The Amy Porterfield Show

I get so many questions about LinkedIn. You’ve been asking how to use it for your audience, for list building, and what’s working right now.

I decided to bring in the big guns and invite world-renowned LinkedIn expert Viveka von Rosen on the show. Viveka is the author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day and LinkedIn: 101 Ways To Rock Your Personal Brand: Grow your network and build your business!.

She is also a personal branding expert, LinkedIn Learning author, international keynote speaker, and has been recognized as a top LinkedIn and social media expert. She contributes to many major publications and has even been featured on two movies about social media. She is co-founder of Vengreso which provides digital sales solutions.

I’m so glad to have her here today to talk about what is currently working on LinkedIn, strategies for B2C clients, what is coming up with video and LinkedIn Live, and so much more. She even gives us actionable steps to transform our profile to sell in a non-salesy way and use content to nurture and grow relationships.

• [06:08] Diving deeper is the strategy that worked for Viveka. She was also able to learn the platform inside and out, build relationships, and stay top of mind with her audience.
• [14:25] You can repurpose blog posts on LinkedIn by clicking on "write an article" and pasting that article in LinkedIn Publisher. Other great ways to repurpose content is to add images to your article, create a PowerPoint presentation, and publish it as a document. Videos can be uploaded as native video or in the soon to be released LinkedIn Live.
• [16:07] Position yourself as a thought leader. Make your background image about your product and have your summary read like a sales page (but not salesy). Who are you helping? What are their pain points? What is your solution?
• [21:47] Selling is about being human and relationships. Know your audience and speak to your audience and don't worry about people self-selecting away from you.
• [27:51] The secret recipe is to share something every day and create a long-form post once a week. For the long-form post use 1200 to 1400 characters and emojis to share something of value. Shoot and upload a relevant video or PDF, PowerPoint, or infographic for 10X the number of views. Use LinkedIn messaging to create a sharing fan club.
• [33:22] A great way to get access to a B2B prospect is to interview the influencer in that company. This is how Viveca and Vengreso have been able to start the conversation for six- and seven-figure deals.

This episode is brought to you LinkedIn Marketing. If your goal is to target your customers where they're engaging every day and when they're ready to make a buying decision, I want you to consider LinkedIn.

When you advertise on LinkedIn, you're attracting potential customers and fostering relationships that often translate into high-quality leads, website traffic, and higher brand awareness. Go to LinkedIn Marketing to redeem a free $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

If you asked your customers or fans what you were known for what would they say?

We’ve all got that special something that we want to be known for. That thing that attracts your customers to you effortlessly and grows your audience with ease.

That “it” factor, what your known for, is the foundation for your positioning.

It’s also the path to increase your profit and purpose.

Over the years I have seen so many people stop themselves from confidently staking their claim on what they want to be known for out of fear of getting put in a box.

The truth is, you can’t create a recognizable brand if you’re not known for something specific. And you can always pivot (just ask me or my girl Marie Forleo).

This episode is dedicated to helping you figure out a game plan for what you want to be known for and how you’ll share that secret sauce with the world.

Listen in to get these five specific ways to get clear on what you’re known for (and more!).

2. [16:09] Clear messaging. Where do people start with you? Where are they at the beginning of the journey? This is a great place to start the conversation and create a lead magnet. Starting in the right place can lead subscribers down a path.
4. [18:44] Talk about what you are known for a lot. Weave in these topics into everything that you do and always come back to it. Only talk about your area of expertise and to an audience that is a good fit.
6. [22:05] Stick with it. You will never be known for something specific if you are constantly dabbling in a bunch of things. You can be passionate about a lot of things but narrow your business down.
8. [23:42] Don’t be afraid to ask people to share with you what they think you are all about. Ask a couple customers or fans what you are best known for.
10. [24:32] Consider putting together a framework, method, or blueprint that you can go back to as a foundation. This is probably something that will evolve over time. When you see people gravitating towards it, you know it’s your thing.

Alright, my friend, I hope you’ll take this info and run with it to position yourself for lasting success.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Weight Loss for Busy Physicians with Katrina Ubell, MD
• Phit-N-Phat with Corinne Crabtree
• The Life Coach School

Let’s be honest here. Writing copy can be hard, but it’s an important almost mandatory skill for new business people just starting out. In fact, I wrote all of my own copy my first few years of business, and I suggest that you do the same. Become a student of copywriting. The more you do it, the easier it will become. Today, I’m talking about a technique that will help you build up that oh-so-important relationship with your ideal avatar.

This technique is by Ry Schwartz an expert copywriter who writes a lot of my copy. He also teaches copywriting and my audience loves him. This method is called Coaching the Conversion. It's all about writing copy in a way that will resonate with your ideal customer avatar at a really high level and will meet them right where they're at. It will help them feel as though they know that you see them and you hear them.

I actually think it's important that you write your own copy for the first two years of your business. You need to truly understand your ideal customer. Writing copy for your ideal customer is an intimate experience. It really should begin with you. It will make you a better entrepreneur and a better communicator overall if you take the time to perfect your expertise.

After this episode, you will walk away with golden nuggets that will help you transform your next promotion. I even share one of my best converting ads and break it all down for you step-by-step.

Coaching the Conversion Method in 4 Steps

2. [10:34] Shift your mindset about how you feel about being a copywriter. Look at copywriting as a means to coach your ideal customer through a transformation by using words that make them feel seen and heard.
4. [13:47] Know your ideal customer avatar like you know your best friend. Sometimes you have to read between the lines and know-your-customer intimately. Clearly understand their pain points, desires, and what makes them tick.
6. [17:42] Use their words. It's important that you reflect back to them what they are feeling and what they are saying. Keep a running list of words and phrases that they use. These are pure gold for copywriters.
8. [19:24] Remember that coaching the conversion walks your potential customer along the path from where they are now to where they could be or where they want to be. The first part of the path is your weekly content then you move on to coaching opportunities inside a webinar. Then send post follow-up emails.

A Concrete Example from One of My Highest Converting Facebook Ads:

How long have you been waiting to finally have the confidence to go all in on building and selling your digital course? Six months a year more. It took me a while to get started to.

I was scared I'd fail, and guess what? I pretty much did. My first course only made me $267, but I stuck with it and 7 courses, 42,000 students, and 8.7 million dollars in revenue later. I've learned a thing or two, and I want to share all that with you. Register for free here (and then I give the link).

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Free List Building Masterclass
• Ry Schwartz
• Episode #235: How To Identify Your Ideal Customer Avatar

Any Oprah fans out there? If you are a diehard Oprah fan like me, then you probably watched Season 25 of Oprah Behind the Scenes, and you probably remember Executive Producer Sheri Salata. She was also co-president of Harpo studios and OWN. I remember watching a scene from that special that showed Sheri waking up in the morning with her bulldogs getting ready to go to the Oprah show, and I thought how does she do it all?

It turns out Sheri has a fascinating story. She had reached the heights of her business career when she decided to reinvent herself and find more balance in her life. She woke up and realized that a career of her dreams wasn’t enough. She set out to reinvent herself with a job and life that are one and live her life to the fullest.

If you have ever felt stuck or in a rut, you will love Sheri’s story of reinvention and using happy as a compass. Sheri is the author of The Beautiful No, the owner of The Pillar Life, and co-host of The Sheri + Nancy Show. This is a powerful episode as Sheri shares her wit and wisdom in a way that only a true storyteller like Sheri can.

• [08:16] Sheri shares what her life was like as executive producer for Oprah before day one of life after Oprah.
• [11:13] Sheri had a great story for her book. She started in an entry level position for Oprah at the age of 35. This was the 3rd or 4th time she started over, and she reinvented herself again at age 56.
• [13:58] You don't know your in a rut until you're out of it. Forcing yourself to jump the track and breathe new air makes life more interesting.
• [16:28] Sheri had a dream come true career but not a dream come true life. She had to do a serious reckoning with the tenderness of hearts to get to the core of the kind of life she dreamed of.
• [19:44] At a Shamanic ceremony in the desert, Sheri learned that to start with a fresh page you have to let go and clear the slate.
• [24:05] Sheri and Nancy built a business around living and doing things for a better life and then reporting back about it.
• [28:01] Sheri switched her story about working out. She is a storyteller, so she told herself a new story that inspired her using words like power, flexibility, renewal, and recovery.
• [30:55] Awareness is everything. How not to make misery your compass. When happiness is your compass, you are keenly aware of what feels good. These are clues that your destination is lovely and wonderful.
• [36:58] The amazing story of how Sheri landed her job at Oprah. You don't want to miss this story! It's also the basis for the title of her book The Beautiful No.

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is the perfect platform to market your business. Marketing your business is all about reaching the right audience at the right time and connecting with them when your message resonates the most. So, if you want to target your customers where they're engaging everyday and when they're ready to make a decision, I want you to consider LinkedIn.

In fact, four out of five customers who are on LinkedIn are decision makers at their companies. You can see some incredible traction with your LinkedIn ads. If you want to redeem a free $100 dollar LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign on LinkedIn go to LinkedIn.com/Amy.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Is there something holding you back in your business? Today, I’m talking about that ONE EXCUSE that may be holding you back from taking that next step that will really propel your business forward. This excuse holds many people back, and they don’t even know it. It’s kind of like a snake in the grass, where you don’t even know it’s there until it slithers up and STOPS you in your tracks.

I’m also going to show you how to identify this excuse in all its many forms and how to breakaway from this cycle with a simple technique that anyone can do. It might not be easy. It might not be comfortable, but being able to take action even when it’s not easy or comfortable is key to progress. Moving forward even when you don’t have all of the answers can get you unstuck and start the positive momentum you need to move the needle forward in your business.

• [05:09] Not moving forward because you are stuck is an excuse that can take many forms and hold you back.
• [09:42] The way to get past this is taking imperfect action even when it is messy and uncomfortable.
• [10:57] How I took imperfect action with my team bonus structure. I approached it like I knew what I was doing and put together a plan to the best of my ability. I NEVER have to start from scratch again. That's what imperfect action does!
• [16:21] You have to have something to show when you ask for feedback.
• [18:10] You have to make a decision and produce something. The hardest place to be is starting from scratch. Get beyond this point, even when you don't have all of the answers. That's how to get stuff done!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Online Marketing Made Easy Facebook Group
• Episode #255: What's Keeping You Safe Is What's Keeping You Stuck
• Free List Building Masterclass
• Amy Porterfield on Instagram

You want people ready to buy when you launch your course, but how do you do that? This episode will explain exactly how to be intentional before your launch, so that your customers will be ready to buy when you are ready to sell. You need to start the relationship building early, because people buy from those that they know, like, and trust. I am going to share a powerful marketing strategy that you can use to seed the idea of your course before it is ever launched.

You will be priming the pump in a transparent and authentic way that makes people hungry for what you have to offer. I’m going to give you three powerful tips that you can intentionally use to get your buyers ready and excited to buy from you when you launch. This mini lesson will give you actionable ways to talk about your course in a natural way that doesn’t sound salesy and gets people excited about what you are offering.

