Notes in the Margin

Daisy Luther is a blogger and the website owner of The Organic Prepper. Daisy has used different strategies to grow her online blog to where it makes a nice income for herself each month. During her first year of being in business, she was able to make around $1,000 a month. How did she do it? Find out on this week's episode!

Key Takeaways:

[1:10] Who is Daisy and what does she do?

[2:45] When you find yourself broke, what kinds of things can you do to survive?

[5:35] How many hours a week does Daisy work on her business?

[6:25] How did Daisy first start her business?

[10:05] Consistency is so important and it is what makes you money. You have to be very consistent when it comes to building traffic for your website.

[10:25] Daisy writes between 5-6 days a week.

[11:45] After being in business for a year, Daisy was able to make $1,000 a month on her blog. It was challenging.

[12:55] Daisy wrote a book after her first year of being business compiling her best blog posts into one place. She was able to generate between $500-600 a month from it.

[13:10] Since then, Daisy has written a total of 3 books and it has provided her with a steady source of additional income.

[13:45] Don't turn your nose up at Amazon affiliates, Daisy says. They only pay 4%, but the money can add up.

[14:10] With that being said, you don't want to rely too heavily on one source of income. You have to be well-diversified.

[14:35] Daisy is a part of an ad network called AdThrive and it generates about 40% of Daisy's income.

[16:45] How does Daisy use social media to grow her business?

[18:50] Why has Pinterest been good to Daisy?

[19:55] What does Daisy's business look like today?

[23:10] What are Daisy's three books about?

[25:10] If AdThrive died tomorrow, Daisy would still be able to make a living because she has diversified into other areas.

[25:45] Before Amazon changed their policies, Daisy was making around $7,000 a month.

[26:45] What are Daisy's top three tips for growing a business?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

The Organic Prepper

AdThrive

Tailwind App

This episode is a rerun show from back in 2016! Join Vicky in the very early stages of her podcast (episode 8) as she discusses time and productivity with her husband, Joe. Remember, everyone has the same amount of hours, minutes, and seconds in one day, so we have to make the most of it. You are entitled to your time!

Key Takeaways:

[2:00] You don't have time? This is an EXCUSE!

[6:15] Be honest, you do have time.

[6:45] You're better off just saying no instead of 'I don't have time'.

[10:45] Don't have time to do marketing? Do you mean you're just a little overwhelmed?

[11:45] Marketing is important.

[12:25] It can be a frustrating circle for a freelancer.

[14:00] You can't spend all of your time working; you need to eat, sleep, and spend time with your family.

[14:35] You owe it to yourself and your family to make time for marketing.

[14:55] Remember, not everything that happens to you is your fault.

[15:20] The little failures are the useful ones.

[17:55] Don't feel bad about not being productive. However, you do need to take responsibility for it.

[18:10] It sounds simple, but make a list of your tasks.

[20:45] Categorize your tasks as either important, urgent, or not important.

[22:15] Outsource as much stuff as you can.

[23:25] Contact Vicky if you need a VA.

[24:05] You can't outsource everything right away, so just pick something small. [25:40] Buy Vicky's book if you haven't already, and do the exercise in chapter three. [26:20] You're entitled to your time.

[27:30] Shout out to Podfly!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Podfly

Vicky discusses why you have to stop dabbling in your business! It is so frustrating seeing people just do things half-assed. The truth is, you're never going to get anywhere if you keep chasing shiny object after shiny object. Vicky recommends that you start with the end goal in mind and work backwards from there. It will help you keep focus and you'll have an easier time figuring out where you should be spending your money.

Key Takeaways:

[1:00] Joe is grumpy because he's about to go on holiday and he still has a lot to do.

[1:45] But first! A quick update about the chickens.

[4:50] What's today's topic about?

[5:30] Vicky explains why she doesn't like Gary V.

[8:00] Vicky can always tell the difference between a hobby business vs. a real business.

[14:00] Don't dabble. You will waste money.

[15:25] Dabbling in marketing is just not going to work for you.

[17:25] Start with a clear end goal and then work backwards from there.

