Episode 11 : Determination & Grit

Meet Michael Kelly, a "Digital Nomad" in Olympia Washington, who literally takes his work on the road.  Michael built Member Vault, a content platform which provides a powerful solution for storing content in one place.  His platform makes it easy for businesses to turn subscribers into buyers, and buyers into loyal clients. This storage solution also serves as a database for resources, freebies, digital textbooks and more.  Michael built his business in response to a noticeable gap in membership course platforms, which he discovered throughout his experience working in the web dev space for over 10 years.  

His journey from freelancer, to owning his own web agency, to launching and growing Member Vault grew from a desire for more:  more connection with his clients, more control for implementing creative solutions, and more freedom to perfect his final product.

Michael shares his success story through the lens of two key components: determination and grit.

Determination:

• Be determined to find and follow what fires you up.
• • Michael is a "do-it-yourselfer" which means that building, creating and engineering were important elements for any business venture.
  • One of his frustrations as a freelancer, was the limited ability to provide creative solutions in response to client feedback.
• Be determined to pivot as necessary.
• • Entrepreneurial journeys evolve through small pivots.
  • • Michael kept listening to his client requests and delivered what they asked for instead of what he thought would be cool and exciting for them.
• "If you build it they will [NOT] come," it takes more hard work!  

• • You must be determined to build infrastructure for marketing.
  • • Start by building long-term relationships.  
    • • When people don't know who you are, there is no trust.
    • Don't be salesy, instead, be helpful and useful.  
    • Give first to build trust; asking comes later.
    • Provide value, network and engage.
• Be determined to listen to feedback without your ego.  
• • Even when feedback is harsh (and it will be) do not get defensive.  
  • Take a step back and find the truth in the feedback, then decide what you can do to improve.  
• Social Proof will come after building relationships.
• • Social proof can be extremely powerful, but it can also be extremely dangerous.
  • Provide value first before ever asking for reciprocity.

Grit:

• Success comes from being able to take in criticism, brush it off and move forward by asking "what did I learn?"
• • Even when you undergo harsh feedback and lose clients, you can learn from it.
  • Remember, feedback is helpful and is not about you, it's about the product.  
  • Don't take negative feedback personally.
• Focus on what you're good at.  
• Be honest about what you have and what you don't have and keep showing up authentically.
• • You can't be everything to everyone; every client is not your client, and that's ok!
  • Be transparent about your capabilities and limits- use that as a strength.  
  • • Don't be afraid of transparency.

• Have the courage to keep showing up.
• No matter how many times you get knocked down, get back up.
• Work hard.

Final Thoughts From Michael:

Don't take it personally.  It's not about you.  You can be passionate about something and not take it personally.

Connect With Michael

• MemberVault.co : 14 day free trial & free opt in mini-course!

• Member Vault Facebook Page

• Member Vault on Instagram

Episode 10 : Engaging the World Where They're At

Bridget Richard's background is in Social Services. After giving birth to her first child, she knew she wanted to do something more, but wasn't sure what that would be.  After doing her research, she found a need in her field; caring for the mental and emotional health of teens.  

As she transitioned into private practice, she learned that engaging the world where they are at is key to bringing them along the pathway to becoming a client.  As a result, her practice rapidly expanded 3-4 times and today, she has two filled locations with 10 therapists.

Come learn to apply these useful tips in order to "engage the world where they are at" so you, too, can build your audience along your own unique journey.

Do Your Research:  

• Google the topics of interest in your area.
• Find a gap to fill.
• Get on the phone and call business which most closely resemble what you'd like to do.
• Check out their websites, customer experience, etc., to see what is available and what you can improve upon.

Local Marketing and Searchability:

• Find online advertising forums relating to your field and get connected.
• • Bridget connected to Psychology Today, which is a reputable forum in her field.
• Local search engines offer free listings so go and claim them.
• • Examples include Bing & yahoo.  Bridget found 20 in her area, claimed them all and updated pictures, contact info and links.
  • Chamber of commerce also gave her a website.
• Build a website.
• • Wordpress, Wix etc. Just do something.  Get started.
  • Link each platform together and use twitter, pinterest, blogs etc, to boost your searchability.
  • Update regularly to stay fresh and relevant.
  • 70% of Bridget's business comes from search engines.
• Connect to local schools and offer to speak to the students on applicable topics.
• Talk to relevant businesses (in her case, doctors offices) to let them know there's a face to your name and that you provides legitimate and valuable services.