• [06:49] The best way to hit your goals during your launch is to be incredibly intentional before your launch. You want to position yourself as your audience's guide, so they recognize you as their go-to source. This priming period is all about how you show up for your audience.
• [10:33] Use stories about your journey or your students journey to seed your course. This will make the struggles more real and tangible. Think about your students and where were they, what did they struggle with, what held them back, and what helped them move forward. Understand the difference between a story and a testimonial and use both of them.
• [15:59] Talk about specific lessons, formulas, frameworks, or strategies that are in your course. I created a framework and then showed how it came to life with a step-by-step of a webinar that made me over three million dollars in one launch. Give names to your lessons and formulas.
• [20:03] Create exclusivity. You want your non-students to want to be part of your special insider community. Shout outs are a great way to share that you have something special. When people see you talking about it, they want to be part of it. Do it in a loving mindful way.
• [22:47] Don't be afraid to talk about your course multiple times in multiple ways. Weaving your product into the conversation naturally never sounds salesy. In order to make the seeding strategy work, you have to launch when you say you are going to launch. 

This episode is brought to you by my Free Masterclass all about list building. One of the ways that you can be incredibly intentional when you aren’t launching is to build your email list every single day.

The energy of your business is directly tied to the strength of your email list, and so that’s why you hear me talk about list building so much on my podcast, in my Facebook lives, and in my private Facebook groups and in all my courses. List building is essential to the growth of your online business. Get my Free List Building Masterclass.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Free List Building Masterclass

I've been noticing a theme lately and it's the idea of less is more. I have been really busy this first quarter and am looking forward to a season where I can slow down. But to be honest, this scares my entrepreneurial brain. I associate slowing down with achieving less and making less money. In spite of this, I firmly believe in my core that I can do less and still make a huge impact and hit my big goals.

My friend Kate Northrup is someone who did just that. She slowed down and discovered that her earning didn’t decrease. She even discovered that by listening to her body and noticing her seasons, she could get more done by doing less. She even wrote the book Doing Less. The book goes into detail on how to do less, create a bigger impact, make more money, and create space to do those things that matter. This episode is incredibly actionable, incredibly valuable, and you will learn a lot about yourself that you didn't know.

• [13:27] The 40 hour work week isn't evidence-based and it's not results-based. A 55 hour work week leads to a 33% increased risk in stroke and a 13% increase in risk of coronary disease. A 49 hour week is associated with poor mental health. There is a diminishing rate of return on hours put in.
• [15:59] Men have a cyclical experience of energy based on their hormones every 24 hours. Women have a cyclical experience of energy based on their hormones every 28 days. Productivity and time management systems assume our lives are based on a 24-hour cycle. We both have the ability to get just as much done, but in slightly different ways. The four phases line up with the energy of the seasons.
• [21:33] Very few people can be in a state of high concentration for more than 4 or 5 hours a day. Multiple things at the same time makes us miss things and make mistakes. Get clear on your goals. Set a timer for every hour and write down what you were doing. Then ask if they are connected to your result.
• [34:03] How to map out which tasks should be done and when. Ask yourself how much energy you have as you plan your week and then have 5% to 10% of your activities based on your energy and then get done what you need to get done. Listen to your body and things will work in alignment. Our bodies are our source of energy and creativity.
• [39:43] Simplify. Ask if things are in flow or in friction. Simplify wherever there is friction. Learn how to get results with the least amount of steps. Find what works for you.
• [45:37] To do lists can be overwhelming. Make a weekly list instead of a daily list. This gives you grace and space to make things happen. Ask if it NEEDS to be done. Does it need to be done by ME? Does it need to be done NOW?

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is the perfect platform to market your business. Marketing your business is all about reaching the right audience at the right time and connecting with them when your message resonates the most. So, if you want to target your customers where they're engaging everyday and when they're ready to make a decision, I want you to consider LinkedIn. In fact, four out of five customers who are on LinkedIn are decision makers at their companies. You can see some incredible traction with your LinkedIn ads. If you want to redeem a free $100 dollar LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign on LinkedIn go to LinkedIn.com/Amy.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Have you ever thought about adding a membership site to your business model? How does the idea of recurring revenue in your business sound? Revenue coming in every single month, rain or shine, launch or no launch… Sounds good to me! 

Many of my students are course creators and the idea of adding a membership site on the backend of their course as a way for their customers to continue working with them really does seem to be the next right step in their business.

My students aren’t the only ones getting on the membership site train...In fact, I’m in the process of adding a membership site to my own business and what I’ve learned over the past year about the power of combining memberships and courses is nothing short of revolutionary.

If you tuned in last week, I spoke with the membership site guru himself, Stu McLaren, and we went through the 10 most burning questions about membership sites and boy have we heard from a lot of you of how helpful that episode was and how it has inspired many of you to take that next step.

You’re going to love hearing from these three rockstar entrepreneurs

So let me tell you a little bit about each of my guests. They’re in completely different industries but they all have one thing in common…they have successfully combined their courses with memberships. 

Listen to your students when they tell you they want more of you...

Jamie Swanson is a busy mama of six who teaches other photographers how to work with entrepreneurs and influencers who need a steady stream of images to grow their personal brand. Her course teaches photographers how to pivot their business from whatever type of photography they’ve been doing before, maybe family portraits, weddings, etc.) to this new hot market for personal brand photography. After finishing Jamie’s course, her students were constantly asking how they could continue working with her. She knew a membership site would serve them best. Listen in as Jamie shares her biggest fears about opening up a membership site (hello, content treadmill!), how she’s embraced a simple model that her students love and her whopping conversion rate when she opened up her membership site to her existing students. 

Think your course is too niched for a membership site?

Think again! Jesse Mencia teaches hand-lettering to Spanish speaking women, as well as how they can turn their hobby of hand-lettering into a business by selling their beautiful products. Jesse started with a six-week course, but quickly saw the need for continued support after her students finished up her course. Once again, her students wanted more and they were willing to pay. Listen in as Jesse shares her inspiring story.   

 From rock solid copywriting foundation to confident business building...

Belinda is a copywriter who teaches aspiring copywriters how to gain confidence in working with clients, hone their craft and build thriving copywriting businesses. Now, listen carefully because we’ve got a theme going on here...Belinda’s students, like both Jamie and Jesse, told her they wanted more from her. When they gained confidence in their copywriting from her course, the next right step was to learn how to build and scale their businesses, and that’s where her membership site came in. Listen in as Belinda shares how she runs her membership site and how she’s adding some new promotional strategies to the mix.

Each of these ladies has had great success and they all golden insights to share, such as…

• How to batch 10 weeks of content in one four hour block
• How to share your membership with your course students
• How a membership site helps your best students to get greater results

If you’re curious about how you can combine a membership with your course, you won’t want to miss this episode!And if you want more of the secrets that have helped these ladies succeed, you’ll want to sign up for my dear friend Stu McLaren’s FREE workshop, Recurring Revolution.

Sign up here!

So many of you have asked me questions about setting up a membership site so you could serve your audience in a bigger and deeper way. Well, I thought I better bring in someone who knows membership sites in and out, and directly ask him your burning questions, all about membership sites. I like to call Stu McLaren the Membership Man. He is, hands down, the go-to source for all things membership.    

In 2008, Stu knew something had to give. He was burning the candle at both ends providing one-on-one services to clients. While his business would be seen as successful by most because the money was there, he was trading time for dollars and this was not the answer to where he saw his future. Especially one with kids in it, like he and his wife were hoping for.  

Long story short, Stu decided he needed a new business model to take what he was already doing and share it in a more leveraged way -- a model that included recurring revenue. Upon the suggestion from a friend and business mentor, he started a membership site. Not only did he create a membership site for himself, but he saw a need for a tool for implementing a membership site, so he set out and created one.

Throughout his time working with the 70,000 clients who flocked to use WishList Member, the membership software platform Stu created, he learned a lot about what worked and what didn’t when it came to creating a membership site and he joined me on my podcast today to share all of that wisdom.

Here’s a snapshot of what we covered in our chat where I asked him the 10 most burning questions that you, my listener, asked:

We covered…

• The difference between a membership site and a course
• What kind of content you need to have inside your course
• How to manage the content creation process
• Pricing your membership site
• Launch strategies and options for membership sites
• Having your course as a prerequisite for you membership site
• Launching with webinars
• Incentivizing members to join

Bottom line, almost any business can benefit from having some type of membership site. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of work to invite members in, or to create content every month. The beauty of a membership site is that you get to leverage your knowledge with the content you provide and the recurring revenue that a membership will bring to your business. 

Stu brought so many great insights ton how to make a membership site work for you. This was truly one of my favorite episodes of the podcast.

And there’s so much more where that came from! If you’re wondering whether a membership site can work for you, or wanting to know how to grow your existing site, I highly encourage you to join Stu’s free workshop by visiting amyporterfield.com/stu.

Join us both and listen to the episode now!

This episode is brought to you by Tribe. Join the free TRIBE Workshop today and learn how to Turn What You Already Know, Love, And Do Into A Successful Membership Business.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

One of the best ways to sell your product is to get out there and tell people about it. This isn’t always easy! After this episode, you’re going to be armed with strategies to confidently talk about your product like a pro.

After an exhausting launch, I found myself mindlessly flipping through channels and stumbled upon an infomercial for Bye Bye Foundation with IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Lima. This is a woman who knows how to SELL her product to the tune of millions and millions of dollars.

I noticed that Jamie talks about her product in a very specific way. The words she was using… the way she repeats herself… it was like magic! She was seamlessly talking about her product the way I’d like to talk about my own programs while on webinars and Facebook Lives.

I began studying her work and really paying attention. I discovered that she has very specific strategies for talking about her product, so I broke those down for you in this episode. I also give you some tips and tricks to apply Jamie’s expert strategies when talkinb about your own products.

Grab your free cheat sheet here!

The Seven Secrets for Talking About Your Product Like a Pro:

• [06:51] Solidify your verbal tagline. A verbal tagline is something that you say over and over again. Create an inspirational or motivational tagline that talks about your product.
• [10:34] Tell what it is. You’ve got to be clear on exactly what it is you’re selling. It may seem obvious to you, but it may not be to your potential customer. You want to highlight what is most important about your product, program or service through the use of very concise phrases or words.
• [13:58] Tell what it's not. You just need one or two sentences of what your product is not. Find one or two things that you know your audience doesn't want because that allows you to then move into what it IS in an inspirational way. This contrast can be very powerful.
• [16:08] Tell why it's unique. There are likely multiple ways your product, program or service is unique, but it’s important to highlight ONE specific way it’s very unique to set you apart from your competition.
• [20:37] Identify a few core themes. Come up with verbal themes. Jamie uses the words “different” and “deserve” a lot as her theme words. A theme word I use when I talk about my programs is “doable”. It’s important to have some themes that are constant when talking about your product, program or service.
• [26:09] Future pace with an intentional one-liner. Future pacing by beginning a sentence with “Imagine…” will help your potential customer look at what’s possible, or what’s ahead for them. You want them to get excited and future pacing will help them to envision a better future for themselves if they purchase your product, program or service.
• [28:23] Choose testimonials that speak to all of the above. When getting testimonials from your customers, make sure to ask the right questions to get authentic answers that talk about your product in a way that mirrors how you talk about your product.

