The Business Bitch Podcast

In September 2020, I started a 90-day LinkedIn experiment to see how I could grow my traction, traction, network, and engagement on the social media platform. I started out not really knowing what I was doing, but by following positive feedback, I figured out how to FILL my inbox with new client leads week after week.

In this episode, I'll outline exactly what I did in the experiment, how it evolved, and what the 2-3 key things were that I did to get new leads coming TO ME; no cold outreach required.

Buckle up & listen in: if you own a client-based business, you're in for a 20-some minute ride that could truly change your life.

 

The basic evolution of my LinkedIn business experiment:

• For 2-3 weeks, I posted a selfie-style video to LinkedIn every day.
• After a while, I started scrolling through my feed & commenting while the video took time to upload.
• I noticed a sharp uptick in profile views, engagement, and connection requests as a result of commenting on OTHER peoples' content.
• I began spending 30 minutes per day commenting on LinkedIn.
• I automated my content posting to LinkedIn through Recurpost, so I was sharing an old blog post, web page, or video every day.
• I accepted everyone's connection request.
• I began having conversations with people who sent me a message with their connection request.
• To have more high-quality conversations (& increase my number of leads), I started sending a message back to every single connection request I accepted.

 

Message script to use on your new connections:

Hi NAME!

Super happy to connect! Was there anything in particular about my content or my profile that made you want to reach out & make a connection?

Cheers, Chelsea

 

My NINE Best Tips for Getting Leads on LinkedIn:

1. Put something catchy or off-the-beaten-path in your "position" line that appears under your name.
2. Spend 30 minutes per day commenting on other peoples' content.
3. Any time someone sends a connection request, accept and respond with a question to get the conversation started.
4. Keep track of your leads. (You'll get a lot, so don't let people fall through the cracks. A simple notebook works fine.)
5. Have real conversations, and don't jump the gun with your sales.
6. Don't be precious about accepting connection requests. You can also remove creeps & spammers.
7. Add me on LinkedIn & see how I do it!
8. Don't worry about producing your own content.
9. Just get started!

 

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Recurpost
• Add me on LinkedIn
• @businessbitchchelsea on Instagram
• BusinessBitch.com/LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

 

From an entrepreneur who's helped over 20 clients who've appeared on Shark Tank: Ever thought about crowdfunding for a business idea?

In this episode, you get the 101 of everything you need to know and how it all works from Roy Morejon... He's had over 20 clients appear on Shark Tank, he's helped more than 2,000 products come to market, he & his team have helped raise over $300 million, AND he's the host of the award-winning Art of the Kickstart podcast, among other things.

In this episode, I ask him questions from the Business Bitch audience about how to best use crowdfunding, how planning a successful crowdfunding campaign works, and his insights on which crowdfunding platform to use.

It's a super insightful and SUPER HELPFUL conversation I know you'll love.

 

Things we talked about

• The ideal situation to be in before starting / planning a crowdfunding campaign
• The importance of getting your product protected with patents, IP protections, etc.
• Choosing the right crowdfunding platform
• It's never been cheaper to bring a product to market with 3D printing & then start getting validation from people
• Engaging consumers BEFORE you launch
• Getting a community engaged & invested in your success BEFORE you launch your product on Kickstarter
• How crowdfunding is helping enterprise & not just bootstrapping entrepreneurs
• Why crowdfunding might not be the best fit for companies selling software or apps
• The first steps to take to get your crowdfunding campaign going
• How to write great copy that gets noticed on crowdfunding platforms with short online attention spans
• The budgeting things you need to think about before you get started & what kind of money you'll need upfront to fund the product production and campaign. How to figure this out.
• How to take advantage of the data of over 190,000 Kickstarter campaigns to help your own campaign. Start doing your research now.

 

Links mentioned in the episode

• Enventys Partners website
• ProductHype Newsletter
• Art of the Kickstart Podcast
• Rumpl Blankets featured on Shark Tank
• RoyMorejon.com
• Social channels: @RoyMorejon
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook

 

 

 

Having an online funnel (or two, or three) in place is THE main way to start scaling your business to more profits and more time-freedom for yourself.