Do the Hustle:

• "Say yes, tell the world, then figure it out."
• • Don't be afraid to do the work.
  • Don't wait until you have it "all figured out" either.
• Go with what you think is possible and what you really are going to do.  
• • If you think you 'should' do a website, but it's too technical and you know you won't do it, start with a "drag and drop" site like Wix instead of a more technical type of website;  or have someone build one for you.
• You can do all the research in the world, but you won't truly understand what it takes to run website, search optimization, etc until you go and do it.
• • You'll learn as you go.
• Set goals.
• • Without a goals, urgency, etc, we all procrastinate.
  • Track your progress and evaluate.
• Get outside of your comfort zone.
• • Unless you feel anxious you're not doing it right.
  • When we move toward change, we start to feel anxious.  
  • When we feel anxiety we think "that's anxiety. It's bad. I need to stop," but instead frame it as "that's anticipation.  It means things are building and I need to go."
  • 1. Pushing through is the difference between success and failure.

Meet Them Where They Are:

• Network, Hustle and find your target demo.
• Remember what the customer journey looks like so you can connect with people where they are and meet those needs.
• • Bridget knew her target demo would be in crisis so she put together a clean, simple website which allowed users to access relevant info quickly.
  • 1. Her website provided services listed in 3 simple tabs.
    2. Knowing her target demo created a unique customer journey which had been lacking in other websites in her field.  
• Website must look bigger than you are.  
• • Perception is huge in the decision making process.

When the Going Gets Tough:

• Bridget's journey felt like trying to ride a wild horse.. . . she didn't feel like she was in control, but as she moved forward, she discovered why things worked and didn't work.
• To move past doubt and feel more in control, do something proactive.
• • Anytime she has a bad day she asks herself, "What can i do for my business today?"  
• Remember, it takes time to build that customer journey, to hustle and to connect.
• • Ready fire aim!
  • Throw it up, tell the world then go do it.
• Keep your purpose front and center and push through it.  
• • If you have the purpose you'll have the fortitude.

Final Thoughts From Bridget

• Remind yourself, "The only thing holding me back is me."  
• Other's opinions and judgments don't matter, what matters is "if you believe it and dream it, you can do it!"

Connect With Bridget

• The Influential Parent Facebook Page: Facebook Lives Wednesdays at 2 PM (EST)
• [email protected]
• The Influential Parent Website

Episode 9 : The Importance of Finding a Mentor

Meet content strategist, Jen Sabillon, who specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract clients by producing captivating copy.   Her journey toward entrepreneurship began years ago when she was a school teacher.  Although she loved teaching, Jen felt she wanted something more; more time, more happiness, more passion for life.  After the birth of her 2nd child, she also desired to find a way to be able to stay home with her kids, but she and her husband felt that finances and health insurance would not allow for her to quit her stable job.

After much consideration, and turning to the wisdom of Pinterst, she decided to become a virtual assistant.  Although she had a solid skill set, she did not have experience in this field, and was quickly turned down.  The project manager she had interviewed with, told her she has solid qualifications and much potential.  They continued to stay connected and became friends.  This friendship turned into a mentorship which drew out Jen's strengths and pushed her first to believe in herself,  and then to take a flying leap into the journey of entrepreneurship.

Today, 8 months after jumping in, Jen has attained more:  she has more time, more happiness and more passion for life. . . . and, she is making more money than she did when she was teaching.

Come and learn as Jen discusses the importance of having a mentor to propel you to the next level in your journey.

Why do we need a Mentor?

• A mentor helps you find your focus.  
• • Entrepreneurs are often crazy talented so they tend to do too many things with little focus.  
• A mentor sees your potential and draws it out of you, encourages, and pushes you.
• A mentor is an accountability partner who keeps you on track and heading in the right direction.  
• • This is a key measuring tool for success.
  • Mentoring is not a one way street.
  • • Sometimes we learn more by helping others than just by being their accountability partner.
• Mentors help open your mind to think bigger, strive harder, and to question more.