I've created a cheat sheet that will walk you through these seven secrets in detail but will also prompt you to create each of these snippets on your own so that you have them when you go into your next promotion. Grab the cheat sheet here!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Jamie Lima
• IT Cosmetics
• Blue Ocean Strategy

As entrepreneurs, we’re driven by our passion and ideas. There is never a lack of projects and things that need to get done. Even worse, we often jump from one task to the next as we try to get caught up with our endless list.

Does it seem like you never have enough time in the day to get the important stuff done? Are you frantically trying to whittle down that endless list? We all get caught up in this cycle. That’s why I’m so excited to have Michael Hyatt back on the show.

Michael says:

“It's almost impossible to accomplish anything significant when you're racing through an endless litany of tasks and emergencies. And yet, this is how many of us spend our days, our weeks, months, years, sometimes our entire lives.”

Michael operated like this for years when he was an overworked and stressed executive at Thomas Nelson Publishers. Michael, now on the other side of this unsustainable and unhealthy work pattern, has cracked the code on a system of productivity and focus that is designed to help you avoid burnout in your business. 

Michael was tired of working harder and accomplishing less. It’s FOCUS that drives our businesses and our personal lives. In this episode, Michael shares the principles from his new book Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less, so we can accomplish what matters. 

The Free to Focus System:

• [07:34] Productivity is really about freedom. Freedom is a BIG reason people get into business. The book covers four freedoms: The freedom to focus. We need sustained focus and concentration. The freedom to be present. This is the freedom to be 100% present with whoever you are with. The freedom to be spontaneous, and the freedom to do nothing.
• [12:12] There are also three phases to Freedom to Focus. They are Stop, Cut, and Act. The first three chapters focus on Stop. First, you need to formulate a vision of a more productive future. Then evaluate the work you are doing using the freedom compass. And always rejuvenate and take time for self-care. Formulate, evaluate, and rejuvenate.
• [14:22] Using the Freedom Compass:
• True North is where passion and proficiency come together.
• South is the drudgery zone. Things your not passionate about or proficient in.
• East is the disinterest zone. Things you are good at but not passionate about.
• West is the distraction zone. Things you enjoy doing but aren’t good at.
• [18:11] Things on your freedom compass that you love and are good at are in your desire zone. This is where you should focus the bulk of your energy. Eliminate, automate, or delegate everything that's not in the desire zone.
• [30:41] Michael plays mythbuster to the objections that entrepreneurs have about delegation. Hiring a VA enables you to repurpose time for more valuable activities.
• [35:46] Act also has three steps. They are consolidate, designate, and activate. To consolidate avoid context switching and batch activities.
• [38:53] Designate is designing your year by identifying three goals for your quarter, week, and each day. Imagine how powerful your days would be if you accomplish three important things on a daily basis.
• [43:00] Activate is about managing the interruptions. Check in before going into a deep work session, so you won't be interrupted. Turn off notifications. Let technology serve you.
• Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Are you making it as easy as possible for your followers to buy from you? Is it possible to put out too much content? Many of us, myself included, struggle with thinking more is more when it comes to the products, services, and programs that we offer our potential customers.

It may seem counterintuitive, but offering MORE can actually make people click away!

Giving people too many options can cause decision fatigue and your potential customer will click away from your blog or video without signing up or purchasing from you.

We’re living in an age with options everywhere. If it takes too much brain power for someone to decide on something, they're out. It's your job to make it as easy as possible for your followers to make a decision. Your audience will be much more apt to buy if you present them with less offers that are better quality,

In this episode, I help you determine the fine line of less is more when it comes to content. Did you know that a person is less likely to buy if given too many choices? I’ve got a study to prove it to you.

I’ll also help you understand why it’s important to have flow, and a clear beginning, middle, and end. Want to become a go-to guide in your field? I’ve got that covered, too.

These three foolproof steps will help you narrow down the options that you present to your audience:

1. Listen to your customers. Be intentional about hearing what your customers are asking for. If you listen closely, your audience will tell you exactly what they want.
2. Carefully watch your audience's behavior. Where do conversions take place? Where can you narrow down your options?
3. You cannot fear pivoting when necessary. Notice patterns and trends with your audience and do more of what’s working and cut out what’s not working.

Your next clear step: Have a 15-minute brainstorming session and write down what you offer. Ask these questions. Does it feel like too much? Is it clear?

Click here to listen now!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

“New customers are good, but existing customers are better.” - Casey Graham

Did you know it takes five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing one? Five times!

Most businesses put a huge focus on getting NEW customers (which is important), but where they’re missing the mark is by not equally nurturing the EXISTING customers that they do have.

On today’s podcast episode I talk to Casey Graham, founder of Gravy, the company that helps entrepreneurs and business owners (including myself) solve the problem of failed payments and credit card declines in their business. Why did I bring him on? Because he’s an incredibly smart and strategic business owner who knows how to create profitable businesses - he’s built several from the ground up and is a master at growing thriving teams that wow their customers on a daily basis.

Casey says that f you were to increase keeping your existing customers who are paying you by 5%, you could increase your profits by 25-95%, depending on your type of business. That’s a game-changer, my friend! 

As a business owner, you’ve got to develop a customer-centric business and this episode is going to give you a roadmap to do just that as Casey drills down on the 5 non-negotiables of setting up a stellar system of customer care (aka the forgotten funnel) in your business.

• Person - define who you are (the owner/leader of your organization) and who you are serving (your customers)
• People - how is your team (or you) set up to serve your customers?
• Process - how are you intentionally valuing your customers before you ask for more value?
• Product - what’s your product value ladder to continue to serve customers?
• Profit - what are you doing to reduce churn and close the back door? 

You’re going to be able to walk away today with some simple strategies that you can incorporate into your business immediately that will literally change how your customers see you and most importantly how they feel about you on a daily basis.

This episode is brought to you by Gravy, the company I trust to contact my customers within hours of a failed payment, capturing the updated billing information, and saving the customer my team and I worked so hard to acquire. If your revenue is currently at $250K or more a year and you know you’re losing money due to failed payments each month, I encourage you to check out Gravy. Click here to see how they can be an extension of your customer service and save you money. 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW IN ITUNES

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you! 

What’s keeping you stuck? Are you in an unfulfilling 9-5 job that you’re dying to get out of? Maybe your side hustle is not progressing along fast enough. Is the business model you created just not feeling right? Or maybe you’ve been at it for a while and your revenue numbers just aren’t where you want them to be. No matter what it is, if you’re feeling stuck in any area of your business, that needs to stop and today’s episode is going to help.  

We will explore the four areas that are likely keeping you stuck and my goal is for you to recognize what these areas are so you can formulate a plan to start moving forward in the direction you want to go.

Following are the four areas I’ll discuss in this episode to keep you moving forward:

2. Understanding what your safety blanket is and how it’s likely holding you back. Safe can be a good thing, but that’s not always the case in your business and I’ll explain why.  
4. Which of your own expectations are holding you back? Setting expectations for yourself are good, but you’ve got to ground those expectations in goals and processes to get you to that goal.
6. How to get clear on the systems that are necessary to get the results you want. I’ll share an excerpt from a book I’m reading now that has totally rocked my world when it comes to goal setting. I’ll walk you through the new mindset shift I’ve created that is going to help me to reach my impossible goal.  
8. Why it’s important to fuel your brain by doing something different. Inspiration can come in many different packages, and expanding your horizons in what you read, listen to, and watch can get you right out of the creative rut you may be in.

Are you ready to move past the feelings of being stuck or unfulfilled? Let’s do this!  Press play to listen in.  

This episode is brought to you by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan. My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm).   If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you.

Rachel Hollis is in the house!! Literally, she came to my house and we sat in my studio for this interview! I normally do my interviews via Skype or Zoom, so the in-person interview was both nerve-wracking and super fun! I think you’ll love listening to this episode.

Rachel, who in case you aren’t familiar with, is a #1 New York Times best-selling author of Girl, Wash Your Face, she’s got a new book that’s now out, Girl, Stop Apologizing. She’s a motivational speaker, a top-rated podcast host -- and, oh yeah, she’s got four kids! This woman is a powerhouse and she brought her A-game today.

During the interview, we talk about Rachel’s new book, Girl, Stop Apologizing. The book’s subtitle is A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals -- let me tell you, this book is super tactical when it comes to setting and achieving your goals, but the way Rachel delivers her message through her gift of story-telling, her wonderful sense of humor, and her no-nonsense belief that if you have a dream, you CAN make it happen. I just know this is going to be one of your favorite reads!

Alright, I want you to pop those earbuds in and listen right away, but if you want a sneak peek of what we talk about during the interview, here you go:

• I asked Rachel what she thinks about the minute she opens her eyes in the morning. I just loved her honesty: tired and anxious. She talks about the season she’s in right now and talks about how she gets herself moving and in a better state.
• We talk about being people pleasers and worrying about what people think about us. Rachel is very much in the public eye, so she’s got really great insight on this struggle that so many of us deal with.
• Rachel addresses two common excuses so many of us use (I hand-picked these two from the several she talks about in her book specifically for you, because I hear these same excuses from my audience all the time): “I don’t have enough time.” and “I’m not enough to succeed.” 
• We talk about the simple 5 to Thrive model that Rachel says has literally changed her personal and professional life. It’s so simple, yet so powerful!
• Some people wonder how Rachel did it. They call her an “overnight success”. She debunks that myth right off the bat and drops some truth bombs in the process. 
• Rachel talks about how she built her following (she has over 1 million on Instagram alone!) by getting to know her Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA). She tells how this quote she heard over 10 years ago, “Follow the signs of life,” helped guide her in really getting to know her ICA and use that to monetize her business.

You guys, there is so much value, inspiration and tactical advise to living the life that you dream of AND you deserve. Don’t wait another minute, click here to listen in to my interview with the one and only, Rachel Hollis!

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan”. My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you.

LINKS:

• Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis (Physical Book)
• Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis (Audible version)
• Girl, Stop Apologizing, by Rachel Hollis (Physical Book)
• Girl, Stop Apologizing, By Rachel Hollis (Audible version)
• Blackberry Farm in Tennessee (where we took our girl’s trip)
• Follow Rachel on Instagram

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW IN ITUNES

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

I’m often asked if the strategies used for online marketing can be translated to the local business. Maybe you have a hair salon, a dance studio, a wine shop, a real estate agency, a pet grooming business… The question is, how can we take the information I talk about list building, lead magnets, funnels, social media strategy and all the other topics that come up and use them effectively to get more customers through your physical storefront?  

Since I’m not an expert in this area, I brought in someone who is. My guest on the podcast today is Stacy Tuschl, the creator of She’s Building Her Empire Podcast & Community where she helps female entrepreneurs automate their businesses so they can do more with less. She’s also a best-selling author AND has two dance studios in Milwaukee, WI grossing over one million dollars per year!  

You’ll love Stacy’s teaching style: she’s very specific and gives lots of examples and actionable steps for you to take right away. This interview is great for those of you with a brick and mortar business, but even if you are in the online space only, you will learn a ton.

Here’s a breakdown of what we discussed:

• The most common struggle that brick and mortar businesses face and how to overcome that struggle and bring more customers in the door
• The three funnels that convert very well (we’ve got a great freebie to walk you through these funnels, too. Just click here to grab it!)

