business

S2 Ep.29 – How to Brand Yourself Online with Diana Jakubcova: Personal Branding Tips for Course Creators

If there’s one thing we all want, it’s to stand out in our individuality online.

And I don’t know about you but, the online space can sometimes feel like there’s a million people out there who are already doing the exact. same. thing.

Sometimes it can feel like your message is drowning in a sea of sameness.

And what’s the point in showing up, if your message is not being felt deeply by those who need it the most?

The question I’ve been asking myself recently is this:

How can you make it so that every touch point with you not only feels cohesive but feels like you?

Whether that’s a blog (like this one), a Reel (like this one), or a website (like this one) … the idea is that your brand catapults through the screen and makes people FEEL. 

That’s what we’re exploring in this week’s episode with my guest, Diana Jakubcova.

In this episode Diana shares:

✅ how to know if your branding is strong

✅ how to accurately express yourself online

✅ specific exercises to develop your personal brand

✅ the inner and outer energetics of a brand

✅ the mistakes online business owners (like you) are making in their brand photo shoots – hopefully you’re not making these mistakes!

✅ and so much more

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:03
So you want to scale your online business while purposely prioritizing your most joyful, free and luxurious life. This Podcast is your weekly dose of connection and self reflection. As you set strategic intentions along the way, it’s time to prime your mind embrace your pace and take consistent action towards creating what you truly want from your online business without sacrificing the small moments all around you that are so worth treasuring. So, take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

You’re listening to season two episode 29. Of on purpose with Alex Beadon. After I finished recording this episode that you’re about to listen to, I was buzzing with excitement for you to listen to it too. In case you missed it, I recently did a complete revamp of the together relaunch sales page we worked with past together we launch member Galen Mooney of local creative but in the process of trying to find a designer, I stumbled upon the work of Diana Jakobcova. She is the owner and creator of deeply rooted studio, and it’s extremely rare that someone’s design aesthetic stopped me in my tracks on Instagram, but that’s exactly what her Instagram page did. And if you’re curious, you can go and find it at deeply rooted dot studio over on Instagram. I didn’t think much of it. But as I continued to follow her content and learn more about her story, I got more and more intrigued and realize that I needed to have her on the show. Diana studios specializes in building premium brands for service providers, educators and agencies who are deeply rooted in their mission. So why did I have her on the show? Firstly, she clearly has an excellent understanding of personal branding. She has been hired by various communities and global brands like Adobe to host guest expert trainings, and I’m super excited to have her on the show today. If you’ve ever felt lost amongst a ginormous sea of personal brands in the online space, you’re not alone. And this episode is going to give you a lot to think about. But most importantly, this episode will help you craft a brand identity that’s eye catching. And true to who you are. We talked about how to make your brand more magnetic, what the most common pitfalls of personal branding are, and how to master the art of digital charisma. If you’re an educator, a creator or a coach who’s eager to stand out in the online space. This episode is a goldmine of strategies and inspiration. Not only is she a branding expert, but she also has her own digital store where she sells social media templates, funnel kits and more. The way she has set up her online business is fascinating to me. And in this episode, we dive into not only how she follows her intuition to create all of these different products, but how she launches and sells them to get ready for an incredibly gutsy conversation that will help you bring even more self awareness and authenticity to your own personal brand. Keep listening and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. I’m Alex speed in your favorite launch strategist and your guide to the online business world. I’ve had an online business selling digital products since 2011. And I’ve been helping online businesses scale through launching since 2016. I’ve been featured in Forbes and entrepreneur, and I’ve worked with clients ranging from solopreneurs to multi million dollar small businesses. Here at Team bieden. We pride ourselves on being the industry leading destination for all things launch strategy, our 12 month program together we launch teachers our signature rinse and repeat launch strategy that has helped course creators and membership owners from all over the world have their best launches yet. Our goal is to give you the tools to create a wildly profitable online business while prioritizing your most joyful life so that you can truly experience time, freedom, location, freedom, and financial freedom. And without further ado, let’s jump into today’s episode. Diana, welcome to the show. I’m so happy to have you here.

Diana Jakubcova 4:02
Hello, I’m super excited about today’s episode. Thank you so much for having me.

Alex Beadon 4:06
Oh, it’s just I can already tell it’s gonna be so good. And you know, I’ve been doing my research. I’ve been like listening to other podcasts that you’ve been on. I’ve been stalking you on Instagram and Instagram is actually where I first found you. And like immediately was drawn to your brand and to just listening to everything that you had to say. So for anyone who’s listening, I’m gonna start this conversation off by saying go and check her out over on Instagram, you can find her deeply rooted dot studio. And I just think, you know, having that kind of brand that immediately causes someone to be so drawn to you is very rare in the online world and I think you’ve done a really good job of it. So I’d love for you to share with us you know, how do you define a good brand and how would someone know if they have a good brand?

Diana Jakubcova 4:56
Oh wow. How how How long can we be here? Basically, right? But I completely agree with you, when it comes to finding just something that’s different online these days, right? Because like, as much as a lot of people like to think that they are different, they’re not, I’ll be honest, they’re not. And they even invested in branding. But I feel like because it’s so easy to get influenced these days.

The stage where you get inspired by something, or someone is crossing the line into copying almost right. But it’s not that we do it intentionally, or that someone is doing it intentionally. It just because we are so connected online and to the whole online world, and what is happening that we forget to connect or like reconnect with ourselves. So I like to think about branding as an extension of you, right. So this is what we do with our clients. So we don’t just build brands, because they want to look polished up. But you know, at the end of the day, they’re completely someone else. And we’ve had so many clients that came to us that they built a brand, basically, but they were not able to show up. So they didn’t want to share anything on their stories, they didn’t want to share anything from their life. Because it was completely different to you know, the person that they have built online, on social media, their brands, and this can look like. So let’s say I’ve had a one client, and she was all about these pink pipes. And you know, just like a really bubbly person, but an online, she really try to step up, let’s say step up. And she really wanted this corporate style brand without being corporate. I mean, everyone says, I want I want this corporate style brand without, you know, the corporate vibe. And I’m like, Alright, this is cool. But

let’s be honest, it’s corporate or not. Right? Yeah. Then it became really difficult for her to show up on Instagram stories, because the environment really influences you, right? So it’s almost you feel, it’s like you feel ashamed or embarrassed to show up. Because it’s not, there is no connection, right. And people can feel it. And people can also see it. And I know a lot of people, a lot of coaches, they say that it doesn’t matter. You know, you can do whatever you want, you can be whoever you want, your brand can be this, it doesn’t matter, just show up, just show up unprepared. But how many of us actually are able to do this? Where is the confidence then, right? Because I know that if you are confident, you will be able to sell your packages, your programs, your courses, whatever it is, however, if you are not confident, and you don’t really feel supported by your brand, that this is, you know, the best representation of yourself, and no matter who would find you today, it’s all good, you’re good to go, right. And it happens all the time. And people keep putting it off until it’s I don’t want to say too late because it’s never too late. However, if you sort of keep putting off, investing in your brand, and specifically, your brand experience, in general, it tends to blow up at the end of the day, right? Because what happens is that you keep putting it off, but then there is an opportunity that might come in, right, and then you start panicking, and you start looking for 20 designers, the last minute and you’re like, oh my gosh, what the hell am I doing here? And then, you know, all of these horror websites, stories, sales page stories, and I don’t know what other branding stories that people have, they usually tend to happen when you’ve made that decision from like an emotional place because you were really not in the best place to make that decision for your brand and for your business. Right. Because like let’s not forget, it is you and most most businesses, nowadays, our personal brands, so it’s you basically that people think about even if it’s an agency, right? Even for us exotic studio, they think about me, they think about me traveling, living in Bali and just having good times, right? That’s what I think about. So you always need to think about okay, this is the personal part, but then how can we also think about the business? So not to mix these two things together too much. That’s what we are always looking for because when it starts to get too personal No, thank you So this is a really tricky when it starts to get personal for you as a client, you can really make a decision, because it’s difficult for you to actually be in that space and see the bigger vision. See the vision that fits your business, your lifestyle even right. And it makes sense and it will bring you results. That’s important.

Alex Beadon 10:27
Okay, so let’s go even more elementary. How would you define a brand? Like when when we’re talking about your brand? What are the different elements that we’re talking about?

Diana Jakubcova 10:41
I like to think about a brand as an experience. Because ultimately, again, that’s what we do, we turn brands into premium experiences. And a brand is something that people can deeply experience, right? You land on someone’s profile, you either feel it or not. It’s that simple. It’s that simple. You don’t really have to overthink this, you don’t need to look up your logos, or, you know, your brand strategy, visuals. You have to think about this as an ecosystem of different brand touchpoints working seamlessly together.

Alex Beadon 11:31
I’m writing that down. I think that’s beautiful, different brand touchpoints working seamlessly together. So if someone is listening to this, and they’re like, Okay, I know that my brand isn’t where I want it to be. I know that when I show up in all of those different touchpoints, whether it’s, you know, maybe in my online course, or maybe on my Instagram page through my emails, like there’s so many different touchpoints How does someone go about the journey of learning how to accurately express themselves and their brand online?

Diana Jakubcova 12:06
Through putting yourself out there through situations that sometimes feel good at the beginning, but then you go through this whole learning experience, and you realize that this is not what you want. So again, don’t be afraid, don’t feel locked in by your brands. It’s not the end of the world, right? A lot of the people think that, oh, I now have this color palette, and she told me that I have to show up like this, you still can experiment there is more than at least should be enough space for you to be in your flow. That’s how I would put it right. A brand should allow you to be flexible and dynamic. It shouldn’t feel like it’s a box, and you’re trapped in a box.

Alex Beadon 13:01
I think a lot of people feel that way. Yeah, they think about Yeah, they’re like brand colors, brand fonts, etc. And they’re like, Well, I have to stick to this, this is what I have to use. So something that I love to do is I will look at my Instagram page, and just pretend like I’m a random person. And I will scroll through it and really try to hone in intuitively on like, what are the feelings that are coming up? For me? I love what you said about branding being an experience, I totally agree with you. It’s about how is someone feeling? You know, what are the memories that we’re creating for people through our brand? What is the experience there? And so I think, for anyone who’s listening, you know, going through their Instagram page and putting themselves in the shoes of the ideal client and asking, you know, what could be communicated better. And actually, I’ll give you a great example for me personally, that I just went through, I’ve been leaning more into reels, which is great, and kind of my aesthetic was to just kind of take a screenshot from the reel, and then just throw some pink text on top. And at first, I was like, Okay, I think this looks good. But the more that I did it, my feed just started to feel overwhelming. It was just like so much text in so many different images, and it just didn’t have that cohesive feel that I wanted it to have. So I’m now experimenting with something completely different that I’ve never tried before. And it kind of holds hands with what you were saying around. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things and, you know, move outside of your colors a little bit. Try different fonts if it’s not feeling right for you. How often do you look at your own brands and make changes for your own brand? Or do you feel like right now you’re in a really strong position with it and you’re just kind of like sticking to the box that you’ve created?

Diana Jakubcova 14:43
This will be an interesting answer. As a designer, this is very tricky. We tend to change a lot depending on trends depending on what we just find online I guess, but I Do you have to say I feel really strongly about the direction we are currently having with the Pilates studio, I’m not changing colors, I’m not changing the messaging, I’m not changing any of those things. But I might change my phones once in a while, because let’s be honest, as a designer, half of my day, sometimes it just spending and looking for fonts, and I just can’t help it. However, this is, I don’t want to say mistake, because I don’t like using a word mistake. But let’s say mistake I see is that a lot of online entrepreneurs that are not designers are trying to be designers. And that is not going to work out for you. Because you’re not a designer. It’s that simple. So yes, if you want to get inspired by something we create, that’s fine. Just knowing that if you are not that type of creative, if you don’t have that skill developed, it is not going to translate the same way. If let’s say I were to do it, or some other designers, some other creative. That is a huge point here because I see this time and time again. And then you beat yourself up for something. That’s not even your job. Yes, like me beating myself up for not learning how to run Facebook ads properly, and then be like, Oh, I’m really bad at this. I really suck at this. Right? No?

Alex Beadon 16:35
How can someone because most of the people listening are either solopreneurs, or they have a very small team, maybe like a virtual assistant or something like that? How can someone go about expressing themselves in the online space? Like what do you recommend for people in terms of building that brand online? And you know, making sure that they’re also expressing it well online without necessarily having to go to a designer all the time? Like, is it work with someone who’s really good, who can give you all of the tools that you can then like run creatively with it throughout the year? Or, you know, are there any I don’t know websites or resources or anything that you would recommend for someone who’s struggling with this.

Diana Jakubcova 17:16
So if you are currently in like this kind of position, where you’re just like, don’t know what to do with your brand. And even though you understand what that is, why it might feel difficult for you, it’s because you are doing it for yourself, I’ll be honest, it’s really difficult to do your own branding and look at your own business in general, from, you know, like a perspective of what is really happening here, but like really happening here, what do I really want, we do get attached into outcomes, and the things we see. So what I would recommend is that if you have a team member, maybe you can hop on a call and refine together. And it’s not even because they need to be experts in this, it can simply be a conversation around where do you want to see your brands, and not even five years, you can go in a year, right? Let’s make this really easy, because like people tend to jumpscare when you say like five years, or 10 years to let’s say in a year, what would you like to achieve in your business. And that which you want to achieve in your business, you now need to connect with your brand. So then let’s say if you have a goal of launching a new signature program, next year, in the next 12 months, there are things that you will have to consider. Right. So from there, you can sort of backtrack Oh, okay, so what have I done to get here where this is a signature program? It makes sense for me, it makes sense for my audience. What are those touch points, I need to you know, either invest in or start at least developing. Again, you don’t have to do it all at once. But what really helps is getting that new perspective of someone else is looking through your stuff and seeing it for what it is basically. Right? So that’s number one. However, if you are if you are alone, if you’re just like, Okay, I’m really overwhelmed. If this is just about your visuals, start with a Pinterest board, literally this easy. Sit down, create a new Pinterest board and pin things that you feel drawn to. Now don’t pin things that you See, because they are popular. No, no, no bean things that you can see around your house, things that you have in your closet. Things, I don’t know that you just bought your favorite mug, your favorite dress sofa. And you can even look at this through a lens of your future self, your highest self, let’s say, Where would she be living, what kind of apartment, this usually helps even our clients to like disconnect from where they currently are, and where they want to get. And just filter the noise of the industry in general, just make sure you create that Pinterest board. And when you look at it, there will be a pattern of something. So you will start seeing colors, you will start seeing some kind of style forming here. And again, this is exactly what we do with our clients. When we start developing their brand. We tell them to create Pinterest boards of the favorite things. Now one thing to note, don’t pin graphic design things into this board, because this will mesh mesh mesh with all of the other things that you’re trying to do if you want to create a design or like a graphic design related board. Separate is a separate board a separate style. So this

Alex Beadon 21:26
board that you’re talking about is more about the feeling that you want your brand to have. How like how you want people to associate with you when they interact with you at some point.

Diana Jakubcova 21:37
Yes, yes, exactly. Exactly. That’s why it needs to have your favorite things, your favorite style, your favorite sofa, you don’t have to you don’t need to have it in your living room right now. That’s not the point. It’s just how do you you perceive yourself? What kind of things you would buy basically, right? And that will tell you a lot, a lot about yourself.

Alex Beadon 22:00
Okay, so a few things I just want to highlight there. The first thing that you said that I thought was really interesting is don’t pin graphic design elements. This is not about the graphics, this is more about the feeling. So I love that. The second one is that you highlighted that you don’t you shouldn’t be posting or pinning things that are popular. And that’s just a great place for me to remind everyone listening that your brand should stand out. That is what is going to differentiate you you don’t want to blend in in the online space, you need to be standing out. And the best way to stand out is by knowing who you are knowing what makes you different, and really kind of accentuating those things. I love that you also brought up connecting with that next level version of yourself. I think that’s the best advice because that’s how we’re going to be able to like manifest and move into that next level version. I’d love for you to make this a little bit more clear for the listeners with some examples by using your brand as as your own example. So can you give us some examples of like, things that you would have posted on your own Pinterest board and how that kind of was brought to life within your brand, I’d love for you to just share even just one example would be great.

Diana Jakubcova 23:13
Definitely. So I love fashion. So I was pinning a lot of Vogue style images. Secondly, I love travel. And when I was rebranding, I was in Bali. So that was a huge, a huge part of my life. That’s why there are so many like coconuts and palm trees and beach. And then combined with a more elevated style which I wanted to sort of come through showcasing the community aspect. So that’s why I was also painting different shots of like a team shots or something like this, you can you can put these into a search bar, Team shots, photo shoots, or belly aesthetics, trendy fashion vibes, something like this. And then I started to see that obviously it was difficult for me because it was my own brand, but I got through it. I first of all love pink color. And I always had love pink color. Which means why should I get rid of my pink color, even though I want people to perceive me as I don’t know a high caliber enterpreneur. And all this is like people get really scared when they start hitting six or seven figures and they’re like, Oh, now I need to change my entire style. I used to love pink color but I outgrown my pink color. Even though you still have it everywhere in your house. What you can do just do small touches of the paint. It doesn’t have to be up Primary color can be a secondary color. But this is how you keep that personality in even if you want to elevate because I’m guessing a lot of you that are listening, just want to elevate but elevate without sacrificing your personality.

Alex Beadon 25:18
You said something at the beginning of this episode around, avoiding, you don’t want your brand to become too personal. But we’re also speaking a lot about your brand is a representation of you and you need to live with your brand, you need to feel fully expressed by your brand in order to have fun using it and showing up in the online space. How do you recommend someone goes through the process of figuring out like what is too personal, and how much of my personality should I be putting into this?

Diana Jakubcova 25:46
The when I’m saying to personal, what we do inside of our deeply rooted methods. The first part is branding. And that is divided into inner energetics and outer energetics. So the inner energetics that is about you, and those are the things that I shared with the Pinterest board, we share a couple of journaling prompts with our clients as well, like, as I said, like how your highest self would dress up, what kind of apartment she would live in. What are you good at? What are your natural gifts, what other people say about you your entire life, how your family describes you, those are the things that you want to note, the keywords that you might start searching on Pinterest or any other website or just Google or on Instagram, you want to do your research, right. So this is the inner energetics. That’s your like the core personality. So someone is more funny, someone is a bit more, I don’t know, upbeat, someone doesn’t really like that. Fresh Web of color. But you can tell us about the person, right? So that’s where it stays that is the personal your core personality. And then the outer energetics. This is where we start tapping into your audience. This is where we start looking at your business, your business goals, your brand journey and the things that you want to create with your brand. Now, if you find yourself taking these two personally, in the first phase, what I recommend, again, is looking at those future goals, because it’s probably too personal because you’re looking at now what is happening now in my life. This can be financially this can be in business, maybe business is hard currently, and you’re just like, I don’t know what to do. I don’t like this. I don’t like that. You start overthinking. Right? So you start pinning things that what if I like this? What if I don’t like this? Now come back to your journaling prompts. If you’re someone who is funny the entire life and tie, you know, like your family knows you’re funny, your friends, even your audience. It will show right? So how can you bring the funny aspects into your brand. Without this being too much. This is a second point where this can get too much. So let’s say someone is funny, right? So now you want your logo to be funny. You want your colors to be funny, you want your third icon to be funny, you want your sales page to be funny, everything is just becoming too much. So inside of the journaling prompts, what you can do is what you should have is basically different keywords, as I said, and then spread it out. Like spread it out into different brand touchpoints. Right. So let’s say you can have a more and more funny infused color palette, but your phones can tone this whole thing down basically into being more more relaxed, right? So we want to find that sweet spot the balance, because like yes, let’s say you have pink, our green color yellow color, which we do have actually for one of our clients, what we have done is that we have infused her personality into the color palette, which is like a pitch is really fun. You know, it’s just fun to be around her in general. But then what we have done with the other assets, we really try to minimize that aspect like the funny aspect because that will be too much so we didn’t look for fonts that let’s say were too bulky, or we didn’t look for rhymes that evoke that feeling of not funny but It’s like, was this talent, Boho style but like you’ve been to GE, sometimes you can go to vintage event, right? Because those funds are really like bulky. Now we looked for forms that feel refined, because this way, she can still be in her element, but her brand can support her.

Alex Beadon 30:20
Yeah, it’s interesting that you’re saying this because I feel like a lot of typical design advice is something like, choose three descriptive words that that describe the way that your brand is. And then we’re going to make the colors be those three descriptive words and the fonts and the photos and everything. But, in fact, what I think I’m hearing you say is like, no one understand your personality. But then you don’t have to infuse those things into absolutely everything, you can infuse them into different touchpoints so that it’s more of a bigger picture type of thing.

Diana Jakubcova 30:53
Yeah, exactly. And this way your brand becomes more dynamic. Yeah. Dimensional. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So all of our clients actually are using their brands for three years. And they might come back with little tweaks here and there. What usually changes is the layout that is trendy, or I don’t want to say trendy, because people are like, Oh, trendy, not good. Well, we use sometimes trends to stay relevant to the audience. Okay. So we don’t use trends to be trendy, but we use some kind of trends here and there to stay relevant for where the industry is,

Alex Beadon 31:37
could you do you have an example of a trend that you would use to stay relevant?

Diana Jakubcova 31:42
So let’s say I’ll say these with the phones, right? That’s easy to understand. A couple of years ago, let’s say some sort of font was really popular, in general, like in general in the whole world, not just in online industry. Because remember, this is not just online, industrial, we are still living in in the world, right? There are other things. Let’s say it was a sans serif font, let’s say, right? Three years ago, very popular. You can of course, have different style of that font family, right. But now, things happened. Pandemic happened. Lots of other things happen in the world, people want to see something different people want to feel different. People read differently sometimes online, you know. So what we do we find fonts that are a little bit more relevant to where the industry is heading. Currently, we do small tweaks, we don’t have to go all in and do a huge rebrand, which yes, you can do this.

Alex Beadon 32:55
My next question is like, so what you’re saying is that it’s okay to evolve little parts of your brand, bit by bit so that it’s kind of, you know, a living breathing thing, instead of just being like, Okay, we’re done with this. And we’re going to create this completely new thing.

Diana Jakubcova 33:09
Yeah, exactly. I am saying that. I know, it might come weird, from a brand director from a designer. But yes, sometimes this is what you need as a person as well. Because again, I think this goes back to you feeling trapped by your brand, because you literally feel like and I know why you feel like that. Because there is a lot of content out there, from designers telling you, you need to stick to this. And I have a solution to this. You understand now, personal brands, or like online brands, in general, maybe digital creators, educate educators, this is a completely different brand than let’s say, if you were to create an E commerce brand, this is where people get really confused. And there were no rules created for this because this online industry is new. Right? But we are taking rules from E commerce from product based businesses, which is if you are creating a product, please do a proper branding at the beginning and you need to stick to it. Right and you need to stick to it for obvious reasons. Like you’re not going to be changing your packaging every five months. Why would you do it? However, when we look at the personal brands, you evolve, like as an enterpreneur we are evolving every single freaking day sometimes, right? I’m like, yesterday, I was this person and today I’m like, what, what is happening? Right? So that’s why it is really, really different to brand yourself as a person as opposed to a product product. It’s really when you think about it, it’s a made up thing that at the end of the day you can brand it in a Any way that you want, right? And it needs to be relevant for the audience, where this gets a little mashed up is when someone says that, oh, but what if my brand won’t be relevant for my audience? Right? This is the number one question. Well, how can it not be relevant? If you make sure your brand is you and you have infused your personality, your values? Because that is essentially what people are buying? You. They’re buying you. You’re even lifestyle, right, because they resonate. So I do resonate with certain profiles, because of their overall lifestyle, the overall brand experience, like in general, who the person is the values hitting the day, with the product, it’s different product, it’s there, right? The audience, yes, if you are launching, let’s say, a matcha product, it will usually be something with the green color, because it needs to stay relevant. But for you, if you want to use green color, and you are afraid that your audience won’t resonate, it’s not it’s not relevant to look at this issue with the personal brands. Because then what happens is that you get scared, and you’re like, Oh, I’m not gonna use the base. The style in general, it doesn’t have to be a color can be style in general, I’ll be this person, because this is what I can see people resonate with, or I think they resonate with maybe, and do this. Well, no, that’s not you. Doesn’t make any

Alex Beadon 36:49
sense. So it’s so funny that you said that, because my next question was going to be what is one of the biggest mistakes that you see business owners making when it comes to branding their business, but I think you just nailed it. Like, when someone feels like, oh, the reflection of who I am, and my personality is not good enough. I don’t see anyone else showing up in this way. And therefore, it’s not safe for me to show up in this way. So I’m just going to piggyback off of what I’m seeing is working, which is the worst thing that you can do for your business, because you’re just going to blend in with the rest of the sheep.

Diana Jakubcova 37:19
Yeah, exactly. And it’s not gonna resonate for you. And then five months, and you’re like, well, let’s burn my whole business down, because this is not who I am.

Alex Beadon 37:32
Right? Yeah, it’s not going to work. Are there any other mistakes that you’d like to share with us that you see business owners making within their brand, in the online business space, personal branding space.

Diana Jakubcova 37:46
Listening to too much advice online, taking advice from people that that are not experts in what they are basically sharing. So this is, this is my thing. And I still don’t understand why coaches, let’s say business coaches, sell how to create your brand, online, it doesn’t really resonate with me, because there are just so many things that go into branding that not adjust those things that they learned, let’s say, right. And a lot of the times coaches don’t, in that, not all of them. Again, disclaimer, I’m not hurting anyone. However, it’s apparent online, right? They don’t really invest, let’s say in a proper brand strategy, they don’t really have that foundational branding done even to understand branding in the first place. And then selling it doesn’t really resonated with me, because me as someone who, you know, helped so many women build their brands that resonate with them, brands that they feel connected to, I know that there is a lot, a lot, a lot a lot, not just from a design point, which is a huge actually point because if you’re selling a brand, the visual part is a huge part. Right? Let’s not forget about that. And then secondly, there we have the brand strategy plus, for for me personally, we use our own method that I have developed, because it helps you to actually build a brand that will support you that will land you those opportunities that you want to land that again resonates with you and your audience and because of that, you are able to foster brand loyalty. That’s why your customers your clients will stay with you. That is the whole point here. Your brand should To help you retain your clients, because their goal is client experience. So again, there are just so many little things that go into branding. That, you know, when someone did not really put an effort into understanding the whole subject as a general, this is where it gets tricky. And I know a lot of online coaches, they are really good at marketing, let’s say, right? But then they start blending in things about branding. And I’m like, wait, this doesn’t make any sense. Because if someone asked what is first branding or marketing, well, actually, it’s both branding and marketing. Because how can you market yourself online without a proper brand presence?

Alex Beadon 40:54
For sure, in fact, it’s like the first thing, probably, you know, because like, you need to have whether you have a good brand or a bad brand, you have a brand that you have to be showing up in marketing with, whether you’re aware of it or not. The important part is like taking accountability and going through your touchpoints. And really making sure that they are a good reflection of your brand, which is something that’s so easy to stop doing, you know, it’s kind of and I myself have definitely become with like building a team, and, and so on. Like, it’s become easier for me to stop double checking all of these things and making sure that it’s still a good reflection of me, how often are you reviewing your brand and you know, spending time on your Instagram account as a new person and going to your website? How often are you revising those things?

Diana Jakubcova 41:42
So for me personally, if we are taking my example, as a designer, I do it very often. Yeah. Because I can see, let’s see, if I work with the clients, I can really see what I personally want to change or like tweak when it comes to the whole brand experience, just to be a bit more bespoke. But I will do it every quarter.

Alex Beadon 42:09
Okay, so you’re recommending every quarter to do a review. And like make any changes that you need to make? It depends.

Diana Jakubcova 42:15
It also depends on let’s say, you don’t have to revamp your website every quarter, obviously, however, because usually you do have those quarterly goals. Just make sure that whatever those goals are, your brand is cohesive with your goals, basically, right. So let’s say q1, I have a goal to launch. I don’t know a new webinar, because by the end of q2, I want to launch the signature program, which means you will need to make tweaks to your Instagram bio page or your website, you know, you will need to change those pages, you will need to tweak the copy and make sure that people are being properly funneled into your webinar and not 25 Other things that you have there, right. So just make sure that you follow one goal and align this with your brand.

Alex Beadon 43:08
So this brings me on to my next question, which I’m really excited to speak to you about. You sell digital products. So you’re not someone who just has an agency who sells services, you also sell digital products, the ones that I was checking out our Instagram templates for Canva. Right? Yeah. Yeah. That’s so cool. So I’d love for you to talk to us a little bit about what your offerings look like, what are the different offerings that you have?

Diana Jakubcova 43:35
So this happened kind of like out of nowhere. I mean, every designer wants to sell just the products, I guess. But I first started with a notion template, which was like a notion sales page template and course portal. And this product is actually one of the most popular ones. Until this day. Yeah. You know, when it comes to digital products, I feel like it’s easy for me to develop them because I use so many systems and I use, I already use so many. So many platforms I would even say that I have access to so i can create those templates. We have kartra templates, show templates. I wanted to make sure that my audience when they come to our website, it’s not just a showy template, or just a Kajabi template. I want to serve different audiences because I do understand that not everyone is a fan of kartra or not everyone can afford to put their course in kartra. Maybe you just need to start with a notion. So I really love to explore different possible, like roadmaps of how you can navigate your clients or potential clients, your leads, whatever you want to call them throughout your brand. And finally, there are just so many things that you can do behind the scenes that will make your audience feel more seen, right. So that’s why I develop different kinds of templates, different kinds of digital products. And the latest one is the social media template pack, which I have worked on for at least like a year, because I have been seeing a long time on the idea. And again, I wanted, I wanted this to be different. Now, you know, when we say different, it’s really difficult to be different this in this role. There are just so many things, so many other templates. But I wanted this to be like an entire different experience. Again, I, you know, I just like experiences in general. So I’m making everything and experience if you purchase, this is your best experience, even the Canva templates. Yes, I guarantee. So this is the latest one. And when I design any template, I infuse it with our deeply rooted methods, which has the branding aspect, it has the client experience aspect, and the marketing aspect. So this is how you as a consumer, as someone who purchases the product, you can feel confident knowing that there isn’t anything else that you need. Just a copy, let’s say, right, there isn’t anything else you need to worry about if these sections are the sections you should be having. If this type of content is the type of content, you should be like posting, now, I have done the work for you. And you can just do your job, you can promote, you can sell because I want this to be easy for our buyers to use the template on a daily basis. A lot of the times you purchase a template, and then you’re like, I don’t even remember, you know, a year has passed and you’re like, huh, I don’t know, I don’t remember this

Alex Beadon 47:04
is very true. It’s very true. I bought templates before on creative markets. And that is pretty much what happens every time. I’m like, Oh, I’m so excited about it for like a few days, and then it’s gone. And I forgot about it. And yeah. That’s why not with yours. Yeah,

Diana Jakubcova 47:22
yeah. That is why also put the price tag on my templates, actually. Yeah, because I didn’t want this to be just another template, I want you to use this. And I have put a lot of work into creating that content for you already. So you don’t have to.

Alex Beadon 47:39
Yeah, and I want everyone who’s listening to really pay attention to what Diana just said, because when you have an offer, and you want people to cherish it, the price tag has to reflect that, if your presets or templates or whatever are the exact same price as all of the other ones out there. And people are just going through them really, really quickly and easily. You know, that’s not what you want. You want your stuff to be cherished and used. And a price points a great way to force someone to really not just let it gather dust on the digital shelf. I’d love for you to share with us what has worked best for you from a sales and marketing perspective to get those digital products sold. How are you selling them? Where are you selling them? And what advice do you have for someone who’s also selling similar digital products.

Diana Jakubcova 48:30
I always start with a waitlist. So I allow a long period for people to sign up for a waitlist for these social media templates. It was maybe even like five months, I guess that I started to like mention, right, you can start like slowly right. And then as you get closer to the deadline to launch day you can you can share more about the templates or a digital product that you’re creating. But waitlist is a great way because then you can really control what is happening behind the scenes. If you’re just promoting on Instagram, you can really control your Instagram. So one day 50 People will see your stories. And then the next day there are 10 people. And then the third day there are 200 people, right? So that’s why I love to do the waitlist strategy that has worked really well. And then I love to use an affiliate program. So again, they get 20% If they promote it, they use their link. So this this is the to two ways. Two ways. I prefer to sell digital products. I would love to run ads in the future. But I haven’t got there yet, which, you know, I feel like a lot of the times can be a budget thing. Because what you also want to do is to get that feedback first for you templates, you don’t just want to be, you know, like, Oh, this is a template, it’s going to be selling hotcakes. And then you pour 10,000 into your ads and like, Oh, what is happening? Is this a good product actually? So first test your products and see gather the feedback, and then see what kind of strategy works for you. But the weightless emails? I don’t think you can go wrong with that.

Alex Beadon 50:21
Yeah. And then when it actually comes to the day of the launch, getting closer, how do you go about building the excitement for the launch itself? Do you have a certain number of days that the cart is open? Or is it just like, Okay, now the curtains open forever? Is there any sense of urgency like, what are you doing to build sales as soon as you open the doors.

Diana Jakubcova 50:43
So with these templates, specifically, the social media template pack, what I’ve done is that I have created a free version that they could download first. And that’s something I have been promoting for two months, I think. And in that period, so it’s like a taste, you want to give them a taste of something, right? Can be something small, it was the one template for your feet and one template for your Instagram stories. But this way, again, they can see what it will look like if they actually purchase in the future, right. So just make sure that whatever you are giving them for free, it is good. And it is a pure reflection of what they will be receiving. And after that, because I was developing the templates I was sharing every single day on stories, what I’m working on, basically, when it comes to these templates, why I’m creating these templates, and what is different about the templates, because let’s not forget, yes, you can buy a template for $25 out there. So I really needed to make sure people understand what they will be getting if they purchase the template, right. So as we were approaching the deadline, the launch date. Now I’m trying to remember I actually did a giveaway as well. So interesting. Yeah, so I did a giveaway. So if you used the, the template, the free template, make sure to tag me. So again, I’m just doing a brand awareness. I tap into other audiences. So if there is a way for you to collaborate with someone to go live with someone to ask your clients to ask your network in general, that is the best way to build up that hype around a product. Because then what you don’t want to happen is that when you launch, and you hear crickets, and this usually happens, because you didn’t prep your audience enough for them to buy.

Alex Beadon 52:56
Yeah, right. Even when you said you know, you’ve you had a waitlist for five months. I’m over here as a launch strategist just clapping in the background, because people think it just matters what happens when I open the cart. But it’s like, no, it matters. Oh, even more what happens before you open the cart? So I’m really happy that you’re touching on this.

Diana Jakubcova 53:13
Yeah. And it’s a great way to build up the pie because I was receiving so many DMS, when are you launching this, I need this right now. And this is something you can then use to share on your stories to showcase that people, other people are interested, right, because people sometimes they just wait around to see if some someone else is interested. Because you don’t really want to be we as people in general, we don’t really want to be that first person to dip the toe. And you know, this was all packed up, right? So we tend to wait and see if other people are also interested in whatever someone else is, you know, selling. So I was really sharing those testimonials. Plus, I was really asking in the DMS whoever tagged me. So I was DMing them and just having that conversation, you know, building up that relationship with the person because then let’s say you are launching a digital product, you can DM them back and say, Hey, have you seen this, I launched it. I know you really enjoy it by free template. And this is you know, this, this is the date, this is the date, mark your calendars. It’s coming out.

Alex Beadon 54:23
Interesting. So you’re also not afraid to like reach out to people and DM them and basically just promote your own thing, which I think so many people are afraid to do. It seems to me what’s so interesting about you is like you have all of these different offers you have a wide variety of types of offerings. I’m curious to know, what is the percentage of your revenue that is coming from something that you are currently promoting, whether it’s that you’re launching it, or maybe you mentioned it on your stories like I’ve seen you online and you seem to be someone who’s not afraid to talk about what it is that you’re currently offering and what it is that you’re focusing on. What percent of your revenue is coming from all of that versus coming from just passive evergreen income that you don’t even have to think about? It’s just coming in from, you know, maybe someone going to your website randomly, etc.

Diana Jakubcova 55:14
So currently, obviously, the services done for you, I would say around 70 to 80%. And the rest would be sales coming through those templates, whether this is through affiliates through referrals. Again, but just you

Alex Beadon 55:33
find, do you find that most of your sales are coming when you’re saying, Hey, I have this thing coming by it?

Diana Jakubcova 55:41
Yes, of course, you have to talk about your offers, otherwise, people won’t know it exists, it can still come through once in a while, which is amazing. Because I have built that, you know, trust with the audience. And like, in general, however, if you don’t talk about your offers, even if it’s multiple offers, I feel like people still assume that other people are stupid, and they don’t, you know, they’re afraid to share multiple offers in a row. Now, make it very clear, this is this kind of offer, this is for this person. And if you’re this kind of person, you can go here, you lead them, you navigate your audience, but please share your offers. I mean,

Alex Beadon 56:21
you also seem to be like very open to the fact that you are a creative and you’re creating different things. And you’re not afraid of having too many offers, which again, even for myself, like oftentimes, I’ll be like, Oh, I could create this. I’m like, no, like, it just what I’m doing already. I think I’m someone who like I need to focus. But for you, you seem to be kind of thriving in this, like, I created this thing. Here it is I created this thing. Here it is. Does that? Is that something that you’re doing intentionally? Are you just following your intuition? Like, what are your thoughts on having multiple offers?

Diana Jakubcova 56:54
Here, I would lean into who you are as a person? Yeah. Make sure because what can happen is that if you’re another type of person who can handle multiple offers things thoughts,

Alex Beadon 57:11
like customer service, and then making sure that everything’s updated. Yeah, it’s a lot. Yeah.

Diana Jakubcova 57:15
Yeah, exactly. So I love multiple things at once I am Gemini, and you know, one thing one morning, I can be happy. And then in the next next day, I’m a completely different person. It’s like this personality thing. I would say I can flow in between. I can flow in between situations that maybe someone would deem as hard or tricky, challenging. I don’t mind that, of course, yes. I’m not saying that I am immune to bullshit. However, I know that my personality is like flowing, right? So I can go with it, I can create one thing. And then the other thing, I can still, I can still thrive in chaos, if that makes sense. But not everyone can. So if you are not this type of person, you cannot like commit to different projects down the line. It doesn’t even have to be at the same time. Because, as you said, I have multiple projects, multiple services, but they were created one by one. I wasn’t creating these projects, you know, in the same month, basically right? That is, yes, that’s not that’s really overwhelming, even for me. But if you are someone who really thrives on getting your ideas out there, you want to share multiple or like different perspectives of your could be products can be courses can be master classes, right? So a lot of I can see a lot of coaches actually thrive on having a lot of masterclasses because they can dive into different topics that they really enjoy. Right? So that’s an amazing way, right? But again, you have to promote that you have to market your products, otherwise, nobody knows. And that is where everyone forgets that sales do not just happen.

Alex Beadon 59:17
Yeah. And that’s why I wanted to ask you that question. Because I think people have the incorrect vision that they’re just going to create something and people are gonna be buying it all the time, but you have to talk about it. And you’re so good at that. I see you promoting yourself all the time.

Diana Jakubcova 59:32
Oh, thank you, to me, because like, I’m like, I’m not promoting enough. I feel like I’m not promoting it. But then everyone, but I get these DMS like, you’re so good at promoting multiple things. And I’m like, Whoa, am I voting? I feel like I don’t see selling as like when you think of like a hard sell. You know, I view it as an invitation, right? So I try to look for ways that I can sell these to you without me being like, Oh, I just launched my social media templates and you come here and buy them. Now, throughout the day, there might be a situation that you’re working on and you’re like, oh, this could be nice to showcase my templates. And I can just showcase the behind the scenes, how your connects. And there you go. You don’t even need to be, you know, creating your graphics, like professional graphics all the time, right? Just hop on your stories share the behind the scenes share what they will receive, once they I don’t all get the login and get the template, how it looks like and share the link. Like, is it such a nice invitation into your offers? And it’s easy?

Alex Beadon 1:00:45
Yes. 100%. I agree. I wanted to ask you about photography, because I feel like that’s another thing that I’m loving about your brand is you seem to be someone who really invests in good photography, you know, your images are also different, funky, unique, and a good representation of your brand. Talk to us about the importance of photography, when it comes to communicating your brand online.

Diana Jakubcova 1:01:10
Oh, wow, we might need another hour. I love this, I love this topic, because your photos can make or break your brand. You or I even can create the most beautiful branding, elevated, like just dreamy. But once you drag in photos that do not connect with what we have created, it all falls apart. Now, what do we do for clients, we develop like a photo shoot guide. So that’s their creative direction based on what we are creating with their branding. And this way, because even if you hire a photograph, now this is a thing your photographer is not there to tell you what kind of photoshoot you need, they come in, they might have a checklist for you of like different shots that you want to take. You know, that’s all cute. But then the editing all comes in a warm tone colors, whereas our branding was created with the colors that match colder tones, let’s say right, and that is where it all falls apart. And the message is not getting through. And people can feel it. Even though we like to think that I don’t understand branding. I don’t understand fonts. You do. subconsciously you do because we have been exposed to fonts to different directions our entire life that you can tell when something is like hmm, I don’t know what is off, but I know something is off.

Alex Beadon 1:02:52
Yeah. Okay, so for anyone who is listening, I was in the background just clapping away, because this is something that a lot of us don’t know. And it’s okay. Because you know, it’s a journey of being an online business owner, and you learn these things as you go. But that is definitely something I’ve learned is like, you can hire the best photographer. But if you don’t have that creative direction of exactly what it is that you’re trying to create, and the emotions that you’re trying to evoke, and what clothes are you wearing? What does your hair look like? And what does your make? Does it all align? It matters so, so so much. And, you know, when we’re in an online space, yes, we’re showing up on stories and we’re making videos and all those things. But the photography really makes such a difference. It’s it’s huge. Do you also use stock photo websites? Or are you really making sure that every single photo is something that you have created with your vision?