What to look for in a mentor:   

• Personability:  Do you feel like a person to this mentor or do they treat you like just another client on their list?
• Trust your gut: Does this feel right?  What doesn't feel good is not good.
• • If it's the right person, they'll understand if it's not right for you.
  • If they try to push things on you, they are definitely not the right person.
• Can they see in you what you don't see for yourself?
• • You know what you're good at, but you don't always know what you're awesome at.
  • Finding someone who can pull out your awesome is huge!    
  • A good mentor can take what you're already good at and help mold you and push you in front of the right people.
• Will they work on mindset: doubt is an aspect of mindset.  
• • Working on mindset with a mentor will push you beyond what you thought you could do.
  • Success in life is directly correlated to the amount of time you spend in personal development.
  • Mindset comes up all the time, so work on it.
• Do they recognize that you are new and are willing to help you understand things you don't understand?
• Mentors do not need to be expensive.
• • Can be a friend or someone who is already in your life.
  • Look for someone who feels right to you and can provide feedback and mindset boosts.

How does having a mentor help your business grow?

• Having a mentor is the basis of your networking.  
• • Referrals help your business grow.
• Mentors can make you more visible and build your confidence because they help you believe that you are good enough and marketable.
• Having someone ahead of you on the road helps guide you through the process and cuts down the learning curve.
• Mentors push you farther because you have someone behind you.
• They become your sounding board to bounce ideas off and give you perspective from steps to take to price points.

Final Thoughts From Jen

• You've got to find a mentor.  "Without a mentor, I would not be where I am today."
• • Jen is 8 months into her entrepreneurship journey and is completely booked out and making more money than she did in her stable job, with more financial freedom.  

Connect With Jen

• Find Jen Sabillon on Facebook
• Book Clubbing It Up
• [email protected]

Episode 8 : Overcoming Procrastination

Ian is the author of Know Thyself and Move Forward, which provides 4 simple steps that guide you through solutions to everyday problems.  Ian has learned that the easiest way to overcome procrastination is to truly understand yourself and continually evaluate where you are and where you want to go.

The analogy of a pilot illustrates that it's important to know where you started in relation to where you are heading.  A pilot must constantly readjust to stay on course, and so must we as we work toward our goals and dreams.

How to Overcome Procrastination:

• Know where are you now.
• Understand where you want to go.
• • Determine if you're a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner.
  • • For visual learners: focus on images.
    • Auditory learners: focus on sounds, music or quotes.
    • Kinesthetic learners: get up and go through the motion.  
  • Be honest with yourself and feel the purpose as a whole.
• Establish your starting point.
• • Evaluate where the gap is from where you are to where you want to end up.
  • Evaluate how to close that gap in order to attain the goal, from your point of view.
  • Evaluate Internal Coherence.  
  • • There are 7 layers of life experience;  from your deep purpose to how we are in our environment and how we interact.
• There's the science of achievement and the art of fulfilment.
• • Focus on science of achievement to build your own steps and achieve objectives.
  • Keep evaluating and make sure you are still aligned with your goals as you progress in order to achieve the art of fulfilment.

Final Thoughts From Ian

• There's the saying that the entrepreneur works 80 hours per week so that he's not stuck in a job working 40 hours a week, but remember that every second is so worth it!  
• Open up, serve and everything else will show up.

Contact Ian

• www.ianrenaud.com

Meet "The Traveling Introvert," Janice Chaka.  Born in England and well traveled, but she has lived in Mexico for over 13 years. After learning what being an introvert is and recognizing how that influences her daily life, she weaved this knowledge into her own business, which focuses on helping others shed the labels which society defines introversion to be.  Instead of letting "being an introvert define [you]" she inspire others to instead, "let it guide [you]." http://thetravelingintrovert.com

As an Introvert, Know That:

• It's ok to change your mind or do something else.
• Your passion isn't always what makes you money.
• • Find something you enjoy doing, but it doesn't have to be your passion.
• Be mindful of what drains you and what fuels you.

