How to Sell Online

In this episode, I brought in Laura Stevenson, one of my students of the Zero to 100k system, to give her some one-on-one coaching so that you can hear how these roll out. When I first pulled up her video to do this coaching session, she was beaming with excitement to geek out about her business with me. Laura was the marketing director of a dental practice with three practices, and just quit the job two weeks ago to focus on her family and work on her business full-time.

She started her course in February 2019 and then followed Alison’s roadmap by creating her first products, and selling them on deal sites. She later created her own Shopify store in August where she sells t-shirts, jewelry, and home decor to women who love the outdoors to add a touch of nature to their homes or what they wear. I will start off the coaching session by looking at her site and highlighting the first thing she needs to do, and that’s to make sure that her vision comes out clearly on her website.

Her goal is to inspire people to feel the satisfaction of being outside by selling them her products, but that goal doesn’t come out so clearly in her very well put together and beautiful site. And this is one of the success factors in eCommerce. One might have a great online store, but if they don’t sell their vision clearly to their target market, they might find themselves selling less and less moving forward. I’ll share so much more advice with Laura on how she can improve on her site and strategically brand her products to increase her sales and grow her business in the long term. Stay tuned to get some first-hand experience on getting one-on-one coaching from me.

Key Takeaways:

• Laura’s less more statement: Less of what she wants to do, so she can make more room for what she really wants to do (04:49)
• Leaving her job two weeks to go into her business full-time (06:50)
• Building up her storytelling to bring out her vision more to her audience (12:06)
• Creating habits into your products and your customers (18:32)
• The habit of creating love or gratitude notes: Creating new products and making them an event in customers’ lives (22:19)
• Making the brand more about the customers and less about you (24:08)
• How to work with influencers and how they can help you speed up your process so much faster (28:42)
• Creating value for customers to come over and sign up on your email list (31:15)
• The best strategies for email marketing and leveraging on pop ups (35:53)
• Giving the urgency and scarcity that makes customers act right there and then (39:40)
• Moving forward with this vision of creating experiences around her products that will help people enjoy them (42:42)

Additional Resources:

• www.InHerElements.com

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Have you ever found yourself in a state wherein you are always chasing the latest, greatest tool, social media platform, product, etc? Of course, the bare problem within this problem is that one chases the newest thing and never completes the older thing. If that’s you, you’ve fallen victim to the shiny object syndrome.

You never see any substantial results after your initial efforts. Eventually, you interpret this lack of result as a lack of ability on your part. And maybe you even throw the towel in all together. And you burn through the cash. 

Most people I know who tried to start a business online do so because they really needed to earn some extra money. I've known people like - maybe he spent a little money over here on this monthly subscription to have some must-have tool that he used only for two weeks and a little money over there to have someone build a website they never market, and a little over here to buy yet another program, because it's going to be the one that solves all their problems. 

You get the point - jumping from one ship to the next. When all of those ships have an entry fee that can really add up. And you drive your family crazy. You drive yourself and your family nuts. We are constantly in a state of searching for the answers, and we never commit to one path.

Let me help you think about your goals. In this episode, I want you to start to peel away the shiny object syndrome, so that you can get clarity and can live your best Because It Can life. So stay tuned.

Key Takeaways:

• The problem with always chasing the newest thing… (2:19)
• When I started my first online business, I was at it too (4:48)
• Look at your to-do list or imagine in your head if you're away from it… (5:47)
• Doing anything and everything but the thing that you actually need to do (6:49)
• A real hard look at how social media actually works (8:33)
• Most of us still have a scarcity mentality… (10:48)
• From now on, shiny object syndrome (SOS) is Scream Out & Step away (11:57)
• Listen for the things that are long-lasting, the things you really need (14:39)
• It is very important to let things go (15:26)
• Don't act on every little thing. Just listen… (16:34)
• Go with platforms that have been around for a while (20:10)
• Be picky about how you spend your time (21:02)

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In this episode, I am joined by Ayelet Shipley, the 23-year-old founder of AnxietySecretsToolbox.com, and the host of the Get Out of Bed, Out of Your Head podcast where she shares her journey of overcoming anxiety, going into entrepreneurship, and thriving at it. She also does interviews on her podcast with subject matters experts and other people within her age group who have achieved similar milestones.