Diana Jakubcova 1:03:51
I make sure for the for the past two years, I make sure all clients have and you brand pictures when they work with us. And the past year, we have been implementing the photoshoot guides, which has been a game changer like a game changer. Because, again, as I said, your photographer is like she’s just or he’s just showing up right? Correct. Yeah, gave them some kind of direction. Oh, I need you brand photos. And I guess I’ll just wear the blazer right. The white blazer Yeah. I love it. Not not calling out anyone, right? Remember that? Don’t want to bleed again. This is what happens, right? Because you don’t really know what to do like you have no idea and as you said like people actually are not aware that their photoshoot connects with their brands, right? So this is where we get a photograph for so inside of the guide that is a brief for a photographer in what we are trying to achieve with this photo shoot. So let’s say for one client it can be we’re trying to We were trying to capture a community aspect for this new, I don’t know, business launch right for a client. But for other clients, it can be a really huge rebrand. So we need to make sure that we evoke these, like the wow effect, you know, some clients when the wow effect and their brand is like really about pops of colors and outfits are different. So we include outfits, I outfit ideas as well. We also include different shots. And then I also include different, like ideas on what I think would help me as a designer, to design their website and to design their marketing materials. So again, a lot of times we receive images that I can’t use, and I’ve seen so many times, one of our previous clients, she has given me access to like 800 images. And I could only use like 40. Now, what this shows is that you have wasted your time your money, because I can’t really use all these images, because either I don’t know the position of the light lighting is not the best for this brand. Or you are standing kind of weirdly, like why do we have these shots here? Right? So with this guy, we always make sure that if you have booked one hour photoshoot, you are in and out, and you know exactly what to do. Everyone is on the same team. And I’ve had clients tell me that previously they were having like four or five hour photoshoots. And I’m like, What are you doing five hours? Like I can’t imagine. But with the guy they guide, they were able to be in and out like one hour, two hours, Max.

Alex Beadon 1:06:48
That’s amazing. That’s very impressive. I’m cheering you on? And how often do you think someone should be doing a photo shoot? Like, how often do you need new photos?

Diana Jakubcova 1:07:00
Depends on your business, I would say for agencies or for someone who is like a done for you. It doesn’t have to be that often. Because there is not much of a change. However, if you are a coach, there are just so many things that you are changing. So many programs that you’re launching, it is advice to have at least two per year, just like a refresh, new location, something more exciting, because a lot of the times exciting things also happen in your business. And they will reflect in your brand photoshoot. Yeah, make sure of that.

Alex Beadon 1:07:38
Yeah. I think this is something that’s it’s just so easy to not do. You know, so even for everyone listening, myself included, I think even just booking it into the calendar and being like, Okay, I have two photoshoots booked for this year, at least. Because even for me thinking back, like when was my last photo shoot, I think it was actually it was this year. So okay, we’re doing okay, but still, you know, just making sure that it’s in the calendar and thinking about it, because I don’t even know what my next photo shoot is. And it you know, unless you’re really taking care of it and thinking about it, it might just slip your mind and then there you go, you’re not you’re not going to be showing up in the best way online. Diana I have to thank you so much for joining us. And before we wrap up, is there anything that you think is very important to share with our audience that I did not ask you that you feel is just too important to forget?

Diana Jakubcova 1:08:31
What is too important to forget is you first need to switch off from online space to actually reconnect to yourself. And that is important when it comes to your brand. Because if you can really see who you are inside your personality, then it’s going to be really hard for you to create the brand that you want to create, to connect with your brand for other people to connect with your brand. And ultimately, if you hire someone, I have questions for you. And you need to answer right this is something that a lot of people forget. If you even hire a designer, a brand professional, we have questions for you. You need to be prepared to tell me what is it that you want? Because this it doesn’t work the way that if you pay someone for branding, we just magically can read your mind. Unfortunately, I am not a mind reader. And I have a lot of questions if you work with me. So it is best if you let’s say decide to work with someone to get the best out of your investment specifically with the creatives. Know what you want come with a plan. You don’t need to have it all figured out. That’s not what I’m saying. But you do need to have Some sort of vision because then all I have to do is align that vision the plan your brand with your whole vision. That’s all I need.

Alex Beadon 1:10:11
Diana, thank you so much. You’re so I think you’re so great. I love like you just have this like spunky energy. And like you tell it, how you’re not afraid to tell it how it is. And like meeting you today, and then putting it side by side with like, what I’m seeing online is so much fun. So thank you so much for being here. I think everyone really enjoyed everything that you’ve shared with us. Can you let everyone know where they can find you online?

Diana Jakubcova 1:10:35
So you can find me on Instagram. Obviously, the best way is deeply rooted. That’s UDL but if you want to check out what we offer some freebies some fun things, check out our website deeply rooted studio.com

Alex Beadon 1:10:51
Thank you, Diana.

Diana Jakubcova 1:10:53
Thank you so much.

Alex Beadon 1:10:58
If you are someone who wants to launch your online course if you are an educator, and you’re ready to take what you’re already doing and scale it to the next level, if you want to bring in more students and make more impact with the work that you do in the world, then the ultimate launch bootcamp is for you. Don’t miss it. Make sure you’re on the waitlist. And I can’t wait to talk to you guys again next time. I’ll see you next week. Bye.

 

S2 Ep. 15 – What is Launching & Why You Should Launch Your Online Course

In this eye-opening episode, I get to the heart of what it means to launch your online course and why it’s essential for your business. I break down the importance of announcing your product multiple times a year and the value of creating a high-quality experience for each cohort of students.

Join me as I share insights on why launching is not only crucial for enrolling more students but also serves as a secret weapon for funding your dream house or bringing your wildest visions to life. If you’ve ever wondered about the power of launching, this episode will give you the clarity and motivation you need to make the most of your online course offerings. Don’t miss out on these valuable tips and strategies from my years of experience as a launch strategist!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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#031 – Behind The Scenes of my $50,000+ Launch of Gram Slam, My Online Course


This episode focuses on the immediate aftermath of an intense two weeks of launching Gram Slam, my online course on Instagram Stories, into the world. I vulnerably share many of the high-value mindset practices that have gotten me to where I am today, along with a deep-dive into what it was like to have reached a level of success in my challenge that disabled me from having the ability to reply to each individual person as I would have liked to.

If you’re curious what it’s like behind-the-scenes of a $50,000+ launch of an online course from both an emotional, physical, and mindset perspective – then you’ll *love* this episode.

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • What it was like coping with the massive success of my free challenge
  • How I set my sales goals
  • Whether or not I hit my sales goals
  • Mindset advice for a launch
  • Going live every day & if it’s really worth it during a launch

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IG: @alexbeadon
Facebook: Alex Beadon

Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadonon Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:02
Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong on purpose.

Hello, friends, it is Alex Beadon. Here you’re listening to episode number 31 of on purpose with Alex Beadon. And oh my gosh, it has been a crazy last few weeks. So for those of you who are confused, over the last few weeks, I launched my brand new free challenge called double down on your DMS, which was a free Instagram story engagement challenge. And then as soon as that was over, I launched Gram Slam to the world, I basically introduce people to my online course which Yes, I have already launched once before in March, April. So this was the second time that I launched it. And it the last few weeks have just been such a whirlwind of activity, it has been such nonstop hard work. I’m talking about like me staying up late at night, waking up early in the morning. And just like literally working non freakin stop. Which by the way, FYI, is not my main objective in life. I was not born to be working 24/7. But when you’re launching something, and especially at this stage of my business where I’m at, it’s like you want to give it your all, you want to show up to the maximum right. So that’s what I did over the last few weeks. And so this episode is going to be less of me, you know, sharing the do’s and don’ts and the lessons and the real reflections. Because to be honest with you, I’m still I still need some time to let everything sink in for me to be able to reflect and I don’t want to share reflections with you until I feel confident and certain in them. And until I feel like I’ve had enough time to process what’s happened. But I do want to come to you guys today with just you know, some some draft reflections where I’m at how I’m feeling what the last few weeks have been like, I’m going to be answering questions like how did the launch go numbers wise? How did the launch go in general, why I decided to launch Gram Slam instead of sticking to Evergreen. And then also I’m going to be speaking about a few reflections that I’ve had about, you know where my business is at at this current point in time. So if that all sounds interesting to you, then definitely carry on listening. So let’s dive in. I guess we will start from the beginning. I hesitated before sharing this with you guys. Because I was kind of like I don’t know if this is relevant, whatever. But I’ve pretty much just decided that like, I really want this podcast to be a place where I can show up be myself, be honest, be authentic. And it really is a space to to share what’s going on in a in a deeper way. What’s really frustrating to me sometimes about all of the other platforms is that it feels like it’s very in and out. It’s like okay, I’m here and I’m gone. Okay, I’m here and I’m gone. And we get to connect in very short term spaces. What I love about the podcast is that a lot of you guys are listening to this while you’re driving or while you’re walking your dog or whatever it is that you’re doing. And it allows me to connect with you on such a deeper level, because we have more time together to cover more content, more topics. So I’m just really grateful to have this sacred space with you guys. And I want you to know that I am showing up from my most vulnerable place to really share with you what’s actually happening behind the scenes because I think it’s so easy to look at someone and what they’re putting out online. To think that oh, like, you know, it must have run so smoothly, like things must have gone perfectly to plan blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And a lot of times you don’t get to see what’s actually happening behind the scenes. And so, to me, this podcast is a really beautiful way for me to show and share with you what’s actually happening behind the scenes. So that you can get a feel for the fact that like, if I can do it, you can do it. And if someone if anyone on planet Earth can do it, you can do it and just kind of showing you that like, it’s more about your mindset and about your attitude than anything else. Okay, so where to begin. So as you guys know, if you’ve been listening to the podcast, I spent the months prior to this launch, traveling, doing a lot of traveling, reason being that there was just a lot of events happening that were inescapable for me like Laura’s wedding. That’s a great example. Then Laura had a friend’s moon. And then my sister went to Italy and she was trying on wedding dresses and looking for wedding venues. And there’s just a lot of obligations that I had in my personal life over that period of time. And then of course right before the launch. My whole credit card situation happened where basically I tried to make a bank transfer while I was in Colombia and I guess because I did it in Colombia, they were like this is suspicious behavior. So I then had to travel to New York to go into like an actual bank to prove my identity. So I did all that cool, fine, whatever. But one of the biggest lessons that I am walking away from from In this launch is that being so unstable prior to launching is not necessarily the best way to go into launch, like looking back. And I know that obviously, there’s nothing I can do to change this. And this is really important to note, whenever you do anything in life, and you look back to look at the lessons that you’ve learned, it makes zero sense being hard on yourself about it or being like, Oh, I shouldn’t have done that I shouldn’t have done this. Number one, I didn’t know any better. And number two, I would choose to do it again, because it was my best friend’s wedding and my sister wanting me to be there as her maid of honor during the like one of the most important times of her life, that’s only gonna happen once. And then of course, the whole bank thing like totally out of my control, the important thing is to just take the lesson and not be hard on yourself about it. So that’s like, one of the big things I’m taking away is like, by the time I really got into my routine here, by the time the launch actually started happening, I was so kind of like out of my out of my flow out of my workflow out of my momentum. That’s it just didn’t feel I didn’t feel as grounded as I normally feel going into a launch. Right. So that’s the very first thing traveling right before not necessarily the best idea I came out with double down on your DMS, this challenge, surpassed all of my expectations. And people have heard me say that and have messaged me on Instagram and been like, Well, what do you mean? Like, so my goal guys was to get 8000 people to sign up for double down on your DMS. And we had ultimately more than 7000. So we almost reached the 8000 mark. So I was happy with that, like I was happy with our numbers.

But what surpassed my expectations was the level of engagement. So normally I have 1000s of people sign up for a challenge. But we don’t see the level of engagement that we saw this time around, it was nothing short of insane. And I had such a weird relationship with it. Because on the one hand, I was so happy, like I was so happy that people were taking part people were getting results. People were enjoying the process, people were having fun, people were sharing it with their friends, I was getting new messages in my inbox, literally every single minute, every single minutes, it was like, there was no way for me to keep up with the number of parts with the level of participation. And that’s great, because of course, that’s what you want. When you’re starting anything. When you’re creating a project, when you’re creating an experience, like, of course you want it to reach as many people as possible. And yet, it was one of the most overwhelming feelings that I’ve ever had. Because it felt like for one of the first times in my business, that things were really too big for me to manage. I couldn’t respond to everyone. I couldn’t I couldn’t even watch everyone’s stories. And normally, I’m the kind of person when I host an experience, it’s like I want to be there to support you, I want to be there to message you, I want to be there to like, interact and engage in blah, blah, blah. And here’s the thing I know it’s not scalable. I’m sharing this to from like, my heart, like, this is how my heart was feeling my brain is like, of course, that’s not possible. Of course, you can’t have 1000 people sign up and engage with everyone. But I’m just saying from like, the way that I started my business has been very much engaging with people and really showing up for people and answering people’s questions and, and participating in whatever it is that I’m asking them to create. And so to have created something which blew up so much that I couldn’t even do that anymore. It was really a big wake up call to me that like number one, the business is up leveling in ways that that I am not even aware of it like it’s, it’s, it’s great. It’s like It’s like we’re evolving. It’s like we’re passing that puberty phase. It’s like we are growing up, the business is growing up, which is amazing. And then at the same time, there’s this deep sadness, because it’s like, oh, I want to talk to every person. And I really want to like watch people’s stories. And so that was a big tug of war for me and my first because we launched double down in your DMS it was a five day challenge Monday through Friday. Most nights that week, I did not get enough sleep. And it’s simply because I emotionally was trying to be there for everyone. And, again, I can look back now and say like, it’s not your responsibility to take care of everyone like you don’t need to take care of everyone. People had enough support from you during the Facebook Lives Through in the Facebook group, like there was enough support for them to reach out if they needed anything. But it’s still like this, you know, holding on to wanting to be there for my people and really be an active part of the experience and not wanting to miss a single second of it. And so that was a really interesting experience for me where Monday Tuesday I was staying up until like two o’clock three o’clock in the morning, answering questions, answering all of the DMS trying to watch as many people’s stories as I possibly could. And then it just got to a point on Wednesday where like I was mentally and physically exhausted and drained. And like I had neglected myself in an attempt to be in 10 places at once. And so on Wednesday that was really wanted Hit me, oh my gosh, like you’re aiming for something that is physically impossible. Like you can’t get all your work done. I would actually, like, look forward to the nighttime, because it meant that I didn’t have to do any work. So I could just focus on like responding to people and like really showing up for people. Which is ironic, because that is still work, right. But for some reason, during the day, I was like, I couldn’t spend all my time doing that, because it’s not productive. Whereas in the night, I was like, Well, I’m digging into my sleep, but at least I’m like, I’m answering these people. And so it’s just really interesting, you know, being an entrepreneur and being able to go through these experiences and knowing that you’re not perfect and knowing that you’re human and knowing that that’s okay. And still having enough awareness to be like, Okay, how could I do that differently next time? How can I prepare better next time? So that doesn’t happen again? How do I how if I could go back and change something to make that different? What would I change to make it different? And I think for me, the big thing is that I was not as prepared for double down on your DMS as I should and could have been, there were many things that I should have done like three weeks ago, but because I was traveling, I just never got around to doing that I unfortunately had to do during the week of double down on your DMS. So if I had gotten those things done before, then it would have been okay. Again, I’m not being hard on myself about it. I’m just trying to take the lesson forward with me, so that I can remember it for next time. The challenge itself was incredible. So many people took part, the results that people received from the double down on your DMS challenge was insane. We had people making money, we had people putting out offers when they’d never put out offers before. We had people simply stating that they felt more confident showing up on Instagram stories, I think those were the ones that really hit me the most. Because it’s like if you can give someone the confidence to share their message. The power of that is huge. So to be able to spark such change and results for people was incredible, I think for Laura, to experience her first launch for those of you who may just be listening for the first time, Laura is my best friend. And she’s also my operations manager in the business. And so we work very closely together as a team. This was the first launch that we did together the launch of Gram Slam. And I think for her to be able to see our impact and to be able to see how we were changing people’s lives and to be able to see the reach and to be able to see that we were making a difference and and to be to be so connected with our purpose. I think that was really magical. That week of double down on your DMS was incredible. Incredible, incredible, incredible, exhausting, but incredible. We did a five day challenge Monday through Friday. And normally whenever I do a challenge or a freebie of any sort, I spread it out. So I don’t do consecutive days, I might do like day one on a Monday and then day two on a Wednesday and day three on a Friday and Day Four on a Monday. So it’s much more spread out. This time. It was literally day one Monday to Tuesday, day three, Wednesday day for Thursday, five Friday. And that was exhausting. That is one thing that I look back and I’m like, we maybe should have spread it out a little bit also, because the number of people who are joining late, like, even on day five with people starting day one like to this day, I’m currently recording it, I’m still getting tagged in people’s stories who are taking the challenge. And it’s like the challenge past, you know, so I think from a rest perspective, it would have been good to give myself more time to catch up in between days, I think from getting other people to join in, it would have been better, I think as well, it was quite overwhelming for people to have to post a single story every single day. So I think giving people breathing room would not necessarily have been the worst thing in the world. So that’s another lesson that I’m taking from that. So going into the launch, let me talk to you a little bit about that. When we went into the launch, we had three, we I normally have one goal, this time I decided I’m gonna have a good better best school. Good. We wanted to sell 360 seats better would be 727. And best would be 1234. Keeping in mind that the last time I sold Gram Slam we sold upwards of 1000 seats, right but the price was lower. So last time we were selling earlybird price at 99 and then a higher price at 147. This time, we were selling at 147 and then a higher price of 197. Right? So the price was a little bit different, which is why I was like okay, so demand is going to be demand is going to be the same but we’re not going to get as much sales because the price is going to be higher. Right so that’s why our our goals were a little bit lower this time 367 27 and 1234. Basically what we ended up doing was on the first day we sold 155 On the first day we start because I basically break it down into days. So I know according to my previous launches, I know how normal launch goes sales wise. I know that on the last Today I normally double my sales. I know that on the first day, first two days, we normally have some kind of special going on, which boosts sales. So we got 150 in the first day, and I was like That is freaking amazing because we had surpassed our day one good and best goal. So I was after first day of sales, I was so confident I was like, for sure, walk in the park like we are at least hitting our good goal, like we’re good to go.

The second day, sales were so slow, the third day sales were so slow. The fourth day sales picked up again, because we had like a bonus. And we’re like, Okay, today’s last day to join the bonus. The next day was slow, the next day was slow. And then the last day we had a little spike again. But we did not have a spike like we normally have normally on the last day. Interest is so high sales are so high, it’s insane to like this launch. The last day was not our best day of sales like it normally is. It wasn’t even our second best day of sales, I believe it was our third or fourth best day of sales. So sales did not go to plan. Like I said, our good goal was 360. And we ended up selling 281 281. So we were at well, 79 behind our good goal. Now what’s interesting is during launch, you don’t have time, or at least this is how I feel. When I’m in the middle of a launch. I do not know how to say it. I don’t lose, I don’t waste my time or energy on being like why isn’t this going the way I wanted it to go? In the same way that when you’re doing really well in a launch? I don’t waste time to say, Well, why is this going really well. I save all of my reflections for after the launch. One thing I do during a launch is I write down notes of like things to think about or things to remember. So if I’m like, Oh, this worked really well, I’ll write it down. But I don’t spend time like analyzing anything during a launch. Because you have so much to think about. If you start to think about what’s going wrong, you’re wasting time like you’re wasting time and momentum like you’re already in the launch, you already have your launch strategy and plan like you have to stick to the plan. Right. So it was such a fun experience for me, especially considering that this was Laura’s first launch. And we we just were literally right off the back of my most successful launch today, which was back in April, March, April when I launched Gram Slam. So we had such a huge phenomenal success in April. And then to have this launch and for it to not even hit our good goal was such an an interesting and fun experience for me because it was like Okay, number one. How is my team had like, how was Laura handling this? How am I handling this? How are we handling this together? Because like I said, you, you literally don’t have time to be sad or to get emotional or anything like you have to keep going. And you have to keep going in with the thought that you’re going to sell what you set out to sell and that it’s coming. It’s just not here yet. Right? So it’s a really interesting dynamic of like, I think one of the most important things as an entrepreneur is showing yourself compassion, always. And so for me coming out of this launch, and actually I want to know, percentage wise how much so I’m gonna do the percentage right now, I want to know, percentage wise how much we hit Okay, so we hit 78% of our goal, which is not bad, like 78% is, you know, depending on which country you’re in, it’s not a bad mark on your paper. If you entered a paper in England, like that’s a pretty good score. But considering that that was the lowest of our goals, we didn’t even hit our lowest goal. I could see so many people being in this situation being depressed being like, well, people didn’t like it, or the price must have been too high. Or, you know, maybe I launched it once and I just had a lucky streak or whatever. The important thing when you’re launching things and putting things out there is to try not get emotional about it and try not get caught up in like, oh, like, I’m not good enough or what, like your ego is gonna want to take you there. But we ain’t got time for that. Like when you’re a business owner, that getting caught up in that little place that like Why isn’t

Speaker 2 19:09
it going well, and it should have gotten I worked so hard and did it. I know, the challenge went so well. And it’s

Alex Beadon 19:15
like, no, that is just cutting off like a good three or four days that you’re adding of, or at least for me when I go into those moods. It’s just like a depression. It’s like it, it brings nothing to the table. So it was really fun. Closing the door on Friday and being like, so happy and so celebratory and so congratulatory to everyone on the team. I’m so proud of what we accomplished. Even if we hit 78% of our goal. I’m so proud of how we came together as a team. I’m so glad that we got to experience launching together as a team for the first time and to really look back and be like how we’re, in which ways did things go right? And how can we celebrate those things? And yes, on Wednesday, we’re going to have a meeting where as a team we come together and we really dissect what went, well, what didn’t go, well, what could be better next time data. But until we get there, let’s just bask in the fact that we did this, we accomplish this, we made a lot of money, and we should be damn proud of it, even if it’s not what we set out to accomplish. And so I don’t know, man, I always find these times in my life like these times where it’s like, things aren’t going the way you want them to go. There’s so much fun, because it shows me that nothing on the outside can change how I feel on the inside. And when you have that skill in your back pocket to know that you’re indestructible, and that you know that your peace comes from inside of you, man, like, you know, take me to like, it really doesn’t matter what happens, because I know I’m gonna get through it. I know that I will learn I know everything’s happening for me. And to me, I like to see my every launch everything that I do in my business. And in my life as like I am I’m on this journey. No one is winning all the time. No one is winning all the time. In fact, if you look at like anyone’s career, it’s very rare that anyone is like on a winning streak. Life is a journey, like you need to learn how to feel super comfortable in the times when things didn’t go as well as you wanted them to go. And you need to learn how to not take it personally. And to not be like, Well, I must be a bad business owner because things didn’t go the way I wanted them to go. Especially when you’re doing something like a launch a launch is a one off thing. For all I know, maybe this was just a bad week to launch. Maybe people were super busy this week, mate. Like there’s so many factors that go into why sales didn’t go the way I had expected them to go during that week, that I just really don’t see the point and like being hard on myself. And I love getting to put that to practice. And I love the experience of not doing as well as I wanted and still feeling like a superstar on the inside. I don’t know if that makes sense. But that that’s really, really where I’m at right now. And so, I know a lot of you guys might be listening to this and be like, Yeah, well, that’s easy for you to say like you still made a lot of money and like you guys still did a really good job. This is a practice that I have practiced since I started my business. And that is when things don’t go to plan. Number one, you take the lesson like you try to reflect and take the lessons that you can. And number two, you look at it. And any single time that your mind goes to while you’re a failure. You didn’t do what you set out to do, you should be ashamed of yourself, how can you even look at yourself as a leader, Bob, anytime your mind goes to like a really negative place. just immediately start counting your blessings and saying what you’re grateful for him. Like look back at your journey and see how far you’ve come. So and it might be something small. Like when I first started, it was like, my big thing that I was grateful for was simply that I was in a state in which I was 100% committed to my business. Because there was a time when I was like, um, I don’t really know if this is going to work and like maybe I should go and get a real job. And then after that I finally made the decision. No, like, I’m going to make this self employed thing work for me. And I remember trying to make something work trying to sell something and it didn’t sell or something didn’t go to plan. And I remember I was like, Okay, well what can I like, what can I appreciate? How can I shift my energy. And my my source of of gratitude at that point was like, at least I’m at a stage where I’m 100% committed to running my own business and doing my own thing and creating freedom in my life. Like that is something to celebrate, because a year ago, I was still kind of on the fence about this stuff. So right now I’m in a position where it’s like, my business not only takes care of me, but I’m paying a full time. person who’s Laura, like, I like the business that I have built now covers my salary and my best friend salary. That’s freakin crazy. That’s awesome. Like, it’s so easy to take the like, it’s so easy to take wherever you are for granted. You know, like, I remember a time when I was like, Well, if I could just make if I could just make $4,000 a month? Well, if I could just make $10,000 a month. And each time you get there, you forget that there was a time when you yearn for what you’ve created. So really taking a moment to like, look around and be like, Whoa, like, this business isn’t just me anymore. And I’m so proud of that. And whoa, like I’ve gotten to a stage where like, I can have a not so great launch, but I’m in a place in my life where I feel so confident that I can make money at a drop of a hat that like it doesn’t bother me because I know the money’s coming. Like I know what’s out there. I know it’s mine to have I know that I have value to give to the world. I’m not worried. Like there was a stage of my business where I would launch and then I’d be like well shoot like when’s the next launch and you know, is the next one’s gonna do well and am I gonna have enough and I’m not there anymore and like that’s such an accomplishment. The fact that I’ve created a life for myself where I can travel wherever I want, whenever I want that I have enough money to do the things that matter to me that I’ve created this level of freedom where I know this is really silly, but I can go grocery shopping when everyone else is at work, like I love that about my life. And I’m really proud that I’ve created that and I never want to get I think it’s so easy. We live in a world where like everyone bullies themselves, and I’m not having it in my body. I’m just not, like, I’m not down for it. I’m not down for being hard on myself, I’m not down for being mean to myself, I’m not, I will hold myself to the same expectations and standards that I would hold my best friend to. And my best friend is allowed to make mistakes, because she’s human. And my best friend, she’s allowed to not have a good launch because she’s human. And my best friend, she can fall over. And I’ll be like, girls, oh, good, get back up, dust yourself off, right? Like, there’s literally no point in being hard on yourself. Anyway, I feel like I went on a major rant for that. But someone needed to hear that. So whoever it was, I hope that helps. Don’t be hard on yourself, celebrate yourself, regardless of external factors. Just make sure that you’re learning as you move forward. Okay, so things that I wanted to talk to you about the launch being crazy, like so much engagement, realizing that as your career grows, as this business grows, my audience grows. Like, it’s been crazy the amount of new people who are following me, guys, there was a point where like, every day, we were getting like two 300 new followers on an on Instagram, that’s insane. So many new people were in my vicinity were in my online presence I was introduced to so like 1000s of people, which is incredible. And at the same time, as your audience grows, which, of course, is what we all want, like, we want to reach more people. So I’m happy about it. But it’s also harder to engage with everyone. I’m known for my high engagement. I’m known for having these real relationships with people. And it’s difficult now because there’s so many like, I opened up my inbox, and now there’s so many more messages there. Right? So it’s like, on the one hand, it’s great. And then on the other hand, it’s frustrating, because it’s like, there’s there’s so many like, I want to be there for everyone. But it gets to a point where it’s like, oh, like that’s, you know, that’s impossible. So that was interesting for me and something that I am excited to continue to explore. I was doing Facebook lives every day. Like I think there was one day I think it was a son on Sunday. I didn’t go live every single other day I went live. And that was an experience because I’ll tell you what, I love going live with the amount of energy. I think everyone sees me live like, oh my god, guys, this was amazing. Yesterday, okay, I didn’t even share this with you. We lost water on the second day of my launch. So we launched on Monday. I have another funny story about my mom. But I’ll get back to that we launched on Monday. On Tuesday, we ran out of water. For those of you who live in first world countries, you may not know this as much of an issue. But where I live here in Trinidad and Tobago, it is very often that we run out of water. And what basically happens is that you have tanks and so you hope that basically there’s not always water available. So you get you may get water twice a week, it fills up your tank and you hope that your tank lasts you until the next time that you get water right. So on Tuesday, we ran out of water. And

we were it was fine. The first day were like yes, no big deal. Like we get water on Sundays on Wednesday. So we’ll get water tomorrow. It’ll be fine. Water didn’t come on Wednesday, guys. Water didn’t come on Wednesday. So I’m now recording this. It’s a Saturday. We have not had water since Tuesday. So we’ve been going by Nick’s dad who lives around the corner to shower and bathe and whatever. And so yesterday I went over to him and it was so cute. He was like Alex, I watched your Facebook Live. And he’s like I just kind of started watching to see what you were doing what you’re up to. But he was like, I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t stop listening. I couldn’t stop watching. I wanted to buy Gram Slam. He’s like, Oh my gosh, you’re so good at what you do. I was like, That’s so nice. Like, that’s so nice to hear that you know that. You appreciate my energy when I go live. That’s awesome. But I think what people don’t realize is that I’m like, all in it. And I know when to turn it on. And I’m there and it’s like yes, and I’m giving it and I’m I’m alive and I’m active. I’m answering questions and there’s so many people watching and I’m like I’m turned on. And then I go off and it’s like I am a like I think people think that I just that’s how that’s what I’m like all the time. I’m not like that all the time after a live. I literally go into hibernation mode because I’ve given and released so much high quality energy and information that I am exhausted Yeah, going live is a lot going live everyday is a lot. I’ve never done that in a launch before. I’ve never gone live so frequently in a launch before. And like I said, I think next launch, we definitely need to spread things out a little bit more. I think things were very close together. I’ve also never had a seven day open cart period. Normally my open carts are more like 1011 12 days, sometimes even longer than two weeks. And so to squeeze everything into seven days that was really interesting and to go live every single day, again, very interesting, very energy draining. But one thing I will say about going live is that it works. People love seeing you live. People love seeing me live, people love talking to me. And I don’t think it’s just me. I think it’s just people enjoy being live on a video. And every time I go live sales go up. So, quick fact Fun fact, for anyone who’s doing anything for anyone who wants any certain type of attention going live in this day and age, it’s a fantastic thing to do. Facebook prioritizes it in the feed, so does Instagram. So it’s definitely a good thing to do. Okay. The side story that I wanted to tell you about my mom, which is freaking hilarious. So my mom traveled all the way from England to support me during this launch, because she was like, you know, you’ve been traveling a lot like, this launch is gonna be very draining for you. I’m gonna come and basically help you as much as I can. And she helped me like she was cooking for me every night, guys. You don’t know what it’s like to go home? Well, maybe you do. To go to sleep at the end of the night with a home cooked meal in your belly. There is nothing better than that. And normally when I’m launching like, I need to be thinking about okay, what’s my food situation, got it. I didn’t have to think about it. Once she did all the grocery shopping for those weeks, she did all the cooking for those weeks. She was giving me foot massages, back massages. She was making me tea making me coffee. She was just so super supportive to have that level of support physically. During the launch was a beautiful, beautiful thing. So I was very, very happy about that. On Monday, the first day of my launch, we had filmed something or some files were on her phone. So I was like, Mom, can I have your phone because I’m just gonna put the files on my computer. And she was like, yeah, she grabs her phone without looking because she’s on her computer, right? She’s looking at her computer, she grabs her phone, which is next to her, picks it up and without looking like puts her arm back to give it to me and as she’s putting her arm back to give it to me. I’m walking towards her to come and get the phone. She hit me in my face with the phone so hard that her phone screen cracked. This is an iPhone guys. Her iPhone screen cracked because of the impact it had on my face. Well, boy, she was laughing I was laughing I was crying. You know when when like, you get such a sudden shock of pain. It’s like you can’t help but cry. So I’m like, I’m like my eyes are tearing my there’s blood just fills my mouth. We’re both dying, laughing then she she starts talking about her face like oh my god, my phone screen cracked. I think she’s joking. Anyway, so we iced my mouth. And all I remember thinking is oh my gosh, this is day one of the launch and I’m going to have to go live with like a swollen lip. It was one of the funniest things ever like me and my mom could not stop laughing. She could not stop apologizing. I could not stop crying. It was hilarious. See, I just had to have to share that behind the scenes story with you. I thought it was so funny. So yeah, I think I’m pretty sure I’ve shared everything with you about the launch so far that I want to share. The only other thing that I can think is that on the first day of the launch, I realized that we didn’t, there wasn’t enough of us to go around like we needed help. So I ended up calling Catherine who used to work with us. And I was like Kath, we need help. Can we hire you on a project by project basis? And she was like, Yep, so we hired her for the five days of the launch. She helped out with all the graphics, you helped out with the PDFs, like having her on board was such a relief. And it just showed me that like anything you can do during a launch to help, like ease up on the amount of tasks that you have during a launch is so worth it. That’s like all I can say. Yeah, it was huge having her on board because I felt like I was drowning. So yeah, so I’m feeling how am I feeling? Today is Saturday. I’m lying. You know what today is Saturday. I feel like it’s not Saturday, because we closed the car on a Thursday. And I keep feeling like we closed on a Friday but we didn’t we closed the car on a Thursday. Today is Saturday. So yesterday was my first break day we’re actually guys going to be opening up the cart again, probably on Monday and Tuesday to offer a payment plan because I had so many people message me and be like, I really want to join but I really want the payment plan option and we didn’t have a payment plan option. So I think we’re going to for Monday and Tuesday be opening up the card again for anyone who wants to join on the payment plan. So that’s very exciting. But today, it’s a Saturday I’m feeling like I just want to rest and be quiet like honestly even making this podcast like talking right now is hurting the amount of times I’ve almost lost my voice this week over the last two weeks is crazy. But overall I feel incredibly happy. I think the thing that I feel most happy about in my entire life right now is having Laura on the team. She is such an asset. She’s such a hard worker. She goes above and beyond, like, people were messaging me who were interacting with her through customer service. And they were like, wow, Laura is really on it. So to have that level of support and to and she really gets it like she’s really on board with the mission and the vision of what we’re trying to do here. That means the world to me, I love that we complement each other so well, so wells so well with our skills and strengths. So I’m just to have had my first launch with her. Regardless of the numbers, like, I’m just so happy that we got to experience that together. Because I don’t know, it was just so magical. Like, I feel like this is the beginning of something really special with both of us. And I also just feel so proud of what we did accomplish. This is the most important thing about setting goals is that if you don’t hit your goal, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not a reflection of that you didn’t do well enough or whatever. Always be proud of yourself. Always be proud of yourself. Always, always, always be proud of yourself. And that’s it. That’s all I have to share with you guys today. I love you so much. I hope that you enjoyed the last few weeks if you are a part of double down on your DMS. Thank you. I cannot express how good it feels to have created that experience for everyone. I mean, like even people in Trinidad, we’re taking it and like, how to call them acquaintances, we’re coming up to me. And even like I went out to one, what we call a turn out like a line like a gathering for my friend who had a housewarming during the launch. And this girl comes up to me she’s like, Alex, like, everyone’s doing your challenge. I’m seeing it all over my feet. And she was just so excited. It was just so great to like, see people’s response to it in person. I had so many people text messaging me. And it was just so so so great, and so wonderful. So I’m so grateful to have experienced that. I’m simultaneously really glad that it’s over. I know that’s weird to say but like it was exhausting. This week, we’re opening it back up on Monday and Tuesday, but it’s going to be a really light little launch. And then guess what guys, next we can find a South Africa. I’m flying to South Africa, I’m actually fine South Africa, because I’m a part of a I’m going to call it a mastermind. And I’m so excited because I’m gonna get to meet Richard Branson. I’m actually celebrating Halloween with Richard Branson, which is crazy. And I can’t wait to share it all with you. And I can’t wait to tell you all my lessons and everything. But for now I just want to say a huge thank you. I appreciate you guys so much. I love that we’re on this journey together. I love seeing you guys share the podcasts on your stories. I love getting all of your messages. So I just want to say thank you for being on this on this journey with me. And yeah, I will talk to you guys again soon. Hopefully next week, I’ll have a nice a nice new episode for you. So I look forward to that and just remember to be kind to yourself, be compassionate to yourself. Always choose to learn and to be positive and to move forward and love yourself. That’s really the message for today. Okay, guys, I’ll talk to you next time. Bye.

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to get me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon, and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye bye.

#030 – How Ashley Strommen Used Lyme Disease as a Catalyst to Start Her E-Commerce Business

In this episode, I speak to Ashley Strommen, co-founder of Sutra, a company that creates superfood lattes. While fighting for her life, she received her Nutritionist certification and began experimenting with natural healing techniques including using superfoods. That’s when she decided to create SUTRA’s beautiful Turmeric Latte and Cacao latte, and created a business to help people nourish their body. What I find so interesting about Ashley is that she turned her life’s greatest struggle into her life’s work and she’s a beautiful example of never giving up.

She shares her battle with Lyme Disease, her biggest challenges with her e-commerce business, why influencer marketing didn’t work for her company, and the marketing strategies that are working for her today.

This is On Purpose.

5 Things You’ll Learn:

  • Why nurturing your personal brand is just as important as nurturing your business brand
  • Lessons about starting your own e-commerce businesses
  • Why nothing should ever stop you from going after your dreams
  • The importance of morning routines and how long they should take you
  • Why paying attention to your body and wellness helps your business
  • & so much more

Resources:

Check out Ashley:
Website: https://www.sipsutra.com/
IG: @sipsutra
IG: @ashleystrommen 

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
In this episode, I speak to Ashley Stroman co founder of sutra a company that creates superfood lattes. She shares her battle with Lyme disease her biggest challenges when it comes to her ecommerce business, why influencer marketing didn’t work for her company and the marketing strategies that are working for her today. If you’re interested in E commerce, if you’re interested in living your most healthy life, then this episode is for you. Welcome to on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all? nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived? And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath. Relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose

Hey, friends, so the other day I’m on Instagram as usual. What am I not on Instagram? Anyway, I’m on Instagram and I got tagged by someone in our amazing community called Hollins. Thanks, Holland. And she was telling me that I should interview this girl Ashley on my podcast. So I take it with a pinch of salt. I add her name to our list of suggestions for future guest episodes. And I just move on with my day. Next thing you know, Ashley emailed us and shared her story and that’s when I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Ashley is the CEO and co founder of sutra, a healing superfood latte blend. Prior to creating sutra, Ashley was bedridden with a chronic disease that left her with debilitating brain fog, constant fatigue and immense muscle and joint pain. While fighting for her life. She received her nutritionist certification and began experimenting with natural healing techniques including using superfoods. So that’s when she decided to create sutra. She has two different flavors, the Tumeric latte and the cacao latte. And she created this business to help people nourish their body. Now what I find so interesting about Ashley is that she turned her life’s greatest struggle into her life’s work. She’s a beautiful example of never giving up. And I really wanted to throw in an E commerce business owner into the mix here on the podcast because I know so many of you guys are in the E commerce space. So if you enjoy this episode, and you want more episodes like it that are in this ecommerce space, or maybe you just have a comment to say about the fact that this is a health episode as well. I would definitely love to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon. Your feedback is priceless. Okay, guys, enjoy this episode. Ashley, thank you so much for being here with me on the show today.

Ashley Strommen 2:40
Thank you so much for having me.

Alex Beadon 2:41
I start every single interview with the same question. And that question is what do you find most nourishing about having your own business?

Ashley Strommen 2:50
Oh, my goodness, there’s so many things. But the first thing for me is that I’m able to focus on my health every single day. And I don’t have somebody telling me that I can’t do that. For all when I worked in corporate America, it was you had to be at this meeting at 7:30am. And Sundays, I didn’t feel well. And I was trying to listen to my body and sit in the bathtub for longer. Or maybe I needed an extra green juice. But I didn’t have time to make that being an entrepreneur means that if I don’t feel well, or if I feel great, I can adjust my schedule. And so I love that I can nourish my body from the inside out by myself. And I’m the boss.

Alex Beadon 3:26
Beautiful. And that actually brings us on very nicely to the first thing that I really want to dive into with you. I want you to tell us about your story with Lyme disease. It’s a crazy one. Yeah, I did a lot of research. Because to be honest with you, and you probably know this, most people are at least for me when I’ve heard of Lyme disease before but it’s like I’ve zero understanding of what it actually is.

Ashley Strommen 3:50
And most people don’t. So you don’t have to do that. It’s it’s very, it stinks that there’s a lot of misinformation in the media and honestly, for doctors as well. But um, a little bit about my story, and I’ll get into proper diagnosis and all that. Yeah, let’s do it. So I grew up in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and I have a tiny bit of an accent if I drink more wine, more wine like I’ve had it today. But if I drink more, thank you, I promise I was over. I grew up there. And I was always in the books. And so we had ticks all over all the time. Like it wasn’t a big deal. Like oh, you have a tick. Yeah, it was more of an annoyance and we didn’t know anything about it. And so I was healthy up until the age of 24, which when I had a breast augmentation enlarge. And at that time my symptoms started. And at that point, we didn’t know it was wrong. So for two straight years, I consistently got worse and worse and went to 30 plus specialist doctors, the best people and they could not tell me what was wrong. They gave me symptomatic diagnosis is like fibromyalgia, recurring mononucleosis, which doesn’t even exist. And at the end, they were saying that I may have early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 24. And that’s why parents were like, You guys are idiots. She’s 24 years old. So we went to a naturopath and they ran the correct tests that diagnosed me with chronic Lyme disease as well as heavy metal poisonings to the point that it was impacting my brain function. vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances, all these things that traditional doctors never tested for. And so at that point, I started doing natural treatments, I started to research the correlation between diet, lifestyle and healing. And so I became gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, meat free, caffeine free. It’s a long list and started doing different mindset tactics and detox, you know, implementing detox in my everyday life, and I started to heal and now I am healthy and thankful.

Alex Beadon 5:48
Wow. So okay, so when you were 24, that’s when you started getting the symptoms. And then

Ashley Strommen 5:55
around 24

Alex Beadon 5:57
Yeah, right. And then it was two years until you actually figured out what it was.

Ashley Strommen 6:02
Yeah, two years of doctors telling me I was crazy. Two years of doctors getting the antidepressants when I wasn’t depressed. Every single test under the ocean that doctors could think of, and it was Cyprus, I just kept getting worse. I stopped having I, I wasn’t able to speak or understand what people were saying to me, I was in so much pain, my boyfriend had to dress and undress me. I mean, I was bedridden. In that. Yeah,

Alex Beadon 6:29
I did a lot of research on Lyme disease, to prepare for this interview. And it’s crazy and correct me if I’m wrong. This is like my impression, after all the reading and watching videos that I did. So you can let me know how accurate this is. But just so that all of the listeners are up to speed. Lyme disease basically happens when you get bit by a tick. And the tick basically, like, injects its whatever it is in its stomach into your body. Right?