The coolest thing about funnels is that you don't have to have a "go big or go home" mentality to be successful with them: if you're just starting out in business, putting in a small, basic funnel that makes a small handful of sales per month can be enough to make a MASSIVE difference for you.

In this episode, I go over the FIVE main elements every funnel needs, and give you example funnels to mimic for three different business types: freelancers or creative agencies, consultants, and digital product selling for passive income.

 

Things we talked about

 

• The basics of a sales or online marketing funnel
• Why you don't need a "go big or go home" mindset
• The backbone of any basic funnel: email
• The five main elements of every online funnel
  • What is a landing page? What elements do you need on it?
  • Freebies and/or lead magnets
  • Emails
  • Calls to Action
  • Sales pages
• Software suggestions to get you started for cheap
• Ads + Funnels: when to use ads & when to hold off (& WHY to hold off on ads at first)
• An example funnel for three different business types
  • 25:27: Example funnel for freelancers & agencies
  • 29:20: Example funnel for consultants
  • 32:32: Example funnel for digital products & passive income
• Doing A/B tests & integrating video to increase conversions, signups, and sales

 

Links Mentioned in the Episode

 

• Business Bitch Podcast Episode 37: Why You MUST Separate Your Sales & Marketing Plans
• Copy Power's Free Copywriting Course (use this to get more signups, conversions, & sales in your funnels)
• Divi: easy-to-use website builder
• Business Bitch free tutorial on using Divi
• Book a Business Bitch Troubleshooting Call
• Email Autoresponder Softwares:
  • Mailchimp
  • Ontraport - This is the one I use! It's a bit more expensive, but is very robust.
  • ConvertKit
  • GetResponse
  • Aweber
  • MadMimi
  • Drip
• Zapier
• PayHip - Put a digital product up for sale & collect payments without needing a website!
• PayPal
• Stripe
• Acuity: schedule calls & collect payments

 

👉 If you need help with planning your funnel or setting up any of the technology, feel free to book a troubleshooting call with me at BusinessBitch.com/troubleshoot so we can get you up & running ASAP!

 

 

 

Today we're diving into the DIFFERENCES between a sales plan & a marketing plan... and why it's so crucial for new & growing entrepreneurs to SEPARATE them, even when they're the only employee of their company.

Even if your company is too small to have separate sales and marketing departments, creating different PLANS for sales and marketing is actually so key in helping you increase your sales and revenue every month.

In this episode, I talk about what those differences are, tell you how my marketing and sales plans differ from each other, and give you examples.

I also give you an easy-to-complete homework assignment that'll help you apply this concept in your business and see ways you can increase your revenue by adding this planning strategy to your business.

To book a troubleshooting call with me: BusinessBitch.com/Troubleshoot

Business Bitch freebies: BusinessBitch.com/Freebies

She was so freaking uncomfortable at work one day, that she actually snuck to the bathroom and CUT her tights open around the waist. Not because they didn't fit, just because they weren't made for comfort. So she reimagined the "tights" concept and invented her own.

On today's podcast episode, we're talking with Laura McGuire, inventor and founder of Hipstik Legwear about how she came up with her idea and ALL the steps she took in between to launch & sell her product to success. (Including getting it on the shelves at Macy's! 😱)

You'll learn about the invention & manufacturing process (and why you don't even need blueprints to start, just an idea), NDAs, getting a patent, and different ways to sell your product through different online & offline retail stores.

Laura's VERY experienced in this area, and has TONS of advice and helpful insights to share!