The story of how she got into entrepreneurship is really quite fascinating. It all started when she attended ClickFunnels’ Unlock the Secrets conference in Denver with her dad. She was getting her graduate degree in social work and was not really interested in business, but she just went to the event to spend time with her dad. There her dad introduced her to Ryan Lee of Cashflow Tactics who was there with his 12-year-old daughter. Ryan told her that he and his daughter had the idea of doing something to help kids with anxiety and depression, and she shared with them how she had struggled with anxiety and depression almost all her life, and how important it was to talk about it. Ryan looked down at his daughter and said, “See. You're not alone.”

That was the defining moment for Ayelet, where she realized that she could help so many people by being vulnerable, sharing her story, and using all her knowledge to build the tools that would help people, especially young people, overcome anxiety and become the best version of themselves. So she started her podcast and the Anxiety Secrets Toolbox, and six months into it, she has already impacted so many lives and aims at impacting one million people. Ayelet’s story will be super inspirational for any young person, or a parent to a young person. So if you’re in any of those two categories, you should tune in to this episode, because it will change your life for the better. 

Key Takeaways:

• Running your future versus your future running you: Teaching our kids that there are other options besides going to college (02:55)
• From clinical social work Masters student to entrepreneur within 6 months (05:25)
• How she overcame a lot of fears, nerves, and anxiety to start her podcast and business (09:29)
• Advice for young people on starting a business versus going for the typical nine to five job (14:11)
• What her parents did to open up the relevant doors that led her into entrepreneurship (18:41)
• How a non-entrepreneur parent can still help their child pursue entrepreneurship (22:06)
• The future, the program she’s creating, and the lives that she’s changing (25:50)

Additional Resources:

• Get Out of Bed, Out of Your Head Podcast
• Ayelet on Instagram
• Ayelet on Facebook
• www.AnxietySecretsToolbox.com

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This episode sees eight of my students copming up with their top tools or tips to be successful.

What I did is I actually went out and asked eight of my top students in the zero to 100 k system about what was the one tool that they used to help them to cross the six-figure mark.

I loved listening to what they had to say. When you listen to these little snippets,  each one is about two to three minutes. 

They're all women, they all have families, they all have a business and they all have a vision, and they are crushing it. It has been so fun to watch these women in their journey to crossing their first six-figure. And some of them will be on that six-figure mark as they manage life. 

So get ready to take notes on this episode of Because I Can Life Podcast.

Key Takeaways:

• You don't need to be doing all of those things all at the same time (3:57)
• Making small changes will increase your conversion rate (5:04)
• The power of connections or the power of influencers (6:52)
• The one tool that has given Megan success: Instagram stories (8:19)
• The biggest thing that brought Olivia’s game up: Finding an influencer (9:49)
• Reaching out to Instagram micro influencers to partner up (12:46)
• The power of Trello (14:45)
• When we face failure, it's an opportunity to learn something (17:27)
• The top tool Wendy talks about is her iPhone camera (20:30)

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Additional Resources:

e-mails and websites:

• Kati Oliver: [email protected] https://newtraditioncrafts.com/
• Mae Cee: [email protected] https://www.923bydesign.com/
• Megan Pyrah: [email protected] https://saltedavenue.com/
• Olivia Starling: [email protected] https://www.starlettegalleria.com/
• Lidia Yegros: [email protected] https://bodokekids.com/
• Wendy Kesl: [email protected] https://glitterluv.com/
• Michon & Melinda: [email protected] https://ivyandsagemarket.com/
• Brittany Steadman: [email protected] https://www.surroundingsmarket.com/

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Have you ever been nervous to reach out to an influencer to promote your business? Like what if they tell you “no”? What if they ignore you?

Lidia from Bodoke Kids had the same thoughts less than a year ago. In this episode, she shares with us tricks that helped her to calm the nerves and grow her business well beyond the six-figure mark.

I've been able to follow her journey, and she's been sending me screenshots of the success that she's been having with influencers.