Ashley Strommen 6:57
Yes and no. Okay, so that is correct, but there’s a little bit more to it. So it’s not just ticks, a lot of different species can carry Lyme disease as well. And not allow have Lyme. And so you can have a tick on you. And that’s why I don’t want to I don’t want to scare people. Yeah, that’s not the case, you can have two under ticks on you. And none of them have line, you can have one tick on you. And it has Lyme, as well as the fact that if your immune system is boosted, if you have a tick on you with Lyme, your immune system can fight it off. And you’ll never have symptoms, you can actually live in your body for your entire life never symptoms. And but yes, so that is correct. But there’s other things too.

Alex Beadon 7:35
And then from what I understand, the normal symptoms are that like the next day you have a flu, the flu goes away, you don’t really think anything of it. And then it comes back, it goes away, it comes back because way the symptoms vary from person to person. So it’s really hard to be able to say, this is what you have, because the symptoms also mimic other diseases.

Ashley Strommen 7:55
So So once again, that is mostly correct, but adding to it a little bit. So there’s two types of Lyme disease. There’s acute Lyme, and there’s chronic Lyme, and this is this is greatly debated, although acute Lyme is when you get bit by tick, you get the rash, and you get the flu, and then you’re able to go to a doctor and get antibiotics for two weeks, and then you’re perfectly fine. You’ll never have any issues it’s done. The second type of Lyme is chronic Lyme, and that is sometimes people do not get the rash, or if they do get the rash. They don’t know that it’s mine. And so when that happens, I have to turn off my phone. When that happens. Yes, sometimes people can have lingering symptoms, everybody has different symptoms. Some people have physical pain. Some people have brain fog so severe that like me, it lowers their ability to speak or understand what people are saying to them. Some people have vision problems, they go blind, some people they aren’t able to walk anymore. I’ve seen a lot of people in wheelchairs, I mean it ranges from stomach issues head issues body I mean it’s it’s crazy

Alex Beadon 8:58
and so is the difference between chronic Lyme disease and acute Lyme disease just the fact that someone got it and didn’t take care of it didn’t treat it didn’t know what it was. So it was in the body for too long and then it became chronic.

Ashley Strommen 9:10
So acute means that it can be healed with antibiotics very quickly, I’m quoting is a long term thing and in order to treat yourself it’s far more complex and difficult to figure out the right thing that works for you. So so you

Alex Beadon 9:27
could get Lyme disease and then have it for a really really long time not know that it’s what you have but it’s still acute so you’re still able to get rid of it. No. Okay.

Ashley Strommen 9:37
Okay acute is right when you get better you get okay okay, know that you got bit you you receive antibiotics, and now you’re better and that’s the stage anytime it’s longer than that. I think some stats do anywhere between 30 to 60 days, that’s well and turn turn chronic so does lead to chronic sometimes people get bit and they don’t get antibiotics and their immune system fights it off. Fine, and sometimes it becomes chronic, like myself. And that’s when things get

Alex Beadon 10:05
tricky. It must have been such a relief for you to figure out what it was.

Ashley Strommen 10:10
It was, but at the same time, it wasn’t. And that time and this was a few years ago, there wasn’t a lot of information online out there.

Alex Beadon 10:18
There’s still not a lot of information, like I was Googling and researching, and I was like, geez, like, no one’s talking about this.

Ashley Strommen 10:24
Yeah, there’s not a lot of correct information out there. And that’s the tricky thing. And so at that time, just like anybody gets a diagnosis, and then here’s your diagnosis, but I don’t know how to help you. Okay. And not only that, but I would go to doctors that say that they can help me. And then I would say, can I speak to a couple patients that have been healed through you, and they would give me those patients, and those people were maybe at 70%, but they weren’t 100% better. And I could not find anybody aspirational, where I could say, This person had Lyme healed, killed themselves. And now they’re healthy. I there was nobody at that time, that find a single person who was able to tell me, I was sick. Now I’m healthy. You can be healthy, too. There was no. And so I, you know, it was like a death sentence, technically, because I couldn’t find anybody that healed. So it was very scary.

Alex Beadon 11:10
Wow. Wow. So what is the first step for you then? Like, once, once you find out, you found out what it was that you had? I know that you went down? Like you tried a lot of different things. So can you tell me about your journey from going from a place where Okay, have this thing it feels like a life sentence to actually feeling like, oh, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m actually getting better.

Ashley Strommen 11:31
It’s been a long journey, and it’s still a journey. So in the beginning, I have a lot of doctors say that long term antibiotics is the answer to to heal. I personally don’t believe in that, because I tried that. And it didn’t work for me. But once again, everybody is different. So sometimes people work with antibiotics and natural treatments. And it works. For me, it did not. And so for two years before I actually had a correct diagnosis, I tried every antibiotic and traditional medication under the sun, it did not work. When I got the correct diagnosis, they then moved me into dental treatments. And so for me, I did a lot of IV antibiotics, and so not, not in a bad season IV natural treatments. And so high doses of vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone therapy, a lot of things from IVs that went into me and nourishing. And then I also had to work on my vitamin deficiencies. So I got shots over the buck, and took a lot of supplements. And I also started to detox my body a ton. So I bought an infrared sauna, which I recommend to many people out there who believe that either have chronic disease who want to lose weight, or with chronic pain, specifically, a ton. I started detoxing just my entire house. And so all of my cleaning supplies, I threw up all of the toxic crap, my makeup, my hair, I mean, my, my drinkware I mean, everything’s glass. And so I went through and I got rid of everything that could be toxic and harming my body. I started to nourish my mind and my soul. And so I saw therapist, which I think is very, very important to get rid of the toxic emotions that you’re holding inside of you. I sought therapy to get rid of issues, sadness, being scared. And I started writing gratitude list. I did a lot of different things. And even today, I am now very, very healthy. I would say I’m 90%. But there’s still things that hit and I get sick again. And so it’s not entirely gone. But compared to where I was, it’s night and day.

Alex Beadon 13:36
Yeah. So I mean, at that point, it’s literally taken over your entire life.

Ashley Strommen 13:41
Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes, with my life, but everybody around me has a chronic disease in general, not just it doesn’t just affect the person that is affected affects everybody. So my boyfriend at the time. He. I mean, it was terrible. He had to physically care for an invalid. 24 Who wants to do that? That’s insane. You didn’t need my parents were petrified. My entire family was scared. But at the same time, they didn’t know what it was. So they were confused by it is actually sick. How are we getting our help? She’s not pushing going to a weird doctor. So it’s a lot. It’s a lot.

Alex Beadon 14:16
So this is kind of pathetic compared to what you went through. But it’s like the only thing that I can compare it to. I walked into a glass door and had to get stitches. And so then they basically put my leg in a cast for months. And I just I was little girl and I just remember thinking, oh my gosh, this has completely changed everything about my life. And that’s something so small, like literally the only change is really where it’s difficult getting into a car, it’s getting out of a car, and I can’t bend my knee. And then I think about you and it’s like whoa,

Ashley Strommen 14:47
but everybody’s health issue is their battle so I can’t hear my battle to anybody else because my battle was the worst thing for me and somebody else’s battles the worst thing for them. Number one winner on that battle, battle, man, I don’t care what it is, if it’s affecting your life, it’s difficult, and it’s terrible. And you need to figure out a way to make it better. Doesn’t matter what it is, you know, whether it’s Lyme or something else.

Alex Beadon 15:12
So I put you on this major health journey, because from what I understand the way that you take care of your health directly affects whether the disease is having much of an impact on you or not, right?

Ashley Strommen 15:25
Yes, yes. Healing from chronic disease in general isn’t just about taking medication, it is very much connected to my body and soul. So what I eat, what I drink, what I do, how I manage stress, stress, and that’s, that’s everything. That’s everybody. That’s not just people with chronic disease, you know, chronic stress can make you have a lot of really negative symptoms, not knowing how to not knowing what to put in your body, you know, not knowing just soy affect me. Can I eat soya? And am I okay? Or am I not?

Alex Beadon 15:53
It must be interesting for you. Because I feel like we’re still in such early days of this kind of health being trendy, it must be interesting for you to like, look and see so many people who are probably suffering from things that they don’t even know that they’re suffering from. Because when you’re in your body, you kind of get used to whatever you’re used to, you don’t know anything different. It’s hard to compare it to anything. Like a lot of people are stressed and like, oh, no, I’m not stressed. And it’s like, they’re not really feeling. It’s because they’re so numb to it. Do you see that a lot?

Ashley Strommen 16:23
Oh, I see it constantly. I see a lot of people who call me crazy for abiding by my diet. When I see them eat a pizza, and they feel fatigued. They’re grumpy. They’re they have all these external symptoms that I’m seeing with my eyes. And I’m like, Ah, you know, there’s Yeah, everybody can benefit from looking at their life and their diet, Mind Body Soul and figuring out which you know, which items need to be worked on and how they can improve so that they can feel better every single day.

Alex Beadon 16:56
Yeah, beautifully said. Okay. So I’m curious about your journey. We’ve gone through the health side of it. I’m curious now how that has led you into the entrepreneurial side of it. So would you share that with us?

Ashley Strommen 17:08
Yes, of course. Because that’s the exciting part. So it just so happens that I met my boyfriend, Max ALTSCHULER, at the perfect time as the universe always grants. And I met him when I was feeling really good. And we started dating, and it was this whirlwind romance. And we started talking about our health journeys. And his mom was very big into the naturopath community. And so she was always giving him different things to heal. And we both kind of under we both started talking about superfoods. And he’s like, Oh, I used to use this for this. And I’m like, Oh, my gosh, I use that too. I used to use this. I did do. And so we started geeking out over superfoods. And we decided we wanted to incorporate them into our life. And we looked at the market and what was out there. And every single product out there, that is a blend of superfoods that we found was super unhealthy, had sweeteners that kind of defeated the purpose of the drink itself. Everything we tried, I would test it, and I would get sick. And so we’re like, Okay, so let’s make it ourselves. And Max is an incredible entrepreneur. He’s started multiple businesses, he’s invested in 50 plus companies. And so I was very blessed to have somebody that was very knowledgeable about starting the company. And so he helped me every step of the way. Thank goodness for him. So I also during the time when I was sick, I studied and became a nutritionist, which was very nice. And so I understood what the body needs the science behind feeling better the science behind healing. And so I looked at all different kinds of superfoods in which ones could I pick and choose which ones does the body need? How do they incorporate together to lead to a very healthy nourishing and healing drink, and that’s when I created sutra. And so Max and I worked together to come up with the formulation and then Max’s friend who’s a master sales guy joined the pack, Mac Tomasi. And the three of us just kind of started this incredible drink that I’m drinking right now. This is extra black. That’s amazing.

Alex Beadon 19:10
So explain to everyone cuz I know obviously, but So explain to everyone what SIP sutra is and like, how it comes, what they do with it, etc?

Ashley Strommen 19:21
Yes, of course. So what suture is it’s a blend of superfoods, and so it’s a powder and the powder comes in a very, very easy and convenient pouch pouch that you’re going to pour into a cup and it’s very simple to make. And so it’s basically a superfood latte. And so you can either make an iced you can make it hot, or you can throw it into a smoothie. People also use it to bake with, but it’s basically a dose of health and energy in this little packet. And so we have two flavors, and the first one is our Super Bowl and it tastes like a Tumeric milk or chai latte, and it’s meant to lower your inflammation and boost your immunity. It’s absolutely fun. toxic, especially when everybody’s getting sick around you and you don’t want to get sick, which nobody wants to get sick so time are black. And it’s, it is pitch black. It’s super spooky and awesome because it’s made with activated charcoal. And it’s meant to detox the body and boost your boost your energy, and it tastes like a hot chocolate or cookies and cream depending on how you make it. But they are super convenient, very easy to use, you can bring them with you anywhere. And you can either make them hot, and therefore you just add it to hot water or hot enough milk to get ice, which I did here. And you’re basically just going to pour one of these super packets with a little bit of hot water and ice, add nut milk at a really cool groovy straw like this mermaid straw that I absolutely love. And they taste amazing, amazing. And they’re incredibly, incredibly healthy for you.

Alex Beadon 20:48
That’s so cool. And I love how you guys have marketed it, in a way like to replace coffee. Yes, because coffee doesn’t affect everyone the same way I have friends who love coffee. And then like me, I have to be very careful when I choose to drink coffee, because if I’m like in a stressful period of my life, I just have to completely cut it out. It just brings you too much anxiety.

Ashley Strommen 21:11
It’s crazy how people are now beginning to realize the negative health effects of coffee and it will continue to come out new new studies are coming out every single day that are showing how terrible it is for you. So it’s not just about the way that it makes you makes you feel. Making coffee, which obviously don’t drink coffee anymore. It gave me really bad anxiety. Really bad jitters. So drink it. I’m like doing this like Do you really think you’re productive when you’re shaking as you’re like? Not at all. Your sleep is greatly affected. Even if you think on an unknown sleeping, the quality of your sleep is drastically drastically lowered. A lot of people this is what hurts my heart. A lot of people don’t understand that what you ingest, if you have a baby and you’re either pregnant, or you’re breastfeeding goes directly into that child. And so they’re wondering why their baby is colicky and whites crying, you just drink water. It just had your breast milk. And your baby is freaking out on caffeine just like you are. Yeah. And so I mean, there’s so many different reasons. Anybody that is pregnant or breastfeeding should never be drinking caffeine, just like they shouldn’t be drinking or smoking cigarettes. People that have chronic disease should not caffeine is very taxing on the body. And if their body is already fighting a chronic disease, there’s no way in hell, they should. They should be exerting themselves even more with caffeine. People that have anyway just I could talk about all day, and I won’t but um, yes, caffeine free is an incredible existence. But it caffeine is a drug. And so in order to get off caffeine, you will have withdrawal symptoms. That’s the reality. When they get off of it, they say I feel so much worse when I get off caffeine. That’s because it’s a drug. So you’d be like, Of course you don’t feel good. You’re coming up with a drug.

Alex Beadon 22:53
That’s amazing. Okay, so I’m curious. When did you start the business?

Ashley Strommen 22:58
We started it. It’s it’s Sonia. We started it last summer.

Alex Beadon 23:01
I know. I love that. It’s so new. Yeah, last summer, we

Ashley Strommen 23:04
came up the concept, we went from idea to product in three months, which is how we have heard of from day one, we started working with a three PL, which is basically we don’t ship any product out myself, I don’t box anything. We have a warehouse that shifts everything out for us directly to the consumer, which usually people don’t do that until you’re one, two, maybe even your three. But we decided to start with that immediately. Because we want this to be big business. And we’re taking it very seriously. And we know that we would be a bottleneck if I’m shipping all this out some bottleneck. I can’t I can’t work as quickly as machines can.

Alex Beadon 23:37
So how has it been? Because I’m myself not in the E commerce space. So I’m really curious to pick your brain on what have what has been like the biggest lessons that you’ve learned over the past year that you’ve been alive as a business when it comes to having an E commerce business.

Ashley Strommen 23:54
There’s so many lessons

Alex Beadon 23:57
for your secrets with us.

Ashley Strommen 24:00
The funniest part is that I I was a consultant prior to starting this business. So I worked with companies I worked with E commerce companies, and I helped to market them. But running an E commerce company and doing the you know, running the operations is entirely different than ever known. And so I like to say this is my MBA, I didn’t get my MBA, this is my MBA. It’s not and so the first thing I mean, I’ve so many things to go into, but you know, finding the the right ingredients is really important understanding if your ingredients are going to be available. There’s a worldwide shortage of vanilla specifically vanilla powder is even more difficult to get and that’s our sutras. And so after our first run, we found out you know, we were on a one month waiting list, well, we need product, well we can’t get vanilla for a month. What are we going to do? Things like that, that they didn’t understand your relationship with your three peels or everything. If you don’t have somebody you can trust, then your product is not going to be set it’s going to be sent out on time recording Have a lot of issues with your customers, it’s nuts. Your Branding is super, super important. From day one, it’s really critical that you think about what you want your brand to stand for, you know, when we first started started out, you know, we, we, we, we knew what it meant to us, and we shared our story. But it took a long time to understand what our voice was. And I wish at the beginning, we would have really thought about it then in there and did some market research. So it took us about six months for us to understand that people were using the product to come off coffee. And that’s just because we listened to our customers 100 people purchase sutra, at least 60% of them were doing it. So they when they were coming off coffee or to replace coffee, or because they don’t drink caffeine in general. They’re like, holy cow. That’s a market right there. Yeah. Everybody drink coffee, you know. And so listening to your consumers is really important. Your partners are really important. I mean, I am very blessed that I get to work with my boyfriend, which sometimes can be difficult. Anybody that works with their boyfriend slash girlfriends. It can be tough. You’re always together, always working together. But to have great communication. If you don’t, you’re doomed. Yeah, your company can fail just because you don’t have good communication with the partners. Yeah, it’s really important to understand just when it comes to e commerce, everything from conversion rates to click through rates, when it comes to your email marketing campaigns. Social media is huge. Having a very specified strategy that you’re going to do if you just we learned early on that. We saw a lot of larger companies shipping out free products to influencers, right. So we started out, we tried it. And we realized that that wasn’t leading to any sales. And as much as I wanted to do that, I realized we don’t have the strategy number one to execute on this. And we also don’t have the manpower behind it to hire a full full time person that would handle all of our influencers. And because we didn’t have those two ingredients, it wasn’t a success. And so there’s so many things that you know, just saying, oh, let’s try this. Yeah. First, you have to make a lot of mistakes. We’ve made a lot of mistakes.

Alex Beadon 27:13
Yeah. Yeah, that’s really interesting. So what do you what would you say has been the thing that has worked the best when it comes to marketing, sip sutra, and actually, I’m just curious, what’s the difference between SIP sutra and sutra? Is it the same thing?

Ashley Strommen 27:27
It’s the same thing. Those are websites of sutra is our Instagram, our product packaging says sutra. Okay, so you.

Alex Beadon 27:38
Okay, perfect. So what what is the number one marketing strategy that you’ve used that you have found has worked far better than anything else?

Ashley Strommen 27:46
Yeah, there’s multiple, it’s not just one. But I would say Facebook and Instagram ads, okay, are the thing that works the best for us and ecommerce in general. Even if you’re a consultant looking for online digital worker clients, Facebook and Instagram ads are money, man, but they are a money either if you don’t know what you’re doing. And so people start running ads themselves, and they don’t have the background and knowledge about what they’re doing. And they waste so much money. And it’s really sad, because I’ve seen people just lose the shorts on it. And aren’t we all, you know, you can hire somebody as well. But if they don’t know what they’re doing, or if they don’t understand your product, they’re gonna lose you money to which we did be partnered with people who understood ecommerce, but they didn’t understand the health market. And so we paid them a lot of money, and we didn’t see any return. And so it’s tricky. But, but if you find either the right partner to run your ads for you, and take the, the, you know, the right creative, or if you know how to run it yourself, it can

Alex Beadon 28:50
be a goldmine. What kind of ads are you guys running.

Ashley Strommen 28:53
So we have a sales funnel that we go through. So we’re running quite a few ads. The first step is a video ad that we have a couple of video ads that we’re testing right now that a couple of them share our story. So it’s kind of an interview session between me or any of the other co founders, talking about why we started the business. So that’s one of them. The other one is just us making our sutras. So just pouring it in and seeing the colors and all that and that actually works really, really great. And so that we have those awareness campaigns, and we have retargeting campaigns for people who have purchased our products as well as people who are just in that awareness bucket. Depending upon how much of the video they’ve watched 25% 50% 95% Then they get hit with retargeting on that. And then for people who have purchased our product, we have campaigns loyalty campaigns, and so those then run the people who have purchased our product to try to get them to repurchase a product or they’ve bought x naught Y to get them to if they purchase groceries, you’re black. Okay, let’s try out the surgical. We have quite a few ads B Man and that’s, that’s how you do it.

Alex Beadon 30:02
That’s so cool. I love that you guys have so many like you’re catering to every single individual person based on where they’re at, in the customer journey, which is amazing. So you guys aren’t necessarily asking for people’s emails upfront, you’re really doing the awareness first showing them the interview video. But at no point, are you really taking their email in the Facebook ad process? Are you just trying to get them to sign up? And that’s how you get their email?

Ashley Strommen 30:29
Yeah, for us that email isn’t what we need. consistently see our products and want to try it. For especially for us, and with a product in general, people can be coerced to trying it. But for something like this, it’s either for you or it’s not. For superfood latte, there’s a very specific person who’s going to buy a superfood latte, somebody that that eats at McDonald’s probably is not going to buy a superfood lot, too. And that’s fine. So having email addresses for us, isn’t what leads to sales, finding the right niche of people to market to and then showing them visuals of our product because it’s beautiful. And once they see the beauty, then they’ll understand that it tastes good. And they’ll try it and then they’ll love it. And then they’ll keep purchasing. But yeah, for just for us for our customer journey. Yeah, yeah.

Alex Beadon 31:21
And you’re right, it is so beautiful. And this is just for anyone who has a product that’s visual, the importance of showing it and letting people see it almost in a way where it feels like they’re actually right there with you. Because when you actually see because I’ve seen the videos that you guys have, I’ve seen some of the ones that you have on your YouTube channel. And then I also saw some of the ones on your Facebook page and like it when you pour the water in and you see that transformation. It really looks like creamy and delicious. And so yeah, that’s awesome. That’s really cool. So you guys use Facebook ads, that’s the main thing that’s coming that’s bringing people in as Facebook ads, Instagram ads, what would you say has been the biggest challenge that you’ve encountered so far in this entrepreneurial ride?

Ashley Strommen 32:05
Oh, there’s so many real that there’s just there’s so many,

Alex Beadon 32:10
what’s one that you’re struggling with? Now, if you’d be comfortable sharing,

Ashley Strommen 32:14
oh Lord, I’m comfortable. Everything is the biggest difficulty for me. And for our company that we’re actually doing fairly well. Now we’re starting to see it is that we wanted to sell wholesale to other companies. And when we first started the company, we thought that that would be a big revenue generator for sell our products to places like coffee shops, who would then make our products and sell them to consumers. We thought that that would be a big moneymaker for us. And it has just taken a very long time. So the sales cycle for wholesale for our goods, it takes about 60 days to get people on the line and talking to them and to close that account. That’s a long time to be able to work with. And so So yeah, so our wholesale strategy has taken the longest to kind of get in the groove of but now that we have a couple partnerships, and we’re we have some more in the works that I’m super excited about like crazy. Now, now it’s becoming real. And now I’m very glad that we’ve been pushing so hard on that front, because I can see that, you know, when we get these partnerships done, we’re reaching so many people, you know, coffee shop, and you see this, you know, pitch black, drink this bright gold drink and you want to try it, and then you go, Oh my god, I can make that at home. I don’t have to go to the shop, I can actually sit in my PJs with my puppy and watch Real Housewives. I’m just living the dream for Ashley Stroman. But in general, in their house, you know, like how amazing yeah, so yeah, so that’s, that has been very difficult. But, but it’s starting to pay off. And I’m really glad that we have dedicated so much time and energy to it.

Alex Beadon 33:48
That’s awesome. It’s awesome when you work for something, and it’s like it’s hard at the beginning because you’re not seeing any results because it takes time. And then when you start to like see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just like, Oh, we’re almost there. That’s so cool. So one thing that has been really interesting to me about about SIP sutra is that you guys, everyone who’s involved the three of you, you are all seemingly building your personal brands at the same time. So talk to me a little bit about

Ashley Strommen 34:12
that. Yeah, so I see a lot of companies I think it’s actually hysterical when companies say you know just keep your personal cell personal and you shouldn’t be working on yourself as well as you know the company and I think that’s the most hysterical thing in the entire world but that’s very corporate. For me if you’re building your personal brand and you’re representing my company that’s incredible because you’re giving your personal account as to you know, what you like about the product and if you’re growing you’re reaching more people and I think plastic you know if my if my head of sales who by the way is a stone cold Fox, follow him on Instagram Live will live well with Tomasi regretted especially if you’re a girl a real start up and take pictures. You’re welcome. But you know when he’s growing he’s He’s learning. He’s doing all of that. It’s fantastic if he goes, and he gets to speak at a conference that only benefits our brand, you know, so we all work very hard to keep our Instagrams up, you know, and that’s where we truly believe that we have we serve the most value, as well as we that’s where we place all of our time. His Instagram.

Alex Beadon 35:19
Yeah, it’s really interesting, because I, I mean, I heard about you on Instagram, because Holland introduced us. Thank you all. And thank you, Holland. And then so the, my first impression of you was on Instagram, like, wow, like this girl? Really? I mean, you just have such a robust presence there on Instagram, which is really impressive. So I’m curious, like, what has what has it been like creating that for you? Because a lot of people just getting started. They’re like, gosh, it’s such a task to like, take these pretty pictures, and then figure out what to say, and what has that journey been like for you?

Ashley Strommen 35:57
For me, like, what

Alex Beadon 35:59
are your goals within Instagram? Like, what what do you have? Like, I want to post once a day, and these are the types of things I want to pose like, how has that been for you?

Ashley Strommen 36:08
Yes, so for me, I love taking photos. So it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t like taking photos of myself, that’s been difficult for me that that has began to been a progressive thing that I’m trying to get comfortable with. But it’s still a little. And I think that a lot of people have that. Especially women in general, they’re self conscious about their bodies, they’re self conscious about their poses, they’re comparing themselves to these people who use Photoshop, like nobody’s business. Like, that’s not the real life, okay. As well as people that have, you know, quite a bit of money in their traveling and you’re supposed to compete with them on the beach, and that’s not your life. So there’s a lot of pressure. But I think the first thing with Instagram is just what’s, what’s your story? You know, what, what were you put on this earth for? And how can you provide value for people and the moment that you figure that out, then you figure out a strategy of how to show it. So okay, I was put on this earth to speak to people about healing. That’s my journey. So how can I properly show that, you know, how can I visually describe this journey? You know, it’s not just pictures of me pushing my boobs together. That’s not my brand, can be other people’s and God bless him. But that’s not my brand, you know. So I need to make sure that I’m sticking with why I’m put here, what is my messaging, I think another thing that’s really important is understanding color palette, and creating a mood board. And I know that these words may sound very corporate if you’re doing a personal brand, but it’s very important. So whether you’re using the same filter for everything, or for me, I love what and so I don’t need to take every photo on a white backdrop. But I’ll wear white, you know, wear white top, or if I’m showing off a drink, the drink will be a white glass, you know, so I make sure that I’m always keeping in mind my brand, colors, my brand story and everything that I post.

Alex Beadon 37:53
And what about Instagram Stories? How have you been experimenting with Instagram stories?

Ashley Strommen 37:58
I am, I’m a big story, girl, and I show most of my life. Interestingly enough, what I don’t show and I need to and I’m telling this right now, so I can take accountability is I don’t show enough of my work life. Like right now I’m going to go on and I’m going to make an Instagram story right this moment as we’re talking, yay. Tell everybody that you can do everything all at once. So say hello. Hi. Now I am being interviewed for a podcast. Hello, hi. I’m so excited. Anyway, so corporated into your daily life, even if it seems like it interfering?

Alex Beadon 38:37
Yeah. So I’m curious why you haven’t included more of your work into your stories. Because I’m working. I guess you’re like, so busy doing things that you’re not taking out your phone and deciding to document at the same time.

Ashley Strommen 38:53
Yes, and I think a lot of people do that. Some other doing but people want to see the behind the scenes. That’s the whole point of stories are carefully curated, beautiful imagery that show off the beauty that is your brand. And I think of stories as the behind the scenes like, you know, kind of like, oh my god, I get to poke around to see how this is all made this is and so it doesn’t need to be perfect. And in essence, it shouldn’t be perfect. I think it should be showing your your flaws. For example, last week, I like to test out different healthy products. And so I had this really cool blender, and it was a small blender that you could plug into your computer and it would charge you can travel with it. So I was showing the smoothie I was making I’m so excited and it took this video and I’m drinking it and the whole purpose is be like this works great smile, but it was terrible. And so I ended up like spitting out these chunks. That’s what it’s supposed to be like it’s supposed to be real miracle you know, and that’s part of my life. Not every recipe comes out great. Now you No tactic that I do comes out awesome. And I need to share those and people need to know.

Alex Beadon 40:04
Yeah, I thought it was so interesting that all three of you are like very active on Instagram and very well put together and branded. And I thought that was really, really great. I’m curious about your work life balance, because it’s super important to you, especially as someone who has struggled with Lyme disease. Like, it’s so important for you to stay healthy and to stay in a good frame of mind. But then at the same time you have this growing business, how do you balance that?

Ashley Strommen 40:32
It is tough, but I always put health number one, for me, help is number one, my boyfriend is number two, my business is number three, my dogs are number four, and everything else comes after that. But help always be number one. Nothing else comes behind if I don’t feel good, or if I have something, an issue with my health, and I have a meeting, that means it’s getting cancelled, I don’t care. Like it doesn’t matter if that’s bringing in money, it doesn’t matter. My health is number one, always right. Another thing that I do that I think is super important that I think every entrepreneur and person in general needs to do is to have a morning routine that sets them up to be super energized and focused throughout the day. And so for me, my morning routine may be a little bit expensive than other people. But what I do, I’ll list it up. So the first thing I wake up and I take the dogs out and I let my boyfriend sleep I will make him a smoothie. And then I will make both of us a green juice. So I do a fresh pressed green juice every single morning. I then have my detox drink. So it’s a powdered greens plus apple cider vinegar, and a little bit of lemon juice as well as liquid probiotic. So I do that. And then I have my super black usually first thing in the morning to their eyes for hotter and a smoothie. And then I cook for the day. And so I will make a big ol salad as big as my head. And I have that prep. So I can’t say when it’s you know, 1pm they have an A, I’m so hungry. I’m gonna eat a Snickers bar, nope. Girl, because you have a ginormous waiting for you. So you’re good, you know. And then after cleaning everything, I then do yoga. And so I don’t care if it’s two minutes, or if it’s 20 minutes, or if it’s two hours, I do yoga. After that I meditate. And so once, same thing, it could be 30 seconds, or it could be 30 minutes, I need to meditate. And then finally, for me, the most important thing is my gratitude list. So I’ve been doing this now for two or three years. But every single day I write a 10 things that I’m grateful for. And I try not to ever repeat. And if I do repeat, I’ll try to change it a little bit. You know, I love my dogs or I love that my dogs did this this one time. But gratitude for me has been a complete game changer. Because business is tough. It can be lonely. But if the first thing you’re thinking before you look at your email is how thankful you are, then your workday isn’t a chore. It’s a joy.

Alex Beadon 42:48
Hmm, that’s lovely. I love that you share that with us. Thank you so much. How long does that normally take you?

Ashley Strommen 42:54
I am exceptionally quick and a nutcase through and through. And so that can take either 30 minutes if I want to, or it can take me two hours, I usually wake up around 5am So I got the time.

Alex Beadon 43:07
And is your day, like your average day quite flexible, or are you very like methodical with like, Okay, this is my schedule, and this is what I’m sticking to.

Ashley Strommen 43:16
I am very free flowing depending upon how I feel and what I do. I think that it’s different for everybody. Some people need the exact same thing every single day in order to keep them on track. And sometimes people need to listen to their body and their brain and what’s important to that day, and only you can figure that out. I can’t tell you what’s best for you.

Alex Beadon 43:38
Amen. Okay, I have some wrap up questions that I asked everyone at the end of these interviews. And the first one is what is the one thing you do that has been a non negotiable in the success of your business?

Ashley Strommen 43:50
For me, it’s been taking care of me, I’ve said that but if I’m not healthy, I cannot be productive for my company. If my if I’m scatterbrained, I can’t you know, I can’t help my employees be the best that they can be. If I’m not energized, if I’m not, you know, so I’m not taking care of me. I’m not taking care of the business. And so many people don’t understand that. I think it’s the most important thing that everybody should keep in mind.

Alex Beadon 44:17
Oh, I love that if I’m not taking care of me, I’m not taking care of the business. That’s so good. Okay, sure. One mindset shift that has made the biggest difference in your life as an entrepreneur.

Ashley Strommen 44:28
You aren’t good enough. I struggled for a long time with not thinking that I was a smart enough, pretty enough. You know, all these enough things. Yeah, I think that’s baloney. You are enough no matter what, you know, you you wherever you’re at, you know, you’ve worked your tail off and you’re an incredible human being and you just need to remember that every single day. Something that I did is I wrote myself. I basically wrote myself a list It says all the reasons why I kick major ass. And any day that I’m feeling not kick ass worthy. I read that list and I’m like, Damn, I’m awesome. Do you know what I mean? Like that it’s not something that I need to reproduce. I just stare at that list again, and I read it and I go, okay, alright, girl, you got this?

Alex Beadon 45:17
Yeah, I love that. Fill in the blank. The world would be a better place if more people knew

Ashley Strommen 45:23
that puppy hugs save the world.

Alex Beadon 45:27
By the way, you have the cutest dog on planet Earth. Are they King Charles Cavaliers?

Ashley Strommen 45:33
Er, yes. Yes. She banana bananas.

Alex Beadon 45:39
I love that they’re such a part of your brand as well.

Ashley Strommen 45:42
Oh, my goodness. Of course. There are interns. We put them to work.

Alex Beadon 45:45
They’re the best. Okay, the book that changed my life was

Ashley Strommen 45:49
thinking Grow Rich. Okay, good one. That was a huge one. And lastly,

Alex Beadon 45:53
I like to ask our guests to challenge our listeners to do something this week to take some sort of action step this week. So what would you like to challenge our audience to do

Ashley Strommen 46:03
easy peasy gratitude list? That night has changed the game for me. And I think if everybody makes the conscious effort to write down, either type it out or write it down on a sheet of paper, whichever feels more real to you. More concrete 10 reasons why you are grateful first thing in the morning before you check your email. And I know that’s a big ask. But I think it will completely change somebody’s game even in one week’s time.

Alex Beadon 46:28
Amazing. Thank you so much. I think this was such a good episode. For people. I think it’s a great reminder to put your health first, I feel like entrepreneurs are so bad at prioritizing how their body is feeling and really checking in with themselves before they sit down to work, work, work, work work. So thank you for being a reminder of that. And for anyone listening, please let us know where can we find some of your SIP sutras to try

Ashley Strommen 46:55
you can find them online at www dot sip sutra.com. You can also find them on Amazon. You can also find them in coffee shops. All over.

Alex Beadon 47:06
Amazing. Thank you so much, Ashley, I really appreciate your time today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to give me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon, and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye.

029: Social Media Is Optional Not Mandatory with Alexandra Franzen

Alexandra Franzen is a freelancing copywriter and author who I’ve been following for years. I love her because she runs her own business in such a unique and individual way, she steers clear of social media and writes the best newsletters in the world. If you’ve ever wondered what having a newsletter can do for you .. this is a great one to listen to. Alex is a true artist and a beautiful human being on a mission to create meaning with her life.

Welcome to On Purpose.

In This Episode You’ll Learn: 

  • How to be self aware enough to decide if social media is worth your time
  • The importance of having a high quality newsletter
  • How to balance creativity and business
  • Why Alexandra deleted all of her social media accounts
  • The unbelievable story of how her book came to life
  • & so much more

Resources:

Find Alexandra:
Website: www.alexandrafranzen.com

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
You’re listening to episode number 30 with author and professional copywriter Alexandra Franzen. This episode is called social media is optional, not mandatory. And in this episode we speak about Alex’s love for living a meaningful life. Why she decided to give up on social media and how she’s living life and doing business her way. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lift and no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Alexandra Franzen is a freelancing copywriter and author who I’ve been following for years. I love her because she runs her own business in such a unique and individual way. She steers clear of social media and legit writes the best newsletters in the world. If you’ve ever wondered what having a newsletter can do for you, if you’ve ever wondered if taking a break from social media would actually do you some good. This is a great one to listen to. Alex is a true artist and a beautiful human being on a mission to create meaning with her life. Welcome to on purpose. Alex, thank you so much for being here on the show with me today.

Alexandra Franzen 1:33
Nice. Thanks, I legs. Party, Alex is all around.

Alex Beadon 1:40
And like I just told you before we pressed record, you’re the second Alex that I’m having on the show. So it’s like just Alex is everywhere. It’s also

Alexandra Franzen 1:48
the Alex show. And we people named Alex about that idea. It’s actually be so funny, because you could interview all kinds of Alex’s There are

Alex Beadon 1:57
many kinds of good Alex is out there in the world. Okay, so I’m gonna start the conversation by just asking you a question that I ask every single person who comes on the show, and that is what is most nourishing about having your own business.

Alexandra Franzen 2:13
So I have a confession. I totally listened to a couple episodes before we met today. And I’m so glad I did that I can anticipate this question because I probably otherwise would have been like to her. But I actually thought about it a little bit. And, you know, there’s so many things, of course. But I think the biggest thing is that I’m I’m the type of person where I hate wasting time. Meaning like, I don’t want to do busy work. I don’t want to be sitting in a meaningless departmental meeting. I don’t want I don’t want my day to be filled with things when I’m just like, oh, like, why are we doing this. And when I used to have a more kind of like traditional corporate cubically job, there was so much of that. And what I love about being self employed being you know, an entrepreneur being a freelancer is that, you know, for the most part, I can really strip all that out of my workday and just work on tasks and projects and clients and activities that are actually meaningful, and where I’m actually producing or creating something, and that just makes my whole day feel so much more rich and exciting and alive. So yeah, not wasting time is very nourishing to me.

Alex Beadon 3:37
That is so, so onpoint with the entire conversation that I know we’re gonna have today. So okay, I have to update everyone. Alex is about to release her book. Actually, by the time this podcast goes live, it will have just been released into the world because it’s October 15. Right? That is so exciting. So it’s called. So this is the end a love story. And I will tell you, I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t read the entire thing. But it’s really because it just came to me very recently, and I’m in the middle of laundry. So I’ve been super busy. But I will tell you, the hour before this call, I was like, Okay, I’m going to read as much as I can in an hour. And I started reading it. And I’m not someone who’s like a big fiction reader. Right? So I wasn’t sure how I was going to enjoy it. And I really like it was so I couldn’t stop wanting to read more and more and more and more. And when I saw the hour was almost up, I was like no, this is. The premise is that there is this woman who dies and she had, there’s basically this, I’m probably going to butcher your entire story but I’m going to do my best to explain where I’m at so far. And basically she dies and she has an opportunity. There’s this thing on earth where you have a chance to get like an extra 24 hours of life and you can decide to buy it for yourself or not and so she decides to buy it She wakes up and it’s like her last 24 hours on planet Earth. And you follow her throughout her day. And I got to our number nine. And I was like, Oh my gosh, just reading this story. It’s making me think about things in I think about death every day if I’m being honest, but written in perspective, is just so powerful. So I’m so excited to keep reading it.

Alexandra Franzen 5:24
That’s so so amazing. And yeah, your synopsis synopsis that synopsis synopsis of the book was was right on, that’s exactly right. She she dies, she has an opportunity to come back only for 24 hours. So yeah, the whole premise of the book, the central question is, you know, if you had just 24 hours to live, what would you do with your time, and the main character of the book is, is kind of wrestling with that, especially at the beginning and trying to figure out, you know, what should I do? Should it should I go visit my mom, should I go eat a cheeseburger? Should I go watch the sunset? Should I dance like nobody’s watching? Should I you know, what should I do? This is it. This is the end. And then I don’t know if you’re at this part of the book yet. I don’t want to give too much away. But she ends up falling in love. She meets the love of her life, very last day of her life. And then that brings up a whole other set of complications and questions. And

Alex Beadon 6:23
I’m so excited. I’m actually I’m going away this weekend. And I can’t wait to keep reading. And hopefully finish it because it really has me like totally enraptured in the story. I absolutely love it. And I love that. Your answer just now so well. So clearly, like you prioritize meaning, which is something that I think you and I have in common. And something that I think is so magnetic about you, is that everything that you do seems to be dripping in meaning for you. And I absolutely love that about you. Okay, so before we kind of dive into that question, which is my next question, I would love for you to just do a quick intro of who you are, and what you do in your business for anyone who may not have heard of you

Alexandra Franzen 7:08
as yet. Yeah, of course. So I’m a writer. I’ve been self employed now for about eight or nine years, eight years, little over eight years. And I do a variety of things. I do copywriting, I do ghost writing, I do editing services. Most of the time, my clients are companies that are in kind of like the health and wellness and medicine and personal growth, make your life body mind more awesome field. And people hire me to help them write and develop podcasts and websites and video scripts, and sometimes speeches and proposals and pitches and book proposals and books and all kinds of things. So I love that kind of work because I get to work on so many different kinds of projects. And they they pull me in as a writer, you know, often I’m working among some kind of team where there’ll be like a designer or an audio engineer and things like that, which is really fun. I also teach creative writing, I teach writing retreats, mostly in Hawaii, but sometimes other places too. And I do a little bit of coaching. Sometimes people hire me for writing coaching, like if they want to write a book, but they’re feeling really stuck. And they want me to like lovingly nudge them and push them and help them map it out and keep moving forward. And then I have my own body of work separate from client stuff, which is I write articles, and I write books. I’ve written both nonfiction and fiction, I’ve done self publishing, as well as traditional publishing. I do. Soon I’ll be starting my own podcast. Oh my gosh, really excited. Oh, my gosh, that’s

awesome. I have kind

of my own little body of work of my own art projects, if you will, including my newsletter, which I really consider to be an art project. And that’s what I do.

Alex Beadon 9:02
That’s amazing. And just to kind of give everyone who’s listening a little bit of my history with you. I can’t remember how I found you online. But I know it was definitely years ago because I’ve been obsessed with your newsletters for the longest time. Like your newsletters are the one that like, you know, I’m subscribed to a lot of newsletters that are just kind of there. I don’t read them, they kind of come in and out. And actually recently, Laura who works with me, she made me unsubscribe to all of them. But yours is like the Holy Grail of newsletters. Like I just love listening to what you’re up to you. You share a variety of different topics. And I love that it’s like a personal thing for you. Like, like you said, it’s like an art project for you as well. And I just love that not only do you have your client work and the work that you get paid to do, but you’re also doing work for your own enjoyment and just to express yourself. Yeah,

Alexandra Franzen 9:53
thank you for saying that. And it’s interesting because I started my newsletter about maybe seven or eight years ago and there was a time in my career where, you know, I was reading a lot of articles about how to run a successful business. And everyone was saying, you know, like focus, find your niche, find your ideal client be specific do well, and, and I think there’s so much power in that. But I also felt like, that’s just not me. Like, I don’t, I don’t want to have a newsletter, where I’m writing about just one topic, or I’m speaking to just one kind of person, like, I just don’t want to do that, at least not with this particular newsletter. So I have kept it kind of broad like one newsletter, I might share an inspiring true story about an incredible person I met that month who, you know, did something amazing, and it really inspired me. And then another week, I might share, you know, writing or productivity tips. And another week, I might share, like an audio pep talk, where I’m trying to give encouragement and motivation. And so I mixed it up, but it’s overall, you know, my goal is always I want to leave my reader in better condition than I found them, I want to uplift their day, and I want to serve, you know, some kind of inspiration, encouragement and motivation. A spirit of you can do this, you’re gonna be okay, today is not over yet. You’re gonna make it is kind of the the overall message that I try to drip into those newsletters. So I’m so happy that you read it. And also, I will never be offended if you unsubscribe because that is okay. And decluttering your inbox is super awesome.