[19:30] How do you know if you're dabbling?

[23:40] Remember, you don't emerge from a business 100% ready to go. It takes time.

[24:00] Set a goal you'd like to achieve in your life and focus on it.

[24:55] Tune in next week! Vicky and Joe will be discussing how to come up with unique content for your business.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Gary Vaynerchuk

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey

This week, Vicky interviews Todd Todd, yes, that is his real name! Todd is an expert in social media and helps teach small businesses how to properly and effectively leverage social media without being, as Vicky puts it, a douche canoe. Todd outlines the top three mistakes people make on social media and what they can do to get their end result without being obnoxious!

Key Takeaways:

[2:25] Who is Todd and what does he do?

[3:15] What's happening right now in social media that is pissing Todd off?

[6:25] What are some of the top three common mistakes people make in social media?

[12:25] What tips does Todd have on using social media effectively without being obnoxious?

[16:40] Surprisingly, what gets quite a bit of engagement is the silly things that make you human!

[17:15] Todd shares a story of how he pissed a bunch of people off on LinkedIn.

[21:35] People are overwhelmed by content.

[26:30] Serious question: Why do people get unsolicited dick pics on social media?

[30:00] Thanks for coming on the show, Todd and talking about dicks!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Todd Todd, Spaghetti Agency

Vicky sits down with Joe to talk about 'deep work' and why it's important to keep a clear head in order for you to do your best work. Distractions can be serious killers to your productivity, and this is something Vicky personally struggles a lot with. However, Vicky has found a couple of great tips and techniques that help her stay focused and not get so stressed out!

Key Takeaways:

[3:20] What does Vicky mean by doing 'deep work'?

[5:10] Think you can multitask effectively? Studies show you can't!

[11:00] Vicky really struggles with 'getting into the zone' and not getting distracted. How does Joe manage this at his work?

[15:20] Do not check your email first thing in the morning.

[17:35] Do not train people to reach you at all hours of the night. Set boundaries!

[22:00] Use the Pomodoro Technique to help yourself get more shit done!

[25:40] Get yourself a hobby. Seriously.

[31:10] Tune in next week to hear Vicky and Joe talk about why being half-assed won't get you anywhere!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Deep Work, by Cal Newport

Vicky invites Mark Silva, headline writer extraordinaire, to the show. Mark discusses what some of the key elements of a good headline are and how you can incorporate good headline writing into your articles. Headlines are not meant to be complex. They're meant to be engaging and to grab the audience's attention. If you're trying to be too witty in a headline, it can actually backfire on you!

Key Takeaways:

[1:15] Who is Mark Silva?

[2:15] Why does Mark enjoy writing headlines?

[3:45] You always want to think about the reader when writing articles.

[6:25] What is the most important job of a headline?

[8:50] What are the elements of a good headline?

[11:50] More often than not, the first headline that you come up with will be your best one.

[13:35] What kind of mistakes do writers tend to make in their articles?

[19:15] Try to write headlines that can be read in two ways, not just one. Mark explains a bit further as to what he means.

[23:00] Go out and buy a newspaper and study the headlines. Your local newspaper is always an excellent resource.

[25:25] Mark offers some advice on how you can leverage current trends and be featured in the newspaper.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Mark Silva on LinkedIn

Vicky and Joe sit down with their cold beer and talk about work-life balance. Long gone are the days where Vicky is stressed and overworked, right? Well, not quite. Vicky admits on the podcast that it's difficult for her to take a step back and try and not do 'all the things'. Her Monday to-do lists are often a mile long and there's only so much one can do in a day. So, how does she get work done vs. live the life that she wants? Find out on this week's episode.

Key Takeaways:

[1:45] There is no such thing as 'one day' – the only day that exists is today.

[4:00] How does Vicky manage to do so much work? Answer: No sleep, cocaine, and sugar.

[5:35] This podcast episode has been inspired by a podcast episode Vicky heard on The Copywriter Club podcast.

[6:45] Vicky has so many things to do, and sometimes, it stresses her out.