She sent me a screenshot that showed over $4,900 in sales on August 1st, and she went on to tell me that her goal was to hit $5,000 by the end of the month. And then, by the end of her two-day promotion, she'd hit well over $10,000.

So after learning the power of influencer marketing, she's been able to push those fears aside and in this episode, she's going to pull out the secrets to creating those winning situations with influencers and how she went on to build her powerful business that she and her husband Nick now run from home.

Stay tuned to know more.

Key Points of Discussion:

• How Lidia knew how the Internet was so powerful (7:29)
• They looked everywhere, but since Lidia is inclined to babies… (7:52)
• The first batch of inventory they bought was only for $40 (8:46)
• They put it on a deal site after taking my course; got a good ROI (9:33)
• After doing deal sites and a Shopify store, she built an Instagram account (11:58)
• She was following examples of these amazing women (12:49)
• She just started working on connections with moms (12:55)
• “I sell only what I think I would buy for my own kids.” (15:29)
• Setting a timer to be on Instagram (16:54)
• Being genuine on what you're doing, getting to know them, and their kids (17:54)
• You just need to go out there and find and see what works best for you (22:30)
• How did she break through being shy in approaching influencers? (23:07)
• You start at the bottom, you take one step at a time (31:57)

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Additional Resources:

• Bodoke Kids (40% Discount Code: ALISON40)
• Shopify

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The power of the Internet is like your personal jet and yet, some of you are still walking. Get in the jet.

You have got an idea, a product or a message, but you kind of feel like your voice is getting lost in this chaotic world or the product that you're offering is just getting drowned out. Maybe you're working your guts out, but you don't feel like things are happening and you're not getting anywhere and any money that you make just gets eaten up by stuff you didn't even plan for.

This episode has the intention of breaking you free and moving you in a true forward Beyoncé on a jet motion.

I'm going to call it this one Beyoncé in a jet with a tank full of gas and how you can join her.

I also tell you about an email that I got from one of my students about how she just hit $20,000 for the month because she found out about the Beyoncé in a jet method, but let's think about that $20,000. This amount of money was just about two-thirds of what I made as a junior high teacher in a year, and she did that in a month.

Seven months ago, this single mom of three kids made about a 1,000 dollars over the course of a year and in her business, she had tried a few things, but it really just wasn't sticking. Money was not flowing, when she learned the way a business really works.

She's learning that she can create a lifestyle business around her kids versus being stuck in a nine-to-five job plus trying to handle a part-time job as well. She's learned the skill she needs to create money over and over, time and time again.

She's also now teaching her children on how to make this their reality too. She's not only changing her life, but she's changing her kids' lives too as they get to watch their mom do things that she dreamed about because she's learning to make money.

Just get off that hamster wheel. What if I help you find what you need to get off your wheel without having to have an employee?

Stay tuned for those steps…

Key Takeaways:

• A year ago, this single mom of three kids was so tired of not living (3:02)
• Money was not flowing, when she learned the way a business works (3:47)
• She’s flying past all of her expectations - $20,000 a month (3:57)
• She's not only changing her life, but she's changing her kids' lives too (4:51)
• The biggest epiphany moment of all of my business (6:31)
• In weeks, I went from $20/hr to 35 doing about the same amount of work (8:19)
• Steps to get off your hamster wheel - No. 1: You need to get in your jet (10:25)
• Speeding up the growth of your business by using influencers (11:52)
• Sell the stuff that you have sitting in your basement collecting dust… (13:49)
• Getting on the learning jet: Why not invest in an online course? (15:14)
• Get your products into a shipping facility (18:59)
• Moving fast - You're automating or outsourcing the busy work (22:50)
• Some of us are just stuck with a mentality that we're going to run out... (23:56)

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Additional Resources:

• Shopify
• ClickFunnels
• Download your free personal bundle at AlisonJPrince.com/bundle

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In this episode, I am joined by Natalia Riboldi of NatandNoor.com. She told me she thought I was missing out on interviewing some people that were just starting that may have questions - that were in the trenches still and weren't quite sure what to do.

And in fact, she volunteered to come on the podcast towards addressing some of those issues.

She shares with us how she went from zero to 87 stores in a short period of time.

She says something about getting lucky because she had a friend that was in a business and a boutique.