Alex Beadon 11:34
I totally agree. But I just love your newsletters. I love everything that you write, I love how your offerings, they just seem to be so from the heart. And I think what everything that you just said, is really going to hit home with so many people, I have so many clients who I work with who tell me, you know, I feel like I have to talk about one thing, do I really have to just be known for this one thing? And I’m like, No, I feel like we’ll want to get to know the people that they’re following on a really personal level. And I think things are changing in that regard where it’s like we It depends on your brand, obviously. But many times it’s really nice to know the whole person and to to know like that they’re dynamic, and that they have all of these different things that they want to share and bring to the table. And so I think it really does add value. And we’re beginning to see a shift in that way, which is super interesting to kind of just witness.

Alexandra Franzen 12:23
Yeah. So are there any I’m curious, are there any other newsletters that you still receive? Like, what are some that you think are really wonderful, or if not newsletters and like blogs or any other things that you follow? I really

Alex Beadon 12:38
the only newsletter that I really enjoy is yours, like anytime. I know, it’s like a really big statement to say, but for the most part, I can’t think of anyone else’s off the top of my head who when their name pops up, I’m like, oh, I should really click on that. Because for the most for the most part, people just pop up in my inbox like, man. I don’t really need to open that right now. I’ve got a million other things. Whereas with yours, I really even if I come back to it a few days later, I know that I’m going to get something from it. I feel like it’s really valuable, which is something that I really appreciate.

Alexandra Franzen 13:10
Interesting. What about like podcasts? Because you recently started this podcast, you’re rocking along? Are there any podcasts either in the business world or totally outside of business that you really enjoy?

Alex Beadon 13:22
I’m loving two podcasts right now. One is called the daily, you may have heard of it. It’s like a news podcast. Oh, I don’t know that one. It’s so good. I just love it. Because it’s such like an unbiased source of American news, which is weird, because I’m not in America. And I’m not an American. But I feel like American news affects the world. So I like to keep up to date. And like, I don’t like watching the actual news. So to me, it feels like a really good place to just go and get what I need in a really quick bursts and then walk away without having to like get all that I find. I don’t know, when I watch the news. It just makes me feel so bad. Whereas when I listened to this podcast, it’s like, I feel like I’m getting the facts. I’m getting what I need to know. And then that’s it. Yeah, you’re getting my emotional day. And then the other podcast that I’m really enjoying right now, let me find it because I cannot remember the name of it. Oh, it’s called Am I allowed to like anything? It’s so good. It’s just kind of like talking about culture and life and just, it covers so many different things. And I think that kind of goes back to what you were saying I’ve really kind of fallen out of, I think when I was first starting my business I was so into, like listening to everything about business that I possibly could. And like now I’m more about like exploring other aspects of life that are totally out of the industry and not necessarily having to read every single thing or listen to every single business podcast because I don’t know, it’s like I have more of a trust in myself as a business person now and I know that like I can use my own creativity and I have the strategies in mind that I can kind of play around with Do you ever feel that way too?

Alexandra Franzen 14:59
Oh, my Totally. And I think this is really common and normal. I think when you’re starting something new, any kind of project, you know, you’re trying to write a book, you’re trying to start a podcast, you’re trying to, you know, launch a business, I think it’s very natural that you’re like, well, I need to learn as much as I can. So you start researching the crazy and you, you read all the articles and read all the books and you find your mentors and your heroes and, and I think that’s what you do when you’re sort of peeling yourself off the ground and getting going. But then yeah, as the years go along, as you kind of find your footing and feel more confident in your work that I think it’s so important to start seeking inspiration outside of your industry and outside of your bubble so that you don’t get this like tunnel vision and just feel like you’re just mimicking all the people around you or bored. You know, like, I think that’s what it means to be a well rounded artist or service service provider or business owners, you’re you’re pulling inspiration from a whole variety of places and kind of, you know, re mixing it in your own way. Oh, there was a screen interview that I saw so many years ago, I think it was like a teenager at the time. And it was an interview with a ballerina like a prima ballerina. I think she was with American Ballet Theatre. I don’t remember her name. But I remember what she said, which was they asked her, you know, how do you prepare for the role of Juliet in the ballet version of Romeo and Juliet? Like, how do you get ready for that role? How do you embody the character? How do you give such an amazing performance. And what she said was, first, I research I read the play, I read every adaptation of the play, I watch videos of all the other ballerinas who have performed the role of Juliet, I study what they do and how they do it. I you know, absorb all things, Juliette. And then she said, and then I have to try to forget everything, and become my own Juliet. And I think that’s a really beautiful way of putting it, it’s like we kind of have to absorb, absorb, absorb, absorb, get all this information to sort of get us going. And then in a way you have to, you have to forget you have to kind of wipe your mind clear so that you can you can be yourself, you can be your own, that you can be your own type of business owner. And I’ve never forgotten the way that she put that I think that’s really beautiful.

Alex Beadon 17:21
That is really beautiful. So I’m curious which podcasts and newsletters Do you enjoy? Ooh, okay, so I’m excited you got

Alexandra Franzen 17:34
I love podcasts. I just love I listen to them while I’m working out. Sometimes I listen to them while I’m like puttering around my house making dinner doing laundry. I just I love them. And some that I’ve been listening to. I actually listen to a lot of comedy podcasts. I love this podcast called, why won’t you date me, which is hosted by Nicole Byers. And it’s literally a podcast, this woman she’s single, and she can’t figure out why. And so she interviews ex boyfriends, men, she’s dated in the past who didn’t want to go out with her again. And also just like random friends, and she asks them, basically, why am I single? Why won’t you date me? And then she makes them look at her Tinder profile and give them her their feedback. Like and it is I mean, it’s the it’s the funniest premise and is hilarious. And also she has this incredible confidence like she’s actually not like desperate. She She genuinely wants to know like, oh, so like, you hate that photo. Tell me why. She’s just very, she’s very upfront and funny and has just the most amazing personality. So I love Why won’t you date me? It’s hilarious. We also love this podcast. It’s a Buzzfeed podcast called thirst aid kit. Okay, kind of like first aid kit, but thirst. And thirst is a slang that because I’m an old grandpa, I didn’t know until recently, if you’re thirsty, or if you have thirst, it means like you have a crush on someone or you think they’re hot or whatever. Right? So this is a podcast where these two women basically just gush about people that they find super, super attractive. And then they but they do like this incredibly detailed breakdown of exactly why. And so like, they’ll talk about a male celebrity and they’ll break down like one scene in that one movie when he takes off his shirt almost completely, but not quite. And then, like, they go into like incredible detail and they’re both so funny. And then they write like little short, erotic stories and they read them on air and they’re both cracking up and it’s just one of the most delightful, hilarious show. Both of those, they will make you laugh, laugh laugh.

Alex Beadon 19:55
I love it. And what about newsletters?

Alexandra Franzen 19:58
So for newsletters similar to you I’ve unsubscribed from a lot of things over the years. And at this point, the only newsletters that I get regularly and read are, I usually subscribe to newsletters that are my clients. You know, if I’m working for a company or a client, I will usually get their newsletter at least for a while so that I can kind of familiarize myself with them a bit more. And then I get, I get a newsletter from booty yoga, which is a yoga company because I love their yoga classes. And these letters are pretty fun actually, they’re usually really short, but very inspiring. And I get a newsletter from my mom.

Alex Beadon 20:41
Oh, wow. Yes, she

Alexandra Franzen 20:43
started a newsletter.

Alex Beadon 20:44
So brilliant. I gosh, where can we find your mom’s newsletter?

Alexandra Franzen 20:51
Um, so to be totally honest, I don’t know. I think she has a website. Well, I’m pretty sure she has a website now, which is deal friends and.com. She works in the performing arts. She’s currently producing a musical that’s in London right now. And she’s an amazing woman. But she’s also very, very, very tech phobic. I guess we’re all kind of just like anti technology. Like she’s, she doesn’t do any social media. Nor do I actually these days, and she kind of hates her cell phone. And she has like a various sort of sketchy relationship with email. But somehow she started a newsletter. And I don’t know if you can subscribe to it, or you just have to know her and

Alex Beadon 21:30
she’ll add one thing.

Alexandra Franzen 21:33
He sends out a newsletter, and I receive it, and it is always a delight.

Alex Beadon 21:38
I love it. I love it. That actually brings me on very nicely to what I want to talk to you about next, which is how you became the person that you are today. Because you’re someone who is very different from like the average Freelancer that you would find online. As we’ve spoken about, you have a deep desire for meaning and for creativity. And I love those two things about you. So what did you take away from your family life as a child? And how do you think it’s affected? who you are today? Yeah. Oh,

Alexandra Franzen 22:10
that’s a great question. Um, so Well, let’s talk about my mom a little bit more. My mom, who is probably my biggest hero in life, and my best friend, she, her dad died very, very suddenly. And shockingly, when she was about 15 years old. And it was just the gruesome, horrific thing where she literally, you know, found his dead body, he died from a heart disease situation. And so he died when she was 15. And her whole family was kind of thrown into chaos, she had four other siblings, her mom, you know, went into like a deep depression as as one would expect. Then shortly after that, their house burned down, there was like a freak fire, there was just like a series of calamities that happened. And as a result, my mom became at a very young age, you know, what, 1718 years old, extremely independent, the type of person who was like, you know, I need to take care of myself because nobody else will. And, and also a person with a very, very real sense of, this could be your last day, and you never know what’s coming around the corner. So you better enjoy this moment to the absolute fullest. Because this isn’t baby like this is it? This is your life. And from a very young age, she really instilled that life philosophy into me and into my brother and sister, this idea of whatever’s right in front of you right now, if if you have an opportunity to work on an amazing art project, if you have an opportunity to spend the afternoon with your family, you know, whatever’s good in your life, appreciate it and really appreciate it. And whining is not allowed, was kind of the philosophy in our family. So, yeah, I think that that has totally affected me like deep, deep, deep in my bones. And like everyone, of course, I have days and moments where I get off track and I get distracted and I get off purpose and I’m just kind of, you know, frittering away the day not particularly present or not appreciating things, but I also then it’s almost like, I hear the voice of my mom, and I’m able to kind of snap back and remember that today is meaningful and to appreciate it to the fullest. But what about you? What was your family upbringing, like and what kind of messages were sort of instilled in you?

Alex Beadon 24:44
Oh, that’s such a good question that I asked you first. Um, wow. I think for me, probably the thing that had the biggest impact on me was the fact that I moved around like, probably once every year and a half between different And country’s because of my dad’s job. So I spent my whole childhood kind of just like moving, moving, moving, settling down, making friends moving again, settling down, making friends moving again. And I think that it really helped me to, I remember when I, when I was like 1314, I started to realize that the time that we have with people is so precious for me at that time, it was because I knew I had finally gotten to the awareness that like, Oh, this isn’t going to stop, this is going to keep happening. So while I’m here, I better like really enjoy it and take a lot of pictures and soak up every moment that I possibly can. And so I think similarly, it taught me how to be super present. So everything that you just said feels like very much. It feels very, it resonates very deeply with me. And it feels like I can recognize that also in myself. And I think similarly, I had a mother who was always very, it was very important for her to remind us of the importance of living your best life, appreciating every moment for what it is, and, and really looking on the positive side of things. I think I look at my positivity, I think it really comes from my mother. So yeah, so I think that really affected me. I’m curious, how, where did your entrepreneurial side come

Alexandra Franzen 26:21
from? That’s a great question, too. I would say again, from my family, my family I was so I know, this is not the storyline for so many people, which breaks my heart. But I was really born into a family that celebrated the arts and creativity and being different and doing your own thing and being rebellious. In fact, if anything, I was kind of like the uptight stick in the mud in my family. Like I remember being a teenager, and my mom would be like, it’s a beautiful day, you know, let’s play hooky, go to school, come to the beach. And I’d be like, Oh, my have a bathtub. You know, but my family is very, very, very entrepreneurial. My, my mom, in her own way is an entrepreneur. She’s been a performing artist most of her life and has been, you know, self employed. She’s run nonprofit organization. So she’s, she’s very entrepreneurial, and creative. My dad has a more traditional profession. He’s a lawyer, but he’s run his own practice his own firm for many, many years. My brother and sister are both very creative and entrepreneurial. So it was just kind of the sea that I grew up swimming in was an entrepreneurial place. And that is, I know, that is so rare, and I’m so lucky that that was my upbringing. But what’s funny is that even though I grew up in such a supportive environment, it’s still hard to become an entrepreneur. And I still faced all kinds of fears and insecurities when I started to make those little baby steps towards self employment. Because it’s scary No matter what, you know,

Alex Beadon 28:03
yeah. What would you say was the thing that happened for you, or the change or something, something that really prompted you to step fully into your entrepreneurial self? Like, what I’m curious is like, what made you start really feeling like, Oh, I got this, like, I understand how this how this works. Like, what advice would you have to people who are just starting out as entrepreneurs?

Alexandra Franzen 28:26
Oh, so Okay, so, to go back to the kind of the first part of your question of what what prompted me to become an entrepreneur. You know, some people when you ask people like, why did you start your business? Or why did you become an entrepreneur, they’ll say, like, I was so motivated by this, you know, this mission that I want to spread in the world, or I just want to help people and, but like to be totally frank, for me, my initial motivation was just that I hated my job so much. And I just wanted to be free. And I was almost at the time, this was like nine or 10 years ago, it almost didn’t matter what I did with my career, as long as I could be self employed and be free and not have to go to a cubicle every day. Like that was my initial motivation that kind of lit a fire under my butt to help me figure out a plan to transition out of the nine to five cubicle worlds and into being self employed. later down the line. as things progressed, then I began to connect with other motivations, like wanting to be of service and wanting to contribute to humanity and wanting to touch people’s lives and wanting to make beautiful art. But really, at the beginning, it was just like, I need to get out of here. Yeah, that was, that was my initial push. So you know, I guess my advice for someone who’s starting out would be Hmm, I guess I would say tap into your tap into your motivation. Do whatever it may be, and let it fuel you and fire you to keep taking the steps you need to take to move your career in the direction you want to go. And what I mean by that is like, right now, if you’re just motivated by, I want to quit my cubicle job, I want to save $30,000. So I’ve got a little cushion, and I want to get out of here. Like, if that’s your motivation right now, then that’s great, like, focus on that, write that down, put it on your vision board, you know, whatever. But whatever your true motivation is, focus on it and let it fuel you forward. That’s my advice.

Alex Beadon 30:34
I like that advice. It’s good advice. Okay, I really want to talk to you about your relationship with social media. Because for years, you’ve been an example. Every time people were like, do I have to have a Facebook page? I’m like, No, you don’t have to have an online presence. Just look at Alexandra Franzen. So talk to us about like the decision, because I know you don’t have a Facebook page, correct?

Alexandra Franzen 30:56
Yeah, at this point, I don’t have any social media. And you’re not on Instagram, either. No, yeah, I have my website. And I have a blog. I’m answering flutter newsletter. And that’s it. No, no worry about

Alex Beadon 31:10
that. Like, what was the decision factor behind that? Like, were you scared at first, you were like, Oh, my gosh, I have to be in these places. I would just love to hear you kind of rounds on that for a little.

Alexandra Franzen 31:21
Oh, I love talking about this topic. So as a preamble, I will say because they don’t want to get angry letters in the mail, as I have in the past. To be very clear. I am not saying that social media is that. In fact, I actually think it’s one of the most amazing inventions of our generation. And it can be used in so many beautiful ways. So if you are the person who loves using Instagram, and you love using Snapchat, and you love using Facebook, and it brings meaning and joy into your life, and it feels like an art project for you, or it helps you find clients, that is awesome. Please keep doing your thing. That’s my my preface of that I don’t get an angry letter from a high schooler in the mail like I did a few months ago. That being said, I do also believe that social media is optional, not mandatory. And here’s my personal story of what happens. So about, you know, back in the day back when I was getting my business started, like we talked about earlier, you know, I hired coaches, and I found mentors, and I did tons of research. And of course, everybody was saying, You got to be on social media, you got to be on Twitter, you got to be on Facebook. That’s how you’re going to find clients as a freelancer or as a, you know, self employed service providers. So I was like, okay, so I made all the profiles, and I had Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, and I had vine, I think, Pinterest, and you know, all the things. And I just started chugging away. And I found that, you know, it was really fun. I liked Twitter, I like Instagram, you know, it was, it was a fun way to express myself out. You know, I obviously love writing, I love communicating. So it felt great. And pretty quickly I built up, you know, a pretty sizable following. And things were sort of rocking along. And several years passed. And then I just remember there was kind of moments in my life, where I noticed that I would reach for my phone, almost without even realizing I was doing it. And then just start kind of compulsively scrolling through Twitter, who liked my last tweet who retweeted my last tweet who sent me a direct mail. No, it was kind of it really felt like almost like a physical compulsion to just have a quick check. Have another check what’s happening now? Let’s check and see. And I didn’t like this. It started to kind of grossed me out. I was like, why am I doing this? Like, I felt like almost like I was hypnotized. Or, like I was addicted. Exactly. And I also started noticing how just kind of how much of my mental energy was sort of caught up in, for example, Twitter, like, I’d be just sitting around and I would I would think of something I wanted to tweet and then I would, it’s just I just started to become aware like how it sure does feel like a lot of my time and a lot of my mental energy is being focused on social media and and maybe too much, you know, maybe this is getting a little overboard, even veering into the realm of sort of compulsion or addiction, like that about myself. And so I decided to do a little math. And what I did was that because on Twitter, I think you can see like how many times you’ve tweeted in total, or you know how many tweets in the last year or whatever. So, I literally sat down with a calculator, and I pulled up you know, the total number of tweets that I had He did in the previous year. And then I multiplied that by the approximate number of minutes that went into each tweet. And I kind of just made a rough estimate of like, you know, it takes me maybe two minutes to think of the witty tweet in my mind, and then it takes me like a minute to type it into my phone, and then then maybe, you know, another minute to kind of, you know, shorten it edited, you know, add the link, whatever. And then I posted and then I, then there may be a minute or two, where I’m checking to see how many people retweeted it. And then a couple minutes later, where I check and see, okay, well, how many people now and, and I kind of came up with a rough estimate that every tweet represents, like about 12 minutes of my life, that is sort of invested in in the cultivation and harvesting of that tweet, you know what I mean? Yeah, so I multiplied total number of tweets for the year by 12 minutes. And I got a big, big, big number of minutes, because I was tweeting, you know, several times a day, typically. And I was like, Whoa, and then I multiplied that number by, like, you know, 40, or 50. In other words, if I keep tweeting at this current rate for the rest of my life, like for the rest of my career for the next four or five decades, what’s the grand total? And what I found was that if I were to continue on that path, by the end of my life, I would have spent about three years of my life doing Twitter. Wow. Yeah. And I wow. And to be clear, that’s just Twitter, and Facebook and all the other ones. So I remember looking at that number on my calculator. And I, I, my first reaction was, that can’t be right. I was like that I made a mistake. So I did the math again, and again and again. And I was like, No, that’s, that’s right. That’s where I’m headed. And I actually felt sick to my stomach. I felt kind of nauseated. And I felt scared. And I projected, I mean, you mentioned earlier in this in our conversation that you think about death all the time. I think about death all the time, too. And I suddenly imagined myself, like, on my deathbed, you know, hopefully 90 years old, and looking back on my life. And if I were to look back on my life, when I’m 90, would I think to myself, I’m so glad I spent three years on Twitter, like that was a great use of my time, or, or what I think to myself, I wish I had spent those three years writing three more novels, or I wish I had spent those three years with my family or, you know, or anything else. And for me, personally, when I really think about where I want my time to be going, it’s not Twitter, you know, or certainly not that much of it. So, I decided to make some changes. And I started really small, I started by, you know, I was nervous, I didn’t want to make any drastic changes. Like many people, I had this fear that if I stop using social media, I’ll never get any clients and my business will dry up and everything will fall apart. So I started by making a really tiny change, which was I just decided that I was going to take, just take the summer off from Twitter. That’s it, just like two or three months, just kind of hit pause. And so I think I posted something on Twitter saying like, Hey, I’m taking a little summer sabbatical. So you guys in the fall or whatever. And I just didn’t use Twitter for that one summer. And I was curious to see what would happen to see if there would be a negative impact on my business to see how it would feel. And what I found is that it was it was weird at first, because I missed it, you know, and I was almost like, you know, weaning yourself off of sugar or caffeine, like I wanted that sweet, sweet Twitter hit. But after a few weeks, I didn’t really miss it. And I also noticed that my brain felt a little quieter. Like the metaphor, the best metaphor I can use is like, it’s like if you have a refrigerator in your kitchen that’s broken. And it’s kind of making like our PA like a home sound. But it’s been that way for so long that you almost don’t even notice it anymore. It’s just like part of your environment. It’s just it’s there. But then one day, finally the repair guy comes and fixes it. And there’s silence and you’re like, oh, it it’s so quiet. Yeah, I didn’t know it could be like this. That’s kind of how it felt when I stopped using Twitter. It’s like there was the hum in my brain. Huh, went away a little bit more. And so at the end of that summer, I decided that I was going to, to go further I was gonna go, you know, do a year without Twitter. And then little by little by little by little, I just kept deactivating my accounts, I got rid of Facebook, I got rid of Instagram, I got rid of all all the things. And

what I found, and look, my my business model is such that I’m not trying to sell 100,000 copies of an ecourse. That’s not how I make money I, my business model is that I genuinely work with a very small handful of clients on long term projects. So I only really need about 10 to 15 clients every year, plus maybe you know, eight to 10 people to sign up for my retreats that I do, and things like that. So I don’t need a million Twitter followers, you know, like, I just need a small tribe of people who love my work and who hire me and recommend me. So, for me, what I found was that removing social media from my life and from my business, it didn’t have a negative impact on my income at all. In fact, if anything, it was a positive thing, because there had so much extra mental energy and space and time that I was able to write three books and develop my first digital product and like, make stuff. So for me personally, the choice to leave social media has been so good. Nowadays, I can honestly say I don’t miss it at all. I don’t even think about it. It’s just not part of my life. And I just communicate with my clients and friends in other ways. I send them text messages, I send them little audio messages and video messages through email, and do my newsletter. I just have other ways that I connect with people. And that’s enough. So that’s my social media story.

Alex Beadon 42:01
That was an awesome story. I loved it. I’m curious how since deactivating your social media accounts, what would you say has been the most beneficial use of your time when it comes to actually marketing yourself and getting clients? Yeah. So

Alexandra Franzen 42:20
for me, when I think about like, how do clients find me, it’s usually word of mouth, it’s usually that, you know, I have a client, and maybe they initially find me through my website, or maybe a friend recommended me to them. Or maybe they’ve been on my newsletter for many, many, many years. And now they want to hire me. But if I work with that client, and I put my whole heart into the project, and I do a really, really good job, they are very likely to mention me to somebody else to a colleague to a friend. And then that person wants to hire me too. And I mean, I would say 90% of the comments that I get are just hey, my friend Sharon told me that I need to hire you like it’s that kind of thing. It has nothing to do with social media, or Facebook, or whatever. So yeah, I mean, people find me through a comp through a combination of, you know, again, I have a website, I post articles there, I have a newsletter, people enjoy my newsletter, sometimes. I put myself out there like what we’re doing right now, you know, I am a guest on other people’s shows. Occasionally, I’ve done media appearances, I make an effort to put myself out there to the best of my abilities, and write books, you know, so I am putting myself out there in a variety of ways. I’m just not doing it on Instagram. Yeah. So it’s, again, like, if I always say to people, because a lot of people are curious about what is life without Instagram, like, how does this work. And it’s like, there’s so many different ways to connect to people and build relationships and put yourself out into the world and share your work. Instagram is an amazing way to do it. But it’s just one of 1000 different things. And I think we’ve almost forgotten that in this point in our culture.

Alex Beadon 44:09
I love that. I love that so much. And for me, being someone who follows you and watches you and checks in on you and sees what’s going on. I think it’s almost like by removing yourself from those platforms. It’s almost increased the value of you and your brands in a way because it’s like you’ve created your own little space of like, Hey, if you want to hear from me, these are the places where it’s going to happen. And it’s not going to happen in all of these other places, just because that’s where everyone else says that it should happen.

Alexandra Franzen 44:42
Yeah. Yeah.

Alex Beadon 44:45
Which I think is awesome. And it just adds even more value. That’s why I think when your newsletter comes up, I’m like, Hey, I have like an update from her. Cool, you know, that’s so

Alexandra Franzen 44:53
cool. That’s great to hear. And yeah, I think I’m also the type of person who I really like of intimacy. I think that’s one of the reasons why I still love doing one on one work with clients. I love that kind of intimacy and personal connection. And, you know, even though my newsletter has grown over the course of many, many years to a pretty big community, I still feel that sense of intimacy there, there is something about an email, because it’s kind of like a conversation between you and one person. And so I like that. And I also like that when I share something for my newsletter, for example, it’s like once I hit that send button, and it goes out, that’s it. Like, I’m not tracking to see how many people click the heart button about it, or how many comments there are, it’s just like, hey, here you go. And out it goes. And that’s kind of the end of it, you know, and there’s something about that, that I really enjoy as well. It kind of again, it reduces that that noise inside my way, a little bit.

Alex Beadon 46:00
So for anyone who’s listening, who’s really resonating with what you’re saying about having a more intimate newsletter, what advice would you have for them,

Alexandra Franzen 46:10
I would say, when you write your newsletter, even if you are writing to 500 subscribers, or 1000, or 10,000, or 100,000, pretend like you’re writing to just one person, pretend like you’re writing an email to a friend. And sometimes I will actually imagine a specific person in my mind, like all imagine, a client or a friend or you know, a woman who I know is like a super duper fan of my newsletter, and I’ll pretend that I’m writing just to that one person. And when we do this, it’s it’s like something clicks in our brain where we’re able to communicate in such a more natural, human conversational way. When you think to yourself, Oh, I’m just writing an email, no big deal. You’re writing changes the way that you communicate changes. So that would be my biggest piece of advice is write as if you’re writing to just one person. And another little kind of add on to this is, if you’re the type of person where you love to share advice, or inspiration or encouragement in your newsletter, like I do. Imagine that one person emailed you, and they basically asked for your help. So you can imagine that someone emailed you and they’re like, Hey, I’m just getting started with Instagram stories. I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m so overwhelmed. I think my stories suck. Also, like I’m kind of tech phobic, I die. I need help. Do you have any words of encouragement for a total newbie, like me? So you just got that email from someone? And then if you got that email, what would you say in response, you’d be like, hey, it’s so awesome that you’re experimenting with Instagram stories. I think it’s such a fun way to express yourself. And it can be used to do so many beautiful things. And if you’re just getting started, here’s what I want you to know. Blah, blah, blah, and then share your advice or share your story or whatever. But when you write again, when you write as if you’re speaking to just one person, a funny thing happens, which is that every single person who receives your newsletter feels like, oh my god, she’s talking to me. Like, Yeah, feels like you wrote this just for me because it has that personal, intimate feeling. Hmm,

Alex Beadon 48:28
I love that. Okay, so my next question for you is, I want to hear more about your book and about the creative process for you creating this book, so talk to me about what that was like.

Alexandra Franzen 48:41
Okay, so I had a dream. And so Alex, do you remember like, Do you are you the kind of person where you remember all of your dreams really vividly when you wake up? Or do you usually not remember?

Alex Beadon 48:53
No, I do. I definitely remember. Okay, so

Alexandra Franzen 48:56
I’m the opposite. I actually almost never remember my dreams. I don’t know why. I usually wake up and I’m just like, Okay, what happened? I don’t know. This, this one morning, it wasn’t even morning. It was kind of in the middle of the night actually. I bolted awake from a dream. And it was one of the only times in my whole life when I really remembered my dream vividly, like almost like it was a movie that I had just watched. And in this dream, I had died. And in the dream, somehow doctors had been able to kind of resuscitate me and bring me back to life. And in my dream, the doctor said to me, you know you’re dead. But you’re very lucky because we’ve been able to bring you back, but it’s only for about 24 hours. You know the effects of this medical procedure we’ve done are only going to last for 24 hours so you have one extra day. Go do whatever you want to do before you die again. permanently. And I remember in the dream I was, you know, I wanted to see my family, I wanted to watch the sunset I wanted, I wanted to do so many things. And I remember, in my dream, feeling the sense of like, a combination of gratitude that I had one more day, but also the sense of pressure and urgency and deep sadness, like, this is the end, this is the last time that I’m going to see my mom and dad and sister and brother. And this is the last time that I’m going to do that I’m going to walk barefoot on the grass. And there is just this bittersweet feeling of, it’s all coming to an end, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. And I woke up from that dream. And I was like, my heart was pounding and I was sweaty, and I think I started crying, like it was the most emotional dream I’ve ever had. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it, like weeks went by, and I kept thinking about that dream and thinking about it. And finally, I realized, you know, I don’t know if I don’t know what I want to create, you know, maybe it’s an article, maybe it’s a blog post, maybe it’s a book, but I need I need to write about this even just like for my own catharsis and journaling, like I need to write about the stream that I had. And so I took my laptop and I went to the local coffee shop, and I just started writing. And almost without really making a plan, it pretty quickly became clear that I wanted to tell this story in the form of a novel in the form of a fiction book. And I had this concept of like a 24 hour 24 chapter book, where each chapter follows, you know, one hour in the final day of this woman. And so that’s how it all started. And then what was interesting, though, is that the book poured out of me really quickly, like it only took me about six weeks to write the whole book charged out. But then I kind of just let the word documents sit on my computer desktop for like, six months. And I didn’t do anything with it. I didn’t share it. I didn’t, you know, send it to my proofreader. I didn’t. You know, I didn’t look for fiction, literary agents. I didn’t mention it to my publisher. I didn’t do anything with it. I just kind of let it sit there. And there was a whole variety of reasons for that, you know, I was busy with other projects, blah, blah, blah. But also, I mean, really, honestly, I think I was just scared. I think I was just nervous that because I don’t do a lot of fiction writing. And I think I worried maybe this is just not good. You know, maybe this book kind of sucks, or I don’t know, like, how do I know if this is good enough to even get published or whatever. So I just sort of let it South sit there for a while. But then I think it was around around it was December. So it was just maybe just before my birthday, or maybe even on my birthday, I decided kind of impulsively, like, you know what? I wrote this book, I think it’s a cool story. I’m just going to share it and just kind of rip off the band aid and just put it out there and see what happens. So I decided to do it in like the most efficient way possible, which was basically, I went file, save as PDF. And then I uploaded the PDF to my website. And then I sent an email to my newsletter. And I basically just said, like, surprise, I wrote a novel, you can have it for free. Here it is. That was basically my whole book launch. I love it. And, and again, I gave it away for free, mainly because I worried it wasn’t good. And I felt like if I give it away for free, then no one can be mad at me if it sucks. That was that was my feeling. And and I won’t go into the whole story because we could spend another two hours talking about this. But the short version of what happened next is that so many things happened next, I started getting emails back from people who said, I love this story. Or this really inspired me to look at my day differently or an email from a woman who said your story inspired me to like take a day off work and take my husband and spend a day at the beach just being together. And so like little by little by little by little I started to get reactions to the story and I started to feel like oh If it’s working, you know, like, I made something that is having, like, yeah, that’s what I wanted. And then the most magical thing happened, which was, somebody downloaded that free version of the book. And they really enjoyed it. And they passed it on to a friend of theirs. And they enjoyed it. And they passed along to their brother, who was a TV producer for the CW Network, and he liked it. And he considered like, maybe I want to adopt this into a TV show. But he kind of felt like I don’t know if I’m quite the right producer for it. So then he passed it along to a woman, a colleague of his and he said, I think you’ll really like the story. And then she read it. And then she emailed me out of the blue one day and said, You know, I’m, I’m a screenwriter, and you know, indie film, TV producer, and I’m interested in adapting your novel into screenplay. And when I got that email, my first reaction was, I thought it was a spam email, I thought it was like, I thought, if I clicked it, like a virus was going to be downloaded on my computer, because I couldn’t believe it. And, but it turned out to be real. And she, we actually just finished working on the pilot episode A few days ago, and we’re going to be pitching it to Netflix and

Alex Beadon 56:19
Hulu, and my exciting. Yeah, and like, you know,

Alexandra Franzen 56:23
who knows if anything will happen with it. But it’s very exciting. That’s

Alex Beadon 56:28
amazing. Like, I wish I could see my face this entire time, like my jaw is just dropped. That’s such a beautiful story.

Alexandra Franzen 56:37
It’s so cool. And so then after that happened with her, that was kind of like the final shove that I needed, I guess, like, all right, you know, this, maybe this book doesn’t completely suck, and maybe, like, actually make an effort to get it out into the world in a slightly bigger way. So then I emailed my editor at my publisher, and I, the publisher that I’m currently signed with, they only do nonfiction books. So they don’t do fiction. They don’t do poetry, they only do nonfiction. But I said to my editor, like, hey, you know, I have kind of a big favor to ask. She’s a woman, she’s been in the publishing industry for 25 years, she’s very well connected. She’s really kind. So I asked her, if you just if you happen to know, anyone who is a fiction literary agent, or maybe a contact at a fiction publishing house, have this little project. And if you could maybe make an introduction for me, I would be so so so, so grateful. And so I sent her that email. And it was one of those emails where like, I agonized over it for like, four days, and like, was so scared to send it because I, you know, we get so weird about asking for favors sometimes. And it was just like, but I finally sent it. And she wrote back, and she said, Alex, like, the timing of this is so serendipitous, and so weird, because I just got out of a meeting with everyone here at the publishing company. And we’ve decided that we are going to start a fiction imprint, we’re starting a fiction development. Wow. And she was like, so send me your manuscript, you know, maybe we want to publish it. And I was like, Whoa,

Alex Beadon 58:23
it was so insane. Crazy. So I

Alexandra Franzen 58:27
was like, okay, so and that’s what ended up happening is that my, my current publisher is releasing. So this is the end my novel as as one of the very first books in their new fiction division. So the journey of going from PDF that I self published and released, all the way to the hardcover version that’s coming out soon. It was like, a two year journey with so many weird twists and turns and surprises along the way. But for me, like the the big takeaway that I’ve taken from this experience, is that even if you’re scared, and even if you’re not sure, if it’s good, and even if you feel like I’m not ready, or this project isn’t perfect yet, just put it out there, put it out in the world, in some way or another, even if it’s in a very small way, like just releasing it to your clients or your friends or to a small circle, because it’s like, once you toss that pebble in the water, it starts a ripple effect. And you never know where that ripple might lead. And so you just got to toss the pebble in the water. Right?

Alex Beadon 59:47
Beautiful. I just, I asked you that question. I was not expecting such a beautiful answer. That’s incredible. So thank you so much for sharing that with us.

Alexandra Franzen 59:57
Thanks. Yeah, it’s a crazy story.

Alex Beadon 59:59
Read the story. And it’s only the beginning. So I’m so excited to see where it goes. I’m so excited to finish reading the book this weekend. And for everyone who’s listening, you can, can you tell everyone where they can find the book?

Alexandra Franzen 1:00:11
Yeah, so it’s called. So this is the end a love story. And it’s on all the usual places. It’s on amazon.com, Barnes and Noble indiebound books million, it will be at bookstores. So you know, check your local bookstore, see if they have it. If they don’t have it, you can probably ask them to order it for you. And it’s available in hardcover and in Kindle. And I hope you like it. If you don’t like it, maybe don’t write a horrible review on Amazon. Keep your thoughts to yourself. That would be great.

Alex Beadon 1:00:50
Okay, perfect. So that’s actually the best place for me too. Come on in with my wrap up questions. So I asked these questions to everyone at the very end of all of my episodes. So the first one is, what is one thing you do that has been a non negotiable in the success of your business,

Alexandra Franzen 1:01:10
doing a good job for my clients so that they want to hire me again, and or talk about me to other people

Alex Beadon 1:01:19
share a mindset shift that has made the biggest difference in your life as an entrepreneur?

Alexandra Franzen 1:01:25
Oh, I would say today is not over yet. Today is not over yet is my personal mantra. And when you’re having one of those days where like nothing’s quite going right, and you’re not feeling productive, and you feel a little distracted. And suddenly, it’s 8pm. And you haven’t done anything productive. You can say to yourself, today is not over yet. And then try to finish the day, on a positive strong note. There’s always a way to do that.

Alex Beadon 1:01:53
I love that. And you know, what’s so funny is that as I was reading your book, that was the last line that I read, right before our nine. So that’s I just love that so much. As soon as I read. I was like, this is like her. She says this all the time. I love it. It fits in so beautifully. It’s perfect. Okay, the book that changed my life was

Alexandra Franzen 1:02:15
I would say die empty by Todd Henry. It’s a book. Have you read that one? No, I haven’t read it. Oh my gosh, it’s so good. It made me sob I was reading it on an airplane and crying like a crazy person. And it’s, it’s a really simple premise, the whole premise of the book is that we’re all born with a limited amount of time here on Earth. And unfortunately, most people die with their greatest work still inside of them, they never get it out. They never make the time to write the book or launch the business or do the art project or travel to Thailand or whatever it is like they they die with their best stuff still inside of them. And so in this book, he urges you to die, empty, empty the tank, get it all out. While you can.

Alex Beadon 1:03:10
I clearly have to read that book. Okay, so the next one is the world would be a better place. If more people knew

Alexandra Franzen 1:03:19
that when you die, no one will care about emails.

Alex Beadon 1:03:25
Very true. And then lastly, this is one of my favorite things. I’m really curious what yours is going to be I asked every guest to challenge our audience to do one thing this week. So what is it that you would love to challenge our audience to do this week?

Alexandra Franzen 1:03:44
I would say really sit with the question of if, if I had 24 hours to live, what would I want to do with my time? And think about that question, maybe even write down your answer. And then whatever your answer is, try to live to the best of your abilities. More like that.

Alex Beadon 1:04:07
And then of course, I have to add one extra question, because you just said that I’m curious how you would spend your last 24 hours,

Alexandra Franzen 1:04:17
I would absolutely go to the beach, I would submerge myself in the ocean. I would spend time in nature. I would spend time with my family and friends. I would probably eat a bacon cheeseburger. And I would probably write a letter to say goodbye to the people that I love and to tell them how grateful that I am to have known them in this life. And I would send that letter to them so that they have a little piece of me after I’m gone and that there’s a little echo left when I disappear.

Alex Beadon 1:04:58
That’s so beautiful. Thank you so so much for coming onto the show today you this whole conversation for me has just been so wonderful so present so just nourishing so thank you so much. I’m sure everyone listening feels the exact same way.

Alexandra Franzen 1:05:13
This has been so much fun Alex thank you for having me on the show I really really love talking to you and Alex’s are awesome

Alex Beadon 1:05:25
thank you so much for tuning into the on purpose podcast and I really hope that you had as much of a blast as we did. If you liked what you heard and want even more make sure you leave a review because it really helps support what I do here on the podcast. All you have to do is search the podcast app for the on purpose podcast, select it then scroll down until you see write a review and then type away at the beginning of the next episode. I will be picking one review one special review My favorite review of the week and I will be reading it out for all of you guys so you definitely don’t want to miss out on that. I hope you really enjoy your week and I will see you guys again next time stay on purpose.

#028 – How To Use A Podcast To Build Your Brand with Katie Dalebout

Katie Dalebout is an author, podcaster, and what I like to call a professional curator. She’s the author of her book, Let It Out, has an awesome podcast called, Let It Out and is someone who I’m lucky enough to call a personal friend. She’s such a good example of someone who is tackling entrepreneurship in her own, unique, creative way, taking it at her own pace, and doing what feels right for her above all else. If you’ve been struggling with having a full-time job while juggling growing your brand and business, you’re gonna love this one.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn: 
– How to juggle entrepreneurship with a full-time job
– Revenue streams in the podcast world
– How to grow your audience using podcasting
– How to start a passion project that enhances your career
– Reflections on Katie’s first online course
– & so much more

Resources:

Follow Katie:
Instagram: @katiedalebout 
Website: katiedalebout.com

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadonon Instagram.

*This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
You’re listening to Episode 28 of on purpose with Alex Beadon with author Katie Dalebout creator of the online course launch pod, the queen of wellness journaling, and podcasting. This episode is called How to Juggle entrepreneurship with a full time job. This is on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax. And let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Katie Dalebout is an author podcaster and what I like to call a professional curator, she’s the author of her book, let it out. She has an awesome podcast called let it out. And she is someone who I’m lucky enough to call a personal friend. She’s such a good example of someone who is tackling entrepreneurship in her own unique creative way, taking it at her own pace, and doing what feels right for her above all else. If you’ve been struggling with having a full time job while growing your brand and business, you are going to love this one. Enjoy. Katie Dale bout, thank you so much for joining me today on the podcast. I’m so happy that you’re here.

Katie Dalebout 1:33
I’m so happy to be here. I love you. And I’m just so happy that I get to catch up with you and talk to you. Okay, I

Alex Beadon 1:39
feel like we’ve come full circle from like, it must be at least five years ago when I was on your podcast for the first time. Yeah. And

Katie Dalebout 1:46
that was the first time we ever spoke, I think. And then we hung out in person soon after that in Tampa when you’re living there, which was a blast. And then with cutting out in New York, and we’ve been friends on the internet ever since. Yes,

Alex Beadon 2:00
I love it. Okay, so before we dive into our conversation, which I know that we’re going to be very good at the question that I asked everyone at the beginning is what do you find most nourishing about having your own business?

Katie Dalebout 2:14
So many things, but honestly, I think this like meeting people on the internet, which you know, five years ago was kind of like something we said and laughed about. And now I feel like everyone I know you and most people I know, it’s not a silly weird thing anymore. And it’s like the norm that way I’ve made friends on the internet. And, you know, I look at my podcast, especially I look at podcasting in general is the new networking. It’s a way to meet people through the guests that I have on my podcast that I would have never gotten to have a conversation with before either, you know, geographically, we didn’t live in the same place at the time, or we don’t still, or you know that we’re at different levels in our careers. Or, you know, it gave just because I had the microphone and pointing but just because I had the microphone between us, I was able to talk to people I never would have gotten to speak to. And that’s something that I definitely am really grateful for having a business which you know, mine really is, is my podcast, it’s centered around that. And not just the guest the people that I’ve gotten to meet on the internet through the listeners of the podcast, they’re just friends that I haven’t met yet that know me and I just have to get to know them. So that’s opened up so many doors for me, it’s helped me, you know, know myself better. It’s helped me in in so many ways that I’m in some that I’m sure I’m not even aware of.