Introversion is Misunderstood:

• Cambrige definition of introvert has negative connotations and is described as being "shy or having difficulty making friends."
• • This is not true!
• Introversion/Extroversion is a case of how you get your energy.
• • Introverts need to have time to themselves to refuel so energy levels can increase.
  • • Being with people drains introverts.
  • Extroverts get energy from being with people.

Struggles and Solutions For  Introverts:

• Know what introversion is an pay attention to how it influences you.
• • Consider spreading out those draining activities to fit in other aspects of work which fuel you.
• Networking can be draining.
• • Janice figured out how to network as an introvert, and then wrote a book entitled: Events for Introverts:  The How-to-Guide to Networking
  • You don't have to stay the whole time.
  • Make a plan, know who you want to talk to, make that connection, then leave when you're done.
• Selling can feel aggressive and annoying to have to push yourself and your business on others.
• • Janice accidentally discovered that being a speaker at events brought people to her with questions so she could discuss her topic rather than go out of her way to discuss it with others.

Strengths in Business

• Remember that everyone has strengths so do not define your strengths (or weaknesses) as an introvert or an extrovert.  Define them as they are in you as a person.  
• Be humble enough to know and inquire what your weaknesses are.
• Ask your best friend and also, someone who's not so close to you to tell you your strengths, weaknesses and points of improvement.
• Knowing your weaknesses can become a strength because you can learn and grow in that area.

Building Your Business

• Let people know what you do.  
• • Most feel like a fake because they don't have 10 or 20 years experience and are used to others (teachers, employers) telling them what to do.
  • Allow your job title to be viewed by public on facebook
  • Set up FB business page
  • Twitter
  • Utilize free platforms and work on them
• Take the pressure off of yourself
• • Success is individual-you must define what success is to you.
  • Set your own goals.
  • Don't follow other's goals
  • Invest in yourself by learning and trying new things to build your skills
  • Find the right clients for you
  • Take time to understand which clients you work best with
  • • Not everyone is your client
    • Don't be afraid to fire clients
• Vocalize your ideas to a friend or fellow business owner in order to understand them and see how viable they are

Final Thoughts From Janice

• The struggle is real, but more important than introversion/extroversion, is personality.
• • All personalities are valid and different

• Remember that introvert tendencies are not a bad thing.  
• • Learn to work with them and embrace them.
  • Stick to your guns and fire bad clients
  • Self care
  • • Be ok with who you are and don't try to be someone else.  
    • Your journey will be unique, but beautiful!

Contact Janice

• Email [email protected]
• Thetravelingintrovert podcast
• Thecareerintrovert.com

Russell's skill set and experience turned his dad's management business into a full scale company, which has grown to manage resorts and a variety of other properties, and is now considered a "big fish" in the industry.

This passion and success prompted the creation of  "Big Fish," a digital and online marketing agency that teaches you how to become a big fish in your small pond, just as he did.  Once you do that, moving into larger markets is much easier to accomplish.

Pick Your Passion

• Consider what you're good at
• What do people ask you for help with?
• What do you really love?  If you like it, there will be others who like the same thing
• Find that passion first

Build Authority Around Your Passion

• Write articles about your passion, simple 500 word articles
• • Submit free articles to magazines, newspapers, etc., just ask them to put your name on it
  • Link self to your articles on social media
• Have your pictures taken at any event or meeting where you are interacting with others, speaking etc.
• Seek out and take any interviews.  
• Connect with others you have followed or learned from and who have a larger audience

Social Listening

• Set up free advice portal/website
• Do not sell anything
• • Only free content for 6-12 months
  • Listen to what people are asking for.
• Build product around what people need, not what you can provide
• Offer free consultations
• Instead of growing organic following, which is not location specific, promote via fb ads in local market.  
• • Target locally and understand it's a bidding process.
  • You get better chance of winning bid in local area when place ads in front of  small market.  

Russell's "Trust Funnel" Technique

• Free content first, build trust, be that authority
• Create engagement via article writing
• Amplify with ad dollars
• Lead audience to free articles, build value via remarketing and retargeting to other articles
• Then followers will convert to fans bc they've spent time with you
• Only with your fans, put a small lead magnet on thank you page after they have given email to down load
• Remarket even if they haven't purchased.