 

Things We Talked About

• Where & how she got the idea for better tights & professional leg wear (she had to cut a slit in hers one day just because they were so damn uncomfortable)
• Finding a manufacturer & discovering that there had been no innovation in how the product was made in DECADES
• Working WITH a manufacturer to get the product just right… you don't have to have the end result in mind; just a desire to make something better - MY big takeaway from this episode was this
• Using family & friends & really grassroots, inexpensive ways to do product & market testing
• Why NDAs are so, so important with product ideas & design
• Why she wished she knew more about patenting from the get-go & what you need to know if & when you get started. (You need to design for a patent BEFORE your product is out & on the market for sale.)
• Why you should just suck it up & take the time to write your own patent & have a lawyer look it over, instead of having a lawyer look it all over for you. Put in the mind-numbing details.
• How long the patent process takes: she began in 2016 & is still patent pending. Be ready to be patient, but don't let it hold you back from getting your product out there.
• Getting physical products on shelves: her journey in doing this & how she'd advise other entrepreneurs to go about it
• Selling on other online platforms like Amazon & Walmart. (Walmart now allows third party sellers! Who knew!)
• Getting through the gatekeeper to get a retail store to place an order & how getting placed in one store can translate into getting placed into 100 or 1,000 more stores.
• Why a no is never a no in her book. (And my book.)
• How Covid affected their business: a higher percentage of sales coming through e-commerce, AND it changing their target market of customers.
• You need to have a lot of "you's" to make your business happen, but the "you's" out there in the world may not be the biggest piece of your business's profitability pie.
• Why she STILL answers EVERY SINGLE customer email, despite having three different jobs

 

Links Mentioned

• Hipstik Legwear @ hipstiks.com - Get 15% off everything with coupon code BIZ15
• Fifty Fifty Marketing Agency
• Idea to Shelf to Sold
• Episode 18: Start & Grow an E-commerce Business with Luke Pearce of Radical Tea Towel
• Google Patents
• Email Permutator: Find (almost) anyone's email
• Google Analytics
  • Learn How to Add Google Analytics on Your Website: Business Bitch Tutorial
• Hotjar
• Email Laura: [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving for an errand today, I started thinking about money mindset. Again.

If you've been in the Business Bitch world awhile, you know I can RANT on this topic... and not in a way that most money mindset coaches would like.

That industry is FULL of gas lighters and bullshit-talkers, and it gives me no greater pleasure than to call them out for their single-minded, non-thinking bullshit.

Mindset is important, but the most important thing with mindset is believing something is possible & being deliberate about not holding yourself back. Anything beyond that, in my experience, is just gas lighting to get you to pay hundreds or thousands for programs on "raising your vibration to match the frequency of money" or whatever. 🙄

Money is money - it's a thing that people do have hangups around, yes, but it's not like it's so god damn finicky about your "vibe" being on 100% of the time that it's not going to come to you if you're not perfect at it.

Anyway, rant aside, I HAVE been thinking about "vibe" in business, and how since I started this 90-day content challenge two weeks ago, I've become A LOT more passionate about my business and what I do... and how that's CLEARLY coming through in the content I put out. I'm the kind of person for whom it's EASY to get all the smart funnels and business mechanisms in place... so much so that I often sacrifice the feeling of passion in my work. (Though not too much, since I clearly had the audacity & passion to name my company Business Bitch, LLC.)

For me, it's almost like my current "limiting" money mindset was that my business had to be all about the serious stuff and not the fun stuff... when in reality it's the "fun stuff" for me that actually draws people to me and magnetizes my business towards those I want to help.

I recorded this short episode in the car, so pardon the wind noise in the background. But listen, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Need to Know: Payroll for Solopreneurs & New Entrepreneurs. With Pincus Schiff, The Payroll Guy.

Payroll may not be the sexiest subject ever when thinking about entrepreneurship or running your own business, but it's something we all need to know about... even if you're a solopreneur. (I have payroll running on one of my companies, even though I'm the ONLY employee.)

If you're new to the topic of payroll & know NOTHING about it, this interview is PERFECT for you! It's a conversation between someone who knows almost nothing about payroll (me), and a payroll expert (Pincus). Pincus does an amazing job of answering all my questions, as well as all the questions I collected from the Business Bitch audience before the interview.

Even if you're not using payroll yet, it's something that'll be a good idea to know about as your business grows... and this interview is a stress-free way to introduce yourself to the topic. Of course, when the time comes to look at payroll for your business, you'll need to get 1:1 advice from an expert, but this interview will help you know what subjects to bring up, AND know enough about the subject to make sure you're hiring a good person to help you, instead of getting swindled.