Alex Beadon 3:38
I would love for you to share with everyone because I already know the story. But yeah, I’d love for you to share with everyone, your journey of really coming into this space and deciding that like you wanted to have your own business. You wanted to have your own podcast, like what came first tell us about your story.

Katie Dalebout 3:54
Yeah, it’s funny yesterday, I just was doing somebody else’s podcast and they’re like, What was your journey to entrepreneurship? And I was like, pardon what? Like, I never set out to be an entrepreneur. I never thought that I never even really knew anyone who was I didn’t have any models or expanders in, in that. So I didn’t know that that was even an option in general, much less for me. And when I was growing up, I really loved being seen. I wanted to, you know, the question they asked yesterday was, what do you want to be when you grew up? And how did you become an entrepreneur and what I used to say as a kid is I wanted to be a cheerleader. And I don’t know where I got that and I never really was one but I would say I want to be a cheerleader and then after an adult would be like well that’s on a job What do you really want to be and so I’d be like all right, I even had to fall back then I was like well you know, I’m gonna work at Michigan National Bank just like my mom because that was like all I knew was like all the careers that you could do is like have a full time job with benefits and so even back then as my like when I was a kid out I really want to do is be a cheerleader. But that was like not possible. So I had this bout on the table not Yeah. So then when I got older, it was kind of the same thing. You know, when I was in middle school, I did all the plays when I was in high school, I did musical theater. And so I really wanted to be an actress. But I never even said that out loud to anyone, or even was self aware enough to realize that that was something I wanted to do. And so when I got to college, I completely stopped doing that. And I was like, I’ll be a broadcast journalist I’ll be I wanted to be a TV news reporter. And so I was like that something that will hit a lot of the same notes as acting, it’s a way to be seen, but it’s a safer way. It’s a way to have a job. It’s something that like, my parents can get behind. It just felt safer. And it felt like I could study it. And I could be that what I realized is that’s really not the case. It’s super competitive. You have to work your way up. And so I did I studied broadcast journalism. And then weirdly, I, a lot of the prereqs for TV news were radio classes. So we were listening to a lot of NPR, were listening to Terry Gross, who I think is like the best and definitely is the best interviewer of our time, I was listening to a lot of these things, but I was kind of like, I just want to get to the TV. But what happened was I loved the format of audio. But at the time, podcasting didn’t really exist definitely didn’t exist in the phenomenon that it is now and really wasn’t in my direct awareness at all. So cut through a few. A few years later, after college, I during college, I started a blog and I was very into wellness at the time from a physical perspective. So I had this blog was called the wellness Wonderland. And it grew it started to you know, get some traction. And eventually, the year I was out of college I was you know, working a full time job on the side. It was teaching yoga, I was kind of doing a bunch of things, but all of my notes weren’t being hit creatively. But I was listening to a lot of podcasts because I was living alone a studio apartment I didn’t have I was gonna say it in a minute. I definitely had no I didn’t have a TV.

Friends, you know, I was living in Detroit, I wasn’t super happy. But podcasts were my friends podcast started to comfort me and this is the pre cereal, you know, pre before a lot of people knew what podcasts were. And I eventually it was kind of like I could do that. And my boyfriend at the time, who built my website and kind of helped me with all the technology side of things, which was so great, because I shut down with all that. And I’ll just be like, well, I can’t do it. Because I don’t know how. And I ended up you know, starting this podcast, which was kind of an offshoot at the time of this blog, the wellness Wonderland, it was the wellness Wonderland radio, but that was 2013, early 2013. Again, I was in I was kind of the first wellness see podcast that was independent and hosted by, you know, someone my age and a female. And so I got some of these. I’m really grateful for the people who said yes, at the beginning, but I just sort of stumbled into it. And eventually, like, I’m going through this sort of fast and you can pick up on things because I know, you know, the stories are like, you know, part of it, you’re one of my first guests, but I eventually got a book deal. And then my book came out and I eventually, you know, things started to snowball from there and to a place that, you know, I never could have even imagined. So I totally fell into to having a business. I was like, Oh, I guess I need to make an LLC now. And I guess I’m making money with this. Now it just, it was never really something I set out to do, which I think is why you know it became successful was because I was not I was unattached to, you know, forcing anything I really allowed things to happen. And I think because I remember vividly finding you online for the first time, and I think I messaged you. And I was like, Oh my gosh, like I’m just struck by your content. Like I just think you’re amazing. Yeah, I remember that too. Yeah. And I think what is so special, I mean, now it’s different, because you have an audience, and you’re much, much bigger now. But at the time, you didn’t have such a big audience, you know, and what was so wonderful and special to me witnessing you is that, you know, you were in your element, you were enjoying it, you were passionate about it, regardless of like, how many people were watching it. And I think that is something that unfortunately, due to the fact that like, there are so many people doing it now we do have the people out there who are just doing it because you know, they want more followers or they want this or they want that or whatever. Whereas looking at you like you always had this purity to the desire to share and put yourself out there and spread the message and like interviewed these people. And that was always so obvious to me. And so I’m curious, you know, because I know there’s people listening to this, we’re like, Okay, now it’s different. Now when you create content, you’re competing with all of these people. So it’s different being new them than it is being new now. Fair enough. But what would you say to people who are just starting out, and you know, they find themselves getting discouraged by the numbers or they don’t feel like they’re growing as fast as they want to grow? What would you say to those people? Yeah, I mean, I first of all,

A couple of things. I mean, okay, yes, I was an early adopter of podcasting. But that’s it. Like I wasn’t an early adopter. Yeah, adopter. That’s the word. Yeah. I wasn’t with blogging, I wasn’t with Instagram, I wasn’t with a lot of these other things. If anything, I came to blogging at like, the worst time, you know, it was kind of in blogging was over, but I just was, I just was sharing because I, it was a way for me to organize and talk about things that I love talking about with, with people who weren’t people who didn’t care, you know. And I think when it stops being for you, and it stops being fun, that’s when you should do something else, you know, like it doesn’t, that needs to be reflected in the work. And that’s what people are attracted to, like, that’s why you were like, oh, I want to check out more what this person is doing. Because you could tell it was genuine. And you could tell I actually enjoyed it. I think what what turns me off to people on the internet that are just, you know, not for me is when I can tell that it’s for a purpose other than their own happiness, like, there’s this great David Bowie quote, where he talks about how, when he stopped doing work for himself that he was really excited about and passionate about, and started to do it for an audience, that’s when and he’s made so much work, that’s when he made work that he wasn’t as proud of what is much better than that. But that’s essentially the gist. And I heard that and I related to that so much, because I have made choices on the podcast and my work. And that have been, you know, purely marketing choices, you know, I have done that. But I’ve also found a spin on it to make it me and to make it feel really great. And to make it valuable still, you know, and what I mean by that, like, I’ll be specific, like I’ve had people on the podcast of all different levels in their careers of different aspects of work, you know, the, the podcast isn’t just about wellness anymore. And I forgot to mention this before, but I changed the name of the podcast in 2016, when my book came out to let it out, and all of my work now is under that and I’m actually going through a rebrand again, but it’s it’s all let it out. And I realized that wellness isn’t just you know about the physical body wellness is something that incorporates your career and creativity and relationships. And, you know, I like Rangers as much as the next guy, but it’s not life isn’t about that, right. And so that’s what’s really been great about my podcast is it’s a really diverse group of people. But I have people on, in within that have all different levels in their career. And that means that you know, some people when they share it with their audience brings more eyes to the pot, more ears to the podcast, which I’m which I’m really grateful for, but I don’t exclusively have people at a certain level. So it grows quicker, you know, I have people at all different levels. So the conversation is great. And when I do have someone who’s, you know, has a big following. It’s not because they have a big following, like maybe it’s a marketing choice of like, yes, I want to have that person on. I’m they’re not maybe my number one person, but I know the conversation is going to be good. And I know I can move it into a direction of what I want to talk about. And I think that that’s okay. It’s about like, making it fun for you however, you can in a knock getting like, I don’t pay attention to the numbers like I don’t I don’t I don’t even have my my Instagram on like the business thing. Like the whatever that is like I don’t look at the numbers. I don’t and this probably you would probably like have helped for me that how I could grow more. But like I I don’t look at I don’t look at any of it. Like I only downloads when the sponsors make me to tell them like I’m not refreshing it all the time. Because I’ve done that before. And every time I do it’s like, you know, it just makes me sad and good. Yeah, yeah. And then when I don’t, it starts to grow. And I’m like, Oh, my God, when did that? Oh, my God, no way you’re not attached to

Alex Beadon 14:07
it. Yeah. So I’m so fascinated by this mix between like, not obsessing over the numbers. And then also like, you know, documenting the numbers and being aware of it, because you can make intelligent decisions from the number. I think it’s such an interesting relationship. And I think it really comes down to each individual. Like I’ve interviewed so many people at this point. And I never realized how different everyone is when it comes to this. Like some people are like, live and die by the numbers. And some people are like, I don’t really care what the numbers are. I just kind of go with my intuition. Like whatever ends up happening ends up happening. So I love that you share that with us. And I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. I think like you just do it the way you do it. And if it works for you, that’s all that really matters. So before you kind of touched on your community and you were saying how you know you you love The guest, but you’ve also really loved building and growing this community that you have over the last few years. So I’d love for you to talk to us about, you know, what was the journey of growing that community? Was it something that you were super intentional about? Did you have a vision for it? What’s it been like, as someone who’s kind of, you know, just been stepping more and more and more into this position of a leader under this topic.

Katie Dalebout 15:25
That’s so funny. I wish I had a vision for it. I think at the time, you know, when I started this alone in my apartment in 2013, it was honestly, I would just be grateful if someone who wasn’t someone I directly knew found the podcast. Like, that was it, I didn’t care if they were, you know, totally out of it. There was no demographic, there was no avatar, there was no ideal consumer, like it was just, I’m going to do this because I think it’s fun. And if by some miracle, someone listens to it, you know, your main

Alex Beadon 15:59
thing, like, I’m just gonna be, I’m just going to have conversations that I’m really interested in, and like, whoever wants to listen is gonna listen.

Katie Dalebout 16:06
Yeah, honestly, Alex, it was a way for me to get an hour of time with someone who I wanted to talk to, right. So I really used it as personal networking. You know, I use it. I want to talk to this, you know, yoga teacher who has written four books, and I want to be a yoga teacher that writes for books, and I’m not going to just like ask her to coffee. But if I make a conversation with her and tell her I’ll share it with my very small following, maybe she’ll say yes. And a lot of people were really generous to me. So it was me being able to ask questions that I was genuinely curious about, to people who I admired. And I was fans of their work. So if it was someone who I had, you know, read their book, and it was meaningful to me, I’d watch their movies. And this is still what it is, largely, it’s, whenever I read the book, I love I try to get that author on whenever I, you know, go to a show, and I see an actor, like I tried to get that person on, it’s whatever I’m moved by. And I want to have a conversation with and curate and like, bring to my audience like, that’s what I have. Now. That’s still the way I do it. But back then, yeah, back then it was really just a way for me to get in front, like, get time with these people, which sounds so self serving, but I think and that oh, that’s what I that’s what’s in the David Bowie quote. He’s actually says like, the make the work self serving, be selfish when you’re with your work. Because when you’re not selfish with it, when you’re not doing it for you, people can sense that it’s like, you know, this is kind of a played thing now, but I’m sure you know, this, Alex, and I’m sure you’ve said this before. But it’s like you can’t be everything to everybody. So you might as well, being really specific people end up relating to it more like casting a super wide net. And, you know, being like this is going to be for everyone, like no one really relates to it, I find the more specific I am, the more and the more real I am, the more people relate to it. So I think that’s why I ended up being relatable at the beginning. And people ended up finding it was because yeah, because the guest shared and then some of those people stuck around, but also just because I was relatable. And I was just, I was just doing this for myself. And then as far as the community though, it just kind of became what it became. And moving to New York, I’ve been doing a lot of live events. I’ve been doing live podcasts and meetups and the community is super cool. I’m honestly like, every time I meet someone who listens to the podcast, or I see a screenshot that they post, I’m just like, oh my god, you’re so cool. Like, I just want to meet them and be their friend. And I’m just, I’m really I’m really happy with get the community. I wish I could say that it was contrived. And I had like a master plan of how it happened. And, and who the you know, the it’s, it’s largely, and I hope that this grows, and I hope it diversifies but it’s largely, you know, young women who look like me and are similar to me and relate to me who are the community and that’s fine. And, and, but it also surprises me sometimes sometimes it’s people who are much older than me, who resonate with it. And I hope that it becomes people who are much younger than me as I as I age as I grow up. So, you know, it’s really nice to have this time capsule of myself on the internet, through these over 200 episodes that I’ve recorded.

Alex Beadon 19:19
It’s crazy that you’ve done more than 200 That is so yeah, we’re coming up on like a new thing. And I love the fact that you’ve created this podcast, really just from your heart from your soul, you’re just like, here’s the thing that I’ve put together, like take it or leave it. And what I want everyone listening to keep in mind is that you don’t always have to have this grand plan. Like you don’t need to have every single thing figured out. You don’t need to know like how the community is going to build or whatever. Like sometimes it’s just enough to show up and do the work. Put it out there and I love that about you. I think you’re such a great example of that.

Katie Dalebout 19:58
Thanks and I mean, I think I will They that it’s not. It’s not for everyone to be the way I am like some people need to be more directed. And like, these are my goals. And this is what I need from this. I’m someone who I’m very disciplined. So for the last five years since 2013, every single Wednesday, which is crazy, I’ve taken like, I’ve taken two breaks where I’ve been offered three weeks, for between seasons, but other than that, every single Wednesday, a new podcast episode comes out, and I do the show notes every Tuesday night, even when I procrastinate them. And it’s like, for so long, like, I didn’t have a boss telling me I had to do that I didn’t have for a really, until fairly recently, like in the last year, well, a little bit over a year, I didn’t have sponsors. So monetarily, I wasn’t, you know, tied to anything. And I didn’t even have it like now, you know, I have two people who work with me. And I wasn’t I did. I was doing it all myself. So it didn’t even matter, you know, on their timeline, like I did that myself. And now you know, I do have those parameters of like, I have to get it out because they’re sponsors and because, you know, Amanda needs the file and blah, blah, blah, but I didn’t have those deadlines, I created them for myself. And now still, like, I do things other than the podcast and that, that I don’t have those parameters on. And they still get done because I’m maybe you know, a crazy person. Or maybe I’m just you know, however you want to call it. Like I’m really disciplined. And I say I’m going to do something like, it’s going to happen. I’m pretty intense about that. And that’s my personality, or my, you know, astrology sign or whatever my composition. That’s what makes me like that. And I know, you know, for instance, like my boyfriend really admires that. And because he doesn’t have that, like he has to he’s not a good self motivator. I guess what, that that’s what that is, I guess, you know, he has to like, no, I need to be there at this time. Because I told this person I would work for me. It’s like, I can just tell myself that and I’m going to move everything to make sure that happens, because I will feel really bad if I don’t. So I don’t know if it’s good or bad. It probably induces a lot of stress. That’s

Alex Beadon 22:10
amazing. Wired. I love I love that so much lately I’ve been it’s funny that we’re talking about this because lately I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation. And where does it come from? And how are some people so self motivated, and others just aren’t? So yeah, that’s fine. That and that you’re such a self motivated person. I think that’s amazing. And I think it’s a big part of why you are where you are today as well. So the title of your podcast is let it out. Can you please explain to everyone listening? What that means to you?

Katie Dalebout 22:40
Yes, yes. Okay. So when I was writing my book, well, before it before I wrote my book, actually, I got the title of my book, which is also let it out. And the podcast comes from the title of the book. And the title of my book is about journaling, which, you know, we can talk about as well, it’s 55 journaling, exercises, its its journaling prompts, which nobody told me to start journaling I was I was going through something in my my early 20s, when I was surrounded by a lot of therapists and coaches and people in my life. And I intuitively was I was reading a ton of self help, I was doing all the things but I was like, you know, I can do what all these other people tell me to do. I can eat a diet like this person tells me to do but it was it was too much information, I felt like the answers might be within me. And that’s like a cliched played phrase now too. But at the time, I just intuitively wandered out of the Self Help section into a Barnes and Noble. And I went into the stationery section because I had a gift card. And I bought myself a journal and I just started writing in it. And it was cathartic for me to get the thoughts out of my mind onto the page. And then I could sort through them and decide which ones I wanted to listen to and which ones weren’t true. And it gave me relief. And what I realized is, you know, that’s that same feeling related to me, which is how I kind of came to this idea of of writing the book. That relief I felt after essentially like purging the thoughts out of my mind onto the piece of paper helped me because in a sense in the in a very similar way to when I was sick when I was a kid my mom would always say to me you know if you have like a bug and or the flu or something and you need to throw up, or if you have the sniffles and you need to like have a sinus infection or something you need to blow your nose or cough or whatever my mom would be like let it out let it out like he gotta throw it you gotta let it out. And it’s the same thing of the thoughts in my mind so that that’s how the the title of the book came to be and and that’s that was happening and then I was like, you know I have this podcast, I really want to diversify it from wellness. I always joke like you can take the wellness Wonderland off the internet. You can take the wellness Wonderland out of the girl you know like I And I still like talking about wellness. And it’s still something that I find it fascinating people’s relationship to it, and especially the world that we’re living in. Now that puts a pressure on it. And I think, you know, there are ways that that can be problematic and kind of a new class system. And there are ways that it can be really beautiful and wonderful and help enrich people’s lives. And so I still find that fascinating, but I was looking to diversify the content I was covering in the podcast, and let it out seemed like a perfect fit, not just because it was easy, because it was the name of my book, but because of that same thing, you know, I tend to do that with my feelings. And my therapist told me a couple of years ago, I was walking around me like, I’m someone who feels so many feelings, I feel so many feelings, feelings, just like that’s a lie, Katie, you don’t feel feelings, you think your feelings, you think my feelings and I stuffed them down. And I don’t actually deal with them. Like, I don’t actually allow myself to feel fully I closed myself off meaning, I’ll think a thought. And then when the feeling comes, I’ll you know, turn to my phone, or I’ll turn to you know, food or denying food or drinking or you know, whatever, like, religion. So whatever coping mechanism, we all have our coping mechanisms, right? So I decided to really start feeling my feelings and going there. And because if you feel the richness of sadness, you can also feel the depths of happiness, too. But if you don’t allow yourself to feel the full spectrum of emotions, like why are you here, you know, like, that’s why I think we came here it is to feel. So letting it out is like a way for people to let it out and be really present, let out whatever is on their minds. And I have these very long form conversations. They’re about, you know, an hour and a half, two hours of talking about our feelings talking about, you know, I think my podcast is so long, because after about a half an hour, and you kind of forget your recording, and you can just you’re kind of sleepy and delirious and people just start being like, good stuff starts coming out. Yeah, it really does. And it’s a it’s a really magical thing. And it’s kind of like a meditation for both of us. Because you know, like we’re doing right now, like, our phones are in airplane mode. It’s just you and I. And if I get distracted, I sound silly, especially as the host, you have to kind of keep the thread going. Let it out was the perfect way for the show to kind of progress. And I really love that title. And now what I’m making, you know, with this, this new thing that I’m going to be launching in a couple of months, like, I love that the name, let it out is is going to be the through line of my work, which was accidental, but I think is really fitting.

Alex Beadon 27:37
Yeah. Oh, I love it. Okay, so talk to me about your offerings, the different things that you have available for people to buy, or the different revenue streams that you have. Because I know you said you have sponsors for the podcast as well. Like, I would just love to know, your evolution and your journey with that.

Katie Dalebout 27:56
Yeah, so again, all of it was kind of accidental. I didn’t have any revenue.

Alex Beadon 28:01
So much for that. I love that you’re just like, just happened?

Katie Dalebout 28:06
Yeah, yeah, I really did. And, and I mean, I have to be really honest, like, the reason it happened that way, was because I had a full time job. And I’m, I never had to put the pressure on the work to make me money. You know, I was supporting myself elsewhere. And I was doing this on the side. And I think, you know, I was embarrassed to talk about that for a really long time. Because I was like, Well, I’m not a real author, if I’m not making my money from my book, or I’m not a real blogger, or I’m not a real podcaster. And then I was like, Yes, I am. People listen to this, and I work really hard on it. And, you know, I work harder on that than my full time job. So I definitely am. And, but also, you know, I have the luxury of not putting pressure on the work to make the money, which allowed it to unfold this way, you know, some people don’t have that luxury or choose not to have that luxury, you know, and then maybe I would have monetized faster if I if I had had to do it, you know. So that’s just something I want to be honest about. And so the first way that I started making money, you know, I would be an affiliate for other people. And that was the first time I ever made money. So meaning, and that was just very, very small that wasn’t going to like pay my rent or anything. But if I had some on the podcast, who had an offering, I was obviously going to put information about their course or their, you know, event they were doing in my show notes. And then if people wanted to engage in that after they obviously found it through me, I would make a small percentage because I was like, Oh, maybe I could have sponsors for the podcast or maybe and then eventually brands started to reach out to me that wanted to sponsor the podcast, and that’s why I said no to all of them because they just like weren’t really a fit. And then I but it did plant the seed that I was like, Okay, well, if brands are reaching out to me, that means I could probably reach out to brands I do like and I do really do love and would want to talk about in the podcast anyway and curate for, you know, the community anyway, why don’t I try that? And then I did. And so now you know, I have two sponsors every episode. So that’s, that’s been the biggest revenue stream, I got a book advance. So when my book came out, I made money that way my book is traditionally published. So that means I get 50% of the profits, and my publisher gets the other 50%. So, but I had to make the way publishing works is I had to make back the advance first, so I got a bunch of money up front, and then I didn’t start getting royalty checks for about like a year, I think until I made that amount back. And then now I get 50%. So it’s not a huge amount. It’s like a nice like, oh, cool, little bit of money every once in a while. But so I will don’t suggest living on on a book deal. You have to have other things. And I think this is really important to talk about, like, every podcaster that I know, isn’t just a podcaster I don’t know, one. I don’t know what unless it’s like NPR like every other podcast, you’re either. You know, people who I know who have very, very, very successful podcasts also sell an online course or also are a comedian and they do a podcast or, you know, like, let’s let’s talk about Pete Holmes. He’s a very famous comedian who has a very successful podcast. But he also tours as a comedian. He also has a TV show on HBO. So like, there’s his revenue streams, you know what I mean? Like, even though there’s sponsors on his podcast, which maybe he could live off that, like, he does other stuff, too. And I’m actually you know, so that’s how I’ve made money to up until this point. And then what I’m doing now is I’ve never, ever sold anything on the internet myself. I’ve you know, sponsors that’s not selling anything. I’m just telling about somebody else’s thing in my book, I don’t deal with either. That’s my publisher deals with that. But I spent all winter working so hard on something I’m so proud of. And it’s this my first online, I guess, yeah, of course, online workshop. It’s called Launch pod a launch pad for your podcast. Because Oh, I guess

Alex Beadon 32:09
love the name.

Katie Dalebout 32:10
Thank you. I can’t wait for you to see the website because it’s really good. The imagery is all space but excited the theme. And the images for that was because I started podcast advising just like you would have a financial advisor. I had so many people emailing me like, how did you start your podcast? What microphone? Do I get to I’m scared about like, what should the title be? Can you workshop it with me and I, I was answering these emails, it was taking me so much time. And I was just like, I can’t get back to all of these, I need help. And but I want to help people. So I started to make a program where people not a program, just 15 minutes, and I would talk to them on the phone about their podcasts. And I was this podcast advisor. So I learned a lot about what people were asking what people needed, what I needed when I started because like I mentioned before, when I was telling my story, when I started, when I had this idea to start a podcast, I would have not done it unless I accepted. I did have a podcast advisor, like I had someone to take care of the technology for me, I had someone to talk through my idea with I had someone to tell me, I was okay to tell me all the things that I didn’t want to do that I didn’t I could Google but I didn’t want to Google that did them all for me and figured it out. And like for me, that was my boyfriend at the time. And I’m so appreciative that I had him because I never would have done it. And I wanted to be that for other people. So that’s what I started to be with this advising. And so then I made this, this online workshop, which is, you know, what brings me to what I was saying about knowing this from other podcasters. So it’s eight modules, where I talk about everything from, you know, starting podcasts and workshopping it to technology to you know, finding sponsors and monetizing it and everything in between. But the biggest that’s like not that’s like the tiniest part of it. The main part of it is that I interviewed 10 Other podcasters who have been quiet, yeah, as long as me or have, you know, been doing like in all different spaces. And I also anyway, so everyone I talk to they don’t make their money entirely from their sponsorships, they do other things either also wrote a cookbook, or they also do workshops, or they also whatever. And so it was really important for me to showcase that, like, I think having a diverse amount of revenue streams. And as I know, you know, Alex is, is really important and helpful. And we right now it’s kind of the wild west of podcasting. And brands are excited to work with podcasters and want to be associated with a medium, but I don’t know how long that will be, you know, like blogging change a lot and like podcasting is what blogging was 10 years ago. I don’t think it’s going to be like a bubble bursts like there was with that. I think it’s going to just change and evolve and I see this medium being around for a really long time. And I totally agree with you. Yeah, but anyway, so that’s, that’s my third revenue stream or so. Okay,

Alex Beadon 35:00
I have to add on to that. Because for everyone listening before I started my podcast, the one person who I called and I was like I need your advice was Katie. And Katie, she was so nice. And she gave me so much advice. So I’m just lucky that you’re my friend. That was really, really helpful.

Katie Dalebout 35:18
Yeah, that was like, my first podcast advising session

Alex Beadon 35:24
as a friend, and then this thing I wanted to tell you is that I love that you listened to your audience, because so often I think people are like, oh, what should I do? What should I do? What should I do? And so often, the answer is like literally staring us in the face. But we think it’s too easy. Or we think it’s like, I’m not really sure. Like, the same thing happened with me. And Grand Slam, like, to be honest with you launching a course about Instagram Stories wasn’t really on my radar. But I was getting so many questions about it. I was like, Okay, this might be something to consider. And it has been so so worth it. So I love that you’re listening to your audience. That’s awesome.

Katie Dalebout 36:00
Yeah, it’s interesting. I heard this quote recently on a podcast, probably. But someone said something, like, follow the dream that’s also following you. So it’s like, if you want to be an Academy Award winning actress, but like, what’s really working for you? Is your gardening business, like maybe any like that as well, like, maybe go with the gardening business, you know, like, and take some acting classes, but like, follow the dream that’s like, what’s working for you? And like, same thing, like, I never thought I would teach broadcasting, I did a lot of like, who am I to, to talk about this? Like, I really don’t know what I’m doing. I fell into it. But I had so many people asking me that I kind of had to

Alex Beadon 36:43
love it. So so so much. Okay, so I really want to talk to you about spirituality, because I know it plays a huge role in your life. So I would love to know how that has evolved for you what your current practices look like, if you’re still going on that route. Talk to me about that.

Katie Dalebout 37:00
Yeah, of course, it’s like, my favorite thing to talk about. So, I mean, it’s it’s like, it’s like anything, it’s like, everything in life is kind of the same thing. It’s cyclical, it’s it’s malleable, it’s changing. I think, you know, for me, the things that stickers, like, I really believe that we’re all connected, I think you can call it a million different things. People in the people in my life all call it something different, you know, my boyfriend calls it something different than I do. You can call it the universe, you can call it humanity, you can call it God. But I think that when we are being present, and we are fully ourselves, that’s when we can connect with each other. And we’ve all I think we all have come here to heal and learn and grow. And then to teach that to other people. And to be that and share whatever we’ve come to learn ourselves with other people. So that’s, I’m just trying to be better at being myself every day. Like that’s, that’s my goal now is to know myself better and feel more comfortable being myself and I don’t get that every day. You know, I the reason I started journaling is because I was so good at putting on masks and being a chameleon to find whatever everyone wanted from me that I had no idea who I was, I was just the shell, you know, I didn’t have anything. And I had to find some self awareness to to figure out that. And the, the journaling is just a practice to be able to know that and then once I’m able to do that with myself, I feel more comfortable being that with other people. So now you know what my practice looks like, I do TM meditation still. I was gifted that by someone who came on my podcast, so I, I do that about 20 minutes a day I don’t do the second one is often I used to now that I live in New York, I don’t really do the second one. But once a day, every morning, I meditate and I lately, I wasn’t journaling really at all, except, you know, kind of SOS as needed. But I just started to do actually like two weeks ago, I decided to do the first exercise of my book, which is a spin off of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way but I’m doing like morning pages every day for 30 days leading up to my birthday because I just thought it would be fun, and I’m trying it. So yeah, I’ve done that before many times but those are kind of the main two things that really stick for me and just trying to be gentle with myself and realizing much like with my business like the the less I force and the less I think about things, the more comes to me and I really believe that, you know, the universe is something we can communicate with and work with, but only if we’re present and only if we’re being our selves. And whenever I’m distracted, or I’m rushing, I find that’s when things just aren’t as easy. And I want more ease and my life, you know, I think ease is, it feels cozy. To me, it feels like I’m most creative. And I think I think everyone wants more of that, you know, being busy and running around. That’s when we block ourselves off from, you know, any sort of spirituality or any sort of connection to something greater than ourselves.

Alex Beadon 40:30
I feel like you have this really great relationship between ease and flow and like wanting to invite more of that into your life. And also being someone who like you self described yourself as really self motivated and a hustler, someone who can get things done. I’d love for you to talk to us about that relationship. I know a lot of people really run themselves into the ground, you know, so what has it been like for you in balancing that? Have you always been this way? What are some tips that you can give people on? Just being aware of like, maybe when they’re going down the wrong path?

Katie Dalebout 41:07
Yeah, I mean, I think that’s it right there. It’s like being aware of it. Because I don’t I want to be really honest to have like, I’m not perfect at this. And that’s the part you don’t see, you know, like anyone is Yeah,

Alex Beadon 41:19
got it totally. Oh, I spectrum. Yeah, fall somewhere in there.

Katie Dalebout 41:25
And it’s, it’s the awareness of like, knowing when you’re further at one side of that spectrum than the other and being able to come back to like center on that spectrum. And I know, like, when I’m getting in the red zone of like, I’m about to get burnt out, this is too much. I’m overwhelmed. Like, that’s when I start getting sick, or that’s when I start, you know, my I’m not putting enough into my relationships, like we have all these different buckets in life. And the bucket is like the career bucket. And then we have the creativity bucket. And we have the, you know, general life Aaron’s bucket, and we have the romantic relationships, but bucket and we have the wellness bucket. And it’s like, we only have so much stuff to put in those buckets. So it’s a myth that all those buckets can be filled at the same time, like that is impossible. So you’re one is going to get more of like when my wellness bucket is more full, maybe that means my work isn’t as full and that’s okay. But it’s going to serve all of the buckets, the more I put into each of them, you know. So it’s about just kind of knowing where you are on that spectrum. And the way I’m doing it currently, and this is maybe not forever, but I’ll kind of work in Sprint’s where, like, for instance, this weekend, I worked a lot like I didn’t I worked all weekend, because next weekend, my boyfriend and I are long distance like my boyfriend’s coming, we’re kind of having a staycation. And I’m going to not work at all. And so I really wanted to, you know, that was what I wanted to do. And that’s not to say I do that all the time. But that’s what I did this weekend. And I think having that awareness because I’ve gone in, there’s been periods in my life when I’ve, I’ve worked too much. And there’s been periods of my life when I’ve gotten behind, because I’ve been having more fun. And I think it’s just like allowing yourself to know again, that it’s cyclical, and that it will change and that it’s different with the seasons. And you’re in charge of that you’re in charge of how much time and how much of you you devote to these different areas. But knowing that, how you feel your best and what that takes for you to feel your best.

Alex Beadon 43:32
Would you also say, because I feel like a lot of people’s problems is that they’re rushing to get to where they want to be, or like, I want to be a full time entrepreneur and I’m rushing to get there. So it’s like, I’m going to only focus on my work bucket for like the next six months or whatever. So looking at your yourself and looking at your own life, would you say that you’re someone who maybe just has more patience, or you just have more trust that things are working out in your favor? What advice would you give to someone who maybe is a leader? Or do you think that that’s fine, too?

Katie Dalebout 44:05
I mean, I think that that’s fine, too. I’m a step and that’s not me, you know, I’m a stepping stone. I think we’re different in this way. You know, like, I’m a stepping stone person, I need a I you know, I wanted things that I’ve wanted for a really long time I’ve gotten when I’ve gotten them and that’s been okay. You know, I think my people who are like that, and they want to just focus and go go go great. If it’s, if that’s what’s fulfilling them, like I think you and I are different in that but like it fulfills you. For me, that would be too scary. You know, I think we all have different thresholds for uncertainty and thresholds for fear and thresholds for for change, right? And mine is very, very low, right? Like I’m, especially in terms of entrepreneurs, right, like mine is very low. I want to make sure that I’m going to have enough you know, money that I feel comfortable and living in New York City and all these different things and Did I that’s caused me to do things a bit slower than maybe someone else would. Were someone who’s had a lot of models for entrepreneurship and has a bigger tolerance for risk and uncertainty and change, you know, they might be able to do things a lot quicker than than I would. And I think that’s okay. And honestly, I admire them a lot. But the difference is, it has to actually feel fun for you. So if for me, that wouldn’t feel fun, that would feel scary, and I wouldn’t like that, and the work wouldn’t be good, I would feel like I was compromising the work. But for them, it might ignite like a fire under them. And they might make really, really great work because they’re putting themselves they’re giving themselves deadlines. And that motivates them, where I don’t need to be motivated by deadlines, I motivate myself regardless. So it’s just it depends on the person. We’re all so different. We come into the world. And you know, our bodies look really different. Our intellects are different, like our, you know, all of these things are different based on how we grew up, where we grew up, and also what was modeled for us. And that’s just also like how we are, you know,

Alex Beadon 46:05
yeah, I couldn’t agree more. And I feel like, I don’t know what number episode this is. But I feel like that summary of conversation that we just had pretty much summarizes my entire experience of interviewing however many entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed is just like, everyone is so different than everyone like, I think if you’re an up and coming entrepreneur, your job right now is really to figure out what works for you and really get comfortable finding that flow of like, you’re still hustling, but you’re taking care of yourself in a way that feels good. Whatever works for you. I love it. Okay,

Katie Dalebout 46:39
yeah. And there’s no shame and like none on it, you know, like, whatever you are

Alex Beadon 46:45
right or wrong, like you are at your sharpest you are at your best when you’re working in the way that best suits you. Aim like Amen. Yeah. So I asked people wrap up questions at the end of every single episode. So get ready and favorite question number one, for this. What is one thing you do that has been a non negotiable in the success of your business?

Katie Dalebout 47:11
It’s it’s pretty cliche at this point, because I wrote a book on journaling. But journaling is how I get the clarity. It’s how I get ideas. It’s how I get organized mentally, and I can kind of skim the pond scum off the top so I can get to clear water ideas underneath all of that. So that that would be the thing.

Alex Beadon 47:33
I love that you’re so into journaling, we’re gonna have to have you on again to just talk about journaling. Okay, great. I would love that. Share a mindset shift that has made the biggest difference in your life as an entrepreneur.

Katie Dalebout 47:45
Oh, this is a good one. Okay, I got this from Elizabeth Gilbert. She wrote this book, Big Magic a couple of years ago, that really changed everything for me. So she was saying that when so she was always a writer. And that’s always what she wanted to do. But she always had side jobs on the side of that for the entirety of her career, because then she never had to put the pressure on her work to make her money. She was able to be creative and make choices outside of that. And she literally had a job until her book, Eat Pray, Love came out, which was a huge, massive success, like Julia Roberts played her in the movie, so then she could leave her job, right? So when I heard that I was like, I actually am an entrepreneur, it was like this magical thing for me. So it was really that was the biggest mindset shift of like, just owning what I felt like, Okay, I do all these different things to make money, but it doesn’t mean that I’m any less of a podcaster or I’m any less of, you know, an entrepreneur like this is actually real. It’s not just this side thing that I’m gonna give up some day, it allowed me to feel more confident.

Alex Beadon 48:50
A man, I love hearing you say that, okay, and I think so many people are gonna hear that and totally resonates. I love it. Yeah, fill in the blank, the world would be a better place if more people knew.

Katie Dalebout 49:02
If more people knew people love when people are being real when people are being themselves and people are being authentic, and people can smell from a mile away, when you are trying to be something that you think someone will like when you’re hiding when you’re afraid. And that is just, I don’t ever want to be around people like that because it just makes me sad. It’s not I don’t want to be around them. But I just wish people knew that they could be themselves and own whatever they’re trying to hide.

Alex Beadon 49:35
That’s so good. The book that changed my life was

Katie Dalebout 49:40
I really did like Big Magic. But I want to say another one that was really helpful to me. Mmm hmm. Gosh, there have been there have been so many books that have really been helpful to me. This is kind of a random one but big magic but I already said that. And then this book Star Girl.

Alex Beadon 50:00
Did you ever read that? No,

Katie Dalebout 50:02
it’s like a fiction book I read in middle school, but it’s by Jerry Spinelli. And it kind of talks about these things you can read in like a day, or like two days, it’s really little. But it’s, it’s like a why a novel, but it’s about this, this girl who’s very different. And her, her name is Star Girl. And it talks about kind of what we’re talking about today, which is, you know, owning whatever it is that you’re afraid of, and what you’re trying to hide and, and being yourself and just being okay with whoever you are. And that’s what this book is about. And it helped me in middle school and it, I read it again, in college, and I, you know, probably we will return to it this year. It’s impactful for me.

Alex Beadon 50:44
I love it. Okay, last but not least, I like to ask every guest to challenge our audience to do something to take some sort of action this week. So what is it that you would like to challenge our audience to do?

Katie Dalebout 50:59
Okay, this will be kind of an open ended challenge. But I like I said earlier, I committed to doing 30 days of something that I know is good for me. So for me, it’s doing this journaling everyday, like I’ve done it before. I know it’s good for me, I wasn’t doing it. So I decided I’m going to do it for 30 days. And then after 30 days, it can stop forever. I can keep going I can do it sporadically. But for 30 days, I have to do it. So why don’t and I’m not gonna say that they have to do journaling, they could but maybe it’s meditation, maybe it’s, you know, drinking more water. Maybe it’s committing to writing a new song every day. If you’re a songwriter, maybe it’s making a podcast every week for eight weeks, or whatever it is. But like commit to doing something you know, is good for you for a week for 30 days for like, give yourself a time period. And be kind yourself. Like if you miss a day. Don’t beat yourself up, because that will just make you not want to do it. But I think that could be cool.

Alex Beadon 51:54
Thank you so much, Katie, I love you from the bottom of my heart. And it’s just so wonderful to have you on the podcast. And I’ve just gotten to hang out with you. And I know everyone’s gonna love you so much. So, everyone, if you haven’t checked out Katie’s book already, let it out. Go and check it out. Buy it, take the exercises and use them as a podcast. Go and check out her podcast. And Katie, can you let everyone know where they can find you online?

Katie Dalebout 52:25
Yes, yeah, I’m at Katie, Dale, well, all over the internet. Just a quick Google away. I’m active on Instagram, all the places. And my podcast is called let it out. So just search that in iTunes. And if you are thinking about doing a podcast email me, let me know and I would love to help you and fo at Katie Dell out. And launch pod will be out. I’m sure by the time this is out. So yeah, check. Check that out. It’s a cool club. And yeah, it this medium has been so great for me that I really want more people to be part of it, because I love it and I want it to keep growing. So that’s that’s why I made the online workshop.

Alex Beadon 53:06
I’m so excited for you, Katie, like Thank you. I’m so excited because I’ve just been wanting you to create your own for so long.

Katie Dalebout 53:14
I know so many people like told me that and I was honestly so resistant. I was like, Yeah, I could make a course on journaling. But I feel like I put everything I knew about that. And like it was like I I just don’t I’m like I don’t want to feel salesy. I don’t know what to do. And like, this is the only thing I was like, I do actually know this. I’ve done it for five years. I studied in college like, yeah, I can do it. Yeah, I do. And I’m really like I wouldn’t be I didn’t wouldn’t feel comfortable putting something out that I didn’t really love. And yeah, I worked so hard on Alex. I’ll tell you all about it. But I’m excited about

Alex Beadon 53:48
it. I’m so proud of you. Thank you again so much for joining me. And I love you.

Katie Dalebout 53:53
Thank you for having me. I love you more. Thank you for listening to

Alex Beadon 53:59
thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to give me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that. I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye.

#027: How I Booked 2 Coaching Clients This Week & Created Momentum In My Launch

 
 
Alex gears up for a big win!
 
In this episode you’ll hear Alex bring you behind-the-scenes of one of the most important months of her year. As she gears up for the second launch of Gram Slam, she runs you through how she booked 2 coaching clients this week, and what she’s been doing to build momentum for her upcoming launch of Gram Slam! If you ever wonder what’s *really* going on for an online marketer right before a major launch, this is the episode for you!
 
 
This is On Purpose. 
 
 
 
5 Things You’ll Learn In This Episode: 
– My process for booking coaching clients
– Why you shouldn’t feel deflated if an ideal client doesn’t book you
– The one thing to keep at the front of your mind when launching
– How this is Alex’s most prepared-for launch
– What Alex has let slip since being in launch mode
 
 
Resources:

 

Check out your girl:
IG: @alexbeadon
Facebook: Alex Beadon

 

Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
You’re listening to episode number 27 of on purpose with Alex Beadon. In this episode, I share how I booked two coaching clients this week and how I created momentum in my launch. This is on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived? And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose-driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong on purpose.