• Get them in your building Funnel
• Education Funnel
• Upsell Funnel

• What you need to consider as far as what to include on your opt-in and thank you pages, funnel content and number of emails included in each. This can be very different from the typical online marketing funnels.
• Tips and strategies for getting lots of honest online reviews from your customers. Stacy got 60 reviews in one week!
• The 3 Ts of Success (These are simple strategies, but so very valuable. And these will hold true whether you’re an online marketer or brick-and-mortar.)
• What you need to know (and not know) about your competition. Wondering if you should use Google ad words, Yelp, Facebook ads? Stacy’s got some great insight for you on this.  
• The importance of claiming your Google listing.
• How to leverage social media as a brick and mortar business (P.S. A small social media following is ok!)
• And as a bonus, Stacy shares some great online tips for hiring new employees for your local business.

You guys, my chat with Stacy was 100% filled with useful strategies and tips! I can’t wait for you to listen. You’re going to walk away with specific things you can implement immediately to help grow your business.  Click here to listen in now!

This episode is brought to you by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan. My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you’re struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you. Click here to sign up!

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW IN ITUNES

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!  

My team and I just finished up with the launch of my new course, Digital Course Academy, and I want to share some new strategies I used that really resonated with my audience and resulted in a big boost in sales conversions.

The three strategies all focus on personalization and are something that you will easily be able to replicate in your own launch.  

Live launch personalization is more important than ever, especially when people are used to canned responses and bots. Having direct communication from a human is next-level when it comes to customer service these days. When you incorporate personal touches to your launch, you are helping your prospective customers to be able to decide whether they want to purchase your program, product or service.

Here are the three personal touches that I go over in today’s episode will be game-changers for your next live launch:

Personalization #1: Recording Audio Messages Via Snagit Learn how I used Snagit, the quick and easy screen capture and/or recorder application, to provide personalized customer service messages that really wowed my audience. I also mention how I’ve recently been introduced and have begun using Loom to handle the same task.

Personalization #2: Live Sales Page Chat With OlarkLearn how I used Olark, to provide stellar live sales page chat during my launch. This tool will allow you to answer real-time questions, in-the-moment from your potential customers when they’re making the buying decision. When handled right, these conversations will significantly increase your conversions. These prompt, “real-time” conversations are priceless. Whether it’s you in there or someone on your team that’s very familiar with your content, make sure to set up a system for live chat support during your next live launch.

Personalization #3: Recording an Off the Cuff, From the Heart, Final VideoThis is a video to record in real-time and send out on the final day when you’re closing the doors for people to be able to purchase your program, product, or service. I’ll tell you what to include in the email to deliver the video (the subject line and body copy) and what you should say in the video. The timing of recording this video is critical because you want to be feeling all the emotions that you will have on that last day. You will be coming in raw, honest, and extremely helpful with this last bit of communication to your prospective customer.

There you have it! I’ve shared my secrets and I hope you take what worked well for me and incorporate these strategies in your next live launch. Believe me, you will never be sorry for adding these personal touches.

Click here to listen now!  

This episode is brought to you by:

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW IN ITUNES

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!  

I was thinking about you, my listener, the other day and thought, “What can I give to them that would help them most in their businesses right where they are today.” This is my tenth year of business in the online marketing space, and I have learned a lot. Ups and downs, successes and failures...and through it all, I learned invaluable lessons along the way. I’m going to take that ten years of learning and share it with you in today’s podcast episode.  

Specifically, I’m going to share what I would have done differently were I starting from scratch today. Now, this is not only for those newbies out there. There are many foundational principles that even the most seasoned entrepreneur can learn from to ensure you are a building a business that is sustainable. I know I’m still learning as I go along, so I hope today’s episode will help you wherever you are in your business journey.

Here are the areas  

• Where I Would Spend My Money

I’ll be talking about the must-have tools I use in my business, as well as how to choose the right personal development investment that will serve you best.

• What I Would Focus On The Most (especially in the first two years)

Don’t do what I did in my first two years of business. You MUST create original content consistently AND know who you’re talking to. Too many overcomplicate this process and I’ll share how to keep it simple to move your business forward in a powerful way. I’ll also discuss the importance of knowing and declaring exactly HOW you want to make money in your business.    

• What I Would Say Yes To More Often

What I talk about here would have looked very different five and ten years ago. This will be the same for you because the business you have today will look dramatically look different just a few years from now. You will make choices today that you won’t make years from now because your business will be different.

• What I Would Say No To More Often

You may be surprised by some of what I discuss here, but please, please heed my advice here. Your time is valuable and there are some things that may look good but are not good for growing your business.   

• The Mindset Shift I Would Make Early On

With so much noise in the online world, there is one key mindset shift that will be invaluable for you personally and in your business. It’s all about asking yourself higher value questions. I’ve got a worksheet for you with some great examples to get you going.

• The Habits I Would Adopt Early On - Habits That Would Shape My Identity

Establishing good habits in your life will be a game-changer! Your level of success is directly tied to how you show up on a daily basis, and creating habits is the key.

I think this episode is going to be really helpful to you in your journey, so take a listen and use the lessons I’ve learned over the past 10 years as a shortcut to your success.  

You’ve heard it before, right? Content is KING.

That is certainly true and I’ll be the first to tell you that the quality and consistency of your content directly correlate to the growth of your email list AND your bank account.

The operative word in that last sentence was consistency. Without consistency when it comes to your content creation, content is not king.

You probably know that I just recently launched my new course, Digital Course Academy, and I can guarantee that if you ask any of my students what the ONE thing that I’m a stickler about...they will tell you that I want them creating consistent content on a weekly basis.

The reason why I’m such a stickler about this is that In order for you to have a thriving online business, you’ve got to create consistent content in order to attract your tribe. Once you’ve attracted your tribe and they’re paying attention, that’s when you build the “know, like, and trust” factor. And once they know, like, and trust you, they will likely buy from you.

Creating consistent content on a weekly basis is NOT always easy and it takes time, however, it’s a clear step that, should you commit to, will pay dividends in the success of your business.

The question is: how do you make sure this weekly content gets done?

You create a content plan. And I can help you with that!

In fact, in this episode, I go over these three things:

2. A foolproof plan to create consistent content, that will leave you feeling confident, excited and inspired
4. My top 5 favorite ways to choose topics that your Ideal Customer Avatar will want to eat up immediately (You’re going to find these VERY useful!)
6. I’ll tell you all about the 3-Month Content Calendar Template I created for you to keep all your content organized. I’ve got it all laid out in a spreadsheet that you can take and make your own. All you have to do is follow the prompts and fill in the blanks and you’ll be good to go! You can download the calendar here.

Click here to listen to the episode now.

Having fear is a natural part of running a business. The key is to not let those fears stop you from doing the work that you were created to do. But what do you do when those fears threaten to throw you off your game or derail you completely? You take action and keep moving forward, but sometimes you need a little inspiration to keep you going.  

In this episode, my friend Marie Forleo (entrepreneur extraordinaire) and I are going to share the seven biggest fears that we have personally struggled with and overcome. Our intention is to pull back the curtain to show that some of the very things you may be experiencing now may be obstacles, but they are not insurmountable.

This is my 10th year of running an online business and Marie is in her 20th year! We’ve seen it all and experienced ALL the fears (and still do!), so come along and let’s see if we can provide some helpful insight for you and your business!     

To give you an extra dose of inspiration, I asked Marie to also share stories of her B-School students and how they, too, faced similar fears and what they did to work through them to build thriving, profitable and successful online businesses. You’re going to learn so many valuable tips and tricks that will help you navigate through similar fears when they come up in your own business.   

Here’s a rundown of the 7 fears we discuss in the episode:

2. I don’t have an email list. How in the world can I start a business without one?
4. I don’t have enough skills to make an online business work.
6. It’s all been done before. My market is saturated with people doing what I want to do.
8. I’m too old to be starting a business online.
10. I want to do something different than I’ve been doing for the last 5, 10 or 20 years, but I’m not sure how to start over.
12. I can’t figure out all the tech that’s needed to get my business up and running.
14. I am overwhelmed...it’s just too much.

We’ll also talk about Marie’s free online business building workshop that she just released in which she’ll teach you The 6 Pillars of Building an Online Business. Marie has a tremendous gift for breaking things down to simple and understandable next steps, so you do not want to miss being in this free workshop.  

The first video in the workshop series goes live today and you are going to get so much value. You can find it at AmyPorterfield.com/Marie. Don’t wait, because the series will only be available for a limited time.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

You asked some tough questions, and today I’ve got answers!

I recently put out a post on Instagram to all of you, asking: What would you like to know about how I built my business?

The response was amazing! You all sent in SO many questions and today, I’m going to answer 10 of them.

I tried picking topics that I haven’t covered all that much on previous episodes, and that would resonate with as many as you as possible.

Here are those 10 questions:

#1: If you burned it all down & started over, what are the first 3 things you’d focus on & do now? (This one was a super timely one!)

#2: What did you do when your email list was TINY? I mean less than 100, like mine 😅. How did you interact with your small community? (It all started with me underpromising, and overdelivering…)

#3: When you have multiple awesome projects you’re working on, how do you prioritize? (Shout out to my project management tool, Asana!)

#4: In hindsight, what is one thing you wish you would have done sooner? (If you’re a loyal listener, you know the painful answer to this one!)

#5: How do you set boundaries for quality family time and one on one time? (I need to be open and honest: I work on this every single day.)

#6: Have you veered off course and how did you know when to get back on course or go ahead in that different direction? (So I’ve never been big on chasing shiny objects, but I also get too comfortable sometimes…)

#7: How did you originally grow your podcast audience? What specifically did you leverage? Or was it purely organic? (I would say it was about two years before the podcast was doing amazing things.)

#8: Apart from weekly consistent content what moved the success needle for you? (This one was REALLY hard for me at first…)

#9: What do you do in the moments when you doubt yourself? (For me, I just keep doing…)

#10: Which mentor do you credit for making the biggest impact in creating the biz you ❤️ today? (A little tribute to my mom and dad, and how I got the best of both worlds.)

I really hope this episode proves valuable to you. I’m sharing a little bit of what’s in my secret sauce, and I and my wish is that it inspires you to kick butt in your business.

Don’t forget to check out the links at the bottom of this page. I couldn’t get to all of the questions, so I’ve listed some resource podcasts down below as an additional tool for you!

Now, let’s dive in! Let’s get your burning questions answered!

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan: My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

I’m setting very specific goals this year, and one of them, is to epically fail. Again and again.

I know that sounds crazy—but hear me out.

You all have shared with me how you’ve struggled with the fears and confusion of building an online business. I started this podcast by sharing marketing strategies and step-by-step details to get things done—build a list, create a digital course, launch webinars, you get it.

BUT because you guys have asked me for more and have asked me about the mentality I use to run my business, I’m going to share with you how I’m setting goals for the New Year.

These are some behind-the-scenes details of where I’m going with my business. I’m also going to invite you into my personal world a bit.

I’ve set about 10 goals for the year, and in today’s episode, I’m going to share four of them with you. My:

1.     Impossible Goal
2.     Business Goal
3.     Health-Related Goal, and
4.     Personal Growth Goal

I’m also sharing the three things I’m going to do to ensure my goals stick.

I’m sure you’re wondering where the epic fails fit in, right?