 

Some topics we go over in the interview:

• Why it's a good idea to put yourself on payroll, even when it's early in your business and you're the only employee. (Even if you decide not to pay yourself sometimes.)
• Why it's important to have an accountant or a bookkeeper to talk to & advise you in financial & tax matters.
• How payroll & HR are connected in a company's infrastructure.
• The different taxes in business & how they interact with a company's payroll.
• Why you SHOULD NOT confuse 1099 (independent contractors) with W2 (employees).
• How payroll ties into unemployment insurance with the state.
• Worker's Comp insurance.

 

Find Pincus online:

• Pincus Schiff on LinkedIn

Easy resources to help ANY business sell online. Renee Nichole knows online business & online selling like the back of her own hand. (We're kind of similar in that way.) And in this episode, she's got A TON of great advice and resources to help ANY business transition to selling online. She's practical, down-to-earth, and gives you a lot of things to take notes on if you want to start selling more online. (Or you can just scroll down to get the links she mentions from the show notes.)

This episode was recorded right at the beginning of Covid-19 quarantine, so a big part of our conversation focuses on helping brick & mortar businesses who had to close their physical doors start making money through the internet. But even if you're not in that situation, her advice is practical & useful... it'll help you transition to selling online if you don't already, OR sell *more* online than you already are.

If you'd like to watch our video interview, you can do so here: https://businessbitch.com/renee-nichole-consulting/

Online business tools she recommends:

• Google Forms
• Acuity
• Zoom
• TypeForm
• PayPal
• Stripe
• Square
• TransferWise / Freshbooks
• Xero
• Veem
• WooCommerce
• Oberlo
• ShipStation
• ClickFunnels
• HARO: Help a Report Out
  • Facebook Group Reporter Hubs
  • General Requests on Twitter (#generalrequest)

Renee also mentions selling some simple, easy-to-make digital products. If that sounds like something you'd like to try, I have a free training on it available here. 

 

Find Renee online:

• Instagram: @itsreneenichole
• Facebook: Renee-Nichole Consulting
• Twitter: @itsreneenichole
• [email protected]

Not everyone has or needs to create a full-fledged business to bring in extra money online. Many times, the online presence you ALREADY have is the perfect place to start monetizing, which is what I talk about in this interview with Chris Luecke.

Think about it: how often do we hear the advice that it's a good idea to create an "online presence" or a "personal brand" to help us advance our careers... even if you're a 9-5'er and not an entrepreneur?

For his entire career, Chris has been a full-time employee working in the manufacturing industry, but he took the advice of creating his own online personal brands to heart. He started two podcasts: Pubcast Worldwide and Manufacturing Happy Hour.

In this interview, he talks about ways he monetizes his online brands, from things that are more passive and don't take that much time to implement, to more time-intensive things like hosting events and picking up tour guide gigs.

🎧  Listen for inspiration on how to monetize your own online presence, or to get new revenue ideas for your business!

 

Find Chris online:

• Manufacturing Happy Hour
• Pubcast Worldwide

 

His book & podcast recommendations:

• MakingChips Podcast

In this interview, I'm talking to Stewart Alsop, host of The Crazy Wisdom Podcast, where he explores the link between stress and creativity.

We recorded this interview during the first month of the Covid fiasco, when almost all of us were under more stress than usual. In this interview, we talk about stress & how to mitigate it and manage it first, and then we dive into the connection between stress and creativity... and finding ways to use this unique stress as an advantage if & where possible.

My favorite quote from the interview:

"The businesses that get started now or are able to survive will be so strong in a year or two years from now."

ALSO

"The voices in our head that say it's hopeless don't have access to the full story."

 

Links to things Stewart mentions:

• Keith Rabois on Crazy Wisdom
• The Upside of Stress
• Awakening From the Meaning Crisis
  • YouTube (Also on Spotify & iTunes)

 

Find Stewart Online:

• Twitter: @stewartalsopiii
• Crazy Wisdom Podcast