But really, one increases their luck by working.

So yes, she may have had that first friend that sparked that idea, but she had to get on the road, she had to send the emails, you had to made the calls, she had to get uncomfortable for her to increase her luck.

I don't think it was the opened-up opportunities for her to get into the 87 stores that she did. So I think yes, one can look at it as luck, but I also think it was a lot of her hard work that went into it.

Stay tuned as we dive deeper and I go on to answer the questions she has.

Key Points of Discussion:

• She graduated with a degree in oil painting - She’s always loved the arts (6:07)
• She started focusing on creating works of art and selling them (6:28)
• She had bought some earrings and invited people. She sold 20 pairs (9:34)
• Doing wholesale to actual physical stores has spelt success for her (13:29)
• Her future growth plans; things she wants to figure out (14:43)
• Pulling in products other than earrings to attract a wider audience (18:22)
• Natalia says online wholesalers really got her into the 87 stores (23:31)
• Constantly trying to think of new things to just make it fun (26:11)
• Connecting with influencers; creating a win-win situation (27:22)
• About ClickFunnels and Shopify (32:13)
• About giveaways with social media (36:43)

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Additional Resources:

• NatandNoor.com (35% Discount code: NOOR)
• Tundra.com
• Shopify
• ClickFunnels
• Download your free personal bundle at AlisonJPrince.com/bundle
• Free PDF: 16 of Alison's very first products online

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This episode sees seven wildly successful influencers answering your questions about how to work with influencers. And they talk about what they like and what they look for in business collaboration.

They talk about what tips they have to help you get in the door when trying to work with them and what they expect from a business.

I've sat on the influencer side for 10 years now over on How Does She, so I've seen a lot and I've watched a lot of trends in marketing - I can tell you with surety that influencer marketing is one trend that will never un-trend!

Influencer marketing is here to stay and learning the power of this will help you accelerate your business growth in the face of the fact that change is a constant. Yes, the platforms - TV, radio, and social media change. But influencers have usually figured out a platform. 

Yeah, you can go build your own numbers and be an influencer one day if you want to, but it can take years. So why not leverage the power of what's already been built by influencers that can put your product in front of their audience quickly so you can grow even faster? 

So stay tuned to dive in and hear out as to how influencers go about choosing which businesses they like to work with.

Key Takeaways:

• For Sadie, it's about building relationships with brands and her audience (4:41)
• The number one thing she looks for in businesses is mutual respect (8:01)
• Holly works with firms having a product she knows her people will love (9:44)
• For Savanah, it comes down to how much she feels like they care (13:41)
• She needs it to be the right fit for her and for her audience (13:50)
• Three quick tips from Shelley (15:45)
• No. 1: Make sure it's a good match (15:50)
• No. 2: Send products with no strings attached (16:22)
• No. 3: Prove your product and your commission structure’s potential… (17:14)
• Camille Beckstrand is all for interaction on social media (18:22)
• What Ashley looks for - Do they mesh well with her audience? (20:09)
• And then she looks at their website, their images… (20:53)
• The way she’s approached makes a really big difference (21:36)
• Camille Walker likes to know what the company's expectations are (24:05)
• She loves to have a conversation with the company about their goals (24:32)

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Additional Resources:

• Connect with Sadie Sabin on Instagram
• Connect with Holly Homer on Instagram
• Connect with Savanah Poulsen on Instagram
• Connect with Shelley Coates on Instagram
• Connect with Camille Beckstrand on Instagram
• Connect with Ashley Johnston on Instagram
• Connect with Camille Walker on Instagram
• Download your free personal bundle at AlisonJPrince.com/bundle

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In this episode, I am joined by Kati Oliver, who was a school teacher last year, when she doubled her annual salary in a day. She crushed her business goals in 2019 by selling out before Cyber Weekend even started and hit six figures in the first 15 days of November.

And that’s not all - Just up until recently, she was able to hit sales numbers with just one product. That’s right - not a complete collection or a huge store of products. It was one offer.

In this interview, I ask her questions that I've seen others ask her in my zero to a hundred K Facebook group.

Kati tells us a little bit of her background as also how and why she started an online business.

