Notes in the Margin

Vicky lists a couple of objections she commonly hears among business owners who are afraid to showcase their personality in their business. Are you worried that you might come off as unprofessional or too forward-facing in the business? Vicky offers suggestions on how to overcome that and bring your full, fantastic, self to work, and shine.

Key Takeaways:

[3:55] There is one thing that truly makes you different in your industry.

[5:25] It's 'unprofessional' to bring your personality into marketing. Okay, so what's 'professional'?

[9:00] How can you bring personality into a business when you have an entire collective team behind you?

[12:55] So, who are you?

[13:20] By the way, we should all stop using plastic. This is why Vicky has been ordering beeswax wraps.

[18:50] Start with your why, start with a mission, and then find your voice.

[19:45] When you meet Vicky in person, she's exactly the way she sounds on the podcast and in her emails.

[22:30] Why waste your time and energy trying to censor yourself?

[24:30] Put yourself into your marketing and see what happens.

[24:50] You can now pre-register for Vicky's book, which is coming out in April!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book!

This is Oli's second guest appearance! Online marketing today is so saturated, so what can you do to stand out and reach your audience without being lost in the noise? By going offline! People aren't leveraging direct-mail and print the way they used to. There's mostly a heavy focus on email and Facebook ads, and Oli says you can use that to your advantage.

Key Takeaways:

[1:25] Who is Oli?

[2:20] What kind of trends is Oli seeing today?

[3:40] Online marketing is a very saturated place. It's very hard to stand out.

[6:15] If everything is so saturated, what's the solution?

[9:05] Oli gets shit from people who believe direct-mail is dead. It's not!

[14:55] Oli has an 8-page traditional, printed, newsletter. How does he structure it?

[18:30] How can people get started sending a traditional direct-mail campaign?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book!

Oli Luke

Episode 10: Quick Strategies to Increase Your Sales with Oli Luke

There are thousands, millions, of copywriters, marketers, builders, you name it, but what makes you unique? What makes you so special? Well, Vicky and Joe discuss ways you can stand out and get people interested in your service beyond just your prices. Because, if you offer the same value and service as your competitor, then people are only going to pay the cheapest price for it; and that's the worst possible position you can be in.

Key Takeaways:

[0:50] This house is not warm. Whose idea was it to buy a 17th century cottage house in the middle of nowhere?

[2:15] What is Elephant Gin and what do they do?

[3:35] Today, we'll be talking about what makes you so special!

[5:40] Why are we going to Mars? Because we can.

[9:15] Elon Musk could have just launched a rocket into space and called it a day, but no, he created a show out of it.

[9:55] What you're offering isn't really unique.

[10:35] So, how can you stand out?

[12:30] For the love of all things holy, please don't say you're 'passionate' about what you do on your website. That's just bad marketing and copy.

[13:55] If you're the same as everybody else and listing the same things everyone else is, how will they choose you? They will choose you based solely on price.

[15:00] Most business owners panic when they have to come up with why they're unique.

[18:00] When the MacBook Air first came out, people were like 'WOW'. It was the world's thinnest notebook.

[21:55] You can pick a feature that makes you stand out as long as it's not a generic feature like, 'excellent service'. Vicky offers some helpful examples.

[26:00] Do you like Vicky's ideas? You can actually borrow her brain! Link in the show notes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book!

Elephant Gin

MacBook Air Introduction by Steve Jobs on Youtube

Vicky and Joe discuss five ways your faulty thinking is completely sabotaging you on this week's show. We all have negative thoughts from time to time, but if you're using it as a crutch and playing the victim all the time, well, why would you want to be so helpless in your own life? Vicky shares smart ways you can get out of this thinking and own your own life!

Key Takeaways:

[3:15] What will happen today will amaze you.

[6:20] Why would you want to live your life as a victim?

[7:45] Today, Vicky will be going through five ways you can take control over your own thoughts.

[9:40] If your day didn't go as planned, did your world really end?

[10:20] Are you a mind reader?

[12:40] Don't let your mind unravel and have it talk you out of the things you want to do.

[14:15] Vicky shares a story about how she made a simple thing turn into a catastrophe...in her mind.

[19:15] Don't press the button that will destroy the universe.