As I start working toward my Impossible Goal, I’m going to write out 25 Epic Fails for each quarter—that’s 100 for the year. These are the crazy things, that will probably lead to a fail, that will get me closer to my goal. You’ve got to be willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means fail, in order to get what you really want, right?

My hope for you is that by the end of this episode, you’re ready to lock in your goals for the year and be inspired to fail with me.

Are you ready to be a goal-getter in 2019? Hit play now.

This episode is brought to you by Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

It’s so easy to get caught up on all the little details of launching a course, running a business—or, hey, living life. All these little things compete for your attention and energy.

The thing is: Living like this isn’t going to help you realize your full potential and true success.

The key to extraordinary results? Finding your ONE THING—your number one priority at any given point in time.

And I’ve got THE expert on this topic on the show today, my new friend Jay Papasan, author of the amazing book The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.

His book—one of my favorites—has sold more than 1.3 million copies worldwide, and has appeared on national bestseller lists more than 400 times. And I truly believe that the principles in this book are the difference between realizing your potential and true success and honestly, just settling.

In addition to dishing about your one thing, or “true priority,” Jay and I talk about the real secret to sticking to your goals, and it’s about one word: Habits.

After this episode, you’re going to walk away with a new sense of purpose. You’re going to move past the distractions and overwhelm and get to a place where you’re hitting your goals and living stress free.

Are you ready to for this type of clarity and focus? Head on over now!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

It’s very I’m going to introduce you to a secret weapon that’s going to help you kick butt in webinars.

When I ran my first webinar waaaay back in the day, I enlisted my best friend to come over to my condo help me out. She sat next to me—really, I was almost sitting on her lap, I was so nervous—and made sure everyone could hear me and see my slides. She made sure everything went right, that way all I had to do was focus on giving my best to all my attendees.

I didn’t know it then, but I had essentially hired my best friend to be my virtual assistant during that first webinar. We made it through and that webinar was a success, but let me tell you, if I could do it over again, I would do it exactly how I’m going to outline for you in today’s podcast.

Virtual assistants are your secret weapon to rocking a webinar! They’re the key to making your webinars not only more profitable, but EASIER for you. And you know how I feel: webinars are the absolute best way to promote and market your digital course online.

But I want pause here for a second, because I’m sure some of you will tune out during this episode—or may even be tempted to skip it—because you don’t think you’re ready for a digital course. And if you’re not ready for a digital course, obviously you won’t be ready for a webinar. I’ve solved this conundrum for you.

I created a brand-new quiz called Should I Create a Digital Course for My Business.

I spent months and months on this, and I promise you, it’ll point you in the right direction. So take the quiz, figure out where you’re at, or if a digital course is even right for you, then come back to this episode.

Because even if you’re not ready for a webinar right now, it’s good to have an idea of what it’ll look like once you do have your digital course created. You’ll know exactly how to make your webinar easier on yourself, and you won’t have all the fears of something going wrong.

Remember my last episode? One of the biggest fears of launching has to do with a running a live webinar. But we’re not going to let those fears hold us back in our business! I’m sharing how to enlist virtual assistants so you can fear less, do your best, and make money, money, money!

So press play and listen to me gush about why virtual assistants are your secret weapon for webinars.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

I’m here to get honest about the fears that come up around launching.

Because they are too real. And I have faced MANY of them.

If you’ve been listening for a while, then you know I had a HUGE fear of launching courses using webinars. I royally screwed up the first webinar I ever touched, back in my Tony Robbins days. Another time I had THE Marie Forleo live on my webinar, and it went completely silent right as I introduced her.

#epicfail

But as bad as those experiences were, I didn’t let them define me as a business owner. Because if I let that fear take over, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Maybe you’ve had similar horrifying experiences. Maybe you had a webinar and no one showed up. Or you put a lot of effort into a launch for crickets. Well I’m here to tell you: That’s part of being in business. And you have to bust through that fear and march forward if you want to be successful.

And here’s the great news: I’ve generated well over $9 million through webinar launches by NOT letting the fear hold me back—and you can have that kind of success too…but you HAVE to get over your fear of launching!

For today’s episode, I’m going to drill down into the most common fears when it comes to launching, and how to squash them.

I’m going to break down some important insights you need to know and shake up some of your mindset blocks that are holding you back from giving it 100% when you launch something new.

It’s time to launch face first, hands out wide, ready to accept anything that comes your way. Are you ready for that? Press play and let’s dive in.

By the way, if your head is spinning just at the idea of a launch, I get it.

The truth is you likely have not been taught many of the crazy nuances around launching strategies.

Which is exactly what I wanted to break down the big picture of what it takes to launch a digital course, in my new masterclass. I’ll give you three behind-the-scenes secrets to digital course success in 2019 and beyond. I’ll share how to build, launch a grow a digital course business without the overwhelm and confusion.

Go to amyporterfield.com/dcamasterclass to sign up—make sure you reserve your spot, because I will be doing this class LIVE only!  

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Have you ever felt like your dreams were bigger than you are? So big that they felt out of reach?

Maybe you want to write a best-selling book or start a talk show, buy your dream house, or travel to islands you can’t even pronounce! Or, maybe you’re being interviewed on The Today Show by Savannah and Hoda (that’s my dream, just in case you’re wondering).

Those are good solid dreams that feel light years away. You think about them and then you put them on the shelf. Instead of going after them you fiddle around and worry about things that you know won’t matter in the long run—like staring at your Insta feed or worrying that your website opt-in isn’t quite right.

The reality is that you have likely been afraid to do big things and I get it. You’ve been playing small. It’s sad but it’s true—and I’ve been in the same boat.

It’s time for a change, my friend.

You’re here right now. You’re listening to a podcast that promises to help you make a bigger impact in the world. That proves to me you’re in this and you’re not taking your business or your life lightly.

In this episode, I’m going to walk you through an exercise that will help you make some crucial decisions about moving forward in a bigger way. Listen through to the end of the episode, download this special PDF, and make sure you finish the exercise.

But promise me that in the next 24 hours you will commit to doing this worksheet…

Here’s why this exercise is so important: right now, today, you can reclaim the fact that you are a big deal.

Because you are meant to be a big deal in this world. You are ready. Your time is now. It’s never too late, so hit play now, let’s start making those big dreams come true.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Looking for a little inspiration when it comes to the topic of your course?

If you’re like most course creators just starting out (who I hear from all of the time!), you’ve had an idea for your course for some time, but you aren’t sure how to move forward, or if your core market will even pay for it.

So in this ep, I will walk through three approaches to help you choose your next course topic.

To up the fun factor, I am going to teach this episode with real-life examples from some of my students. You’ll hear how they built their courses based on their successes, including one superstar who made $255,000 with one webinar and a couple of emails as a follow-up.

I will also show you how to take what you teach with your customers or clients one-on-one and turn that framework into a digital course so that you can move away from that client work you enjoy in the beginning, but then get burnt out with over time.

This episode will definitely spark some creative juices for you—and better yet, show you what’s possible in the digital course world!

And if you want to keep the momentum going, make sure to download my brand new freebie called The Ultimate Course Creation Starter Kit. In this Starter Kit I’ll show you how to choose the right “course type” for your business, the perfect course name to attract your perfect audience, and how to kickstart your course idea validation on social media to ensure your audience will be willing to invest.

Grab a copy of that special free guide here.

I truly believe you have something you can teach others that can become a digital course. Allow yourself to dream a little bit. And don’t let the fear of “what will others think” stop you. Creating a digital course has transformed my life, and the lives of so many of my students. I want you to experience what’s possible. Listen up now.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

How does a vegan, homeschooling, bodybuilding mom of four get into the online world? And then see massive success with webinars?

It may seem like a crazy story, but I can guarantee you that you will be completely enthralled and inspired with Kim Constable and her personal journey.

Kim started her online adventure back in 2009 after she had had enough of the stress of running a business AND raising four kids. There was literally a day she just sank to her knees and started crying. She knew there had to be a better way to live (and make money!).

On today’s ep Kim and I talk about how she finally found success online by tapping into a personal passion—vegan sculpting—then building a signature course and running webinars.

Kim followed my coaching to a tee (in Kim’s words: “I’m a very good soldier”) even when it got frustrating or took longer than she had hoped. And that commitment paid off: In her first round of webinars for her Sculpted Vegan program she made $52,000. She also just had her first six-figure month—and there’s still so much more ahead for her!

This type of success doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it come without a little time, energy, and investment. Kim has found the secret sauce, and she’s sharing it with us today. (And in case you don’t think you can manifest your dreams—Kim said years ago that she would be on this very podcast!) Click here to hear her story.

This episode is brought to you by the Digital Course Academy—if you are looking to move beyond your service-based business (or, like Kim, you are burnt out on your current situation) and want to embrace a course-based model, you’ll want to enroll in the Academy, launching in January 2019. Sign up to be the first to know when the program goes live (and also grab a tasty course creation freebie!).

When it comes to picking the format of your next digital course, the options may seem... daunting. Because thanks to the growing demand for online trainings, there are A LOT of choices out there today.

So how do you know which one is right for you?

Today, I’m taking all of the confusion out of what can be a tough choice, and giving you three solid choices to pick from. These three are based on my experience as a course creator, and what I think works best for my students overall.

I’ll walk through each of the three, giving you the pros and cons, as well as an example from one of my students.

Then make sure you stay on until the end, where I give you the exact questions to ask to help determine which of the three are right for you.

Let’s get started and figure out your next course format, together.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

It’s planning time. My favorite time of year. Time to pull out the giant calendar, the sharpies, and any other office supply I can get my hands on. And start to plan for BIG things in 2019.

In this special bonus episode, I walk through my 7-step process for getting what you really want in your business in 2019. Download my 2019 Planning Roadmap and follow along, because I know great things are waiting for you next year...

Are you ready?

Oh, and three things before you get started…

#1: Just focus on the first 6 months. Don’t think beyond that so you can stay focused.

#2: Take ONE entire day to plan. Break out that white board, the post-its, anything that gets your juices flowing, and eliminate any distractions. Think about getting out of your environment, even booking a hotel room for a day so you can really dive in.

#3: Plan with someone who knows your business. Whether it’s your virtual assistant or a trusted colleague, the more someone knows you and where you want to go, the better.

Again, make sure to download the step-by-step worksheet that goes along with this episode—your 2019 Planning Roadmap—to follow along and do this exercise.

Let’s get started…

First you’re going to start with your opportunities and big dreams for the next 6 months. Will you create your own digital course? Hire a VA for extra support? FINALLY write that book that’s been swirling around in your brain?

Then you are going to decide on your non-negotiables—what did you hate doing this year? What are you not willing to do or experience to get to your wildly successful year? There is always stuff that you just get tired of doing. For me, I’m no longer to make excuses for not posting on Social Media. You might say: I’m no longer going to take clients out of fear that you will lose out on the money.

Then you get to the fun part—to declare your number. Is it $555K or $55K? How much do you want want to earn next year?

Next you’ll take a step back to move forward. I’m not about living in the past, however one thing I always do on my planning day is to look at the metrics of 2018. Because so much of what you’ve done (the good, the bad and the ugly) influences how you are going to move forward.  

Then you’ll do your calendar planning in two phases. This is the big step. In phase one you’ll figure out how you’ll make the number you declared. Then in phase two you will calendar it out.