Hey, friends, I’m so excited for today’s episode, because today I’m going to be talking to you all about how I’m feeling behind the scenes of my second launch of Grand Slam. And I’m also going to be sharing with you my process of bringing onboard some new coaching clients. So if you are someone who is a coach yourself, or if you’re someone who’s into sales, and you’re always trying to learn more, if you’re someone who’s about to launch something of your own, and this is definitely a great episode to listen to. Let’s dive in. So first of all, I’m so excited because if you’re listening to this, as this episode just went live, it is October 8 2018. And that means that my five day free Instagram Stories challenge called double down on your DMS is live, if you haven’t signed up, you are missing out today’s the very first day so you, you really won’t have missed anything. And even if it’s day three, four or five, like still sign up, because you’re still going to have the option to catch up and see all of the previous content. But definitely go to gram dash lab.com forward slash podcast and you can sign up there. As soon as you sign up, you’re going to get an invite into our Facebook group, the fun has already begun. So go sign up, join in on the fun, we are really focusing in on engagements, and how to get more direct message responses from your Instagram Stories, which really is the whole point behind creating Instagram stories. You want to build a know like and trust factor with your audience. Reason being that when you create a know like and trust factor with your audience, people are far more likely to trust you enough to buy from you. I always say people buy from people that they know like and trust. And Instagram stories are a great way to cultivate that relationship with them. And it’s also a great way to encourage them to start a conversation with you. There’s such a different feel when someone reaches out and messages you as opposed to you reaching out and cold messaging them. And so that’s really the premise behind the entire challenge. Also, because I hear from so many people who say that they want to be creating more Instagram stories, but they’re not really sure what they should be posting, when they should be posting how many different times they should be posting. So I wanted to create a challenge that would really encourage people to get out of their comfort zone by ditching the excuse that they don’t know what to post. Basically, when you sign up every single day, you’re going to get an email straight to your inbox that gives you a prompt, right and this prompt is going to be basically a topic it’s going to be like yo, this is what I’m daring you to do. This is what I’m challenging you to post your Instagram stories today. So it’s very simple and straightforward. You’ll know exactly what to post. And my favorite part of this entire experience I already know is going to be the community. The fact that there are as I’m recording this, it’s currently Thursday, and we already have 3000 entrepreneurs signed up. So by the time Monday comes around, there’s going to be even more 1000s of entrepreneurs who have signed up. So having the opportunity to go through this as a group as a community is something that is super special. At the end of it all I am going to introduce you to my signature program called Grand Slam but there is zero commitments like you absolutely do not have to buy grand slam you can go through this entire free experience without paying a single cent and get a lot of value from it. I only do this a few times a year so I highly recommend that you hop on board at Graham dash slam.com forward slash podcast. Okay, so I want to share with you my experience this week. So a few weeks ago, Laura and I decided that it would be a good idea to make available some one on one coaching calls, mainly because I like to listen to the universe and I was getting a lot of direct messages in my Instagram inbox from people who were like, Hey, are you offering one on one coaching? Are you offering one on one coaching? Hey Alex, are you offering one on one coaching So I was like, okay, life, I can take a hands, I feel like it’s a good idea to offer this one on one coaching, it will be a nice way to bring in a little bit of extra cash right before the launch, so why not? Right? So I put it out there on the podcast. And I was like, Hey, guys, if anyone’s interested in getting some one on one coaching with me, you can sign up at whatever the link was, I think work with me dot Alex beadon.com. And we really went from there. And it’s been super interesting number one, because let me explain the kind of the process what happens is, throughout the year, I only open up one on one coaching a few times, right? So maybe once, maybe twice a year. And the reason behind that is because most of the time, I’m so focused on my online experiences. So like creating grab slam, I work on the school of color impressions, and I really enjoy doing those group experiences. But sometimes it’s so nice and refreshing to have that one on one time with people. So I decided this time, it was time. And I was like, Cool. Let’s do it. So the process is that you sign up at work with me to Alex beadon.com, to basically alert me that you’re interested in working together one on one. And then from there, whenever I’m actually offering something, what I do is I email that list first and I say Hey, guys, so you sign up to this email list because you wanted to be the first to be notified when I had a one on one coaching available. And lucky for you, I finally have one on one coaching available. If you’re interested, all you have to do is tap here to apply. So I alerted that list of people who said that they were most interested. And then I also I believe we put it in the podcast. And I think we put it on like two podcast emails at the very bottom saying like PS, I’m offering one on one coaching, here it is. Now from there, what they do is they click that button, and it takes them to an application page. And what I’ve learned through offering one on one coaching is that number one, one on one, coaching is a significant investment, right? It requires money in order to make it happen. And also it requires a certain level of

like, you have to be the right fit. Okay, so in other words, I there’s so many business owners who listen to me and who get value from my podcasts and my free content. But I’m really looking for a specific type of person to work one on one with, and I have a certain set of requirements of the person that I know I can help the most. So the reason why I have that application process is basically just to go through and be like, are we a good fit? Or aren’t we a good fit? If you are someone who is trying to do something, and I don’t feel like I’m the best person for the job that I’m going to tell you, Hey, I don’t think we’re a good fit. Thank you for applying. But I don’t think I’m the business coach for you. Cool. So we go through the application process. And really and truly, I had a goal in mind that I wanted to bring on board to coaching clients alike. That was the number that I was aiming for. And so the way that I worked out how many calls I would have to get on, is I know that normally I have a 25% close rate, which means that if I get on the phone with four people, I statistically, will sell to one of those four people, right. I’m not sure what the industry average is. But I did some research on it a while ago. And I believe that that is around the industry average. But if you’re lower than that, and you you don’t have a lot of experience with selling over the phone, then just know that it’s something that you can work on. It’s something that you can improve on. But I know that my closing rate is about one in four. So I knew if I wanted to sell 10, I should probably get on the phone with eight people. And I was like, You know what, let’s make it 10 Just to be safe. So we went through the application process and basically chose the first 10 Good fits and sends an email to those 10 people were like, hey, you’ve made the final cut. Alex would love to get on the phone with you to just make sure that you’re a good fit. And if you are then she’ll be making the offer to you over the phone. So what ends up happening is that I get on the phone with these people. And one of two things happen. I either get on the phone with them and I realized like okay, this person I thought was a good fit from their application, but listening to them. Now I realized that they need something totally different than one on one coaching. In which case I will tell them hey, I actually don’t think that we’re a good fit. This doesn’t happen very often. It does happen it has happened where I’ve been on on calls and I’ve had to tell people like actually, you I would more recommend that you do this. Like if you want to experience success like this is your next best step. I’m not your next best step. But I think the reason why it’s quite rare is that for the most part, people who sign up for one on one coaching, they are ready for one on one coaching. So most people who sign up are a good fit. So if they are a good fit, and we go through the call and I realized that like yes, their challenges are something that I can help them overcome. And their goals are things Is that I have accomplished myself, that I feel much better about being like, okay, cool. Let’s move forward. And let me let me introduce you to the offer that I have on hand. So then I talked to him on the phone, I introduced them to the offer, I let them know everything that they will be getting everything that it costs, I answer any questions that they have, I give them the price. And so basically, we had 10 calls, and we split them out over a three day period, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. So on Monday, I had four calls. And all the calls, this is the weird thing. And this is what I think can be so demotivating to people who are trying to convert coaching calls is like, you know, if you have a one in four conversion rate, that means you’re getting on four calls with people, and three of them are going to say no. So it’s like you have to detach from the expectation that every single person is going to say yes. And I when I speak to my clients, I realized that that is one of the number one things that slows people down and makes people feel like they’re not good coaches, or they must be offering the wrong thing is because people like not every single person is buying. But the reason why I’m sharing this with you is because I’m trying to let you know that it’s 100% normal for most people to not buy, the important part is not taking the knows, personally. So if someone says no, it doesn’t mean that it’s not worth it, or that what you’re offering is too expensive or whatever. It just means that it’s not a good fit for them in that moment. And that couldn’t have been more the case over the first two days that I did interviews. Every single person said no, I interviewed seven people. No, no. Did I 1234567? No, I interviewed six people. I was supposed to interview seven in that first day, but one woman completely forgot about our call. So I was supposed to interview seven people in the first two days, I interviewed six. And I made the offer to all six of them. And all six of them said no. Right? And it’s hard. You get to that point, like I woke up on Wednesday, which was yesterday. And I told Laura I was like, Dude, I don’t know if we’re wasting our time, like I’ve never tested this offer before. Like, I’m just not really sure what’s going on. Like maybe the offer isn’t good enough, whatever, whatever. And she was like, listen, we have decided that this is our plan, we’re going to stick with it, you have three more interviews, you’re going to take them today. So on Wednesday, I did three more interviews. And I sold two of the three, which means that I sold two of my nine sales calls. One person, like I mentioned, cancelled her call. So that just goes to show that like, don’t give up until it’s at the like, you can’t, you can’t stop to examine what’s happening until the very end. The only thing I will say that I did differently on the last day as like differently from the first two days is that I was more flexible with people about what it was that they wanted. So for example, I offered them a price. I offered them my offer. And they were like, Yeah, you know, this is I really want to say yes to this. But my concern is that I there’s not going to be any follow up or that I’m not going to follow through. So I was like, Cool. I’m gonna throw in some accountability calls. Is that a good offer for you then? And then they’re like, yeah, oh, my gosh, I’m so happy with that cool, I’m in and they and then they buy? Right. So like, I think on that last day, the only thing I did differently was I was a little bit more I gave I gave a little bit more leeway than I did in my first two days of calls. Now, what’s interesting is when someone has like you have that call with someone, and they’re like, Yes, I’m interested. And I’m like, I’m 100% in and today, I’m gonna get the money for you today. I don’t celebrate a single sale until the money is in my bank account. Because too many times that I’ve done calls with people to work with one on one. They’re like, Yes, I’m in. And then I’m like, Cool. Here’s the link. Awesome, awesome, cool, bye. And then they go away, and then they end up never buying, right. So that’s another lesson is like Don’t count your eggs until they have actually hatched. Now, I’m really happy, obviously, that I sold two spots out of the nine people that I interviewed that’s very on par with what I was expecting to do. So it feels good. But if I hadn’t, then the next step after I’d finished those nine calls would have been to really evaluate why did these people not join? So I probably would have followed up with them and be like, hey, totally cool that you didn’t join. That’s fine. But I’m really trying to make this the best offer that it can possibly be. What could I have added that would have made you say yes, that’s a perfect question. Because it’s kind of opening it up to them to decide what what you would have had to have included in order for them to say yes. And from there. Let’s say that they come back and they’re like, well, actually, I need accountability. And you’re like okay, cool. I’ll give you some accountability calls. And it’s going to be an additional whatever number you decide that you want to add to the final cost. Right.

From there, I mean, you could decide to just include it in the existing price. Or you could, you could decide I’m going to charge an additional price for whatever it is that they wanted to add on, and then see if it’s still a good fit for them. So that at least kind of opens a conversation a little bit more for you to still be able to make those conversions. I would say that like, Of the nine people that I spoke to, I would say there were three others who I was like, honestly, like these people are sol, sol, sol, sol, sol, sol Sol, perfect. Like the other people who said no, when I spoke to them, and I walked through why they were saying no, like, it made sense to me. But there were a few others who I was like, it makes no sense why they’re saying no, like this would be super valuable for them, and really help them get to the next level. And so opening that conversation with them afterwards is always a really beneficial thing to do. And actually, now that I’m speaking about it, it is something that I should follow up with with them, just so that I can even if I’m not taking on any more clients, just so that I can actually know, for future how I can make a better offer. I think that’s always really valuable information. So I guess what I’m trying to say today here is don’t let the nose slow you down. Don’t be distracted or affected by the nose don’t get depressed because someone told you no. When you start getting used to people telling you no, then you can start going through nose like it’s no one’s business. And you could start getting really used to people saying no, and you can start to feel really comfortable with people saying no. And then you can find your yeses at a much faster pace. When you’re getting emotionally wrapped up with like, oh, the person said, no, why did they say no, I just don’t understand and you’re playing it over a million times in your head. It’s really, really inefficient. It’s just you’re not doing yourself any good. So that’s my two cents on the matter. And then of course, look at your conversion rate. Ask yourself if you’re comfortable with that conversion rate, if you want to improve the conversion rate, maybe look into, you know, different techniques and sales strategies that can help you be a better salesperson. And then also, I would say, just look back at the offer that you created. And if everyone said no, continue the conversation with them and ask them like, Hey, why did you say no? Like, what would it have had to have had in order for you to say yes, use everything to your advantage, use everything to keep you moving forward, use everything to create momentum. Even if it’s not immediately putting money in the bank. It’s only helping you put money in the bank in the future. I always say like, you know, the work that you’re doing now you’re planting seeds for the future, every single podcast episode that I make, I imagine that I’m putting $2,000 in my bank account, even even though I can’t touch it right now. I know that I’m building relationships with people and one day, it’s going to come back to me, right? So food for thought. Okay, so I feel like I’ve spoken to you about everything when it comes to the one on one coaching side of things. So now I’m going to move into talking to you guys about what’s going on behind the scenes of my launch. As you know, today, as you’re listening to this or as this goes live, it’s it goes live Monday, October 8, and that is the first day of my five day Instagram story engagement challenge called double down on your DMS. I have been preparing for this for the longest time. This is our first launch with me and Laura together. And just to kind of put it into perspective, I’m really good at launching, I love launching, I have so much fun launching, I’ve launched what feels like a million times. And it’s just something that I feel really comfortable with. And something that I really shine at right now, what I’m not so good at is figuring out all of the different evergreen funnels, like I’m still experimenting with that I’m still figuring out how to set that up. And that’s really what Laura and I have been working on together over the past. When she joined, she joined in June, we’re now in October. So four months, four months, we’ve been working on this evergreen process and learning together as we go. What’s interesting is like, now we’re moving into launch mode. And it’s like, I’m just so excited for her to experience her first launch. And I think it’s really interesting, because she’s going through it for the first time herself. She’s learning all of these things for the first time herself. And I’m experiencing a launch for the first time with someone else who’s helping me on a really high level scale. So on all of my last launches, I had Katherine who was helping me but Katherine was more of someone who I was like, okay, hey, I have these tasks for you go and do them. But I was really like the mastermind behind everything. I was really planning everything, thinking of everything, connecting the dots, etc. Whereas now this is my first time launching with someone who I feel like is on the same mastermind level with me. She’s helping me so much with like connecting the dots and doing all of the organizing and the thinking and the planning and I open up a sauna every day and like I trust that she has everything figured out so that I just need to focus on what needs to get done today. And so I feel like we’re getting into this really beautiful place me and Laura of like really understanding how each other works. And, and learning how to accommodate each other how to make each other’s lives easier how to support each other. And it’s just I’m loving our relationship right now. Like, I’m just feeling so grateful to have her during this launch. And it’s her first one, like, this is the worst launch she will ever do, because it’s her first one that she’s gonna learn so much after this. So I’m just so excited that she’s on the team and like, I tell her as much as I possibly can I send her these voice notes. I’m like, Laura, I’m so happy that you’re on the team. You’re making my life so much easier. And I just, I’m so happy. So it’s interesting to be going into the launch. And like having things planned out so far in advance. I was telling her on the phone the other day, I was like, dude, like, it’s weird that I’m working on sales emails, more than a week in advance, because normally, I’m working on sales emails, like 15 minutes before they get sent out. And this is again, guys, I think there’s so many misconceptions when it comes to creating your business is like, everything on the outside looks perfect. So you’ve probably experienced my launches before and been like, wow, she really has her stuff together. Little do you know that I am behind the scenes literally like scrambling to make sure that everything’s going out on time to make sure that I’ve reread everything to make sure that it’s the best it can possibly be. And so it feels good to be getting to this next stage where a launch can be way more planned out. And like now we have affiliates. It feels like such a grown up launch thing to do. And yeah, it just feels really good. It feels it feels bizarre. I told I’m clearly losing my voice. I apologize, guys. But I was speaking to Laura the other day. And I was like, it’s just it’s a feeling I’ve never felt before to have these things so planned out in advance. And she was so happy when I said that she was like, Alex, this is what I want to like bring to the table is, is showing you that you can do things in advance and that you don’t have to like, push things off and leave things to the last minute and procrastinate I’m a huge procrastinator. And I think it’s interesting because like a lot of business owners are huge procrastinators, because a lot of business owners are creative people. But so it’s interesting now to have someone to support me with that. And to be like, Hey, Alex, it doesn’t have to be that way. And actually look how fun it is when you do things in advance. So I’m really enjoying that. Another thing that’s been really important for us is having our goal at the front of our minds. So I know the goal that we’re focused on right now is we would like 1750 people to opt in to our free challenge. We just today pass the 3000 mark, which was very exciting. I think we’re now at like 3001 50 or something. And so it’s so exciting to be watching the numbers every single day. And we’re actually tracking it really well. So it’s like this many people came from Instagram, this many people came from your newsletter, this many people came from Facebook ads. And so that’s been really fun is like having that goal at the front of both of our minds. We’re both looking at it every single day. Having a goal is so important. Because if you don’t have it at the front of your mind, it’s kind of like you’re just wandering around aimlessly and being like, well, whatever I get is whatever I get. But when you have that goal there, it’s like you’re constantly in a state of asking yourself, What can I do to get more people to sign up? What can I do to encourage people to share this with their friends, because that’s I keep telling myself I’m like, if everyone shared it with one friend, we could double our numbers. So if you’re listening to this, please share it with a friends and help assist out. But make it a good one. We’re looking for business owners, we’re looking for people who are trying to build their brand online, share it with a friend Graham dashlane.com. So yeah, so that’s been fun. It’s like having that that goal at the front of your mind. And it’s so easy to be like, Oh yeah, I know my goals. But are you really looking at them every single day? One thing I have to admit is that my journaling habit has completely disintegrated. My social life has completely disintegrated. Of course, it’s lunchtime. So that is to be expected. But it’s kind of it’s it’s sad, because I miss journaling. And journaling actually helps me so so so so much. So that’s yeah, that’s definitely a side effect. It also feels like I’m drowning into dues. And so I’ve I’ve gotten into this habit where I’m just like Done is better than perfect. If I can take that thing off my list and move on to the next thing and that’s better than making that thing 100% perfect because guess what, guys, perfect doesn’t exist. Perfect does not exist. I’ve told you guys this a million times. I’m gonna say it again. My one of my favorite quotes is by Brene Brown, and she basically says that perfectionism is just procrastination and really nice shoes. Perfectionism is just procrastination and really nice shoes. So don’t be a perfectionist. Because if you’re a perfectionist, really all you’re doing is procrastinating. And the most important thing, at least for me right now is momentum, momentum, momentum, taking action, taking things off, moving forward, moving forward, moving forward. So yeah, um,

Also just like staying hyped, keeping that end goal in mind, knowing that we’re about to invite in hundreds, if not 1000s of new people into grandslam is so exciting and just like staying pumped about it. Also, the exhaustion, I woke up this morning. Like, I can’t describe this to, I don’t know, I’ve been working nonstop. And I get this way during launches, where it’s like, I’m full of so much energy because my eye is so like, like, on the task at hand, I’m so focused on hitting my goals with this launch that like nothing else matters. It’s a little unhealthy. I was in bed last night. And I was like, this is kind of weird that like, I, I really let myself focus so so so much on this that everything else kind of just becomes second in importance. I just kind of get I just get super focused. It’s like I know exactly what needs to get done. And I just want to work, work, work, work, work, work. And so yes, it has been exhausting. This morning, I woke up and I was so tired. Because yesterday, I had six calls, I went live three different times. It’s just been wise, I had six calls, I had three calls and three lives. So it was a lot of energy giving yesterday, and my last live was at 9pm. So like I didn’t get into bed until probably like 1030, which do you guys might be like, Oh, that’s early. No, I like to go to bed or like really early, the earlier the better. Because then I can wake up the next morning and be productive. Whereas this morning, I woke up and I was like I need to sleep. Sleep is really top priority. So that’s another thing during a launch is like finding that balance between Do you have the energy and excitement to work? Because if you do use it and work like Do you have the momentum, use it. And if you don’t have the momentum, and if you’re feeling fatigued, and if you’re feeling tired, prioritize your body, prioritize your wellness prioritize yourself. Something that’s been very, very helpful is that my mom and dad landed on Sunday, here in Trinidad, to basically like my mom was like, I’m gonna go and support Alex during her launch. And my dad was like, Well, if you’re going, I’ll come to because they both have family and friends here. So for those of you who don’t know, my family is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, we this is the southernmost island of the Caribbean. We are a couple miles off the coast of Venezuela if you’re trying to place it on the map. And so yeah, my family is from here. But my mom and dad and my sister and I, we moved around our whole lives like I literally I counted it the other day was something ridiculous. We moved, like, moved country 10 times by the time I was 15. So you can put that into perspective. But needless to say, this is their home, this is where my grand mother lives, this is where all of our cousins are. So for them to come back here is great, not only because my mom can support me, but also because they can actually enjoy being back in Trinidad. So my mom came to really just helped me as much as you possibly can. And yesterday, she came and she, she did my hair and she cooked me dinner. And I was like, Oh my gosh, this, this should be a non negotiable. Every single launch I have is like, let me just pay for my mom to come to Trinidad or wherever I am at that particular time and have her take care of me because she’s the best. So I have to say this is like I don’t think we’ve actually ever done this during lunch before is have her be there solely to support me. And it has been fantastic and magnificent and I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful supportive mum. And it is such a beneficial thing to have. So it looks like translating that into your own life. Just asking yourself, How can you add more supports into your into your life, especially during a launch and it might mean like asking your boyfriend for certain things. And being like yo over these three weeks, I’m going to be maxed out. So I’m going to need your help in XYZ. It might mean having your mom come and spend some more time taking care of you. If you’re lucky enough. It might mean booking in more massages, it might mean booking a blow dry appointments that you don’t have to blow dry your hair. I don’t know what it means for you, but figure out what it means and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself because launches be exhausting. Okay, so I think I’ve covered everything with you guys that I wanted to cover with you today. Thank you so much for listening. I love each and every single one of you if you’re not already in double down on your DMS What are you waiting for, you can sign up for free free at gram dash lab.com forward slash podcast, share it with your friends, Graham dash lam.com forward slash podcast and come and join the Facebook group as well. So basically the way that we have it is that the videos and the tasks are going to be in the Facebook group every single day. And if you want the bonus worksheets and supportive, what to call them. They’re basically like supportive tools. Those are going to be sent to you via email. So you want to make sure that you join the email list and then as soon as you join the email list, the email will give you a link to the Facebook group. Definitely go and join the Facebook group. It is going to be amazing. I’m actually opening Oh, you will already know this because it’s Monday, but I’m opening up the Facebook group on Sunday. So on Sunday, everyone’s going to have to come together and really enjoy that together. So I’m so excited. Thank you so much for listening. I appreciate each and every single one of you guys and I will talk to you guys again soon. Bye. Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to give me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon, and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye

#026 – How To Freelance for Brand-Name Clients with Andy Burgess


Since switching to vertical, his life has been on the up and up.

As an Internet filmmaker and storyteller, Andy Burgess’ career rise is as exciting as the content he makes. Starting off as a creator on Snapchat, Andy’s obsession with crafting vertically cinematic stories quickly gained attention from companies looking for quality content. After his Snapchat code was displayed in the heart of Times Square, New York, his exposure has blown up exponentially which has allowed him to work with some of the biggest brands in the world and fulfill his dreams of traveling all at the same time.

Learn how Andy strategically carved out a name for himself, his approach to getting handsomely paid and why he thinks it is important to carefully choose who you do work for.

“…If a brand cannot afford my rate at the moment, then it is probably not the right brand to be working with…”

This is On Purpose.

In this Podcast, you’ll learn:

  • How to find your ideal client
  • Gaining confidence in your pricing
  • The importance of networking
  • Why quality content matters
  • & How personality can make or break your business

Explore with Andy:
IG: @andyburgess

Resources:
Book: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
You’re listening to Episode 26 of on purpose with Alex Beadon. Today’s guest episode is with Andy Burgess, where we talk about how he became a full-time freelancer. And he shares how he found confidence in his pricing, how he’s been able to land big brand name clients like Forbes and Samsung, and how he more than doubled his Instagram following by doing one simple thing, it seriously blew me away. Welcome to on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Hey, friends, today I speak to Andy Burgess, an internet filmmaker and storyteller, someone who I’ve been avidly following online since 2016. I first found him on Snapchat creating these epic highly produced cinematic vertical videos. Since bursting onto the snapshot scene in 2016. He’s quickly become one of the most recognized creators on the platform. And this year, he became a Shorty Award finalist for Snapchatter of the year, which is a huge accomplishment. For the past year, it seems like he’s constantly traveling the world and has been working alongside brands like three Samsung Forbes Joby, NASDAQ, and College Humor. Today’s episode is a great one if you want to know more about what it’s like to be a full time freelancer. And I especially love today’s episode, because Andy really holds nothing back. He’s super upfront and honest about exactly how he’s created so much purpose and success in his life. And this is an episode I think you’ll truly love. Enjoy. Andy, thank you so much for coming on the show today. I’m so excited that you’re here.

Andy Burgess 2:06
My pleasure. Thank you for having me. I’m so excited to talk to you. Yay.

Alex Beadon 2:11
So one of the questions that I normally ask people when we first start with the podcast is what do you find most nourishing about having your own business, but you’re kind of a unique guests, because I’m not really sure if you consider yourself a business owner, or if you consider yourself more filmmaker. So before I asked you that question, I was like, I think the first question I want to ask you is like Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur?

Andy Burgess 2:38
Yeah, for sure. Like, I definitely, I guess I class myself as like a freelance filmmaker. But my name and what I do, I guess is my brand. So in a way, like I mean, I don’t have employees or staff. I haven’t brought anyone to work with me. Yeah, it’s definitely something I’m thinking about, like down the road. But yeah, like right now. It’s kind of made, but I still treat it in the exact same way. Every day. Yeah, it’s it is my job is what I get up and do every single day.

Alex Beadon 3:10
Awesome. So in that case, the question stands, the question is, what do you find most nourishing about having your own business

Andy Burgess 3:20
and being able to so I used to work actually, in social and marketing before I started making videos, and I kid I can’t really work for other people. And that’s not that I’m not great at working in teams, or whatever I just I love, I’m most creative when I have the freedom and the time to do it in my own way and don’t have sort of other people. kind of always dictating, like sort of a routine and I have to, I have to stick to it. I love the freedom I love being able to travel and work from anywhere in the world. And I don’t need to when I started making my videos, I was just like, I can just put them out whenever I want I can I decide when they go live and I decide how they’re structured. And and then I just get feedback from people who are watching.

Alex Beadon 4:14
So I’d love for you to tell us about your story because I feel like you kind of got into it a little bit. But from from my perspective, I feel like you kind of it’s interesting because I feel like you burst out onto the scene in the days of Snapchat, which is awesome. You’re definitely like, hands down. One of the most creative people I’ve ever seen use the vertical storytelling through Snapchat and Snapchat was how I found you. But it really seemed like very quickly like you just took it on as your profession and like this is what you’re going to do. So I’d love for you to tell us your journey from working a full time job to decide and you know what, I’m gonna quit and work on this full time.

Andy Burgess 4:54
Yeah, for sure. Um, yeah, so Snapchat is definitely kind of where I started off. That’s where people will recognize me from when I sort of built up my audience. That was about beginning of 2016, I was playing with Snapchat, I was really enjoying what was going on on that platform that was probably like, peak Snapchat days, like every update they’d put out would be fire. They were like kind of unstoppable at that point, it seemed. And I was making these stories. And I think it was when I was on a trip to Switzerland. And I was like, how do I make my stories like short cinematic films, because on Snapchat, I was watching everyone’s stories, but no one was really telling stories, they were just sort of posting quick snapshots of their day. And I didn’t really know much of the influencer scene or like other creators on the platform. So I kind of just started playing around and trying to make these short films for the whole week. And, and they started to take off. And I just kept going, I became obsessed, and I started making like, short documentaries on Snapchat about the town that I lived in. And at the same time, like I said, I was working sort of a nine to five marketing job where I was making short videos, but they weren’t, it wasn’t really fulfilling my creative ambitions, I guess. And, and then towards the end of the year, I kind of was in a position where I could, I had some money saved up and I decided that I was gonna just leave this job and move to New York and see what happened there. Because within those six months, my snapchat had grown quite considerably. It definitely wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the point where I was like, Okay, this is what I’m going to do is like a job, I’m going to move to New York and kind of make it as it were. But I kind of just went out, as I’ll go out for three months, meet a bunch of people see what it’s like, and go from there. And then when I moved to New York, about two weeks in, I think I started working with NASDAQ, and I did a Snapchat takeover on that account, and then they put my snapcode up in the middle of Times Square. Yeah, it’s just like, what the hell that my Stalker was like, up and like 1000s people were seeing it, and then from a bunch of brands saw me on their account. And then I started to work with like, Forbes and sweet green, and sta travel when those freedoms became a bit insane in New York, and that was when I was kind of like, okay, I probably can make this like, a career in video, I can do this. And then from there, it just, I was traveling for the rest of the year, constantly making Snapchat stories, every single day speaking in places like VidCon about it, and then it kind of branched out over to Instagram. And I was just trying to the level of, I guess, my storytelling and after that, the production of the videos. And so now I kind of have like an Instagram series on IG TV, like two episodes a week where I’m putting out like high produce videos and like using cameras and the law and and then like working alongside brands, either to make them like bespoke content for their platforms. Or occasionally I’ll do like the whole influencer creator route and like, put something on my story.

Alex Beadon 8:22
That is super interesting. Okay, so my next question is, I’m really curious about how your business model is currently laid out in terms of what would you say are the main streams of revenue because I know you said, you’re doing both like influencer type things where they’re paying you to post things on your platforms, but you’re also doing work for other brands. So which one of those is really like the bigger piece of the puzzle right now for you?

Andy Burgess 8:50
Definitely the brand side, like their bespoke content for them. That’s where I started as well. When I when I did site in New York, I was growing, my accounts were growing, but they weren’t at a level where I was like, I can, like, I can do like influencer deals or whatever. And I don’t really like branded content that much. If I do you do it, it is they the brand has to really align with what I’m doing. And it has to fit really smoothly. Like I don’t want to kind of be I never look, I’m not looking at the short term game. So it’s like, people who can offer you like a like, maybe shout out this like, game app or talk about this for x amount. But like, if I’m not really into that, I don’t want to I don’t want to put that on my audience. You know, I kind of want to build an engaged audience actually just care and what I do. So the where I find revenue, where I get my revenue and bring it try to bring it in, is making the content for brands. I’m like, hey, I can make bespoke content, for stories or for any vertical platform or just anything in video, but that’s like my specialty on short form content that an audience actually wants to engage with. But I also I understand the brand side of it. So I can we can bring it in and make it branded to an extent. But also, it’s engaging for people to want to watch. So I will kind of work with them on that aside, sometimes that bounces over into me sharing on my account, especially if I’m working with a travel brand, perhaps they’ll send me to a specific location to shoot stuff for them. And that also allows me to make my own content for my account. That’s just sort of travel related.

Alex Beadon 10:32
Wow. Okay, so I’ve so many questions about that. So firstly, how do these how do these brands find you?

Andy Burgess 10:40
So this is kind of like my little, I guess, it’s not really a secret. But this is how I do it. And everyone’s a bit shocked. But this is how I find brands on I use LinkedIn. Like, I’m so big on, like, pushing on LinkedIn. I was where was I? I was, I was at VidCon. In Australia, about this time last year, I was watching a panel and they were talking about LinkedIn video, and it just dropped. So this is like 2017. And they were saying the engagement on like organic reach and engagement on LinkedIn video was huge. And I just got back to London, and I started putting in just not even that much work like maybe, like 20% of my week, 10% my week, just sort of connecting with a bunch of brands, or people in London and surrounding areas. And every time I sort of made a big video, I would repurpose it natively for LinkedIn. And I was just shooting like social, I’d write a caption and post it. But instead of tailoring it more towards sort of my audience of filmmaker and travel lovers on Instagram, I tailor it more towards the brands behind it and be like, Hey, I made this video for this company. These were kind of the goals. Do you do you guys incorporate, like short form Instagram content into your like campaigns. So I’m talking directly towards like, the people who are working in these companies and get people to just comment on that. And from there, I managed to just like build up connections, or people would like then come across that or they’d be searching like, Instagram stories on LinkedIn. And then like, I’d pop up and then like connection there. And that’s probably where I get like the majority of the bigger brand work I’ve done is kind of through LinkedIn,

Alex Beadon 12:35
that is so smart. I freaking love that. Okay, my next question is what how would you describe your ideal client? Like, do you have a client that is a like am is ideal client? I mean, like as a brand like is it mainly travel companies is there like a certain type that you seem to be getting again, and again and again.

Andy Burgess 12:54
So at the moment, it seems to be travel and I guess tech slash sort of filmmaking by equipment, so I work a lot with free the phone network in the UK. And so for them, they have a big campaign called Go roam campaign, essentially, you can go abroad to a certain amount of countries and you can use your Sim like with no added like costs for data. So they sent me to Peru in like July for like a two week trip. And that was kind of like the ideal trip because it was like 10 days, or like 14 days can’t remember exactly. Being in a different country getting C’s amazing places. And all they wanted me to do was kind of make stories for like my account, and then some short form videos for them, and then a wrap up video at the end. And it was exactly what I do anyway, because it was just like making great, like travel content.

Alex Beadon 13:56
And fathers as a really good. Yeah,

Andy Burgess 13:59
so that was like so much fun. And then also there’s stuff that I can do back in the UK with them. Like regarding phones, when they recently fare, I can talk about that. And I like I used to like shoot everything on my phone for Snapchat. So it all feeds in really nicely on each other. And it’s just what I really liked about those guys is they know the content I make. And they they like respect it so they kind of know what they’re gonna get. So they’re not very pushy on like, Hey, can we maybe do it more like this? If they’re hiring like the Creator to do something, they kind of want what you can do. So that’s kind of like the ideal client. Yeah,

Alex Beadon 14:38
that’s amazing. So how did you because I know you said you first started playing around with Snapchat in 2016. So like, it has not been long that you’ve been doing this and you’re already working with one of the biggest companies in the UK. So I’m curious, how did you find confidence in your pricing? Like how did you know what to charge these bigger companies?

Andy Burgess 15:00
Oh my god. So that has been like a whirlwind. Yeah. And like, I love talking about this with people because I think everyone kind of is in the same boat no one like what at least I found, especially in the freelance creative world, everyone, I it’s been so much better when I talk to other people about it. And weekend, everyone has a similar thing. So I mean, I guess when I was last year was just crazy nonstop Snapchat videos that I was making every single day. And I didn’t really have as much time to focus on okay, how do I scale this and sort of charge more, and then I started to do a lot more freelance work in January. And I probably like for the first month for this year, my pricing was way off. Like it was way below what it like, currently is, and and then I think that can like also, like, affect you in a way that like people sometimes don’t want to work with you. Because they’re like, oh, maybe like they’re like, Okay. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Right. But then, like, if you’re charging way too much, people are gonna be kind of, like, I don’t know. But I think what I have found from brands is the, like, if they can’t really like afford my sort of right at the moment, then they’re probably not the right brand to be working with just because they’re not in there. If they’re not at the same level, like with the type of content that they’ll they’ll be wanting. So it’s a lot of trial and error. I started I guess like after each gig, I would kind of raise it a bit. And I think it was when I did some work with Samsung on the new S nine phone. And they basically came to me like, hey, we want this for like one night and like we’re willing to like pay this much. And I was like, Oh, well that’s like way above like, what like my day, right? is already and stuff. Okay, great. Let’s let’s kind of go over that. And then each time I slowly like maybe put it up like 15% and and then once I had a I think a brand came to me No, it wasn’t a brand. It was just like a it was just like a dude, like a production company. And they just wanted like a short video made for their socials. And it was really like left field to what I normally do. But they’re like, Hey, we saw your Snapchat and we, we think you’d be really good at making this. And I was like, Okay, this is very different. But I was like, so busy at the time. And I sort of gave them the same the same rate that I did for the last thing with Samsung. And they were like, Yeah, sure. And then that was the moment where I was like, Oh, wow, like, okay, and then I found once you saw start doing those sorts of gigs, and you’re raising your price, you’ve done a few of them, and you’re very confident enough to then like back yourself. Because sometimes like, like brands can be like, Okay, well, why are you charging this much. And then you can you can like one I can kind of justify from all the other jobs I’ve done. But then I found it’s really good to break down how much time and what is involved. So I’m like, okay, pre production, I have to plan a script, I have to get another cameraman potentially have to hire this gear. And then there’s the editing, I’ll say this long. You want X amount of amendments. And then I found once you’ve broken that down, they kind of understand it. But um, it was it took a couple of months to kind of like work out what I should definitely be charging and my current rate. But I think it I think the best advice I found from it is just talking with other credits as well. And having that sort of like open conversation,

Alex Beadon 18:41
which I feel like it’s something you’ve been really good at is building a community like you. Like I said, I keep saying this, you’ve only been around for two years, and I’ve seen you meet so many people and really become a part of the community. So like, has that been really easy for you? Is that are you just like a naturally extroverted person? Like, was that something you did on purpose? Talk to me about about building those friendships?

Andy Burgess 19:05
Yeah, but that’s so funny that you mentioned extra because I’ve been looking into this a lot recently about like, if I’m an extrovert or an introvert. I feel I can really introvert.

Unknown Speaker 19:16
I interesting yeah. I like if

Andy Burgess 19:19
I’m, if I’m like gonna go out on a weekend with like my girlfriend to a pie, I need like, four days notice to like, prepare for that I’m not like, spontaneously go out. And like a party or whatever. I’d much rather be sat at my computer like making a video. But it kind of all started when I did go to New York. So just a little bit of context on that because I think I missed over that. When I went to New York. It was just for like, a couple of moments and it’s kind of when it all started off. And I decided that like I knew no one there. But I hate seeing these creators around and collaboration is kind of like one of the best ways to grow. Um, so I just started reaching out to people on Twitter and Instagram and Snapchat and just like, hey, this is what I do. I love your work and finding a way to bring them value is probably the best way and then connecting with them through social and I found just from meeting a bunch of people who love and do the exact same thing as you. Like, I’d never met with another us like Snapchat or who’d spent as much time as I had like setting up a shop for like something that would disappear in 24 hours. And it kind of like blew my mind. And then I just found that that really worked. And that was a great way of helping me grow. And it’s also like surrounding yourself with other creators. It’s, it’s so inspiring as well, like, I look at all my friends that are doing like similar things where I watch someone that blow up, and they have this video, and I’m just like, This is so cool. And I treat that as that’s like as much. That’s like, as important as sitting down and like kind of sending out the emails and like editing. For me, like, as long as if there’s something going down like I was in LA, like last week. And the last four days was just that Tabak seeing other creators collabing with them, seeing what we can do in the future, building out relationships, meeting kinds of their friends and building out my network. So kind of down the road I like if I go back to LA, there’s more opportunities there for me as well.

Alex Beadon 21:25
So does that exhaust you or freak you out or overwhelm you as an introvert is like going to LA for three or four days? And literally it just being back to back seen people?

Andy Burgess 21:36
Yeah, so kind of not really, I have this weird thing. So I think of that as like, okay, that’s what I this is what I love doing. And I know those people do. So I kind of have a, I think I can click with those pupils straightaway. And I know it’s fine. It’s kind of more if I’m would have to approach someone out of the blue, I’m probably not as good as that. Like, if I connect over the internet, I really feel like I know that person really well. It’s kind of weird, like, but it does, it is exhausting. Afterwards, when I get it, I’m just like, it’s just like, go go go. But I

Alex Beadon 22:12
totally know what you mean. Like I think meeting people who do what you do, and who understand the intricacies. Like even what you just said about spending so long setting up the shot for a video that’s going to disappear in 24 hours. To most people sounds crazy. But when you meet someone else who does it, you’re like, oh my god, you got it, you know, so that’s frickin awesome. Okay, I want to ask you about what made you decide to go into the direction of doing freelance for bigger brands, as opposed to doing freelance for like, let’s say, like wedding videography or videography, for smaller businesses. Was that ever, like a decision in your mind? Or was it just very natural? You’re like, Okay, I’m gonna go into the brand direction.

Andy Burgess 22:51
Yeah, I guess it was kind of just like a natural direction from in the early days of Snapchat, I would work with some brands or do collabs. And it was just to grow an audience, right? It was just like, oh, you take this account. And it Yeah, it started with NASDAQ, that kind of wasn’t a paid gig. But like that turned into like, but like the growth I got from that and the other brands and they continue to work them down the line was really beneficial. So that was kind of that’s just kind of what I stuck with. Like I do small work sometimes with people like depending like if they come along, but I’ve been very fortunate to work with some like really cool brands, but like wedding wise, I, I have friends that do weddings, it scares me so much the fall of just having that footage. And then like, if you lose it like you’ve ruined, like their biggest day ever. Yeah. I was actually at a wedding three weeks ago in France. And I have my drone. And I was like I was the best man. I wasn’t like filming. I wasn’t like videographer. But I was like, Oh, well, I’ll get you some drone shots for your wedding. I can send that to you. And I basically lost my drone in this lake. And I was just like, Oh my God, and like, I was just more upset because like I couldn’t then give them like this footage. So like, that was like a paid gig for me. And no, I couldn’t do it too stressful.

Alex Beadon 24:19
That’s so funny. I actually used to be a wedding photographer, and I totally agree with you, like so stressful. It’s also so much work like you were on your feet. And you have to be you have to be alert, awake thinking and yeah, it’s the whole time. It’s a lot of work. And that’s why I always tell people like when you’re choosing which direction you want to go in your business. You really need to look at your personality, what works for you what doesn’t work for you. Some people love wedding, some people are fantastic, like actually doing weddings and second shooting with other wedding photographers showed me that like actually I was the worst person to be a wedding photographer. Because these like I remember one woman in particular she was just full of so much passion for the day. And she was just so much energy than just loved it. And the entire time I was like, Oh my God, when will this be over? I just want to go home and like have dinner. So yeah, that’s that I totally understand what you mean. So do you consider yourself successful? Because I’m sure when you started back in 2016, if you could look at where you are today, you’d be like, Whoa,

Andy Burgess 25:19
yeah, that’s such an interesting question. Because I, I take it is, every day, like, for me in my head right now thinking about where I am, and all the things that I like and wanting to do coming up. I feel like I’m only like, kind of near the bottom of the ladder, like, and I kind of, like, I feel like there’s so much more I want to do and can do, but I then stop. And I have to kind of look back sometimes at these moments. So to what is it now 2018. So two years ago, I was still working that job and kind of learning to do more stuff on Snapchat to be a freelancer and like, cut jumped to like, April this year, I was a Shorty Award nominee for Snapchat over the year. And I made it to like the final six. accomplishment, which was like, thank you. And it was like I was in this room with like, all the biggest people on YouTube and on the internet, and like they do amazing work. And like, the Mark has brown Lee’s and Casey Neistat sort of world and all those people and it was just like, This is insane. And I was kind of on like the same playing field as these people. And like, I guess the year before that, I’d seen people nominated for a Shorty Award for Snapchat, I was like, okay, cool, maybe one day, and then a year later to be on there. So I do, like I this year, I’m trying a lot more to kind of look at those moments and like, appreciate them and see where I’ve come and my growth. But I am very much kind of focused on like the next thing. But I do think it is important to like, see, like wave done. But like, I’m always kind of looking forward.