[21:40] When Vicky started sending out her emails, it was pretty scary. When she got her first negative email, she cried.

[25:30] A quick recap of the five ways you have faulty thinking.

[27:45] So, how can you take control of your life, and your mind?

[29:25] Tune in next week! Vicky and Joe will be talking about what makes you so special!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book!

How to Live with a Dickhead, by Vicki La Bouchardiere

We are wired to be social beings. We need a tribe to help us survive and thrive, which means we need to fit in as much as we can. However, in business, it's almost exactly the opposite. We need to stand out and be different, but throughout the years, and centuries, this has proven to be very dangerous to do. Standing out too much meant you could be ostracized from society. So, it makes sense why you might have some real and deep fears about showing up in a way that's different and eye-catching in your business.

Key Takeaways:

[3:10] Vicky's new book is coming along nicely.

[4:25] Why are you such a scaredy cat, dear listener?

[6:40] Vicky has a recurring fear that stems from her awkward childhood days.

[13:00] As an introvert, Joe never really quite understood what the big deal was about being ostracized from a society.

[14:50] Standing out from the crowd is socially risky. Rejection is actually quite horrible for us as humans.

[17:00] You'd be surprised by how many people are chronically lonely. In fact, social media gives us the illusion that we're connected to others online, but it's making the problem worse.

[19:00] While it's important that you fit in socially, it's almost suicide business-wise to do that.

[24:35] Vicky is always skeptical about people who proclaim having a 6 or 7-figure launch. What really went on behind the scenes for you to achieve that? How many refunds did you have to do?

[28:35] Everybody has that 'thing' that they haven't done because they're afraid. Well, here's your chance. Go out and do it!

[30:15] By the way, you should definitely join the inner circle group. It's the perfect place where you can talk to people who finally get it and get you.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Mark Kaye is a 22 year old veteran in radio, a Snapchat influencer, and the founder of 1000Shows.com. Mark was the first person to host a talk show exclusively on Snapchat. Now, his mission is to help create 1,000 shows for his clients that will entertain, inform, and inspire others. On the show, Mark shares how you can stand out in your industry so that you can entertain others while also informing them!

Key Takeaways:

[2:00] Mark founded the first radio show on Snapchat!

[3:20] People want information, but they also want to be entertained.

[4:25] How can people start their own show?

[6:55] The sales process first starts with an ad.

[8:35] In the beginning, Mark used to sell nothing. Literally nothing, and still made money off of it.

[9:25] Mark loves watching infomercials because of their entertainment value.

[11:35] Mark talks about the Singing Psychic who once called into his radio show.

[13:25] How can people focus on their business? There are so many shiny things out there!

[16:10] Is Mark still on Snapchat?

[17:45] Mark loves the idea of repurposing your content. Keep doing it!

[20:05] What advice does Mark have for 'boring' people?

[22:30] What does Mark know about LinkedIn video? Is it useful?

[28:45] What's next for Mark?

[30:50] Mark offers advice on the one thing you can do right now to make yourself stand out.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Mark Kaye

On last week's podcast, Vicky discussed how you can get your goals done and stop slacking off. Well, taking her own advice, she implemented what she said she would do, and she's very happy with her progress so far. She's also added in 15 minute buffers between tasks so that she can take small breaks throughout the day. She has found that by doing this, her day has become so much more enjoyable and stress-free!

Key Takeaways:

[2:30] Vicky has some amazing news to share!

[3:55] On a side note, Vicky accidentally played jenga with her brick house.

[4:45] Vicky was able to take two days off last week and hang out with four generations of family members!

[6:00] During these two days, did Vicky slack off with work? No!

[8:55] Vicky was able to do all of this without waking up at 5am and eating kale like a douche canoe!

[9:55] Vicky is really happy with the progress she's made so far. Last year, it was a big struggle to be productive.

[10:25] Vicky took her own advice and followed through on what she said last week.

[12:15] Vicky has put 15 minute gaps in between tasks so she can take a break and reset.

[13:55] Everything Vicky is doing is just so much more enjoyable.

[14:05] Vicky hasn't been the only one who's been productive. What has Joe been up to lately?

[15:20] Why is contact switching bad for our productivity?