Then you’ll identify how you need to show up to make 2019 the biggest year yet.

In the final step, you’re taking action. There is where you pull it all together and identify your steps to get it done.

Now promise me one thing: At the end of this process, you need to celebrate and do something special to commemorate the moment! (My integrator, Chloe, and I did something fun and silly!)

So get going and build your vision for 2019.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

I’m getting a little personal in this episode, because it’s time to revisit something I brought up back in October 2017 on this podcast: My weight.

Now, that October ep was the first time I had ever brought up my struggles with weight. I shared how I hated video because I was incredibly embarrassed about my weight. That was just over a year ago, and today, I can confidently say everything is completely different.

Coming clean to you guys put a fire under my butt and helped me make a shift in my life. I was no longer hiding this big, dirty secret from the world and that opened up space in my mind for what was possible.

It took a couple of months, but on March 25, 2018, I officially started my weight-loss journey and so much has changed about my life. I hired a weight-loss coach, Corinne Crabtree (who just so happens to be one of my students, but more on that later…), and have learned to put myself and my health first—even before work.

Since then, I’ve lost roughly 60 pounds and I’m a little more than halfway to my goal. I know that before I started this journey, any time I saw someone make such a transformation, I always wanted to know, how did you do it!? So today I’m sharing with you guys how I’ve gotten here—not just in my weight loss, but also in the mindset change that has happened.

Look, if we’re going to be real, it’s not just about the weight. I had to change the way I handled my feelings and thoughts; most importantly, my thoughts about myself. I have a feeling that many of you might need to make that kind of mental change too. My wish is that when you hear my progress, you also decide that enough is enough and you join me on this journey of letting anything hold you back from living the life you want to live and building the business you want to build.

I want this episode to be more like a conversation—so grab a cup of coffee, find a cozy spot, and press play.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Find people who want to be found.

Talk to them in ways they want to be talked to.

Take them on a journey to where they want to go.

—Seth Godin

Those are just a few of the nuggets of marketing mastery from THE Seth Godin, my longtime DREAM guest for the podcast.

I’m SO excited to have Seth on today to chat about his new book, This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See, and diving deep into what sets the best marketers apart from the rest.

According to Seth, as an online marketer, you know you’re not going to be able to successfully serve every single person in the world, but for some reason, you still (probably) freak out in narrowing down the people you can help or reach.

Change—and thereby, growth—can only happen when you find your smallest viable market and serve the heck out of them. You have to find and build your community in order to be an effective online marketer.

In his book, Seth writes:

“Find a corner of the market that can’t wait for your attention. Go to their extremes. Find a position on the map where you and you alone are the perfect answer. Overwhelm this group’s wants and dreams and desires with your care, your attention, and your focus. Make change happen. Change that’s so profound people can’t help but talk about it.”

That’s your goal as a marketer—to find people who want to go where you are going and who want to experience what you are offering. Then you can teach them what they need to know to get there.

If it’s your content that’s going to help them, awesome. But, as you’ll hear Seth share, that’s not the only thing they need; you should be providing them safe places that build tension, invoke change and push them forward in their journey.

His book—and this interview—have already dramatically changed the way I view content and community. And I can already tell you, it’s literally going to impact how I teach my brand-new course, Digital Course Academy.

So, are you ready to have your mind blown like I did? Press play to hear Seth’s nuggets of wisdom!

This episode is brought to you by the women of Cultivate What Matters and their Power Sheets. How would it feel to get anything you wanted? What if you could create goals with clarity and purpose? If you want to create goals that matter (“goals with soul”) then you’ve got to check out Power Sheets.

If you’re reading this, I know that you are an entrepreneur that puts a lot of time, energy and resources to building your business. The last thing you need in your entrepreneurial journey is to run into any sort of legal trouble, but if you do, you’ll want to be protected. Better to be safe than sorry, right?  

The sort of legal protection I’m talking about is setting up a corporate entity to protect you and your business. The good news is that it’s a relatively cheap investment. The double dose of good news is that I’ve got attorney extraordinaire, Bobby Klinck, on the show today to walk us through all the ins and outs of setting up an LLC or S Corp without all the confusing legal jargon.

You may remember Bobby from our GDPR episode, but what you may not know is that Bobby has become our resident attorney here at Team Porterfield. We love him because he breaks down all the legal stuff for us an understandable, doable fashion, and actually kind of makes it all fun!    

What we cover in today’s episode:

2. The most common company forms (listed below), what they entail, how they’re different, and which is the right kind (and wrong kind) of entity for an entrepreneur to set up:

• Sole Proprietorship
• Partnership
• LLC (including the S Corp election)
• C-Corp

2. The process for setting up your LLC or S Corp election (most common options with entrepreneurs) and what you need to do after you’re all set up.

Let me tell you, this episode is packed with good information. Even after being in business for 10 years and all set up legally, I learned a ton and am glad to be more clear on the whole process. Bobby gave so many good examples throughout this episode and we both hope that you walk away with some real clarity on understanding what you need to do in order to protect yourself and your business.

Let’s get to it...press play and let’s dive in!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for a while but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here for more details.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Ok, I have a confession to make...I totally LOVE to binge-watch certain shows like Housewives, Game of Thrones, and my latest binge has been The Handmaid’s Tale. So good! Anyway, I’ve heard from enough of you to know that you, too, love a good binge session.

So what do you think it is about these types of shows that keep us coming back? I’m pretty sure the writers have a secret writing potion they use when they’re creating the storylines and scripts. ; )

But seriously, wouldn’t you love to know their secret so you could create content that your ideal customer avatar (I’m looking at you episode #236) wants to binge consume and can’t stop raving about?

Well, you’re in luck, because on today’s show I’ve brought in a Hollywood insider to tell us exactly how it’s all done. My guest Melissa Cassera, is a publicity strategist and a professional screenwriter who loves nothing more than creating binge-worthy content, so she’s our girl!

Melissa became obsessed with how movies and TV shows could create obsessed fan bases, so she decided to figure it out and share the secrets with business owners, like yourself, so that you, too, can create an obsessed fan base through the power of storytelling.

In this episode Melissa breaks down these five storytelling techniques that you can use when you’re creating content:

• The  inciting incident (your hook)
• Introducing conflict into your story
• The rule of three
• The conclusion
• The power of “what’s next”

(Don’t forget to download the worksheet that Melissa created to help you walk through these techniques the next time you create content.)

You will love Melissa’s approach to storytelling and you’re not going to believe how fun it is to create content using these strategies. And best of all, you’re going to have your ideal customer avatar LOVING what you’re giving them and coming back for more!  

Press play and let’s dive in!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for a while but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here for more info.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Have you ever struggled to communicate a clear message to your followers? One that grabs AND keeps their attention?

Is this scene familiar? You sit down at your computer, fingers on the keyboard, ready to create the perfect content to captivate your audience. You know this email you're about to send or the social media post you’re creating is going to resonate with your audience!  

You hit SEND or POST….

And….

No comments on your post (except your aunt and a high school friend who is definitely NOT your ICA). The open rate on your email isn’t at all what you expected and the click-through rate is even worse.

I think we can all remember scenes like these from our entrepreneurial journeys. But there’s hope, my friends! And that hope comes in the form of a 7-part communication framework. One that’s easy to understand and fun to implement.

With just a couple tweaks to the way you position yourself and your customer, and how you talk to them, they’ll be eager to read that next email or social post. Excited to jump on your weekly FB lives or show up for your next webinar. And better yet, they’ll want to buy what you’re selling because you’ll know how to present what you’ve created for them in a clear way that speaks directly to their pain points and desires and offers a solution that they won’t be able to refuse.

“When you stop talking about your customer’s problem, they stop doing business with you.” Don Miller

And that’s where Don Miller comes in. Don, the author of Building a StoryBrand, is the creator of this 7-part framework that shows you how to clarify your message through the principles and framework of storytelling.

This interview was one of my all-time favorites and I think it might be one of yours too. I had a couple of huge aha moments for sure!

Are you ready to listen? Click here to get started.

P.S. Remember how we became intimately aware of our avatar last week in episode 235, How To Identify Your Ideal Customer Avatar and uncovered their specific pain points and desires? It’s this type of knowledge that we MUST have to create the messaging Don talks about that captivates and converts. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, make sure you add to your playlist.  

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan: My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you. amyporterfield.com/listbuilding

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Have you ever sat down to write a blog post, create an outline for your podcast or video show, and you just froze? Not because of fear or imposter syndrome, because those are 100% real, too. Instead you froze because you just didn’t know what it was that your ideal customer wanted or needed from you. It can feel like you’re just pulling any old idea out of a dark hole.

Now of course we will all suffer from writer’s block at some point, but what is worse is not understanding who it is you’re serving and why.

In today’s show I’m talking about how to identify your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA). Why is this so important? Because your ICA is someone who is absolutely crucial to the success of your business and if you don’t know who they are, your business won’t have legs to stand on.

Your ICA is your PERFECT customer. This ONE single person is the potential customer who wants and needs YOUR content, YOUR product, or YOUR services. This is also a person that you LOVE to work with. Win-win!

There are specific ways to really hone in on who this person is: what they like, what they don’t like, what their aspirations are, and most importantly, what their fears are. And surprise, surprise...when you know all this, you won’t be sitting there frozen at your computer not knowing what to create or to say in your next social media post.

You’ll be happily creating solutions to their wants or needs and something they will actually pay for.

You’re not just building your business as a hobby, right? I know you’re not, and that’s way I want you to get laser focused and know how to serve your customers best!

In today’s show, I’m going to share the exact steps in how I figured out how to understand my perfect customer. I’ve even created a super helpful worksheet for you to print out and use as you define your very own ICA.

Press play and let’s dive in!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

As an online entrepreneur you are constantly putting yourself out there. You’re writing social media posts, copy for emails, creating webinar slides, creating content for your podcast or video show, and writing blog posts. And when you do, you’re showing up in one of two ways: with your true personality shining, or trying to impersonate someone else.

The problem is, especially if you’re just starting out, the impersonation route seems to be the popular choice.

I want you to hear these words from my guest today, Laura Belgray: “There is no person, brand or artist that is for everyone.”

Read that again, my friends: There is no person, brand or artist that is for everyone.

You cannot and should not even try to be all things to everyone. When you do, you water down all that is wonderful and unique about YOU.

Here’s the good news! Laura is in the business of helping people infuse their personality in all they do and she’s sharing some great tips and strategies with us on the show today.

Laura is a copywriter and television promo writer. She even works with BRAVO and tells us about a Real Housewives promo line she wrote not too long ago...sooo clever!

In this episode, we talk mindset blocks and how to overcome them so your copy shows the real you, specific exercises and assessments that will help you to discover what your unique personality is, and Laura shares the five very actionable Ps of showing your personality in your copy. Really good stuff today, my friends!    

Are you ready to step into your own special uniqueness? Press play and let’s dive in!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab the free worksheet that will help you to discover the uniqueness of your personality so you can share it with the world!  

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

This episode is a long time coming. I get asked A LOT about how to podcast. From the equipment and software I use, to knowing what topics to cover and which guests to feature, to the recording, editing and publishing phase, to how in the world I keep it all organized!

I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing all of it with you today!