[9:00] Vicky is doing a bit of a workload restructuring right now so she doesn't feel overwhelmed.

[11:00] With all that being said, we so often hear people having that 'hustle' and being on 'Team No Sleep', but this mentality is toxic, and frankly, not healthy.

[13:30] We spend 18 years of our lives, sometimes more, being trained on how to be an employee.

[16:40] 'Being an entrepreneur' was never an option for Vicky when she was growing up, and she's seeing the same thing happen with today's youth.

[20:35] When things don't go well, we end up working harder. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and not work harder, but work on the things that will give us results.

[24:30] So, take a step back and think about the bigger picture. What do you want your life to look like?

[29:40] Don't build the business first, and then build your life. Build your life first, have the life you want first!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

The Copywriter Club

The Copywriter Club Podcast #25: James Wedmore

Vicky and Joe continue last week's discussion about being very, very clear with your customers. Are you losing customers during the sales journey, and you're not sure why? Vicky offers some suggestions and solutions on how you can make that stop right now!

Key Takeaways:

[1:30] How's Ms. Pickles, the chicken, doing?

[4:15] Vicky and Joe will be continuing their conversation from last week about needing to ask for what you want!

[7:00] Quick question, do you remember what it was like when you first started university?

[8:30] On an episode of Hidden Brain, they spoke about how a high percentage of university students disappear during the summer holiday.

[11:00] Why are you losing people during the sales journey? You need to find out why!

[15:45] How does Vicky structure her sales pages?

[18:00] Make everything on your sales page very, very clear.

[22:35] If you want, you can offer a guarantee - it increases buyer confidence.

[23:10] Joe offers a quick recap.

[25:10] How can you make your call to action more obvious to your customers? How can you make your customer safe and valued? These are questions you need to be asking yourself.

[27:00] Tune into next week's podcast! It'll be about why business doesn't always have to be about hustling.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Hidden Brain Podcast

Vicky and Joe discuss why people simply aren't buying from you. In fact, Vicky lists some of the main reasons why people will choose to move on or ignore you when they come to your website. Avoid these mistakes at all costs and really reevaluate your website to help boost those conversion rates!

Key Takeaways:

[0:50] FYI. Joe can't read.

[1:10] Ms. Pickles (one of Vicky's hens) is officially traumatized .

[4:15] The lesson learned here? Don't try to lay a bigger egg than what your butt can cope with.

[8:35] We tend to be very bad at asking for what we want. And when you don't ask, you don't get what you need.

[10:55] So, why aren't people buying from you? It's because you haven't asked!

[16:35] You have to help people get to where you want them and in order to do that you have to tell them what to do!

[18:35] Be strong with your request. Don't say 'look forward to hearing from you'. IT'S WEAK!

[20:25] Color your website buttons accordingly.

[21:00] Don't hide your calls to action.

[22:55] Vicky and Joe will be leaving you on a cliffhanger. Sorry! Tune in next week for the continuation of this episode.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Vicky invites Stefanie Arroyo on to the show. She is a copywriter and a brand messaging strategist. On today's show, Stefanie discusses the benefits of the Myers -Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tests and why you should know what your personality type is, as well as the personality type of your ideal customer. If you don't know your customer, then you cannot market to them!

Key Takeaways:

[1:40] Stefanie created some drama on Facebook about crappy engagement.

[4:10] At the end of the day, engagement is not just about likes and comments.

[5:05] Who is Stefanie?

[5:55] Stefanie has her own Facebook group. However, she changed the Facebook group name and several people left because of it.

[8:40] Stefanie helps her clients really get into their ideal customer's shoes.

[10:30] You want to understand your ideal customer's personality type.

[14:10] How has the Myers-Briggs test helped Stefanie's clients?

[19:50] It's always good to repurpose your content throughout different mediums.

[20:40] People can change personality types!

[22:15] Vicky tends to be a bit skeptical when people try to put someone in a category or a box.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Businessforsuperheroes.com

Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle

Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain

Stefanie Arroyo

Marketing, Not Mindset Facebook Group

16Personalities