Built to Scale

Welcome to Ep29 of Built to Scale.

I'm really excited today because our guest, James Hipkin is the founder and CEO of Inn8ly, which is a website development tool.   He brings the fire today. 

There are three things in particular that I think you're really going to love about this episode:

- Using your current capabilities and resources to expand your business in innovative ways.  This is really all about looking at your current business, where the opportunities in the marketplace are, and marrying those two things.  And he has a really unique approach that I think you're going to really love. 

- Staying client-centric, and how that's important not just for growing your business in terms of marketing, but also retaining your business. 

- Adding another avenue in your business or another offer in your business in an intelligent way. And this is something that I see a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with. So I dove into that a little bit deeper with him about how he was able to launch a secondary offer so successfully, and he gives us the number one strategy to make that an inevitability and it's going to blow your mind what it is. 

How to Create Leadership-level Content

Today we're talking about one piece of advice:  stop being a content consumer and start being a content creator. And not just any content creator, we're gonna be talking about Leadership-level content.

This is going to transform the way you approach your content.  Leadership-level content is content that is basically the rallying cry to your community. It's the content that becomes a banner that you put out in the marketplace, allowing people to come and join you, building a community around this content.

It is difficult to make this type of content.  It takes courage to make this type of content.  So I think it's helpful if we talk about the different levels of content you can make to help you kind of wrap your head around and imagine how you can use Leadership-level content in your marketing strategy for your business.

The Three Levels of Content

So I like to classify content into three different levels.

“How to” Content

The lowest level, the easiest to make is "how to" content.  This is like if you've ever done a search on YouTube or Google, and said, "How do I update my LinkedIn profile," for instance, and found a video or an article that walked you through it.

The internet is swimming in "how to" content.  It is the easiest to make.  It is the easiest to find.  And this is probably where you and 90% of your competition are living right now in terms of messaging.

Results-oriented Content

The next level up is the "why" or results-oriented content.  So this level is about connecting to why we do things.  Like saying, "Hey, here's my service.  And this is why you'd want to use this service."  We're talking results and ROI which is better and more engaging than most people are doing.  But it's not quite the top level of content yet, which is Leadership-level content.

Leadership-level Content

Leadership-level content is content that really connects with your audience and drives action.  And it's something that you can build a community around.  It's something that drives identity even.  And if you want to look at great examples of this, we could pull out examples from all sorts of different industries.  Though it may be overused as an example, Apple is the epitome of this.  Apple uses this type of content all the time when they talk about being creative.  We could look at tools like ClickFunnels with Russell Brunson talking about being a funnel hacker, right? That's Leadership-level content for his tribe.

We can look at civic leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. talking about equal rights for all races.  These are ideas that can change the world, change an industry, and help people take their businesses and lives to another level.

Client retention is the unsung hero of business growth. 

Imagine yourself walking the wrong way up an escalator. Every time you make a sale, you're taking a step up. But every time a client contract expires or a client stops working with you, you will start moving backward. 

And if you're losing clients just as fast as you're making those sales, you will either remain standing in the same place or keep moving backward. 

In business, your goal is to retain more clients. Because when you do, you can grow more easily and be more profitable.

Can you imagine your business retaining clients so well that they stay with you and continue to pay for your services? All you have to do is make one or two sales a year, and you grow by about $100,000. That is the power of client retention. 

Client retention, however, is not a guarantee of $100,000 a year. I'm trying to tell you that there is so much opportunity in client retention, making your sales and marketing much more effortless. 

This is why a client success system is essential to have. It is the perfect solution for successful client retention.

As you grow, you cannot provide service to every single client, plus do the marketing and the sales of your business. You may think you can do it, but you don't have the time. 

The client success system's goal is to enable your business to grow past you so you can reclaim your time and at the same time, guarantee your clients the results that they have been promised.

The Built to Scale framework is the foundation for how you can grow and scale your business successfully.

Did you know that you can attract more clients without sacrificing your personal life? 

This is what you will learn from my book Built-To-Scale. 

This book will take a deep dive into how you can land more clients, make more money and do it without sacrificing your personal life. 

I am very excited to share this with everyone. It has always been my passion to help people lead a full life while having a thriving business. To be able to be the person to provide that foundational piece to make all of this possible is just incredibly amazing.

In Ep25 of Built to Scale, Craig Severinsen answers this question for business owners: How do you get quality leads with so many people on social media?  

This is a subject that many people are talking about, and this article will guide you so you can do this effectively.   All of us are busy, and we want a quick fix. We all want results. And if you want to get the very best clients from social media, you must put in a lot of work. And you have to do it consistently!  

What is your goal with social media?   This is where we always start. 

Craig gives you a mindset shift that will help you attack social media better:  relationship marketing.   Social media is all about building relationships. 

However, most people don't know how to show up on social media and create meaningful relationships or how to convert these relationships into paying customers.

This episode dives deep into how to accomplish this and scale your business.

Welcome to Ep24 of Built to Scale!

In this episode, we've got Angie Callen of Career Benders on the show.  

