Work Less, Earn More

Patience is a virtue, but that doesn't mean you can't be TOO patient.

And you know what? A lot of people are.

A lot of people waste a lot of time (+ energy and money) because they're patient. And dedicated. And committed. And motivated.

ALL GOOD THINGS. But also potentially problematic.

My dad said it this way: "Don't be afraid of being a quitter. Be willing to quit when you realize you're in the wrong place."

You know who I see make the mistake of being "too patient" more than just about anyone else?

Entrepreneurs.

And it makes sense when you think about it. Not only do entrepreneurs tend to be extremely passionate, committed, and motivated, but there's also this idea out there that success has to take a long time.

...which I don't entirely disagree with. It definitely takes a while to build a big, successful company. And if you want to build anything meaningful, you need to be committed and in it for the long game.

But too many entrepreneurs hear that and think it means that it will take years to make even their first dollar.

So, what do they do? They work for years... for nothing.

And I don't mean they invest years for an eventual payout.

I mean they waste years working on something that never pans out.

Please don't make this mistake.

Please take the time to figure out if your business idea is valid.

Research the market. Determine the demand for what you're interested in selling.

And don't just stop there... get proof. Share your product (with the right people) and see how they respond. Prioritize generating your first sales before you spend years trying to "build" your business.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

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How much do you want to earn in 2021?

I used to really dislike that ☝ question... because I had no idea how to answer it.

“What do you mean, ‘how much do I want to earn’? As much as I can, of course!”

It’s a lot like when you’re shopping for something expensive and the sales rep asks you, “So, what’s your budget?”

Of course, sometimes we DO have a budget, but a lot of the time I just want to spend as little as I can to get the thing I need. (I’m sure I can’t be the only one…)

Any answer to the “how much do you want to earn” question just felt… arbitrary. I’d say a smaller number, trying to be “realistic” -- but it wasn’t [at all] what I really wanted. Or I’d say a BIG number, but it felt pointless because it seemed impossible.

If you can relate to this struggle between modest “realistic” goals and ambitious inspiring goals, then today’s podcast episode is for you.

Because here’s the truth: there CAN be a balance between those two extremes. And not just a compromise… you can actually set goals that are both realistic and inspiring.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Learn more about Gillian

Several years ago, when I ran a digital marketing agency, I met an incredible woman named Margo Carroll.

At first, I didn't realize how incredible she was -- she was just another client who was hiring us to run her Facebook ads.

But the more I got to know Margo, see her work, and learn from her, the more impressed I became.

Not only does Margo do everything she takes on with integrity and serious commitment, but I also discovered she has an area of unique expertise: sales psychology.

Margo understands the human mind and persuasion in a deep way, but, more than that, she's able to strategically apply that knowledge to connect with people and create highly effective marketing campaigns.

And, while Margo originally hired my company to help her advertise her business, over the years the tables have turned, and I've become the client. Margo has helped us conduct thorough market research, write sales campaigns, launch webinars, and strategize our funnels.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

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Are you more “left-brained” or “right-brained”?

We all have some balance between the more analytical and the more creative/emotional sides, but most of us lean more one way or the other.

A lot of entrepreneurs -- especially visionary, founder sorts -- are extremely creative, always coming up with new ideas and solutions. Many even refer to themselves as “creative entrepreneurs.”

Those right-brain skills are KEY for entrepreneurial success… but they still have to be balanced out.

Because while creativity can get you started and keep you inspired… it’s analyzing the numbers that will allow you to stay in business long term.

Maybe “analyzing the numbers” sounds fun to you! (Where my nerdy friends at??)

But, on the other hand, if it sounds scary, hard, or boring… well, I just want to let you know right now that it doesn’t have to be any of those things.

Understanding your business’s numbers -- and making strategic decisions based off of them -- is an essential skill as an entrepreneur, and it can actually be quite interesting and easy!

To show you exactly how to do this for yourself, I asked Rita Barry to come on the podcast this week. Rita specializes in metric-driven marketing for online businesses, and she shared some really practical advice on how to get started making more strategic, numbers-based decisions in our businesses.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

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Every month, I’m peeling back the curtain and sharing the ins & outs of my monthly revenue.

These income reports are an in-depth and honest look at how much my business earned, what it cost, and how many hours it took me to do it.

This is the very last income report of 2020. I’m glad I committed to doing monthly income reports -- it gave me accountability to really look at the numbers regularly and see exactly how things were going.

Every month, I’ve felt like we didn’t do very well: like we didn’t earn very much, like we spent too much, and like we worked too much.

But when the month finally wrapped and I looked at the numbers… we’d done awesome!

That’s what I like about numbers: they tell us the truth. Unlike our subjective perspective, which is highly distorted by emotion.