Whether you’re currently a podcaster and would find it helpful to hear about my podcasting process and organization, or you’re thinking about starting a podcast soon and want to hear all the ins-and-outs of set up and how to decide on topics and guests, this is going to be an episode you don’t want to miss.

Here are the 10 podcasting areas I get into on the show today. Hit play and let’s get started!

• Show Format
• Set Up
• Deciding on Topics and Guests
• Podcast Outlines
• Recording
• Editing
• Graphics Creation
• Publishing
• Promoting
• Tracking Your Analytics

I’ve linked you up to all the podcasting equipment and software I use here, but I thought you might like to have a little behind-the-scenes tour of my podcasting studio, too. I did this video a while ago, but I still use the same equipment.

Remember, I chose to invest in better quality equipment from the beginning, but you can still get great audio quality with a less expensive mic and by sitting in a closet to record. Feel free to start simple and get fancy later.

I hope you find this episode packed with value and resources that will help you in your podcasting process.

Wishing you all the best in your podcasting journey.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Today we’re going to talk about making money and actually being profitable in your business.

Believe it or not, most entrepreneurs never really show a consistent profit in their business. The reason for this is because any extra money they have coming in ends up going back into the business. Reinvesting back in your business or using extra money on hand to buy the latest and greatest software or tool of the trade sounds like a reasonable and healthy plan, right? 

Not so much. Especially when you’re not being intentional about it.

My guest today, Amber Dugger, is a financial expert who tells us that maintaining clarity and control of where your money is going will be a game-changer but you must first have a good cash flow system. Amber is a mastery level Profit First Professional and teaches the cash flow system from the Profit First book, but her teaching is tailored specifically to online entrepreneurs.

In case you were wondering, this has nothing to do with bookkeeping or accounting, but everything to do with with what you do with the money coming in right now and in the future. 

I use the Profit First system in my business, and it has been a game-changer, but what Amber shared today is going to help me to make the system even easier. I can’t wait for you to learn this system, too, and become a profitable business the minute you do!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Listener shout out of the week!

Thank you Anna! So glad you enjoyed it and happy to know you’ve hired an Integrator, too! Listen to the epsiode Anna refers to here.

Let me ask you a question: Can you relate to any of these issues when it comes to writing your own copy?

• It takes forever to write a headline, a blog post, or the script for your podcast or video show because you’re constantly second guessing yourself?
• You write something, put it out there and...CRICKETS? (The silence is devastating.)
• You’ve got a tight deadline and you sit down to write but you’re completely blocked? You can’t seem to eek out anything on that page and the clock is ticking?

If there’s one thing that most of us as online entrepreneurs have experienced it’s getting tripped up on writing copy.

Well, don’t worry, there’s hope for us yet...

Two things my guest, Marie Forleo (yes, the Marie from the award winning MarieTV!) shared on the podcast today that really resonated with me, and I think will with you too, are:

2. You CAN learn to be a stellar copywriter in your business. (No more telling yourself otherwise!)
4. Writing effective copy has been the single most important skill that Marie has developed over the last 18 years in her business. (By the way, this one says A LOT, coming from a person that has achieved the monumental level of success that Marie has.)

Marie, who has been a student of copy since day one, joined me on the show today to share the top copywriting tips and strategies that she’s used along the way to connect and resonate with the millions of people her message has touched.

You know I love when you listen to my podcast and take action, so today I want you to listen in, take what Marie shares, and begin implementing it in your business immediately. You’ll see... you’ll get better and better with writing copy, and you’ll have tangible results to show for it: more conversions and a bigger impact.

If you haven’t jumped over and started listening already, let me give you one more reason why listening in today is going to be a game-changer in your business: You know how much competition is out there, right? Now, you know I’m all about running your own race, but competition is real, and when you can find an advantage over your competition, you’re smart to take it. Copy is an area that most people are not paying attention to, so this IS your competitive advantage. Writing better copy will be how you set yourself apart.

Are you ready? Press play and let’s dive in!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Listener shout out of the week!

Thank you 

In honor of the upcoming World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2018), I wanted to have a candid, real, and raw conversation about being an entrepreneur while dealing with depression.

I have dealt with depression starting at a young age and it moved its way into the years that I was starting this business as well.

There are three goals I wanted to accomplish in this episode:

Goal #1: If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, or anything around mental health issues, I want you to know you are not alone. We may not talk about it, but we are out there. You are not alone.

Goal #2: To get the conversation started. Mental health issues can be uncomfortable to talk about, but that needs to change. We need to have hard conversations and I’m hoping you will learn some tools in this episode to be more vocal about what you’re going through as well.

Goal #3: You can still be successful in spite of, or in addition to, your depression or other mental health challenge you are going through right now.

I didn’t want to do this episode alone and I also wanted you to be part of a conversation, so I brought on my dear friend Jasmine Star who also has a history of depression that she shares today, too.

I hope that as you listen you will not feel alone, be encouraged, and walk away with some tools and resources to help you move forward as you deal with depression and as you grow your business.

Here is the quote Jasmine shared by Elie Wiesel: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever humans endured suffering. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

These were the questions that Amy and Jasmine asked (inspired by Dr. Amen and suggested by Jasmine): When you are having a negative or overwhelming thought:

2. Write it down. The act of writing it down is like an exorcism. It forces you to see it.
4. Ask yourself about that one thing you’re struggling with.
6. And then ask yourself: Is this true?
8. See what your answer is to that question and ask yourself if you’re 100% certain the your response is true. (Remember, you are not a fortune teller….you can not know with certainty what is destined to be true for you, right??)
10. Then ask yourself, “How does this make you feel?”
12. Then look at that response and ask yourself, “Do you think that those feelings will keep you from the purpose you have in this world?”
14. What would feeling the opposite of this look like?

The choice is yours in how you choose to think and believe in your answers to these questions.

“We are not our thoughts. The things that we think are not us.” -- James Wedmore

Remember:

• Don’t be ashamed of your story--it’s needs to be heard.
• Find a support system that will give you what you need in those dark moments.
• If you don’t have that support system, or even if you do, find a good therapist.
• Consider exploring medication that may help you.

If you are in crisis and need help immediately, please call the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine: 1-800-273-TALK or text “Talk” to 741741.

“There is no such thing as a benign email that doesn’t have a goal.” This is something my copywriter, Ry Schwartz, said to me a while back and it’s truer than ever today, with so many things vying for the attention of our audiences. It is critical that we be intentional with our communication and that’s where the P.S. Strategy comes in.

In today’s episode I dive into the strategies behind simple, yet very powerful micro-conversions -- the P.S. Strategy being one of them. Once you understand how to use these micro-conversions in your communication with your community, you will not only be coaching their conversion from point A (your first interaction with them) to point B (which is them being your paying customer), but you will also be coaching them to take action when you ask them to. Both will be game-changers in your business!  

If you’re not using micro-conversions in your marketing strategy, let’s change that right away! Join me on the podcast today!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Even the most vigilant goal-setters have been know to stumble when approaching the finish line, but my guest today, Jon Acuff - entrepreneur, New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and popular speaker, has cracked the code on how to SIGNIFICANTLY increase your chances of FINISHING what you start, and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised to hear how to make it happen.

In writing his most recent book Finish: Give Yourself The Gift of Done, Jon commissioned a study where nearly 900 people were studied for six months to figure out what really works and what doesn’t when it comes to being able to finish what you start.

Jon breaks his findings down in six areas with an overriding theme of embracing imperfection (ugh! This is gonna be hard for some of us...) 

"Developing tolerance for imperfection is the key factor in turning chronic starters into consistent finishers." - Jon Acuff

Here are the six secrets to finishing what you start that Jon divulges on the podcast today:

• SECRET 1: Cut your goal in half
• SECRET 2: Choose what to bomb
• SECRET 3: Make it fun!
• SECRET 4: Leave your hiding places and ignore noble obstacles...
• SECRET 5: Get rid of your secret rules
• SECRET 6: Use data to celebrate your imperfect progress

So, f you’re about to start something or you’ve got a list of half-done projects that you’d like to finish - don’t wait another minute - listen to my conversation with Jon right away.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

My guest today, Andrew Warner, tells us that chatbots are the FUTURE of online engagement. Sounds like something we should pay attention to, right? If you’re not familiar with chatbots yet, you will be by the time you listen to this episode.

I currently use chatbots to a limited degree in my business, but after this interview I can assure you, I will be using them in a MUCH bigger way. Andrew shared some amazing strategies that are easy to implement and don’t cost much, if anything.

Andrew is the founder of Mixergy, a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs on how they built their businesses. He also started BotAcademy.com, where he trains people to create bots (not something he recommends for the majority of my audience, by the way).

In this episode, Andrew breaks down exactly:

• What a chatbot is (Andrew created this sample chatbot for my audience)
• How we should use them in our businesses (he blew my mind with some amazing statistics from using chatbots to increase webinar attendance show up rates)
• How we should NOT be using them (you’ll want to know how to avoid these 5 mistakes)
• How to begin using them (It’s easy and most are free)
• Fun bonus: Andrew gives us a look into the future of bots...some fun ways they will be used. Think: being able to order, pay for, and have a beverage delivered for yourself or someone else while you’re attending a pro baseball game!

Andrew gives immense value in this episode...he shares great examples and even created a couple videos for us to see a chatbot in action (I’ve got those videos linked up below).

Behind-the-scenes funny story: I do most of my podcast interviews in audio-only format and when Andrew asked if we could turn on video because it would be easier for him to engage during our conversation, he was wearing a sports coat! I love that!! Talk about showing up...look how dapper he looks! I on the other hand was in my workout clothes.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

When just starting out in business (your first year or two) there are a variety of different paths to take, tasks to complete, and shiny objects lurking around every corner. When you’re not sure where to start or what to do next, this lack of focus leads to overwhelm and frustration. That’s why I recorded today’s episode (and created the awesome New Business Focus Worksheet to go with it!).

I’m breaking down the FIVE key areas to focus on when you’re just getting started, and these are absolutely crucial for a successful online business.

Are you a seasoned entrepreneur? Don’t click away, because this episode is for you, too. I not only focused on these same areas when I first started my business, but I still do today. I use these five areas almost as a check-up checklist for my business every quarter and during my annual planning.

Here’s a snapshot of what I’m covering in today’s episode:

FOCUS AREA #1: The importance of understanding WHY you’re building your business. I talk about Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and the #1 foundational question you need to ask yourself as you develop and grow your business. .

I also dive into the importance of understanding WHO you are serving - your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA).

While this exercise will take time and some real work on your part, you don’t want to skip over this if you’re not really clear.

If you’re listening to the episode and are already clear on your ICA, you can just pick back up around the 21 minute mark to move on to Focus Area #2.

FOCUS AREA #2: Why you need a website with a clear message and how to make that happen. These are some of the examples I discuss in the episode:

Example from Michael Hyatt’s ABOUT Page.

FOCUS AREA #3: The importance of choosing ONE platform to focus on in the beginning and creating original, consistent content there on a weekly basis.

FOCUS AREA #4: Authentic engagement - a HUGE factor in whether your business will succeed or not.

FOCUS AREA #5: Creating a way to make money in your business while you are figuring things out and building the business of your dreams.