Angie and I first met at Social Media Day in Denver this year, where we were both speakers.  And it was really funny, because as she was speaking, I was just like, "Holy cow. Yes, exactly."  She was saying the things that I always think and say about LinkedIn.  When we connected afterward, she said the same thing to me about my presentation.

So there's so much gold that she brought today that I really want you to pay attention to. And in particular, three things:

-  We talk a lot about growth versus scale, and how she is actually in the transition right now, between growing her business and putting those systems in place to scale.  So she talks really specifically about the things she's doing to make that shift, which I think you'll find really valuable. 

- She talks about being just the right amount ahead in your business.  For instance, hiring that employee or taking that next step, just right before you think you're ready.  She says you need to do it 25% before you're ready.  And she goes into detail about how she's applying that in her business.

- Using goals a certain way and not using your goals like a laser pointer where you're so focused on it, that you miss the other opportunities.  Use your goals as a compass, so that you can find other opportunities as you're moving toward them.  

Okay, so that's what I got for you today.  Let's dive in.

Today we're talking about how to build your brand in a way that positions you as the go-to expert in your industry or specific niche.  Let's start by answering why building your brand around leadership and expertise is so important.

There are 3 foundational items that your business needs, which I teach in the Built To Scale Framework.

These foundational items are necessary for every single business to grow successfully. Here's why:

#1: When you position yourself as an expert in your industry, you can confidently raise your rates and be profitable. And if you want to be profitable, you've got to be charging an amount that makes sense to grow your business financially.

Most often, we're not charging enough to reach our financial goals or to be able to employ people and pay for the services we need.

#2: It changes your sales process from an outbound marketing strategy to inbound marketing. This strategy involves you teaching the marketplace. You're doing things that give value to your audience, like writing books and speaking at a conference.

These things build your name and reputation. And when people see your value, they are naturally drawn to you. And that makes your sales process a whole lot easier.

Another good reason is that it also makes your sales process cheaper because you don't have to pay to look for clients. It also converts more people quickly. And that is huge, right?

#3: You get more reach, which you can leverage as you position yourself as an expert. When you reach more people, you will get more results with the same amount of effort.

And if you want to grow a 6-7-figure business, you should have these foundational pieces.

Today we'll talk about everything you need to know to be a guest on podcasts and how to leverage that to build your brand, grow your business, and land more clients.

Why is this approach of guesting on podcasts such a great strategy?

Think of it this way:  let's say you went to a networking event, and you were able to share your expertise with around 10 people in the audience. If we think of it, 10 people is a small number, and it's not a big deal.

Imagine going to a networking event once or twice a week every month. Over a year, you'd probably be reaching around 500 to 1000 people. Now that's huge!

And this is how podcasts work. You start with small audiences. But as you continue guesting on other people's podcasts, you increase your reach to a new level.

So if you're asking, can you get big on these podcasts?

The answer is YES. But you will have to show up consistently, even with a small audience.

And if you deliver a clear message and a consistent call to action, those small groups of people will add up and produce significant results.

You grow by borrowing other people's audiences, and we're going to do it one small audience at a time.

Expert Tip: Be consistent with your message and call to action

Many people tell me, "I've guested on other people's YouTube channels… I've guested on podcasts before and didn't see anything from it."

The how-to stuff is a great starter topic. But if you want to engage your audience so that they come to seek you out, you have to take your content to the leadership level.

This is where you talk about your vision that people can rally behind and get excited about, making them want to learn more.

So you have to be consistent with your content, from how-to content to what I call the leadership level of content.

If you want to know more about leadership-level content, you can visit my YouTube channel because we have trainings and videos for that.

Another thing you want to be consistent with is your call to action. A clear and specific call to action is all you need to start seeing results.

If you want more support around your podcast, and if you want to convert clients through podcast consistently, this is what we do every single day with our clients inside the Built to scale program. We work with companies, helping them get the right systems and foundations to scale and have the lifestyle they have always dreamed of.

Head over to BuiltToScaleHQ.com, and get a copy of the built-to-scale framework. You can also listen to our podcast, where you can get a bunch of resources to help you scale your business.

Welcome to a solo episode of Built to Scale.

One of the biggest challenges almost every business owner faces is knowing how to raise their rates. But with the proper knowledge, experience, and strategies that I am going to share with you, you'll be able to raise your rates with confidence and make more money overall.  

In this episode I go through three things you can do, so you can actually charge more money and still land the best clients.

Welcome to  Built to Scale. 

Today we've got a really exciting interview for you.  Our guest, Ryan Peck does a lot of stuff from healthcare and benefits to coaching and consulting around organic outreach. 

There are three things, in particular, I want you to look out for: 

We dive into cold outreach and the importance of building relationships, rather than your typical spray and pray approach, which feels really bad.  He talks to us about how he makes sure that it is a good experience for him and effective in terms of marketing. 

He talks about how a serious health scare really helped him shift his business and his life so that he's a lot happier and also a lot more focused on what he's doing. 

How being self-aware when you're overwhelmed or frustrated can help you get through it but also maintain a positive outlook and happiness. 

Okay, that's what I got for you.  Let's dive into this awesome episode.