Alex Beadon 27:02
But one of the reasons why you’re so interesting to me is because while you were huge on Snapchat, right? Like you, you really blew up on Snapchat. And then of course, Snapchat kind of took a turn to the worse. And now everyone’s moved over to Instagram. And I’m sure that you’re following on Instagram, and the views that you’re getting on Instagram is a portion of what it was on Snapchat. Is that correct? Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, exactly. So I look at you. And it’s like you went from this huge platform Snapchat really making it over there. And now you’ve had to like kind of like switch lanes and come on over into Instagram, and you’re still doing it. And you’re, you’ve got your YouTube channel as well. And it’s like, I look at you, and you’re such a professional and your quality of work is just amazing. Like, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone put in so much effort as you it’s just so impressive. And yet, you’re not like a a huge, super famous star. You know what I mean? Like, and that’s one of the but yet you behave as though you are like, you still have that level of quality that you’re dedicated and committed to. And it’s almost like the numbers don’t really bother you or you’re not even really focused on them. Like you’re just focused on putting out good work.

Andy Burgess 28:10
Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I’ve seen so many people get beat down in the numbers and like the view game. Yeah, it just kind of like tears them apart. And the beauty about Snapchat in the beginning days, when I when I started heading to New York, this kind of career trajectory of like where I was, and where I ended up on Snapchat is when I did the first Nast, that gig I was on maybe before I had maybe like 200 people viewing my snaps. And on Snapchat, you can’t see views or followers, you can only judge on the quality of the work. So that’s how I kind of got that gig. And then after that it just kept growing and growing. And it was the same with other creators and you and you, you’re just judging everyone on the work. And then by like, just before the update here actually, the update didn’t affect me too much on Snapchat, because I had just got verified so then made my account discoverable. But it was getting like between like, I think like 40 or 50,000 views at some point. But then it wasn’t Yeah, but it was so and this was the weird thing about that at the time. It was a bunch of people coming over from Discover on Snapchat, and they were like, all new and then the comments were coming in, but it wasn’t like my original audience and my original audience weren’t being able to see a lot of my work because Snapchat was not showing it to them anymore. So at this point, I was like, Okay, I have this kind of old audience, you don’t see what’s going on as much anymore. And this new audiences that are kind of coming and going because I’m like, like, otherwise each day I’d have to be making a new video explaining like who I was. And yeah, it just felt a bit weird. And so I eventually just I’m gonna move over onto Instagram. And I was for a couple of months and not really sure about, like, where to be posting or what to be posting, I’m probably still always going over in my head anyway. But I was like, Okay, I’m just gonna fully focus on Instagram. And it’s, for me, it’s always been about the video that I love waking up every day having a video idea by the end of the day publishing it. And just having this finished piece of work, and the views and stuff haven’t mattered as much to me. But like, it’s slowly going, I did like, a really cool thing about being in LA last week, I met up with another coach in LA who’s really similar to what I do, and

Alex Beadon 30:43
was really cool. Yeah,

Andy Burgess 30:45
so yeah, and it was so much fun. And he’s kind of working with like, yes, theory and a lot of people out there, and he’s kind of blown up. And we did this clap. And then like, my account, like, I woke up the next day, and I was over, like, I think I was before the club, I was in like, 4500, or something. And then I was like, up to like, 11k, or something. And it was like, insane. Because we were just and I think it kind of all aligned, because the video was great. We’re so similar in what we do, he had a hyper engaged account. And they could just see that I wanted to jump over. And that’s great. Like, I’m, I’m like it put me up there. I’m doing like a couple more things. Now it’s kind of helping out. But it hasn’t changed how I make my videos are how I think about that. Like, that’s never kind of been the case. I still manage to like get work from these companies, because of like the videos I’m making. And I can, it looks like brands are also seeing that quality is like a big deal now rather than like quantity in like numbers all the time. And it’s moving away. So I’d like to try not to focus on that, because I see a lot of people getting beat down by that I just kind of doing what I do, and then just see where it goes.

Alex Beadon 32:04
Yeah. And it’s like you said at the beginning, you were like, you know, you’re really focused on the long term, you’re not focused on the short term. So I love that so much. And I think, you know, brands have probably been burned many times by like these big influencers, who, it’s interesting what you said earlier about the quality of the audience, like if people are coming to your, to your videos and watching them, but they’re random, and they’re just off of like, the Snapchat explorer discovery or whatever. That’s not really that helpful. It’s kind of like, there used to be this website. I can’t remember what it was called. But you’d basically get featured on their sites, and it would bring me so much traffic, but it was like really low quality traffic people who wouldn’t they’re not good fit for me or my brands, you know, was that for Snapchat? No, it wasn’t for Snapchat, it was for something else. I can’t I can’t remember the name. It was some website where you basically go onto the website, and it’s for people who are bored, and they just press refresh, refresh, refresh, and each time a new page comes up that someone else has recommended. So like, it was great when my site would get featured, because I’d have a huge spike in traffic. But it was also like totally pointless because none of them were really into my kind of topic or what I do. Do you know what I mean?

Andy Burgess 33:15
Yeah, yeah. And it’s all about returning that and keeping like that engaged audience while using on Snapchat after a club. is I tell I be like, Hey, thanks, everyone who came over, send me like a DM, say who you are, and like, what you’re up to, and whatever. And I would send like a video response back to every single person. And I still try to reply to like every single message because I’d rather have. I always says like, it’s probably better to have like, 1000 people watching your Snapchat your Instagram story, who was super engaged with you and sending you DMS back and like doing like, and like really into what you do, then having like, 100,000 people watching it, but like getting like no DMS or anything?

Alex Beadon 33:59
Yeah. 100%. So just how you’re talking about how you did a collaboration with someone in LA and you said your numbers went from 4500 to 11,000. Are you talking about story views? Are you talking about follows Oh follows? Oh, wow. Dude, that is insane.

Andy Burgess 34:14
I know. It was like, I woke up and I was like, no, what, like, had gone up and then we were talking about it. And he’s like, Yeah, and it was like kind of that a combination of some friends could see it happen. Like they were watching it. And then they were like, hey, and then they started like sharing this my stories as well. And like pushing people as well. So like it kind of just like rolled over and like a couple of days.

Alex Beadon 34:39
Wow, I am like I mean you more than doubled your audience.

Andy Burgess 34:43
Yeah, I know. And like it’s a bit baffling. And that’s why like now so I’m trying to like talking this out. Now. It’s actually really helping because I’ve been like, since then I’ve been focusing on the stories because that’s what people know me for. That’s the best work because I always struggle with what to post on like the Instagram feed like, do you stick to like, what the algorithm wants? Or do you just do whatever you want? Or like, do you make it look pretty and like, I’ve never really been able to find the right fit for that. So I’m kind of just like, focusing on the stories, because that’s what people are watching to see the views on that like, like being consistent since it’s happened. So like, that’s just kind of worrying about focus, and then like, kind of like, look at the feed when I can.

Alex Beadon 35:27
That’s amazing. Yeah, I was thinking about that the other day, actually, because that’s something that even for me, like, I teach Instagram stories to business owners, and people always ask me about the feed. And I think that feed is like this weird place where it’s like, it, it has to be like a higher quality, it has to you feel like it needs to be like magazine, glossy and pretty and everything. So part of me is just in this space, where I’m like, Listen, I’m gonna focus on my stories. And I’m going to focus on creating epic content. And like, when I have a picture to post, I’ll post it but at the end of the day, like most people are following me for my stories and not for my feed. You know, exactly.

Andy Burgess 36:01
And it’s like, if a lot of people are like, I don’t really know how the algorithms working with stories, but if people are like watching your stories a lot, you’re going to appear at the top. And I see a lot of people now that kind of they just tell the stories are not necessarily going through the feed, because you can tap a story and then like everyone’s will keep rolling through. Yeah, yeah. Like I don’t like or if I do, I’m not like, kind of that interested in it. I’m probably gonna post this week to see what happens. But like, story wise, it’s like going really well. And that’s kind of like what I’m happy with. And then like, playing with IG TV and stuff and seeing what’s good

Alex Beadon 36:37
for you algorithm algorithm or the algorithmically as well. It’s interesting, because you’re also using IG TV, dude, you’re killing it on IG TV. I’m just like, loving watching you on IG TV and on Instagram stories. It’s so cool. But to also then use like, live, which I know that you sometimes do. And then coupled with the feed, like I think Instagram, that must be something in the algorithm where when you’re using like the platform as much as you are, like, you must benefit from that. So I guess it is still important to post the feed, but definitely not obsess over it the same way that you do all of your other pieces of content.

Andy Burgess 37:18
Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think I’m like, Just there was a point where I would just post like, photos of me doing something because they would do so much better than like, a nice drone shot or something. And it’s just like, it’s like, oh, like now it’s like, kind of am I overthinking this, like, I’m not really like loving what I’m doing here. But if I can post these videos to like, here, like IG TV or like, stories, like that’s what I love doing. That’s what people kind of expect from me and what they want to see and my forte, what I love to do, yeah,

Alex Beadon 37:50
it’s really it’s one of those, I think everyone’s kind of struggling with it. Because you’ve gotten to a point where it’s like, everyone knows that posting photos of yourself. And especially like good photos of yourself are what do best, but it’s kind of soul sucking to only live your life or like only have an Instagram feed that’s really created to boost the algorithm. Yeah, and

Andy Burgess 38:10
it’s kind of it’s a weird thing, everyone. And I feel like a lot of people are talking about this this year. And I think I saw something like Joe Rogan’s podcast every day. And I was just talking about, like, how everyone’s only sort of showing their best life in like the answering Instagram feed, because it’s so like curated and like it’s kind of just going through and I’m kind of just like, Oh, I’m just like kind of seeing the same stuff. And like, I’m a part of it, too. Everyone’s doing it. Everyone’s just kind of sharing those bits. But stories you can really be like, That’s what I’ve always loved about like Snapchat and Instagram Stories is like so like, they’re in a moment or like you can like just like post something like really rotten, the live feature in it as well. It’s just like, just just really cool. So I’m kind of like, done with looking at a lot of the stuff on the feed, I saw something that someone said was really interesting. And we keep deleted or he archived all his, I think it was Craig Adams, he archived like, a lot of his feed posts, and he posted something about I don’t know why feed posts aren’t just 24 hours as well, because people don’t necessarily always go back and look at it. Understand, if you like kind of like a brand or like or someone comes to you, they want to see what you’ve done. And it’s a place to post like your best work. But it just like someone might consuming. Like it’s not like very highly, like likely that they’re gonna go back into your feed and like look at that picture again.

Alex Beadon 39:34
Yeah, it’s really I’ve actually been considering archiving, like most of my feed because I always had this thing where I was like, I don’t want to touch my like, I want to leave my feed since I first started my account back in 2000. And whenever that was 2000 I don’t even know. But now I have like 1000s of posts and a lot of them just aren’t relevant and no one cares and I just really think I’m gonna go through and just archive archive archive archive.

Andy Burgess 39:56
Yeah, I did that like a year ago. Yeah, I

Alex Beadon 39:59
think that That’s definitely in my cards. So I’m really curious. You seem to be someone who is like very forward moving like you seem to be someone who creates a lot of momentum. You know what you want you go for it, you don’t seem to be someone who really overthinks things. And if you are overthinking it, you seem to have an awareness that you most likely are just overthinking it, and you take action anyway, even if you’re feeling uncertain. So I’m curious, how do you go about like really creating the life of your dreams and really thinking like, what is it that I want for myself? And how do I get there? Like, is this something that you sit down and think about? Or are you just like, kind of having fun and seeing where things take you talk to me a little bit about that?

Andy Burgess 40:40
Yeah, I kind of like, I guess, in the long term, I’m thinking of like, I’m, like, naturally evolving, and what I’m doing and like, right now I’m getting really into the, like, higher produce stuff and making like longer form content. And I’m thinking of like, down the line, like, wanting to, like make a documentary and that kind of stuff. But like, on the day to day, I think just come like being able to live in London, and be able to, like, pay my rent, and like, eat, and like, wake up every day and do what I love doing for like a job. It just, like, motivates and makes me so happy. Like every day like that I don’t have to go and kind of sit in an office, like nine to five because like, that’s just not how I’m wired. I can’t do that. And that just like pushes me like every single day. And then like, being able to, even if sometimes I’m like, oh, like how is this going? Well, I have a bit of a slump. I’m like, Well, who knows, maybe the next video I make someone’s gonna see it. And then that’s going to allow me to go and speak in this place or like travel to this country. Some kind of very, like, just like day to day. But I am like thinking like down the line. What can I do? What’s bigger? Can I like right now my biggest dilemma in my head is do I take a pause on like some of the stuff that maybe in a couple of months what I’m doing on like HGTV? And do I maybe then focus on like, some longer form videos for YouTube or like for maybe like a documentary style thing. Because kind of that’s what I’m playing with at the moment.

Alex Beadon 42:29
That’s really interesting. And early, we’re talking about, you know, creative ambition and how working a nine to five even though you were doing some creative stuff, it really wasn’t fueling your creative ambition. So what would you say? Like, what do you want to be known for? Like, what what is it that you really like? What’s the name that you’re trying to carve out for yourself?

Andy Burgess 42:47
Oh, interesting. Um, I just, I’m really like, I really like being in this field. And this shooting video in a different way. It’s what people are kind of used to. And I’m I do like being able to push, push this like from forward especially like, on Instagram and people like the question of the thing I get most when people come over, it’s like, whoa, I’ve never seen something like this or like, there isn’t as much like highly produced stuff on stories. And I’ve always enjoyed that. Because it’s like a completely different way of like, filmmaking, but I think just making what I enjoy the most is seeing when someone sends me a comment about like how video has like made that day or it makes them kind of want to travel or see somewhere, I get a lot of people who say they love living vicariously through my travels and stuff. Oh, even like, like people I’ve never heard of, like I’ve never met, or like friends who I haven’t spoken to in a while, but that I love watching your travels. And I think just like, like keeping people entertained and joy and like letting them enjoy it and kind of bringing some value to them through my videos.

Alex Beadon 44:03
I love that. And I’m so excited to keep following you. Like I know that you’re one of those people who I’m going to keep following and checking in on your journey. I said that to someone the other day and I was like actually, that sounds like a really creepy thing to say. But I feel like your work is going to continue to evolve and grow and so I’m really excited to see where you go next. Okay, so to wrap up this interview, I always ask people the same final questions and the first one is what is one thing you do that has been a non negotiable in the success of your business?

Andy Burgess 44:37
non negotiable in the success of my business. What I like to do I don’t know if this is the I guess this is not I like to try and if I’m gonna like schedule meetings or anything else people want to meet. What I do now that I found is like really helped is I kind of tried to block them all together. So like mainly First thing or at the end of the day, because I found if I have to edit a video or like make an Instagram TV episode is that kind of like my priority two things I have to hit every Monday and every Thursday, I have to have a video out. And sometimes they can take between like, four to nine hours, like depending on how long it takes. And sometimes what I have last year’s, I’d be in a flow of like, Oh, I’m editing Oh, now I need to go to this 1pm meeting and like travel across town. And then I have two hour window with like an edit and then travel again. And I just wasn’t getting as much done. Because when you’re sitting down at editing, you kind of get an A flowing, you need a big block of time. And that’s kind of hard to get. So something that like I make as like a, like a non negotiable thing is like, I try to now schedule every meeting I do like in person, like first thing in the morning, or like in a block of time. So I can like get all that done. And then like focus on the videos for the rest of the day. And like, and also that’s kind of what it’s my favorite for them. Because if I’m like, hey, yeah, let’s do this meeting at like 8:30pm or nine, or whatever. They’re like, Oh, this guy’s either like he’s getting up early or whatever. So it kind of works out.

Alex Beadon 46:10
Awesome. I love that. Okay, share a mindset shift that has made the biggest difference in your life as an entrepreneur.

Andy Burgess 46:18
Just like finding a career path that I actually genuinely love doing and want to get up every day. And finding a way to make that like my work. And now is the best time to you can actually do that about anything. Like you could be obsessed with Pokemon. I don’t know why that’s coming to my head, but you could make a podcast about that. And like it, you know so much about it, you can like there’s an audience out there that also do and you can connect via the internet. And you can like, share all that knowledge, you know, and like, you can build a podcast or a YouTube channel out of it. And like you can you can make money from it. So just Yeah, kind of do what you love.

Alex Beadon 47:03
It’s interesting that you say that because I think most people don’t realize the shift that has happened thanks to the internet and the communities on the internet. I think we’re still at the beginning of it. I think most people don’t even realize it’s an option. So I love that you said okay, fill in the blank, the world would be a better place if more people knew

Andy Burgess 47:23
if more people knew to just just talk to people in the street, just to say hello. I genuinely think that like makes a lot of that makes like all the difference in the world. If I’m just gonna get a coffee in the morning, and I’m just like smiling. And like, and then like, you get like a lovely response from them. It kind of just makes you feel good. Yeah, when I was in New York, a lot of the time people are New Yorkers are really like, they’re not like friendly. I everyone always spoke to me was super friendly. And it just made me feel like really good. It’s a good way to set up today.

Alex Beadon 47:58
That’s amazing. Okay, the book that changed my life was

Andy Burgess 48:02
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk.

Alex Beadon 48:06
It’s a good one. It’s a good one. You’re right. And then lastly, I love doing this. So basically, every guest that I have on the podcast, I asked them to challenge our audience to do something this week to focus on taking an action step or some type of ritual or anything like what would you like to challenge our audience to do this week.

Andy Burgess 48:27
Um, I would say, look at something that you find like maybe a hobby that you really love doing. And perhaps look at how you could make that something you want to do in the future or career. It doesn’t have to kind of be video or photography, you could set up a podcast about that just kind of look at like, if you’re just in your like, day to day life, you’re like running along. Just see what you really enjoy doing is like a side, like hobby and kind of make that like a side hustle or something.

Alex Beadon 48:59
I love it. Andy, thank you so much for being here with us today. I really appreciate it. I loved everything you said. And I think this is going to be an episode that people absolutely adore. So thank you.

Andy Burgess 49:09
No worries. Thanks for having me.

Alex Beadon 49:11
And if before you leave, you just let everyone know where they can find you online.

Andy Burgess 49:15
Yeah, so the best place is Instagram. So it’s just Andy Burgess. Yeah, I’m posting stories like every single day and like big produced episodes on IG TV every Monday and Thursday at 8pm GMT.

Alex Beadon 49:34
Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to give me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. and it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon, and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye bye

#025 – Launching Your Product/Service like a Boss with Alex Beadon

Ready. Set. Launch a Successful Product.

If only it were that easy. Alex breaks down every little detail you need to know about getting your product or service off the ground and in the hands of your ideal audience. In a knowledge-filled episode like this, you’re going to want to jot down notes as she covers how she launches her services to her favorite treasure finds for the week.    

This is On Purpose.

In this Podcast, you’ll learn:

  • How to successfully launch your product or service
  • A major realization you must know about Direct Messages
  • Setting boundaries for your business
  • Alex’s favorite finds for the week
  • & Her thoughts on the Ford/Kavanaugh hearing

Follow her launch:

IG: @alexbeadon
Facebook: Alex Beadon
Website: www.alexbeadon.com

Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
You’re listening to episode number 25 of on purpose with Alex Beadon. Today I’m going to be talking to you guys all about launching, I’m going to be sharing my launch lessons with you, I’m going to be helping you learn what it is that you need to know in order to launch your products and services in the future. So hopefully that’s super helpful for you. I also talked about what the New York City meetup was like. And I share the number of DMS that I get every single day and the major realization that I had after having discovered that number. I talked a lot about setting boundaries for your business in this episode, and I also dive into the Kavanaugh Lacey hearing my thoughts on that, along with sharing my favorite finds from this week. I think this is an epic episode. And I hope you enjoy it. This is on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all? nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived? And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath. Relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Hello, friends, it’s your girl Alex, you’re listening to episode number 25 Can you believe it? 25 episodes of on purpose. I can just imagine you’re doing like a hand wave in the same way that I am. While I was doing that celebratory little mini screen. I’m so excited. And I just want to say thank you for all of you loyal listeners who have been on this journey and lasted 25 episodes with me even if this is the first one you’re listening to. I appreciate each and every single one of you. Okay, so today’s episode, I have so much to talk to you guys about. I feel like so much has happened since we last spoke. And I’m just I’m excited to be sitting here speaking into the microphone, because I’ve got a lot to share. Okay, so firstly, I’m so excited. As you’re listening to this, it’s a Monday. Well, it goes live on a Monday. So if you’re listening live, it’s Monday. And it is what is it? I think it’s October 1, let me just double check that date. Yes, it’s October 1. And there’s one week until the five day challenge that I have put together for you guys that I’m so so so excited about. It’s called double down on your DMS. And I think it’s going to be so much fun for everyone who gets involved. It’s like I said, a five day free Instagram story engagement challenge where basically 1000s of entrepreneurs have already signed up, we’re all coming together for five days to put our tools to the test and to really strengthen our ability to connect with people using Instagram stories. And the reason why I call it a double down on your DMS is because let’s be real. When I sit down, I look at Instagram stories. I’m like, okay, you know, what is the benefit here? What can people what is the result that I want people to walk away with? I want people to feel like they’re getting more engagement from their Instagram Stories, right? That’s like really a good test of whether you’re making stories that are engaging to people or not too engaging to people. And as you kind of flirt with the idea of getting more and more engagement, you learn what’s hitting home for people and you learn what’s not. So the entire challenge is really just there to encourage you to double down on your DMS and really start creating the type of content that’s getting a response from people, I walk you through the entire process from start to finish. If you read my recent Instagram post that I posted on Friday, there’s a picture of me with like a bubble blower on the beach, if you want to go and read that post on Instagram stories. But basically, I thoroughly believe in creating experiences for people and allowing people to get a taste of your authority before you necessarily ask them to buy anything from you. You guys know that I’m an authority, because I’m going to show you that I’m an authority in this subject area through the experience of double down on your dance, right. So I’m so so so excited to be creating this experience for you guys. Right now I have the bet. Well, by the time you listen to this, I’ll be much further along but right now I have the outline of what I want it to look like. I’ve started coming up for ideas of videos. And as you listen to this, if you’re listening to this next week, I will probably actually have the videos ready and things will be a little bit more concrete but I’m just so excited to experience this with you guys. I think it’s going to be a once in a lifetime, incredible, like heartfelt opportunity for all of us. So I’m really looking forward to it. So since I’m going into this launch. And since I recently this week, I did a lot of one on one calls. By the way, for those of you who are interested in one on one calls, if you go to work with me dot Alex beadon.com, you can go and sign up for the waiting list. Normally, what I tend to do is just let my waiting list know when there’s available spots for coaching. But so yeah, this week, I’ve had a few coaching calls. And one of them in particular, she was talking to me about the fact that she wants to launch a brand new offering, like, in two weeks time, and I was like, Girl, oh my gosh, like, you can’t just launch something in two weeks time, she’s like, Yeah, I’m just gonna kind of, you know, throw it out there and see what happens. And it just reminded me that this is where I see so many entrepreneurs really shoot themselves in the foot. I mean this in the kindest way possible, when you have a product or you have a service, and you want to do the best with it that you possibly can, and you want to get it out to as many people as you possibly can. The way that you launch your product or service really, really, really matters. And so I’ll tell you guys, the exact same thing that I told her and it’s also very relevant for me right now is that the entire launch process, like leading up to launching your product service, and then actually asking for the sale, that should all feel like a really special experience for the person who is on the other elements, right. So for your ideal clients, you want them to be able to go on this journey with you. And you want to have thought about as much as you possibly can every single step along the way. So that’s why like this week has been so busy for me, I just flew back from New York City for an impromptu trip there. For those of you who don’t know, maybe don’t watch my Instagram stories, but my I tried to do a bank transfer when I was in Colombia, and it came up as suspicious activity. So they wanted me to come into a bank to prove my identity. So that’s why I ended up having to go to New York City. But these last few weeks have just been so busy, because we’re trying to get as much ready as we possibly can for this upcoming experience that I’m crafting and creating for all of you to double down on your DMS challenge, right. And a lot of people may look at me and be like, you’re crazy, you’re putting in so much effort and energy like way before the launch is even happening. And the reason why we do that is to try and make it so that we are we’re covering as many bases as possible. And we’re showing up to provide as much value as we possibly can. And so, obviously, like I say that and things are 100% not perfect and 100% not going to plan. This is Laura’s first launch with me since our previous launch together, which you would have heard in Episode 24. We spoke about when we launched feel good bonding together, which I believe was in 2013.

Or yeah, I think it was 2013 or maybe 2014. And so this is her first launch in the business with me. So she’s learning a lot as we go. I’m also like it just my normal self, when it comes to launch, I’m doing the best I possibly can. I’m really good at launches. And I think the reason I’m good at them is because I know the path that I want to take my audience on leading up to the sale. And I know how important it is to give them that experience where they really feel like, like they understand the value that I’m providing. And that’s what makes it safe for them to actually buy whatever it is that I have to offer for them. So I try to get as much done as I possibly can. But more often than not, most things don’t get done. Which then means it comes down to like really figuring out what are the essential things because I don’t want to have a perfect launch. Because a perfect launch is not possible. So really, it’s about figuring out like what are we capable of? And how can we push the boundaries without burning out? Super, super important. So for me right now, what that means is like literally trying to get through my to do list as quickly as I possibly can, without rushing things and without the quality of whatever it is that I’m offering actually being there. Does that make sense? So when I was on my coaching call, and I heard this girl and she was talking about how she was struggling with this launch, because well she doesn’t even know that she’s struggling with it. She was just saying that she was going to launch in two weeks, I was like girl, you need to give yourself some time. I started breaking down for her like the types of things that I’m thinking about during my launch. And I thought as I was telling her all of this, I was like this is perfect podcast content. So that’s what I want to talk to you guys about today, in large part is just launching what the launching process is like what you should be considering whether you’re releasing a new, maybe you’re doing one on one coaching or maybe you have a service that you offer, or maybe you have a product or maybe you have an event that you’re trying to get people to come to this launch formula can really be applied to a variety of different industries. So take what I’m saying I Ask yourself, if it doesn’t apply to you. How can you make it apply to you? I trust that all of the listeners hear all of the purpose seekers, you guys are intelligent human beings, you guys are 100% capable, I know that you can listen to what I’m saying and translate it. So don’t be lazy. Don’t hear what I’m saying and be like, Oh, that’s irrelevant to me. That’ll never work for me. Like, actually listen to what I’m saying. Try it, put it to us and see how it goes. Okay, so the first thing that you want to do before you launch something, is you want to start getting people excited about whatever it is that you’re launching. So for example, when I was launching Grand Slam, for months before, I’ve been telling people I’m working on grabs on Hey, guys, I’m over here, just doing some work on Grand Slam. Hey, guys, I’m coming out with this product very soon. I’m so excited to share it with you. Like just dropping little hints along the way, right? So this happens. And this is why I think it’s so important to get a good handle on Instagram stories, because Instagram Stories is such a natural way to communicate with your audience and drop hints and get people interested and excited without them even knowing that what you’re essentially doing is prepping them for the sale. Right. So just dropping those hands casually. And thing is you’re not lying, you’re not. You’re not tricking anyone into thinking you’re working on something when you’re not working on it, like you actually legit are working on it. And you’re just sharing, you’re just letting people in behind the scenes. So as you’re going through your day, ask yourself like what is something that I can let people in behind the scenes to kind of spark a little bit of anticipation and excitement. Another thing I did that worked really well for Grand Slam is I don’t know if you guys remember this, but on my Instagram stories, I basically, I let you guys pick the name of the course. So I narrowed it down to I think four different names. And I was like, send me a direct message and let me know which name do you think is the best. And we did a whole voting process. And that’s how I came to the Grand Slam. I actually was not like Grand Slam was not one of my personal favorites. Like, that was not a name that I wanted to choose. I put it out to you guys. And you guys chose overwhelmingly Graham Cena, which is oftentimes why it’s so good to pull your audience because many times we think we know best we think we know what our audience wants, but open up that conversation with them. And not only are you building up anticipation, but you are also educating yourself on what’s going to convert better and what’s going to do better. So that’s a really interesting thing to do as well as actually use them as a part of the process. What question can you ask them to help make them feel like they’re contributing, like they had something to do with this with this product or service or offering. So that’s the first thing. The next thing is you want to think of something that you can do that’s going to give them a taste of what it is that you offer. So before people make a purchasing decision, really what’s going on in their head is Is this something that I want? Is it something that I need? How is this going to affect my life? So in other words, what transformation will I have when you look back and you think of the last three major purchases that you that you made and it may not have to be major like maybe it was just the three last little purchases that you make? What were the feelings behind each and every single one of those purchases? Right so I just went to Sephora, I needed some new foundation and concealer and I ended up buying this awesome Fenty lip gloss camera, what it’s called, but basically the Rihanna brand of makeup and I was like Oh, I really want to try her lip gloss. So I bought it looking at a purchase like that and asking yourself like where did it Where did my knowledge of this product come from? Why do I feel like I want to try this? And looking back it’s because of a mixture of things. Number one I’ve heard I’ve seen on Brianna’s Instagram stories I see her putting on this lips this lip box all the time, and I think it looks so good on her so there was a curiosity of like, what would it look like on me. I’ve also read like a lot of articles that talk about the shade and basically say how this one lipgloss looks good on a variety of different skin colors, different types of people like it she literally has one lip gloss and the reason being that it looks good on everyone. So it’s almost like a challenge. Like I want to see what it looks like on me I want to see if it looks good on me. I want to see if this is the one lip gloss that I need and go no further because let’s be honest, I don’t like wearing the gloves right? Also the sticky factor like that when you try on. For me I don’t like wearing lip gloss because it’s super sticky. And I like that this one does not feel as sticky and like just not fun to have on your lip. So going through the process of why did I decide to buy this lip gloss and then really breaking it down and asking yourself okay, what are all three of those things? So the objection I had an objection I don’t want my lip gloss to be sticky. So when I tried it on I was really asking myself is this sticky? You know and I first I put a lot on when I tried on the the lip gloss in the store. And I was like it does feel a little bit sticky. Like I’m not sure if I want to wear this. And then the person helping me was like okay, But what if you tried like, just putting a little bit on, so I took it off, and then I just put a little bit on, I was like, Oh my gosh, this is perfect. It doesn’t feel too sticky. It feels like I really like the shade. I was able to try it on in the store. And that’s what ultimately, like, yes, the the anticipation and the tips from friends and whatever, like those things definitely had an influence on me getting to that stage. But then once I got to that stage, it was really like, am I going to use this? You know, is this a good experience that I’m having in this test phase? And that’s what that’s the experience that you want to create for your clients before they buy your new product or service. You want them to have that test phase, right? Where they’re like, is this a good fit for me, it’s not a good fit for me. So. And what’s interesting as well about the test phase is a lot of times, or at least the way that I do it is that they might not even know that I’m leading them up to a sale. I’ve basically pitch something to them. And they’re like, oh, I want to give that a try. I want to try it out. They go through it. They’re like yes, this is awesome. I’m ready for the next step. And then I offer them the sale. Right. So in that way, it’s a little bit different than the Fenty beauty experience. But like I said, we all need to take this and convert it so that it fits whatever industry that we’re in. Right. So in my case, I have a an online course called Grand Slam. It’s a very short, bite sized, but super detailed course on how to create Instagram stories that make you stand out from the crowd that allow you to build your brand and your influence and your authority online. And really, the focus is on being able to tell your brand story and your brand message in a way that makes it feel addictive to keep watching your stories and feel invested in your journey, right. Because when we have people who are invested in our journey, they’re way more likely to pay attention to what we’re saying they’re way more likely to actually want to buy from us because they already know like, and trust us. So that’s what my course is all about.

Hi, Friends brief interruption into the middle of my very own podcast to let you know and remind you that the double down on your DMS challenge is starting on October the eighth. Please take a moment to write that down on your calendar. Because trust me when I say if you want to up your authority and your influence on Instagram and build a strong brand over there, this is a challenge you don’t want to miss, you can sign up 100% for free over at Graham dashlane.com forward slash podcast, I’ve been working so hard behind the scenes on everything that you’re going to receive in this challenge. Like I said, every day for five days, you’re going to be receiving a small but doable challenge from yours truly, that has to do with your Instagram stories. And the whole goal is that we’re going to be boosting your direct messages. So definitely you’ll learn something from it no matter what I’m making this to be as jam packed with value as I possibly can head on over to Graham dashlane.com forward slash podcast to sign up for free. And I will see you guys on October 8. Okay, now back to the podcast carry on. Now, in order to get people to understand that I’m good at what I do, I want to create a free experience for them so that they can try it on so to say, right, so in this case, what I’ve done is I’ve created this five day challenge to double down on your DMS challenge, right. And this experience is a free five day experience, where I’m basically going to pour my heart and soul into giving them the best time of their lives that their internet, Instagram story lives. I want them to see results. I want them to be a part of the community like I want them to really have such an epic time with this challenge that number one, it’s unforgettable. Number two, it changes their business regardless of if they ever decide to buy from you or not. And number three, they walk away feeling like wow, Alex Beadon gave me so much value 100% for free respect, right? That’s really the reason behind why I do and create these free challenges and experiences. I do them at least a few times a year, every single year because I want people to know that I know what I’m talking about. And I don’t want them to just take my word for it. I want them to experience it. So the hope is that they will go through this experience. They’ll go through the five day free Instagram story engagement challenge, they’ll feel the power of having more knowledge in their mind. They’ll know what it’s like to work with me, they’ll get a taste of what to expect in Grand Slam that by the time the challenge is done. They’re ready to join Grand Slam they can see the benefit. I don’t have to convince them anymore because they’ve already experienced it. So when you look at your industry, really ask yourself how can I make this apply to me? How can I give people an experience of what But my cupcakes are like, How can I give people an experience of what my videography is like, and that’s going to look different for each and every single person. But the important parts is that you understand that you want your clients to feel like they got free value, you want them to feel like you gave them something, that there’s that reciprocity factor, right? You gave them something, and now they’re more likely to say, yes, I want to hire you. Okay, so for me, that’s the challenge that’s experienced that I give everyone online. Now, before the before that challenge even happens, I’m building up momentum and excitement. So about three weeks before the challenge, I started saying, Guys, Something’s coming. Something super exciting. Keep an eye out for it. About two weeks before the challenge. I’m like, Guys, the challenge is happening, you can sign up for free here, tell your friends, and I start building that buzz and momentum. Right. And then about a week before, so right now, as you’re listening to this, we’re about a week before, if you’re interested in launching, really start paying attention to my posts. So watch and learn. Because what I’m doing this week is really just educating people and preparing people to understand that investing in their Instagram stories, and investing and creating meaningful relationships with people online through through their DMS is very worthwhile. And I will do it in subtle ways. I will do it through storytelling on my feet, I will do it through talking to them in my Instagram stories, or maybe through an Instagram story live to me Instagram is like my home hub. So that’s where I’m at. If you’re on Facebook, you can make it work there too. But you just want to prepare people and ask yourself, what are the fears that people are going to have going into this challenge? How can I address those so people are excited and not fearful? So one of the fears might be and I’ve had a few people message me this if I don’t have a big enough following for on Instagram, is this challenge still going to be applicable and helpful to me? And the answer to that is yes, absolutely 100% Because regardless of how many people are watching your story, you need to be able to learn how to have those conversations with your ideal clients, how you can start attracting those ideal clients is by actually positioning yourself as someone who’s having those conversations, even if right now you’re having zero conversations, a lot of times I have clients come to me, and they’re like, they don’t really have that much of a following. And the content that they put out there doesn’t get that much of a response. And I’m like, Yeah, that’s because most of the people following you are your friends, they’re supporting your new business. They’re not your ideal clients. And they’re afraid to reach out to you and respond to your, your polls and your direct messages and your questions. Because it’s not, it’s not cool to be like too deeply invested and to be vulnerable, and to put yourself out there and show someone that you’re watching them, that can be a really intimidating thing. So in order to make that more and more accessible, and in order to attract people who are not your friends, and who are actually your ideal clients. And so in order to get ideal clients to actually start speaking to you, what we need to do is show them that this is a safe environment in which I actually embrace conversation. And in which I actually encourage conversation between you and me. That way people feel so much more safe when they actually come around to having that conversation with you on Instagram. Right? So I want people to know and understand that you’re gonna see a lot of my contents will be revolved around issues like that, where it’s not necessarily directly me sitting there being like Georgia challenge during the challenge during the challenge. But I’m going to be slowly but surely breaking down whatever objections people may have to joining the challenge. So you might, you might hear me talk about like, you know, if you don’t think you have enough time, here’s why you definitely do have enough time. It’s not going to take more than X amount of time per day, etc, etc. So really just like prepping your audience, making sure they know something’s coming up. And this you know, even for events, if you’re hosting an event, this is something that’s so important. I think so many people are afraid to use social media and to use these tools to actually get people excited in the know about what’s happening. And it’s a real shame, because what ends up happening is like this same girl was on a coaching call with, she will end up launching, and if she launches in two weeks, like she plans to do, you know, she’s not going to do as well as if she had implemented all of these three strategies, right? So this is the type of stuff I mean, as you can tell, I can talk about this forever and ever. And depending on what your business is, there’s so many different strategies that you can apply. And there’s no one size fits all. I’ll repeat that there is no one size fits all, which is why it’s so important to really know what you’re doing so that you can apply these strategies and tips and tools in a way that works for you and your audience. For a way It works for you and your clients. So keep that in mind when you’re launching. And also know that like, it takes launching multiple times, in order to really start learning how to do it right, don’t be afraid to mess it up. Don’t be afraid to have a launch that failed.