How did she manage to make it a priority to focus on her business? In what way are her kids in it? Is it Facebook ads or influencer marketing that has driven the sales? How did she figure everything out with no background in business or sales or product manufacturing? What are her future plans?

Stay tuned to know the answers and join the dots.

Key Points of Discussion:

• A family tradition linked to Xmas - 25 ornaments and nightly devotionals (4:43)
• In 2012, they put together 200 of these ornament kits and launched a site (5:21)
• In the first year, they sold 500. They sold out early October that year (5:33)
• Juggling teaching at elementary schools and the online business… (6:42)
• Their family conversations center a lot around business (8:53)
• Last year, she decided she was going to be done teaching (10:38)
• For 2020, her goal is to have an Easter kit ready to go (11:48)
• Figuring things out by themselves when starting out (13:41)
• Developing relationships with influencers - they’ve converted well (20:06)
• Katie’s top tips on approaching and working with influencers (21:24)
• “You want to dream big, have big ideas, but also start small.” (24:13)
• Keep going, no matter how hard it gets or how frustrated you get (24:27)
• Avenues for success: email lists, influencers, Facebook ads (24:56)

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Additional Resources:

• 20% off code for Kati's new Easter products that will be coming out: ICAN
• NewTraditionCrafts.com
• New Tradition Crafts on Instagram
• The 25 Days of Christ on Facebook
• Download your free personal bundle at AlisonJPrince.com/bundle

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>>> Join the $1-100k System

In this episode, we talk about the cost of getting an online shop up and going. Maybe you're wondering what the cost of an online store is to see if it's even worth it for you.

You probably want to know the hidden costs, the unexpected things that might throw you off.

Is it easy to start an online store? Honestly, I try never to use the word “easy” in business-building and if I do, let me know. Building something that you are proud of takes time and effort, especially at first. 

It follows the easy hard rule. What is that? Well, if it is easy now, it's going to be hard in the future. And if it's hard now, it's going to be easy in the future.

So, how much does it cost to start an online eCommerce store? Well, I suppose if you're going to launch a competitor to Amazon, it's going to cost you a lot, right?

Well, you can go into debt, spending thousands of dollars in inventory, having custom built eCommerce websites, hire a team to handle all your customer service and all your shipping and all that stuff. 

Or you can grow your business one profitable sale at a time. Reinvesting those products to buy more inventory to expand your business. Does it take longer? Yeah, but it works. So if you are stressed out about the money, guess what? There are ways that you can make this work. 

If you have money to go into it, great. You're just going to be able to grow faster. You've either got time or you've either got money and those are the two things that can help you grow your business faster. If you don't have money, you're going to have to spend more time.

If you are a stay-at-home mom who needs some extra income to support her family, you can get started by using basically dryer change, some garage sale proceeds and a little imagination.

We talk about what you need to pay for and what you don't.

We delve into your product offer too.

Just get cash for the stuff that you already have lying around in your house. Take that cash and buy some inventory to sell to your products, and remember - Buy small - You need to test it out. Get your online booth or shop. I use Shopify and recommend Shopify to get started - It’s $30 a month.

Stay tuned as we dig deeper into what it takes...

Key Takeaways:

• When you feel you just broke even or lost money, look at what you learned (8:02)
• Is it easy to start an online store? (11:06)
• How much does it cost to start an online eCommerce store? (14:30)
• Dryer change, some garage sale proceeds and a little imagination… (14:56)
• Get a business license (15:09)
• LLCs or sole proprietors? Find out what’s right for you (15:36)
• Sell something you’re not using anymore to pay for your business license (16:27)
• You need something to sell - Look at what’s gathering dust in your house (16:39)
• Invest that cash into some inventory to be able to sell to your customers (18:39)
• Don't buy a ton of inventory - Test your products (19:33)
• Start on Shopify. It's going to save you so much stress and frustration (20:29)
• Shipping: Amazon’s there; someone else can ship out products for you (22:24)
• You want some pretty branding on your packages; go to VistaPrints.com (23:14)
• If you are selling on other people's sites, make sure you know their rules (25:10)

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Additional Resources:

• Download your free personal bundle at AlisonJPrince.com/bundle

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>>> Join the $1-100k System