Final Thoughts:

• Always find ways to build self up as an expert
• • "If you want to be successful you have to portray an image of success."  
  • Take pictures: give first, but make sure that giving doesn't go unnoticed.
• Build followers, convert to fans, convert fans to customer.
• Russell took 10 months to get his first 5 euro sale
• Don't become disheartened, keep trying and pushing.  It's a process.  It takes years to become an overnight success

Russell Offer to You:

• Free Webinar training session to cover these details
• Free PDF checklist which shows how to design trust based sales funnel, including stages and tools, and coming up with content ideas, etc
• Access these offers at: www.beabigfish.online/ryan

Josh Cary, founder of Petsittingology, comes from the acting and filmmaking industry.  He built a community there and has been drawn to building online communities, websites, and understanding how to build solid businesses online.  He knows what it takes to make a business grow and flourish and shares with us the 3 W's of how to build your community online.

His latest venture began in 2009, when he found a gap in the professional pet care space.  He figured out how to fill that gap with his expertise by providing pet care businesses with a powerful way to grow through professional websites, ranking well in google, SEO, etc.  That is often not a business owner's strength, but it is his.

Holly was a fitness and wellness coordinator at a university. She was previously diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, but had managed it the best she could when her health suddenly spiraled and tanked.  She spent 4 months in the hospital, where her doctor told her repeatedly to thank 'the man upstairs," because she got there just in time.  She would not have been around had she waited another day.  

She made a difficult decision to quit her job and get her health back in order.  After losing her health, her job, and the world she knew in Virginia, she recognized that she had nothing else to lose.  Once her health was back on track, it was time to follow her dream of being a wellness coach.  A coach who would teach others to lead a healthy lifestyle beyond nutrition and exercise.  Through tapping into the deeper parts of health and wellness, she helps her clients strengthen their resolve to keep learning and to live vibrantly, no matter what they face.

Melissa spent 10 years in the advertising industry as an account executive who specialized in branding, marketing, sales, etc.  The "9-5" started to grow exhausting so she found her own way to cut out the middle-man and began a social media and marketing business. 

 Over time she found that she was doing more than just SM management and marketing.  She was showing businesses how to take a systematic and organized approach to their business in order to help them find the holes in their business and increase efficiency in order to maximize profits. 

Using a systematic approach to maximize profitability

• How to identify steps:
  • Take a step back and look at things from a high level
  • Identify everything you do in a day
    • Be Specific, pretend a new employee will be running your business while you're away, or talk to a friend who will ask questions. Get clear on tasks
  • Assign each task into one of 3 "Business Buckets"
    • 1) Sales and Marketing Bucket
    • 2) Clients/Customers--meetings, paperwork, emails, calls, etc
    • 3) Policies, Procedures & Operations
  • Identify a system:
    • Evaluate one bucket at a time and batch like items together
      • Example: Meetings, note taking and inputting into CRM would be a batch
      • Work outside of meetings would be another batch, etc.
    • Put batches in order sequentially and list amount of time it takes to complete
    • Reevaluate batches and remove unnecessary tasks and tasks you don't do.
  • Wash, Rinse, Repeat:
    • After working through one bucket
      • Keep practicing, evaluating, and improving, then move onto the next bucket and continue process. 
      • Continue evaluating and tracking to optimize efficiency
      • You can't improve what you don't measure
    • Get to know what type of person you are and how you work
      • Are you a pen and paper person? Does trello work for you or a personal planner, etc? 
      • The system of tracking must flow well with your work style and personality or it won't stick
      • Find what works for you.
      • Be patient. It's impossible to jump into a complete makeover. 
      • Take baby sets to acclimate to the process so you can stick with the changes and see the improvement.
      • With Melissa, this process of systematizing takes about 8 weeks with some follow up afterwards
    • Final words of advice:
      • Don't be hard on yourself. Take baby steps.  Be happy with your progress and don't compare yourself to others.
      • So many people give up just before they become successful so don't give up!
    • Special offer: Visit com/strategicsocialpartners
      • Special-45 minute free consultation to address single most important challenge/struggle in your business at this point.

Example: Photographer working like a dog, but feels like the product is delivered late, working late hours, clients happy with product but don't come back.