So let’s dive into the numbers.

In every income report, I share which tasks and projects really ended up paying me best so that you can see how I’m optimizing my business so that I can work less and earn more over time. Plus, you’ll get a time report, breaking down the time I spend on each activity and how that created a financial result (or not).

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Links:

We all do it. We judge books by their covers… and also by their size.

Somehow we think that if a book has more pages then we’re going to get MORE out of it.

We do the same thing if we buy an online course: we think that if it was more expensive it’s going to be more valuable and that if we open it and it has more modules than we thought that we’re going to get A LOT more out of it. We assume, therefore, that it will be more useful.

I’m guilty of this thinking, too. Sometimes I find myself doing this with podcast episodes (like this one, for example!) “Oh, that episode’s only eight minutes long—it probably won’t even be worth my time.”

But we all know that sometimes the best gifts come in the smallest packages: the check for $100K, the engagement ring, the simple (yet powerful) advice of a mentor.

In the spirit of keeping it simple, today’s episode is only 8 minutes long. If you have that time to spare, give it a listen. In just a few minutes, I share some advice I got last year from one of my mentors that’s allowed me to work significantly LESS while increasing our revenue by over 80%.

Who knows, maybe it’s exactly what you need to hear to work less and earn more in your business, too!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Learn more about Gillian:

Two words: MIND. BLOWN.

I used to believe a LOT of myths about SEO, including:

And by “used to” I don’t mean years ago.

Nope… these are all myths I believed as recently as last week.

That is until I talked to Kim Herrington.

Kim’s an expert in SEO, search engine marketing, and digital marketing—and she’s the founder of a digital marketing agency where she helps businesses, entrepreneurs, and influencers harness the power of search engines while maintaining high ethical standards and simplifying the process.

On today’s episode, Kim shed a LOT of light on an often mysterious subject: how to get your website to rank well on Google. Honestly, she shared a lot of things that surprised me!

So… if your website is one of the main ways your business attracts customers, this is a can’t-miss episode.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Learn more about Kimberley Herrington:

Guide to Get More Website Traffic

Instagram

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Sales funnels.

You might be thinking: those are one of those complicated things everyone says you need in order to be successful, but really… they’re probably just a distraction from what you really need.

Right?

Actually…

No.

(Sorry, not sorry.)

In fact, if there’s ONE thing a business needs -- it’s a sales funnel.

Good news though!

Here’s the thing… a “sales funnel” is just the process that your potential customers go through to find out about your business, decide to buy your product, and then purchase.

Donut shops have sales funnels.

Hair salons have sales funnels.

Coaching businesses have sales funnels.

Software companies have sales funnels.

Amazon has a sales funnel.

Literally, EVERY business has one.

But if you don’t intentionally design your funnel, then it’s unlikely that it will work very well.

Every month, I’m peeling back the curtain and sharing the ins & outs of my monthly revenue.

These income reports are an in-depth and honest look at how much my business earned, what it cost, and how many hours it took me to do it.

They say “time flies when you’re having fun,” and that’s exactly what we experienced in the month of October.

Somehow, we managed to launch THREE new sales funnels… and not just “launch,” but create completely from scratch.

As always, I’ll also share which tasks and projects really ended up paying me best so that you can see how I’m optimizing my business so that I can work less and earn more over time. Plus, you’ll get a time report, breaking down the time I spend on each activity and how that created a financial result (or not).

I hope that you’ll be able to learn from my trial and error, as I work to grow my business, my impact, and my income––all while keeping clear boundaries on my time and personal life.

Today, we’re looking back on October 2020 and I’ll give you ALL the details on these new funnels. Because (::hint, hint::), if you aren’t making money in your business, it might be because you don’t have an effective sales process…

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Links:

Facebook ads are everything right now—and whether you hire it out to an ad agency or you DIY, the goal of your ads should always be to make a profit… which is harder than you might think.

If you’re DIYing it, you might be boosting a post here and there. Those kinds of activities might get your post in front of your audience—but a boost doesn’t necessarily translate to new customers or sales.

And that’s just one beginner mistake you could make. But don’t worry! There are LOTS of smart, tactical ways to do FB ads right so that you get in front of the right people with the right message or offer and grow your business.

No doubt the FB advertising world can be super confusing. That’s why I invited my paid advertising genius, Tony Rulli of Intentional Spark, onto the podcast to demystify ads and help you understand why you might not be getting the return that you’re hoping for.

Tony runs the Facebook ads for Startup Society and my personal brand as well as many other well-known names, including Jasmine Star, Brooke Castillo, Acuity Scheduling, Convertkit, and many others. And there’s a good reason—he really knows his stuff!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Learn more about Tony Rulli:

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