I also created a great freebie to help you work through these FIVE focus areas. You can grab that right here.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

On today’s show, we’re diving into strategies around two things I LOVE to talk about: list-building and evergreen lead automation! However, there’s a twist! I’ve brought on someone to walk us through some really great strategies on these topics on a platform I haven’t covered much here: YouTube!

You and I both know video is where it’s at so even if you haven’t thought about the platform much or are not a huge fan of video, this episode is loaded with very doable strategies that I want you to consider using to grow your email list.

My guest today is an absolute YouTube boss and she’s going to guide us through her proven three phase method to creating a YouTube evergreen lead machine without using paid advertising.

Sunny Lenarduzzi has a YouTube following of over 170,000 subscribers and and has helped her clients to go from zero to 100,000 subscribers and build their email lists from zero to 28,000 in less than 10 months (resulting in multiple 6-figure businesses). 

HOW BECOMING A YOUTUBE BOSS WAS A HAPPY ACCIDENT

THE POWER OF REVERSE ENGINEERING

WHAT CONTENT IS BEST FOR YOUTUBE?

GETTING STARTED GENERATED LEADS ON YOUTUBE

You’ll want to tune into today’s episode to get all the details on Sunny’s 3-phase system to creating an evergreen lead machine, but here are the phases broken down:

PHASE 1

This phase is all about creating profitable content that increases your reach and revenue without having to rely on paid advertising. The key here is to research before recording and here’s how:

• Use frequently asked questions for content ideas
• Look for ideas from your competition and community hubs (Sunny’s not suggesting you steal from your competition, but there’s nothing wrong with getting a little inspiration and putting your spin on an idea that’s resonating with your ideal customer.)
• Look to provide content on trends within your industry. This is not for the evergreen leads so much, but more more gaining visibility and reach.
• Research and find the right keywords and key phrases to use when titling your videos.

PHASE 2

This phase is all about converting your viewers into customers through Sunny’s H.O.T. (Hook, Outcome, Testimonial) formula. She explains how you can use this formula to tweak your video scripts to keep your viewer engaged, which will turn them into a loyal viewer, and ultimately a paying customer.

It’s through Sunny’s H.O.T. formula where list-building comes in too! Sunny explains how to work in the ever-so-important conversion calls to action where you provide an opportunity for your viewer to download a guide, checklist, or worksheet.  

PHASE 3

This is the evergreen traffic machine phase! Now that you’ve got your phase 1 and 2 bases covered, it’s time to publish your video. But you’re not just going to publish and wait...Sunny explains why the first 24-48 hours after posting your video is crucial to actively distribute a link to your warm audience in order to get some engagement going which tells YouTube that your video is one that should be ranking on the first page. Once you’re on that first page, your cold audience is introduced to your video and this begins that evergreen lead machine!

You might be thinking, “This is great, but I don’t have any authority on YouTube, so how am I supposed to rank when my competition is so tough?” Sunny explains in detail in today’s episode but the key is to work on getting search rankings in smaller competition pools.

So there you have it! I’d love to hear how you’re going to use YouTube as a list-building technique in your business. Head over to Instagram and DM me and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

This episode is brought to you by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days”. If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.

On today’s show I brought on the Integrator on my team, Chloe Euse. The goal of this episode is to help you step into the Visionary role as the founding entrepreneur of your business so that you can do more of the things that you were created to do and that are in your zone of genius.

The deal is, in order to be able to fully step into that role, you will need to hire an Integrator (also known as a Project Manager) to work alongside you.

I’m taking you behind-the-scenes so you can see how a Visionary and Integrator work together. To give you a hint, you as the Visionary are responsible for deciding on the WHAT of the business, while your Integrator figures out the HOW to make your vision come true.

I really want you to take the time to tune in and listen today and hear directly from us, but here are the key areas we cover:

• The skills that are vitally important for an Integrator to have
• How specific Myers Briggs types may work better (or worse) together
• The nitty-gritty of how a Visionary and Integrator work together (you two are going to work VERY closely together so you better like each other!)
• Whether you should hire a local or virtual Integrator
• How the Integrator executes on the Visionary’s vision (this is where the other members of your team and contractors come in!)
• How tension between the Visionary and Integrator is actually a good thing
• Why an Integrator is NOT an implementer. There is a very important distinction here!
• What a day in the life of an Integrator looks like
• Chloe’s TOP 3 tools that she couldn’t live without as an Integrator
• Chloe gives you (the Visionary) some final words of wisdom for when you decide to take the leap and hire your Integrator (her insight here as an Integrator is GOLDEN!)

And to wrap this episode up with a big bow, we’ve got a couple fantastic freebies for you. Both are Google Doc templates that you can take and make your own.

1. The exact Integrator job description I used when I hired Chloe.
2. The pre-hire test-run assignment I used for my top Integrator candidates.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up. 

Raise your hand if you could use a little extra cash in your business right now!

In the first few years of building my business I certainly could have used some extra money, and had I known what I know today, I would have done something entirely different that would have brought in a nice flow of revenue during those tight times: affiliate marketing. 

If you don’t have affiliate marketing as a revenue generator in your business, I want that to change for you today.

My guest today, Pat Flynn, is going to share his proven system for earning money through affiliate marketing. Why did I choose Pat to be our guide today? Because he has earned three million dollars through affiliate marketing commissions since he started this business! He knows his stuff!   

AFFILIATE MARKETING IS A GAME-CHANGER!

If you’re new to the idea of affiliate marketing, Pat simply defines it as the process of earning a commission by promoting another person or another company’s product.

The great thing about affiliate marketing is that if you love a product or service and have a platform that you’re able to share why you love it with your audience, you can earn a commission from that recommendation at no cost to your audience.

Pat shared how he promoted one of his favorite products through a banner ad on his website and was being paid $1,000 per month, but he contacted them and asked about trying out an affiliate relationship instead. They did and he went from earning $1,000/month to $8,000 the next month!

TWO TYPES OF AFFILIATE MARKETING TO CONSIDER: PASSIVE & ACTIVE

An example of a PASSIVE way of affiliate marketing is when you include links to products on your website, like my Tools of the Trade page here. This is considered PASSIVE because once you set it up, it’s there and as people come to your website or are linked to it in an email, they can click on the links to make a purchase. Another example is by including a link just like this link right here in the show notes in which I’m sharing my affiliate link to Pat’s 123 Affiliate Marketing program.

An example of an ACTIVE format of affiliate marketing would be it Pat and I decided to do a special webinar with a launch sequence where we were actively promoting and selling the product to our audiences and we even offer a special deal that’s only available during a specified time period.

A prime example of this is when I promote B-School each year in February. I go all out in promoting Marie’s program because I 1000% stand behind her program, and because of this I promote the program as if it were my own. Being an affiliate for this program has been a game-changer for my business and I definitely use the strategies that Pat teaches in his program.

Either way, always be upfront with your audience that you are an affiliate. This is being transparent with your audience, but also protects you legally.

TOP MISTAKES TO AVOID IN AFFILIATE MARKETING

1. Promoting the wrong product. Make sure your are promoting relevant products that you have experience with and that WILL help your audience.
2. Not pushing hard enough. Of course you don’t want to be annoying or too pushy, but when you know you’ve got a product that will solve that person’s problem or help them to achieve a certain goal they have, then you can and should push harder.

Alright, you’ve got ninja tricks, some mistakes to avoid, and hopefully a plan to either begin earning money through affiliate marketing, or a plan to give your existing affiliate strategy a boost

Take a listen to this short one-minute video where Pat tells you a little bit more about how you can earn money through affiliate marketing. 

I just got back from a total immersion weekend retreat in Palm Springs with my Integrator Chloe and in today’s episode I share all the details of what went down! Unlike a typical team retreat we weren’t brainstorming ideas, we were actually cleaning up the messy stuff in our business.

Yep, I’ve got messes to clean up just like anyone else. I must say, I do believe my team and I are a gold standard when it comes to setting up systems and processes, but I think no matter how well the backend of your online business looks every single one of us has room to do a little cleaning, don’t you think?

FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOUR TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND RETREAT

Answering the following five key questions will help you to set a focus and make sure you’re on the same page (if you will be with someone from your team):

1. What’s your #1 pain point in your business right now?
2. What feels messy, broken, or painfully slow?
3. What needs to be fixed before you can grow?
4. Where are you losing money? Do you have any current leaks in your funnels, or in any system that you’re using to make money right now?
5. What have you been putting off for way too long? What are the important things you’ve been wanting to get to but you know there are just not enough hours in the day?

MY TOP TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND TIPS

• Choose a destination you enjoy and that inspires you. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but if you’re at a place in your business where you can splurge a little, go for it!
• Just know that your days are going to be long. We worked hard, but it was so worth it!
• Change up your environment so you don’t go stir crazy. We found fun little places around the hotel property to work throughout the weekend: the beautiful lobby, our hotel room, and we even knocked out a couple of hours of work from the bar while sipping on a refreshing margarita!
• Take time to eat, drink lots of water, get some fresh air, take walks, and get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
• Let your family know that this time away will be focused on work and that you will not be available much throughout the weekend. It’s very important to limit distractions in order to make the most of your time away, and by stating this up front you will make sure no one at home is feeling neglected!
• Keep a Google Doc noting the big decisions that you’ve made over the weekend and any team communication you want to relay when you return.
• Get all those action items moved into your project management tool. Chloe always says, “If it’s not in Asana, it’s not happening!”
• Don’t forget to have a little fun, too! You’re going to be working really hard, so I suggest you treat yourself to a massage or some sort of simple pleasure at the end of your weekend.
• Upon your return, have a meeting with your team or individual team members to fill them in on some of the decisions you made or changes that may be coming down the pipeline.
• Repeat your total immersion retreat weekend on a quarterly basis!

This episode is brought to you by Audible where you too can listen to the book I mentioned that I’m loving right now: High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, for FREE! Members of my audience get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/OMME

HOW WEBINARS, CREATING A COURSE, AND A MEMBERSHIP SITE CHANGED THIS TEACHER’S LIFE IN A HUGE WAY!

I'm always in awe when one of my students shares with me how they’ve built their million dollar businesses. Anna’s story is one of my favorites and I wanted her to share it with you as well!

Anna spent 23 years as a second grade teacher but decided she wanted to make an impact on the education community in a bigger way. This decision to shift her focus led her to my programs and she dove right in, taking action after action until things clicked! She made $10k on her very FIRST webinar and she's NEVER TURNED BACK.

You won’t want to miss Anna’s incredible story as she shares her journey to success. She shares the specific steps (and consistent action) she took from making that first $10k selling 2nd grade course curriculum, to creating a membership site for teachers that brings in almost $60k per month, to her latest venture, a course that teaches teachers how to teach guided-math, which at the time of this recording had only been live three weeks and she’d already made $35,000! That’s an entire year’s earnings for some teachers!

TWO MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN GROWING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

And to wrap it up, Anna shares the two things she would do differently had she known back then what she knows now. I 100% agree with both, so do yourself a favor and take what she says and don’t let those mistakes slow you down from the impact you are destined to make!

Alright, if you’ve gotten this far and haven’t listened in to the podcast yet, what are you waiting for? : ) I promise you, you’ll be inspired by Anna’s story and fall in love with her just like I did!

If you’d prefer to watch the interview, enjoy that right here...

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.