• Photographer had not defined the process from start to finish.
• She did not know how long each step actually took or where her clients were in the process.
• She guessed from consultation to delivery would take about one month, turns out it was a 6-8 week process.
• A board for her pipeline was created so she can track and give a realistic timeline before taking on new clients in order to deliver in the time she promises and keep clients happy.

Kerry has a Doctorate in Physical therapy.  She loved what she did and loved her coworkers, but felt a tug on her heart that led her outside the walls of the clinic.  Each step she took created more clarity and purpose and today, she owns a Mindset and Performance Coaching Company.  She helps people get clear about their strengths, passions, and what they want their lives to be like so they can create the work and life they absolutely love.

• How do I begin?
• • Discover the false objectives in your life:
  • • Goals you're working toward achieving that don't align with who you are at the core.  
    • What in your life has been scripted for you from external/societal pressures that you are not passionate about?

• What if I don't know exactly what I want?
• • Start by removing from your life what you know you don't want.  
  • Disassociate from things that do not inspire or enliven you.

• What is a scripted life?
• • Living live by doing roughly the same thing every day just because that is what you are doing.  
  • It's hard to feel passionate about life if you're living a "treadmill life."
  • Peel back what you're not passionate about to give room for what you truly are passionate about.

• How do I remove the script?  According to Ben Hardy, productivity researcher, the average American checks their cell phone 150 times/day and spends 9 yrs of their life checking facebook/watching tv.  
• • Start by decreasing the amount of time you spend consuming other people's material and thoughts so you have room in your head to think about what lights you up, what inspires you.  
  • Cut back on being constantly plugged in.
  • If all you did was read 2 pages of positive material each night and morning, your day would be that much more productive.  
  • Before going to bed-have tentative schedule for next day.  "Tell your time where to go".  
  • Be intentional with use of time, don't let your time get used up.  

• Morning routine--Begin Your Day With Purpose.  The 10 minute  GETUP Plan
• • Small GETUP changes that will drastically alter your business and their trajectory.
  • • Gratitude
    • Envision your goals
    • Today's why-why are you doing what you're going to do today
    • Unstoppable Body
    • Purpose driven action-what adds value, depth, connection in your life

• What do I put in my daily plan?
• • Do one thing every day that scares you.  Elanore Roosevelt
  • Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. -- Mark Twain
  • Ask yourself:  
  • • What is my frog?  
    • When am I going to eat it?
  • Life beings at the end of your comfort zone

• Shifting from the Corporate infrastructure to the Journey of Entrepreneurship
• • Corporate infrastructure:
  • • People tell us where to be, when to meet, when to email etc.
    • Others tell us what to do.
  • Entrepreneurship:  
  • • No one calls the shots for you, but you.
    • You pave the way.
    • You feel lost. .. .now what?

• Design your life, design your day:
• • It's all about building your plane as you fly, but if we never knew what a plane looked like, we'd never know how to build it.
  • • Studying people who've done what you aspire to do is the fastest shortcut to getting there.   
    • Someone has probably done something similar and that means there's a market for you so it's a good thing!
    • What are their habits? What are their income producing activities?
    • Set up your day with some idea of structure.
    • Example: "Connect and Collaborate" on Thursdays.  Have a Marketing day, studying day, etc..  
    • Some tasks take less time, some take more, tweak it as you go.
    • Ready, fire, aim--specific income producing activities that we must stay focused on and aim towards.  

• How do I know when to charge for my idea or skill?
• • Most of the time you don't make money right away, may need to work for free to prove your concept.  
  • When your clients get results, then you can start charging for your service.
  • • Validate your idea first:  Get clients, validate your idea.  
    • Don't keep making stuff for your business without clients to validate it.
    • Generate revenue and reinvest into your business.  
    • Adapt to the market
    • People will consume info that is applicable to them.  
    • Provide as much value as you can to begin with.
    • Only after results, then you set your prices.
    • Listen to your audience, they will tell you what they want.  Lots of people have same concerns. Reverse engineer process.  Ask questions, listen, then solve problems and solve

• From scripted to unscripted.  From being told what to do to creating what you want to do.
• Clarity comes from taking action. As you act, then you hone in on your focus, your skills, and find your unscripted life!

Connect with Kerry--www.kerrypetsinger.com