organization and time management as well as her vision for the future of her business. In addition, Laura offers some on-air coaching to help Susan strategize next steps as she works to position herself as a social media expert, write effective proposals, and take Being More Social to the next level.

 

Key Takeaways

Why Susan has struggled to move into full-time freelancing

• Need for sustainable income
• Difficulty finding clients via networking

 

How Susan finds clients now

• Entrepreneur/blogger Facebook groups

 

Laura’s advice around scaling a social media management business

• Offer monthly retainer packages
• Niche down to one or two platforms
• Position/brand self as expert

 

Laura’s tips for landing clients

• Ask current clients for testimonials, referrals with incentives
• Talk to prospects in a results-oriented way (i.e.: social platform growth, time saved)
• Provide case studies of current/former clients
• Empathize with client pain points when developing proposal

 

Susan’s advice regarding time management and productivity

• Stay organized, keep track of deadlines via online tools
• Consider Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Trello

 

What’s next for Susan’s business

• Grow into full-time enterprise
• Leverage blog to make passive income via affiliate marketing, products

 

Susan’s #1 tip for aspiring online business owners

• Know what you want
• Be consistent

 

Resources

Google Drive

Google Calendar

Trello

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s Affiliate Marketing Course

 

Connect with Susan Cabezas

Being More Social Website

Being More Social on Facebook

The Mama Resource Blog

Susan on Twitter