[16:10] Joe has been keeping track of how many contact switches he gets a day. He estimates it has been around 30.

[18:15] Homework: Every time you get interrupted with something, write it down. Once you have a list, pick one thing that you can fix or eliminate from the list and get to work!

[19:35] Some exciting things are happening in Joe's office!

[21:35] Final takeaway: Pick one big goal (only one!) and break it into tiny pieces.

[21:55] If you're struggling with achieving your goals, get somebody to help you!

[22:00] By the way, Vicky is available for coaching. Get in touch if you're interested.

[24:35] Also, join Vicky's Book Club. It's free!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Welcome to 2018 everyone! On this week's show, Vicky and Joe discuss their plans for the new year and why some people constantly struggle with achieving their big plans year over year. Vicky highly recommends you read the 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington to help you get a more realistic timeframe on each of your goals. Break those big tasks into smaller time periods so that you don't slack off!

Key Takeaways:

[1:00] Happy 2018!

[4:40] What are Vicky's and Joe's plans for the new year?

[6:05] Why do some people have a hard time achieving their goals?

[7:25] Planning goals with a year timeframe allows you to slack off. Plan for 12 weeks instead.

[11:20] Everybody has a plan until they get punched in their face.

[12:05] Put your plan on paper. If it doesn't work on paper, then there's no way it'll work in real life!

[14:50] What do you want for your future self? What do you want for your business? Map out your 'why' in life.

[15:45] Stop using 'I don't have time' as an excuse. We have plenty of time.

[18:10] How does Vicky allocate her hours each week?

[22:05] Vicky breaks down the goals she has for 2018.

[25:20] Read the 12 Week Year! You won't regret it.

[25:35] It's important to have one, and only one, big goal for each area of your life. You'll get overwhelmed if you have too many.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

The 12 Week Year, by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington

Tim Fitch is the Owner and Director of Invennt, a business development company that works with construction companies to improve their objectives and goals. He loves to expand his network and get to know new people. On the show, Tim shares stories on how you can differentiate yourself from the crowd at those 'icky' networking events and build deep connections at breakfast meetings.

Key Takeaways:

[1:50] Who is Tim and what does he do?

[4:00] Tim shares his 'kidney stone' story.

[7:00] Tim explains how he helps his clients save money in the construction industry.

[9:40] There are two lessons you can learn from Tim's story. Tell a story to get people engaged and if you have an idea, jump on it!

[11:20] Tim dives into why he started his breakfast networking events.

[14:10] Every person Tim meets, he hands them his business card and expects to get one in return.

[16:15] Get started by going to networking events, but go with a purpose!

[18:25] How do you initiate a conversation with a prospect at a networking event?

[21:55] When Tim sits down with a prospect at a restaurant, he then shows them pictures of him in his underpants. He explains why he does this (it's not as creepy as it sounds, promise).

[25:55] Tim's example is one of the ways you can change the tone of the meeting and make yourself memorable (in a good way).

[30:50] Check Tim out on LinkedIn. He is doing some cool stuff on there!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Invennt

Tim Fitch on LinkedIn

Vicky recently attended a handstand workshop and her teacher's dedication to his craft is one of the perfect examples as to why there's no such thing as an overnight success. Progress is made in tiny beetle steps and it can get discouraging after the novelty of your big project wears off, but you have to keep at it if you want to see long-term success.

Key Takeaways:

[0:45] Vicky and Joe are freezing their bits off!

[3:15] Vicky went to a handstand workshop and sort of broke herself. She is sore all over.

[3:45] Did you know that chickens are not built for snow?

[6:40] Today, we'll be talking about tiny beetle steps! Progress is made in tiny steps.

[9:40] We get really excited when it's new, but then we get distracted when the shininess begins to wear off.

[13:45] With any big project, it's really exciting to start, but keeping up the work is the real challenge.

[15:15] Overnight successes are very, very rare.

[16:00] Vicky shares an example about business and 'sticking with it' from the handstand workshop she took recently.

[20:30] At the end of the day, it's all about tiny progress to help you get to where you want to go.

[21:15] Vicky writes an email every single day. It pays off!

[21:55] What small things can you do everyday that will get you closer to your goal?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vickyfraser.com

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Seth Godin