Because as long as you’re launching and you’re learning, you’re good to go, something I would highly recommend actually guys. There’s a man called Jeff Walker, and he has a product called Product Launch Formula. And it’s a fantastic framework for for launching. So if you’re interested in learning more about that, definitely go check him out. I highly recommend him he’s, he’s how I actually am teaching Laura how to launch I’m like, Okay, this is a really good place to start. Another thing I want to bring up that might not be applicable to all of you, it’s particularly applicable to those of you who are trying to sell coaching or trying to sell, you know, one on one or anything like that maybe online products don’t focus so much on getting actually a day back. This can apply to anyone, don’t focus so much on getting more and more and more and more and more and more followers and leads, etc. If you’re not already converting your existing followers and leads. This was actually a point that was brought up recently to me by Amanda bond, who is my Facebook ads queen and expert and I adore her, you should definitely go check her out Amanda bond. She was actually in the spark lounge with me, which is like my little mastermind group. And it was really interesting, because she was talking about how people have such an obsession with growing their numbers more and more and more and more and more. She’s like, what people have not yet figured out how to actually convert what they already have. So she’s like, basically, there’s no point in spending money on Facebook ads, there’s no point in obsessing over your Instagram followers and growing, growing, growing, if you’re not already converting the people that you already have into sales. So this like all of this launching stuff, I can tell a lot of people it sounds really, it sounds really unsexy. And it sounds like something that’s not fun. And it sounds like oh, there’s so much to learn. There’s so much to do. But it’s like yeah, but once you figure it out, like you can actually just this the system and the framework becomes so back of mind that you can start having fun with it and be creative with it. And you you don’t feel bogged down by it because you know that it works and you know that, that you’re communicating effectively, everything that you need to communicate in order to get people to ultimately be able to best decide if the product or service you’re offering is a good fit for them or not. So before I know a lot of you guys are probably like any more followers than me more this no focus on the quality of content that you’re putting out to your existing followers, and learn how to convert your existing followers. That’s my two cents on that. So as I mentioned, I went to New York City this week. I had an amazing time, I got to see my cousin, I got to see a lot of Nick’s family, we got to spend time with Laura and Scott, we got to meet xhale Laura’s new dog. And also I got to see Laura’s apartment for the first time since she moved and it was super comfortable. Laura has the best shower on planet Earth hashtag best shower on planet earth. Because it just is like that it has so much pressure and has a nice temperature. I don’t know why I felt like I had to bring that up. I just did I love brainstorming in the shower. I love doing visualizations in the shower. And that challenge is such a great shower. So goals, get a shower like that one day. But anyway, the point of me bringing this up is that when I was in New York City, we hosted a New York City meetup, which was so much fun. The last time I did this was two years ago, I think I believe was April 2016. And I did it in New York City. And it was so much fun to meet people who have been following my journey and seeing my content and really just being a part of my community for the last who knows how long. And so this time, I think we had about 16 people show up, which was absolutely amazing. Because I think the last time we had about six people show up. And so it was just surprising to see that there were more people there this time. It was incredible to get to actually talk to these women. And don’t worry for the men listening, we do have a very small percentage of men in the Alex Beadon community. You are very, very welcomed here. But this time it was just all women. And I got to speak to each every single person and hear their stories and hear what they’re working on and hear their struggles. And it was really cool because we got to do like a hot seat session where like, well, there was a two hour time period so everyone didn’t get a hot seat but it was really nice seeing the women come together and support each other. And now they are all connected in New York City which is amazing. And so to be able to have that experience with them, and to be able to connect with them and and just on See, there’s nothing better than taking the everything that you’re working on online and actually seeing it all come together offline. So that really inspired me. And since that meet up in New York City, I’m now thinking, dude, every single time I travel, I should make this happen, which is a lot of times easier said than done. I always like to have an assistant there. So in this case, Laura was my fabulous assistant. And she really organized everything, and she was there as like, moral support on the day. And so I think, because Maura is in New York City, that’s why I’ve always done it in New York City. But really, I should just do it every single time I travel. So now I’m in Trinidad, I’m thinking, if you’re listening to this podcast, and you are interested in a meetup, definitely send me a message on Instagram, and let me know that you’re interested, I think what we’ll do is start putting together a list of people in Trinidad because that will definitely be the next meetup that we have happen. So just the thought of me, I’ve already spoken to so many people in Trinidad in like, in my DMs on Instagram, and I already have a relationship with these people. And so the thought of like, actually meeting these people in real life is just really exciting. And then for all of them to get to meet each other is awesome. So that is my update on the meetup. It was truly wonderful. And really, it just like, completely reminded me and put me straight back into the purpose of why I do what I do. And that is because I believe in entrepreneurship. And I believe in the power of entrepreneurship. There’s nothing more freeing than being 100% financially independent. And I believe that that is what entrepreneurship does. For so many people, it’s not the best move for every single person. But for those who feel it in their heart, and for those who feel the calling, I feel like my purpose is that I’m here to help support those people. So it’s just so wonderful to meet these people in actual person. It was amazing. Okay, what else can I share with you this week and boundaries? So interestingly enough, when we were at the meetup in New York City, someone in the group asked me a question, because at one point, we did like a little q&a, it unintentionally turned into a q&a session with Alex, which I absolutely loved. And someone asked, how many direct messages do you get every day? And I was like, Oh, I probably got like, I honestly, I didn’t know the answer to the question. But I was like, if I have to guess I’d say it’s probably about 40. And I looked at Laura. And I was like, That sounds about right. Yeah. And she was like, Yeah, that sounds about right. So when I got home, I was like, I wonder how many I do get, and I checked, and I actually get, like, 80 plus every single day. The problem is that I’m responding to them all throughout the day. So basically, if I ever post to Instagram, I feel like people have seen me online. So I should respond to their messages. And the girl who asked me this question, I believe it was Ali. But I could be wrong. And it was someone who asked me this question. She’s basically like, just gonna take up a lot of your time, you know, do you find it distracting? And I was like, Nah, I love it. Like, I think it’s great. I really don’t mind doing it. I don’t find it a distraction at all. But she planted this thought in my head. And I started to just be more self aware around it and actually ask myself, like, is this distracting? And so this week, I decided since realizing that I actually got way more direct messages than I thought I get. I’m starting to implement something where I don’t reply right away, I reply during a specific period of time, because what ends up happening is sometimes I’ll get a message, like, a lot of my messages are short and sweet. And they just reply, they just require a short reply for me like a thank you, or a heart or whatever. And those are fine. But sometimes I get messages that are super long, that require a lot of thought and energy. And that in that moment, I’m just like, I don’t have the time to actually sit down and write a response to that person. So what ends up happening is I’m like, Okay, I’ll come back to them. And oftentimes, I forget to come back. And so I think that putting this boundary in place, I mean, like, Okay, I’m only going to check my direct messages and respond when I know that I have 30 minutes to dedicate to it solely. So I’m no longer going to be checking direct messages, like in the middle of the day, that might change during the launch, just because obviously, I want to be as responsive as possible. And that’s really what I did to dedicate launch time to. But otherwise, yeah, I definitely need to set that boundary. And I’m so grateful that someone brought it to my attention because I was not even aware. So I want to encourage you guys this week to really shine some awareness on where you’re spending your time. And if there’s anything you’re spending your time on. That is maybe a little distracting. Or maybe you’re doing it like haphazardly throughout the day. Is there a way for you to set a boundary so that you can be more experienced specific about when you get this thing done? Because it has really made a big difference to me. It’s made me realize I get way more DMS that I’m aware of. Because now they they actually add up and it’s made me realize that to respond to everyone out actually takes a significant amount of time. So I might as well do it all at once and be focused on that then do it like, interspersed throughout the day. Other than that, what

has been going on for me this week? I’m sure you guys, if you’re in the United States, for sure you’ve been hearing about this. I’ve been speaking to a lot of people who haven’t heard about this. And maybe you haven’t, I’m not sure if you’re international, you might not have heard about this. But Brett Kavanaugh, and Christine Blasi Ford and that entire I want to call it a saga. I I’m just I’ve been so moved by it this week. So moved. I am of course I know everyone’s like innocent until proven guilty. But I listened to this woman’s testimonial. And every part of my body just ached for her and for women around the world, because this is such a big moment of it being safe to tell your truth. And towards us moving closer to it beings even more safe to tell your truth. Because even today, it’s not 100% safe to tell you’re like we’re at the brink of this of this breaking point in in at least American history. And so it’s very, very exciting to witness and especially as a woman and you know, having more power in the workplace and having more equality. And this is I just feel like a really interesting piece of news to keep an eye on and to just see and watch how it unfolds and to be able to witness our own reactions, and to try to be non judgmental and non biased and to hear other people’s opinions with respect, and patience. And I just think it’s a really difficult time. And it’s also a really beautiful time. I listened to her and I was just like, wow, what bravery. And wow, she’s she’s definitely someone who I’m looking at two big time this week. And so I just had to share it here on the podcast, I know that there’s probably a lot of you guys who are feeling this way too, and who maybe you’ve been feeling, you know, one way or the other. But Ah, wow, I’m mad respect for her for standing up and telling her truth and for for really blazing the path for so many women to do the same. It bothers me so much. Because I know that there are so many instances. And this is the problem with not talking about it and not speaking your truth. When we brush these things under the rug. We’re telling the world essentially that it’s okay for these things to happen. And so that’s why I think it’s so important to speak about it and to say something and to really start making it not okay for these things to happen. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, go and look up at it. Just Google Christine Blasi Ford, and it will for sure come up or Google Brett Kavanaugh and it will for sure come up. I would highly recommend and actually this brings me on quite swiftly to my last segment of the podcast where I’m going to be sharing with you some of my favorite finds this week. So I’ve Oh, this isn’t actually a favorite find this week. But this is something I want to share with you guys this week, because I’ve been listening to it a lot this week. And it’s it’s a podcast called the daily. So if you just go into your podcast app and search for the daily, it’s pretty much a breakdown of American politics. News, what’s going on, it’s not super International. But it’s still very informational and educational. And I like to be kept up to speed with what’s going on in the US because it does affect so much of the international world, whether we like it or not. And so for me, it’s been a really great resource. I love that it’s presented in such or what I consider to be such an unbiased way, I never really feel like the host is trying to sway me in one side or another, he really does a good job of telling both sides of the story. And so I’ve been listening to the dailies coverage of this entire trial. I also watched parts of the trial as much as I could on that particular day. And so yeah, I think that’s definitely something you should look into, especially if you live in the US these episodes will really help keep you up to speed and help keep you informed. I think it’s so important to be informed. So important. And I know sometimes the news can feel overwhelming. But I think for me where I’m at in my life right now as this version of Alex Beadon. I want to be informed and I want to take responsibility for knowing what’s happening in the world so that I can actually have a say, and if you don’t know what’s going on, then you can’t have a say. Right. So that’s just one resource for you to check out that I think you guys would really enjoy another resource. This is a podcast that I’m loving. It’s called Am I allowed to like anything by Darien Simone Harvin? This girl is having some epic conversations about so many different topics. I absolutely love it. Like I just love her interview style. I love the wide array of topics that she’s talking about. She really covers lifestyle, culture, race, really, really interesting. And what I love about her podcast is that it’s more lifestyle oriented. So guys, when you’re listening to podcast, what you really want to be asking yourself is like, what do I want to feed my brain? Probably for a lot of you guys right now, business podcasts are where it’s at, like you’re trying to soak in as much as you possibly can. But I would encourage you to throw in like, and I think this podcast is a good example. Like I really try for it not to be 100% business, because I want you to understand that your life is more than just your business, even though your business really does matter to you. And you are on the path of achieving your next business goal. It’s about that mixture and that balance. So I hope I do a good job of that. But you should also be listening and consuming content that’s not 100% business related. So find a good Lifestyle podcast to follow and keep up with I think is, is just so much fun. And it’s a really nourishing thing to have in real life as well. Hey, friends, a quick interruption to today’s episode to remind you that you’re running out of time to sign up for my free five day Instagram Stories challenge. It’s called double down on your DMS. And it was designed to challenge you to focus on creating epic Instagram stories every day for five days to boost your engagement. I run these challenges very rarely throughout the year. And people are always upset to miss them. 1000s of entrepreneurs are going to be taking part in this together, it’s going to be an epic opportunity for you. So do not put this off, you can sign up for 100% Free at ground dash slam.com forward slash podcast. See you there. Another thing that I’ve been enjoying this week that I discovered is a brand new app. And what’s funny is I actually when we’re in New York City, we went out to brunch with Nick’s family. And his cousin who I believe is 16 years old, I was talking to her we have so much in common. It’s It’s uncanny. Like, I just love talking to her and hearing what what she thinks is cool and what’s not cool. And she gave me this app, which I think I’ve heard it before, but I didn’t like it at the time, I didn’t really give it a full chance. And she was like try it out. And let me know what you think. And I just think it is so good. It’s called cu G and it basically is like a, you know, those old disposable cameras that used to be super popular before we all carried a camera almost 24/7 with our phone. It’s basically supposed to be mimicking that. So you take a picture in the app, and it develops, I’m doing air quotes here and develops the picture. And it just gives it a really cool edit and a really cool look. And so I recommend you checking out that if you’re looking for a way to take pictures that have a cool feel, without a lot of effort, it’s a great option. And then last but not least, there is a tool that Laura and I have been obsessed with this week. And it’s called proof.

If you know anything about marketing, if you know anything about me, you’ll know that I love social proof. I love being able to use other people’s testimonials as a way to show the world that I’m trustworthy. And that I know what I’m talking about, right? So whenever you have people who can back you up, or whenever there’s a way to show that other people are involved, use it to your advantage. So for example, what this app or what this tool does is it connects to your website. And basically any single time that anyone buys a little basically it basically alerts the system. And then the next time someone visits your sales page, something pops up that says, hey, Lindsay in Tampa bought this five hours ago. So you can see the last time someone bought it, it gives you that sense of like, oh, other people are buying this and they’re buying it quite regularly. So this must be a safe thing for me to buy. Just adding that next layer of trust, right, so we’ve been loving proof. You can also use it on your opt in pages, which is so freakin cool. So that people can see oh, so on. So sign up three minutes ago. That’s awesome. So that’s definitely something for you to check out as well. Other than that, we’ve reached the end of today’s episode. I’m so excited for next week. There’s only seven days left until the double down on your DMS challenge. It is going to be a life changing experience. Like I said, I pour my heart and soul into making these experiences one of a kind and to make sure that you walk away with so much free value that whether you buy grabbed some at the end of it or not, you still feel like that was way worth your time. And I feel confident in saying that I’m quite known for that. So if you haven’t signed up for the challenge yet, it’s 100% free, and you can sign up over at Graham Dodd slam.com forward slash podcast, right. And like I said, it’s 100%, free Graham dashlane.com forward slash podcast. When you sign up, you’re going to get an email that says thanks for signing up. And then you will for sure get all of the email notifications on day 1234 And five. Please note that if you’re already on my email list, you still need to sign up. Because I’m not going to be sending this challenge out to everyone. I really want to make it exclusive to those who take the action to sign up for it. So if you’re interested, make sure you sign up Graham dashlane.com forward slash Podcast. I’m so excited. There’s also going to be a public Facebook group. So make sure that when you join you when you sign up for free for the for the challenge. In the email, it gives you the link to the Facebook group. So go and sign up there. Guys, I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you did, as usual, please leave me a message on Instagram, send me a DM Alex Beadon. And of course, come on over to Apple iTunes on the podcast and leave me a review your reviews really help to support the show. So head on over and leave a rating or review. Let us know what you think. I really appreciate you listening and I hope you have an epic rest of your week.

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to give me a shout-out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon, and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye

#024 – How To Successfully Work With Your Best Friend

Get your life in order…

At least that’s what Alex’s best friend and Operations Manager Laura Marston says. Listen on as both Alex and Laura read your questions and answer them in a heartfelt way. From adapting to different personalities to becoming more efficient in the day-to-day, together they reminisce and explore what life’s been like for each other before and after they met.    

This is On Purpose.

In this Podcast, you’ll learn:

  • About working behind the scenes instead of in the limelight
  • Why hiring another person can ease your workload
  • Embracing your zone of genius
  • The ups and downs of working with your best friend
  • & so much more

Organize with Laura:

IG: @laulau43

Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Spark a conversation! Leave a comment below or say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
You’re listening to Episode 24 of on purpose with Alex Beadon, where I asked Laura Marston, my best friend and operations manager, your questions, we talked about what it’s like to work with your best friend, she shares about the transition from corporate life to working from home. And she gives us her best organizational tips for business and life. This is on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slipped from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Hey, friends, today I’m super excited to introduce our guest of the week, Laura Duarte, my best friend, my operations manager, the queen of my business. Here she is in person. Hi, guys. I’m very excited because not only is this the first person I’m interviewing from my personal life, but it’s also my first episode where I’m interviewing someone who’s sitting legitimately right next to me, Laura, how does it feel to be the first person from my personal life on the podcast?

Laura Marston 1:29
A little nerve wracking, but pretty exciting. We’re all here together. And I am usually behind the scenes. So we’ll see how this goes.

Alex Beadon 1:38
Yay. So everyone just giving you the heads up. Laura is new to putting herself out there online as you can tell. So let’s give her a nice warm welcome over on the ground. You can find her at lau lau 43. That’s l au l au four, three. Okay, let’s get started. So you guys actually sent in a bunch of questions to help make my job even easier. I asked you guys what you wanted to hear from the one and only Laura. And those are the questions that I’m going to be asking today. I’ve divided them up quite nicely. So let’s get started. We’re gonna get started asking a background question. Are you ready, Laura?

Ready as I’ll ever be.

Okay, so question number one is, what is your background? Where did you go to college? And what did you do before joining Alex? And this question is from Monica.

Laura Marston 2:30
All right, Monica. So my background is Colombian, I’m from Bogota, Colombia. And I grew up there only for a year, though, because I actually grew up in Venezuela.

So I’m one of those Third Culture kids that was raised all around the world because I was moving about every couple of years because of my dad’s job. That being said, I went to the US for college since I went to an American school growing up. And I ended up in Boston at Northeastern University studying psychology and cultural anthropology and French literature if you believe it or not,

that led me to nothing to be totally honest. And luckily, I got a job actually working in research for a documentary, which is what led me actually to the media world, right out of college. And because I worked in documentary filmmaking, I decided that it was a good idea to go to New York, when the opportunity arose, arose, rock, see when the opportunity came about, someone asked me to move to New York to be their personal assistant, and to finish working on this documentary with them. And I said, Yes, thinking that, if I wanted to get into media, New York was the place to be. So that’s how I ended up in New York. And I worked in documentary filmmaking for about six years, while I got my masters at the new school in Manhattan, and from there, I decided that it was time to do some corporate life. Where, which led me to go to Christie’s and work there in their video production team making videos for to promote auctions and artwork for three years before moving to work with Alex.

Alex Beadon 4:11
So for those of the listeners who don’t know, can you tell us what Christie’s is?

Laura Marston 4:17
So Christie’s is the leading art auction house in the world, their main competitors is Sotheby’s they basically have, I think it is 97% of the market share. So those are the two companies that lead in auctioning off any kind of item really so from handbags, to artwork, to sculptures to musical instruments, to outfits, jewelry, etc.

Alex Beadon 4:42
That’s amazing. Someone asked how long have you been living in New York for?

Laura Marston 4:46
So this October on Halloween on October 31. It’ll be seven years since I moved to New York.

Alex Beadon 4:54
Okay, so now we’re moving into Jessica’s question, and Jessica wants to know how How did you transition from your full time job, but to working full time for Alex and actually, Laura, maybe this would be a good time to kind of give the backstory of how you and I first started working together.

Laura Marston 5:14
So about four years ago, I want to say, well, let me start with this, Alex and I have been friends since we were 10. Living in Venezuela. And as you know, life goes, you move apart, and you sometimes lose touch with friendships. But sometimes, especially with this one, you end up coming back and becoming very good friends again. So in 2010, I went to study abroad in Paris. And I thought it was the perfect opportunity to contact Alex and get together again with her after not seeing her for probably five or six years. So we met up in London for and had a wonderful weekend. And after that weekend, it was one of those things that you’re like, Oh, I’m nervous. I haven’t seen this person in so long. What if like, we don’t get along anymore, and we were only kid friends. But it turned out that we got along perfectly well. And so after that, we started talking again a lot, which led a couple more years, a couple years later, for us to to meet up again in Tampa, where she was living before, while I was doing my masters. And after spending a whole week together just as friends and hanging out. She asked me if I would help her with something simple. The first thing was curating one of her webinars to make sure that all of the comments that were coming through, we’re positive that she was answering all the questions that everyone was sending her way. And I just sat there on my computer from New York and just made sure to text her every time a new question came up. So that was the first thing that we ever did together. And it was just a favor. From then she was like, oh, I need someone to help me launch feel good blogging, would you mind if I bought you your plane ticket to Tampa, if you come for a week hang out, we can hang out, you can help me with this launch. And, and it was kind of one of those things that at that point, a plane ticket to go see your best friend was like, Yes, of course, I don’t have money for that. Definitely, I will go help you with your lunch in exchange of some best friend time. So there was really the first time that we work together in person, both of us with our computers, and both of us with the same goal. And I think we realized then that we had very complementary, very complementary strengths and qualities that the things that she’s good at are the things that I’m not necessarily the best that and I can fill in the gaps for her. Just the same just as well.

Alex Beadon 7:35
Yeah, and I think what was interesting for me about having Laura come to work during that time is she was so on top of everything, like I remember there was something that we were doing in the launch. And I was I had forgotten to do it. And I told her, I was like, oh, gosh, Laura, I forgot to do this. And she was like, oh, no, no, I already did that. And like she had figured it out. And it’s something that was quite difficult on the back end of things. And I was like, Whoa, like, she’s not only someone who can, like do what you tell her to do. But she’s someone who’s like thinking five steps ahead of you and filling in the dots. And like she’s just filling in the dots, I mean, connecting the dots. And she’s just so organized and well put together, which is something that I am not like I’m super creative. So that was our first time working together. And I think from there, I can’t remember you came down one more time, didn’t you? To work with me?

Laura Marston 8:25
Yeah. So from there, we kind of realized that we were a good team, and you started realizing that your business was outgrowing just yourself, and that you needed some extra help. And at that point, you’re like, I will pay you hourly, if you could just help me with some of the more administrative things, even if it’s from New York, and sometimes you come to Tampa to help me with launches. So it kind of became that for I want to say about six months, where I would help you maybe one hour a day with customer service and administration. And when it came time for the next launch, I went back to back down to Tampa to help you with that.

Alex Beadon 8:58
Yeah, so that’s what really planted the seed. And I will never forget, at one point, Laura was visiting me when I lived in Tampa, we must have been in the middle of a launch or something and we were having this conversation of like, one day, the business will be big enough for me to be able to hire you full time. And that was like, it seems so far away. But it was such a big goal and a big dream of mine. And then we kind of went our own separate ways for a few years. But that vision was kind of always at least it was always in my head. I don’t know so much about Laura’s head. But in my head, I was always like it’d be so great to bring Laura or someone like Laura on board who has Laura’s skill sets, and Laura’s talents. Because I think that was really the first time that I realized like, oh, you can find people who are like the perfect puzzle piece for everything that that you’re missing. And what I liked about Laura as well as that, like she’s so like, I can feel that she’s in this as much as I am like from a purpose perspective, like even the other day when we went to do the meetup in New York City, which was awesome. Bye. By the way, for those of you who are listening, who came, thank you so much, it was so nice to meet all of you in person. It was so nice afterwards to hear Laura’s perspective. And so reaffirming that she’s such a good fit to be working with me because she was she was like, these are the people who were working for like, it gave her a really clear vision of like, who we’re helping and who we’re supporting, and why we’re doing everything that we’re doing. And so she also has that purpose side, which is super important for me, like, I don’t want to work with someone who’s just showing up to like, get things done and tick things off the list. Like she’s very she can see the vision. She knows why we’re doing this. And she’s very aligned with that as well. Do you have anything to add to that? Laura, before we move on to the next question?

Laura Marston 10:40
I guess the only thing to add is that you said you didn’t really know what what I was thinking for the last three years. Because of my documentary filmmaking experience, I was always very used to small companies working from home, maybe two or three teammates, and going into the corporate world was a big shock for me. So at the end of the day, this I think I’m starting to realize that this is the scenario, the work scenario that I’m more most comfortable with. And I think that once you plan to that, hey, I have an opportunity for you to come work full time with me. I was immediately on board. And I knew that it was a goal of both of ours for three years. So it was very exciting to to just come on board and help you out.

Alex Beadon 11:22
Okay, the next question is kind of in line with the one that we just asked, What was the biggest adjustment changing from a corporate job to working with Alex and this one is from Stephanie.

Laura Marston 11:33
So I think there’s two things that come to mind. One is just the calm that comes from working from home. And I think this is a good thing, because I was the first thing I was worried about when I was going to transition was, I’m so used to be in an office with about 200 Different people who are talking to me all the time, all day, every day, who each have their own individual tasks. And I’m going to go into a world where it’s going to be just me at home, am I going to go stir crazy, am I going to get bored? Is this something that I really want to do? I’m only going to be talking to Alex from now. But at the end of the day, especially because I live in New York City, and I was trying to explain this to her. There’s so much going on in this city, there’s so much hustle, there’s so much bustle the absolute like pace of the city is chaotic and electric at the same time. And I think that I am at a phase in my life where I’m ready for some common quiet. So the biggest transition, I think was going from so much hustle and bustle to a quiet environment where I could seriously focus on the things that I wanted to do professionally and personally, really. And so it’s been a wonderful transition in that way. The other thing that I can really think of is, like I said, Everyone at the in the corporate world has their own individual role they have they stick to their zone of genius, they know what they’re supposed to be doing, you know exactly who you’re supposed to contact when something goes wrong, or you should know or you hopefully know. But the point is that in the last three months, I think I honestly have learned much more than I ever learned in three years in the corporate world. Because it’s just the two of us. At the end of the day, you know, we have a couple of people who help us that we outsource. And that helped us like part time. But at the end of the day, the two people that are working on this full time is her and I and therefore we all have to do everything or every single step from customer service to back end to graphic design to social media marketing. And I have learned so much from that because at the end of the day, you’re responsible for everything. And you have to just learn it yourself. You can’t rely on someone else to do a portion of the job for you. So I think that’s been one of the most exciting and interesting things about working with Alex.

Alex Beadon 13:46
Which leads us on nicely. And I don’t know if you have anything else to add to this. But what is what has it been like working remotely in such a major role for the team that’s from Albie.

Laura Marston 13:59
Again, I think I think it’s mostly just excitement. I’ve always been the type of person that is very behind the scenes from from middle school, I started as a I just have to pause after pause and say this really quickly. But when Alex and I were in middle school, our group of friends were basically three very outgoing, very extroverted type of people. And then there was me who was the shyest person in the whole entire grade. So they wanted to do drama, and they wanted to be actresses and they wanted to sing and they wanted to be on stage and I wanted to be center of attention. And I didn’t want to stay behind. So what ended up happening was that they became the actresses and I became the tech person behind the scenes, which led me to become the production manager for all of the shows at our high school for the rest of my high school time. But it was really funny because that’s how that’s what led me to drama in the first place, but 100% Behind the scenes, which leads me to this to the answer to the question 100% I like being In the back end system of things, and so it’s very exciting to come and be able to help someone with their vision, I’ve always said that if someone were to give me a million dollars for my business, I wouldn’t really know what to do with them. Because I don’t really have the mindset and I’m okay with this, I don’t have the mindset to be like, if I had this money, I would create X, Y, or Z. On the other hand, I’m more of the type of person that’s if you have this idea, I can help you get there. Which I think is what makes us such a perfect team.

Alex Beadon 15:32
And it’s so interesting as well, that you were that way, when you were like, I remember being in middle school and continue, like I used to come back and visit in high school. And Laura is like the production manager of all of the drama productions. And it’s actually so funny how, like life leaves you clues and life leaves you hands. And even if you look at what you were doing back in high school, like being organized has always been your thing. And so now it’s just like, it’s just coming, like leaking into everything in your career, which I think is such a cool thing.

Laura Marston 16:03
And on the same note, this, it’s kind of I feel like I’m coming full circle with my professional life now working with you. Because the last I want to say 10 years has has been a lot of media centric, media focused career choices. And at the end of the day, I’ve started to realize that that’s not really my thing. The reason why I’m good at all those things is because of the production background, because of the organization background, and because of the logistics backgrounds that you need in order to be a producer. And therefore, I could be a project manager, I could be a production manager, I could be an operations manager, which is what we ended up deciding that my title would be. But in the end, I think that this has given me the opportunity to focus not just on the video world, but also to focus on the fact that I can get I can put I can help produce anything if I put my mind to it.

Alex Beadon 16:53
I’m interested in asking this question, because before you were saying how you know that you’re not supposed to be front, or front and center stage, and you’ve never really been interested in that. And I think that’s such a beautiful and unique thing about you, because a lot of people see people who are front and center stage and they’re like, oh, I want to be doing that, like so and so is doing this, I want to be doing that. Have you always been someone who’s stayed super? Like you’ve been very clear on what you do and don’t want and you’ve stayed true to that, or is that something that developed with time?

Laura Marston 17:26
I think that it has always been this way. I never looked back at my life and think like, Oh, I was front and center. And then I didn’t like it. From the first day that I remember having to be front and center. I hated it. I absolutely hated it. So let’s go back to the drama example, sixth grade, one of the projects you had to do to graduate from the drama program or whatever it was do a monologue in front of the whole grade. And I remember that I was panicked, panicked panicked about this for the whole entire month that before it happened, I got on stage and I started crying. I didn’t want to be there I hate being this the I’m really okay with like small groups of people. But I hate in even in like large social settings, I hate being the person that’s talking I’m you can usually find me listening and talking to someone one on one. So I think that it’s just part of my personality. It’s part of the way that I’ve always had fun, professionally and personally, and I’m, I haven’t really ever seen myself in any other way.

Alex Beadon 18:29
And you fully embraced it. Like you just seem to like love who you are. And just be so fully confident in who you are, which is one of the things that I absolutely love about you. So congrats Lau and hopefully everyone listening can take that as a big piece of inspiration to really choose what you want to do in your life based on your natural God given strengths and abilities and not necessarily try to like change yourself or fit into a box or a square or whatever. Like really just learning what works for you.

Laura Marston 19:01
And I think that you also just have to make sure not to feel bad about what your zone of genius is. I mean, not everyone is supposed to be front and center. Not everyone is the type of personality that’s comfortable being front and center. And that’s okay. There are some of us who are more behind the scenes, and are fantastic at what we do, even if we never get the actual recognition because of it. And I think that if you’re one of those people, you need to embrace it instead of trying to become someone that that you feel uncomfortable being.

Alex Beadon 19:37
And there’s so much it’s okay, I have two things to say the first thing is that like I look at Laura and Laura strengths and skills and I’m like this woman is a magician like I’m in her home and everything is so warm and organized and thought out and like earlier I was like What’s this box here on your table? And she’s like, Oh, that’s where we keep our remote controls. And I’m like, of course that makes total sense that you would have one of those So it’s like, I’m not good at those things. And we can complement each other in that way. And actually someone who’s an in a number two position, which is what I would call you, because like, I would say, I’m number one, you’re number two, like you can do just as well as someone in a number one position. And that’s something to think about as well as if you are someone who’s great at supporting and being in that supportive role. Like, you don’t necessarily even have to be in a corporate position, like I actually think you could do better. And there’s more opportunity being someone’s number two. And I think that’s one of the things that Laura likes about being a part of this business is that I think she’s looking at like the long term picture on plan of like this can grow. And if she’s at the number two position, like, it’s only going to get better and better from here.

Laura Marston 20:43
No, I agree. I mean, I’ve always been the type of personality that’s the right hand woman in all of my personal professional settings, even when I was Production Manager, even when I was a co producer, for the documentary, all of that, at the end of the day, my responsibilities were pretty much similar in all of my professions, which was be the right hand person to the person that’s in charge, make sure that you know, everything that’s going on, make sure that you have an answer to everything that that is questioned at the right time. And I lost my train of thought, I don’t know where I was going with this. Cool. All right, let’s go to the next question. The next question

Alex Beadon 21:20
is, how did your friendship with Alex start and evolve?

Laura Marston 21:25
So my friendship with Alex started when we were 10, I had just moved back to Venezuela. And she had just moved back to Caracas, she had been living in a different city in Venezuela. And it was our first day of school. And we unfortunately, both of our parents decided it was a good idea to start us in the middle of the school year. By the way, if you’re a parent, it’s not a very good idea. It’s better to start at the beginning of school because everyone already had friends. And we were just these two, like awkward girls being like, I don’t have friends, you don’t have friends, let’s be friends. So basically, that’s how our friendship started, which was good. And how has it evolved? It’s evolved, in a way missed the

Alex Beadon 22:04
whole. Okay, there’s an entire part of the story that she missed, where, basically, I think we started within two weeks of each other. I think I got there first, and then you arrived, it must have been like days, yeah, maybe days, we moved at the very similar time. And we had missed the yearbook photos. So we had to go and take yearbook photos together, like, probably weeks or months after everyone else had done their yearbook photos. So we were kind of like walking through the school together to find this location where we’re supposed to go and take our yearbook photos. And I remember it was just this really awkward conversation like, Hi, I’m Alex and like, trying to figure out how to speak Spanish to people and figure out where you’re supposed to go. So that was our very first like, encounter.

Laura Marston 22:49
Yeah, I definitely forgot about that. Um, how has it evolved? I think it’s evolved in a very beautiful way where most friendships, I think, you don’t really work with each other. And therefore you are friends, you are wonderful friends, best friends, but you are friends. And with us, I think it’s evolved a little differently that because of our strength of working together, our friendship has evolved even more than more than usual. Because we are able to work so well together, we keep coming back to each other in that way, and therefore we get to hang out and we get to work. Okay, let me let me start this over. What I want to say with this is that I think we’ve realized, especially in the last couple of months, that socially, we are very different people. So we if it was just up to us, hanging out in groups of people or going out in our personal life, I don’t think that we would be as close correct me if I’m wrong, if it was if it wasn’t for the business side of how we respect and admire each other. Because, you know, Alex is very outgoing. And let’s take this this past weekend. For example. I wasn’t here I was in Philadelphia, but she went out clubbing in New York, do you realize when the last time I went clubbing in New York was like, what, probably in college. So, point is that we have very different social activities that we do. And therefore I think that the friendship has evolved beautifully and a lot more because we’re able to admire and respect each other as co workers.

Alex Beadon 24:28
I think we complement each other really well as well. And like we make such a good team and it’s fun working together like with a What’s his called end goal in mind? Like we’re all we’re working towards the same thing. So it’s like teamwork we’ve got going on we’ve I think our personalities were very different socially, but I think our personalities mesh really well. Like we’re both super respectful people to each other and to strangers. And so I think we just were were a good fit. We suit each other well. Okay, the next question is what are both of your purse analogy types, I haven’t been reading the names but Oh, well. I’ll let you take that one.

Laura Marston 25:07
It’s funny because we have, it’s like 5050. So 50% of the time, Alex and I are have very similar personality types, we are very good with one on one conversations, we like going into very deep emotional conversations. And we’re really fantastic at being able to talk about all these things. And the other 50% of the time, I think that our personalities are completely opposite. You know, the more than anyone you guys know, Alex’s outgoing personality, and therefore, that is something that clashes with my personality all the time, just because I’m more of the introverted kind of personality. That being said, I talk a lot, I am a lot and woman talks a lot. And so whenever it’s just the two of us, oh, we have conversations for hours. So it’s funny to see how, how we can be so different, but at the same time so similar? I don’t know if that answered the question that answer the

Speaker 1 26:10
question. I think Laura is more introverted than I am. We’re very different work styles, which we should elaborate on. I like to work and then take a break, and then work and then take a break, which I think Laura likes to as well. Laura likes to be very focused and like get work done by certain time and I’m like, at five to work during the night. I’m totally cool with that.

Laura Marston 26:32
I have to say, yes. One of the best things from the corporate world is trying to develop that nine to five job in with your own flexibility, like you are now you are the person that’s dictating your time as a business. So you can choose to work at six in the morning, or you can choose to work at 9pm. But my question is, why would you? Why would you want to spend a whole day always trying to think about work. For me, I rather try to stick to the nine to five schedule, knowing that I can be flexible and sometimes change it so that at five o’clock I can turn off and I can solely think about my personal life, you know, time with my husband time with home time with talking to my parents on the phone, you know, all of these things that that I want a balance and I want to barrier. And instead Alex is very much what she was saying she could start at six in the morning, and then take a three hour break during the middle of the day and then work again at night. And so that’s our that’s where we’ve been clashing a lot the last three months, just because I’m like, why can’t we just focus and work from nine to five? And she’s like, No, but this could be done later.

Yeah, and I think as well, our lifestyles are very different. So like Laura’s husband is gone all day. So when he gets home from work, she obviously wants to be with him and have that personal alone family time with now her most adorable dogs Zia, who by the way is napping as we speak, and it keeps doing these really cute stretches that are super distracting. Whereas for me, Nick is a freelancer, I’m a freelancer. So it’s like, we just like we’re at home together working during the day. So maybe sometimes I’m like, Hey, let’s go and have like a two hour lunch. And that’s fine, you know, or like, Hey, let’s go to the beach for a few hours, like what my personal dream is like every Friday to just go super early in the morning and spend like four or five hours at the beach, whereas like for Laura, that’s not really an option. So in that way, we’re very different. But I think we we work really well. I think we’re both super respectful of each other. I think if at any point, there’s any issues, we talk about it like we’re both very communicative, we’re very emotional people, we’re very emotionally intelligent. And I think that is, at the end of the day, what has always kind of kept us connected as friends is the fact that we can have, like, yes, socially, we might be super different. But we when we are together, and when we can spend that quality time together, I think we connect on a really deep level, which is very unique, at least for me to find like I definitely don’t find that I have that connection with most people.

I do think that something to note about our personalities is that we’re both Third Culture kids. And therefore we have a lot of the same issues underlying issues of our anxieties, or identity identities. So one of the biggest things with Third Culture kids is the fact that you have a very big identity identity crisis. You really are you were born in a place but you’ve never lived in that place. And therefore you don’t feel from that place. But that’s the only place that you technically can call you know, home. So for example, I am Colombian, I am 100% Colombian, I only have a Colombian passport and therefore, I can’t say I’m anything but Colombian but I have lived one year out of 29 in Colombia. So I have this massive identity crisis and I know that Alex can really identify with that. So on on this deeper level, deeper love For level, we’re able to have wonderful connections and kind of understand our personal anxieties. Very well.

Speaker 1 30:09
Agreed. Okay. Next question is from Stephanie. She said, was Laura 100% supportive of your dreams from day one? Or did it take time? And I’m going to start with this. And then you can tell me what because I actually don’t know the truth. I think, Laura, I don’t I don’t actually know how to answer this question. I don’t think that I’ve ever really thought about it. But I’m pretty sure she’s always been supportive since day one. Maybe she thought I was crazy at the beginning, but she never told me.

Laura Marston 30:35
This is gonna sound really bad. But I honestly at the beginning, don’t think I was really thinking about whether I supported you or not. I know that there was a time when she just had started with the photography and everything that we were close, but not close enough for me to actually feel like, Oh, she’s crazy for doing this, she should be doing something else. I think I was really like, on the side of like, Oh, cool. Look at what Alex is doing. She’s doing photography, she’s doing this now she just switched over to YouTube videos. But really, I do think I have been supportive from from the get go. I have not thought that you were crazy. And I think it’s because you’ve proven yourself and all of the hard work that you’ve put into this company, and this business. And you’ve shown everyone that you that all this hard work is for something more than that. Look at how much I was telling her this the other day, we look how much you’ve achieved. Look how much. And this is all by yourself, like you now have me but it’s only been three months, you’ve been doing this for eight years by yourself and you have achieved so much. So I think on the underlying, and the underlying of all of this is more than support. I’m just so proud of her. I’m really proud of you to be honest. And I think that I will will be supportive from now until you know we continue this journey because I truly believe that you are helping out people that need it. So something for with last Saturday when we had the meetup that I mean, Alex was talking about it before, but that was super touching to me was that we ended up having kind of like a hot seat mastermind session where someone would say what they’re struggling with in their business. And everyone else would give advice, and just hearing all of your struggles and knowing that we are in a position to help you remedy remedy those struggles, was so touching to me because for for the first time in a long time. I I feel like I’m doing something with a lot more purpose in my profession. I mean before, yes, documentary filmmaking has positive effects on the people that you are documenting and showing their stories. But this is this felt so much more on a personal level, because I got to meet some of you even through like just Instagram followers and comments and the blog posts that we’ve been getting. I find them so heartwarming, and just to see how much people are supportive of you, that just makes me so proud of all the things that you’ve done.

Speaker 1 32:55
Thank you. Oh, so sweet. Hey, guys, it’s Alex here. Just a quick break in the show, because I wanted to personally invite you to something that I have been working on very hard over the last few weeks, something that I’m incredibly proud of, it’s called double down on your DMS. It is a five day free Instagram challenge that I’ve created specifically to help you learn how to use Instagram stories, to create more engagement to feel more connected with your audience. When people DM you, you’re able to create a real relationship with them a relationship in which your know like and trust factor is stronger than it was before. And a relationship in which they’re more likely to actually buy from you because of that know, like and trust factor. So if you’re interested in learning how to use stories to build that know, like and trust factor, how to get more DMS every day so that you can wake up with new conversations waiting for you in your Instagram inbox, then this is the challenge for you, it’s going to be amazing because there are going to be 1000s of business owners from all over the world coming together to do this challenge together. It starts on October 8, you can sign up for free at Graham dash slam.com. You can find all of the details there. Make sure that you sign up because if you’re not signed up, you won’t be invited to get the challenge delivered straight to your inbox. We’re also going to have a pop up Facebook group, which I’m so freaking excited about. It’s going to be so much fun to hear from all of you to see how the challenge is going. And I think it’s going to be one of those things that is just super awesome and life changing. So definitely go and sign up if you haven’t already. And that’s it. Get back to enjoying this episode. Laura by the next question is a question that I think everyone has been asking you behind the scenes. Maybe not everyone but some people. What has it been like having your best friend as your boss, this one’s from Albie.

Laura Marston 34:46
Hi, Abby. So I just had to do that. This is a question that actually a lot of my personal friends and people who know us both have been asking me a lot because they think it’s kind of strange for all of a sudden my best friend Come my boss. And the answer to this is that I don’t. And this is gonna sound condescending, but I don’t see you as my boss, because at the end of the day, we complement each other so well that I feel like we’re really working as a team. We, again, we’re very communicative when things are going wrong. And so I don’t feel, and this is something that’s such a positive about working with you, it’s I don’t feel like ashamed or fearful to tell you that something is wrong, or that I’m feeling off about the way that we’re doing things, I feel like I can just be upfront and tell you right away, and then we find a very constructive way of fixing it. And same with you, I think that you’re able to tell me when something’s off, or when you’re not feeling like so here’s a behind the scenes thing, I create a lot of the scheduling, and a lot of the So on Monday, we’re gonna do this on Tuesday, we’re gonna do that. And Alex then goes and says on Monday, I don’t know if I want to do this. And then we have to rethink the whole schedule, day by day, which is totally fine. But again, it’s something that we’re able to talk about. And because we’re able to talk about it, it does not feel like I’m in a position that’s 100%, like, lower in a negative thing. I know, I’m lower in the scheme of things, but at the same time, I don’t feel like emotionally lower because we talk about everything in the business. And it seems it feels like to me that you have you want to know my opinion, and you want me to help out. And and I think it’s good because we’re trying to get to the stream together now. And it’s it’s feel supportive instead of kind of like a boss, employee type of situation. Yeah, and

Alex Beadon 36:36
I think Laura’s role is such that, like, we work very much hand in hand. So it really is like a team. It’s like, I don’t know, I feel like she’s my boss just as much as I’m her boss, if that makes sense. Like we’re both really just trying to create the best outcomes for the business and for our clients and for each other. And so, yeah, it’s, I feel like we’re very equal in that way.

Laura Marston 37:01
I think that one thing that I’m learning a lot from Alex is this whole, having a balance of work and life play, and it’s been fantastic for my boss to be as caring as my of my personal life as I should be. Because she’s the one that sometimes is like, Laura, we’ve worked enough, we need to stop swimming. Or Laura, you shouldn’t be swimming. FYI, guys, I should be swimming every Friday, and I haven’t done it since March. You guys should keep me accountable, accountable for that, hopefully, back to what I was saying is, she’s the one that’s able to say, we need to pause, we need to think about our balance of our you know, let’s let’s stop, Let’s meditate, let’s you know, jump around on a trampoline for 30 minutes before we can continue. That was something we did three years ago for feel good ballgame, by the way. Point is, is that it’s been a wonderful mix of her teaching me to be more flexible, and me teaching her to be more structured.

Alex Beadon 38:04
Amen to that, because Laura has brought my business so much structure, like, if you look at the way it’s structured now compared to it was before Laura joined, it’s like night and day. It’s and I still am so resistant for those of you who are not organized people like it’s so it’s like something that you need to adopt and really start to implement into your life. And it’s still difficult for me sometimes to like, do the things that I know are best or do the things that Laura has set out. But it’s been so fun, because I feel like I’ve learned so much about how to stay organized and what’s like she has organized things in ways I never would have even thought to organize things. I still mess it up. And I’m like, Oh my gosh, you did this. This makes so much sense. Wow. I never thought of doing it that way before. So that’s fun. Okay, the next question is, what is the most difficult thing about working with your bestie This one’s from there.

Laura Marston 38:54
So I think the most difficult thing that we’re finding is this idea of control. Alex has been part of the business or part of the business. She’s been in the business for eight years, and she has a very difficult time giving up control. And I keep telling her like the more things that I take off your plate, the more things you put on your plate, but you cannot be doing this because we need to get you to a space where you’re just solely being creative, so that you can really be the best in the content side of things. So give me the things that are administrative or backend or logistics and I can help you but it has been kind of like a tug of war of her giving me control and me showing her that I’m capable of doing it and I don’t think it’s because she doesn’t trust me or believe in me. I think it’s that she genuinely has trouble has problems with control.

Alex Beadon 39:48
You guys know this if you’ve been listening so this is definitely something that I struggle with. But I’m getting better. And I think I’m doing a better job of not adding things to my plate when I take things off my plate. I think when you’re on the couch scenario position and you’re in those beginning phases. It’s like you’re so used to being Go, go, go, go, go go, what’s next? What’s next? What’s next? What’s next that it’s almost weird to be like, oh, like, I actually don’t have to do that anymore. So yeah, we’re still adjusting. But we’re getting there. And it does get better. Like I would say, every two weeks, we get better and better. Do we ever fight or disagree? Sorry, I said that with very, a lot of contempt. We don’t fight. I don’t think we fought once since we’ve been in. In business. We disagree with each other sometimes. Like, sometimes it’s like, no, I don’t think that should be the subject line.

Laura Marston 40:37
Or are you sure you want to email again, which, on that note, in the New York City meetup, I got confirmation that sending out that last email to get RSVPs for our meetup was necessary, because someone said to me, that had it not been for that last email they wouldn’t have been able to join. So we’re learning together that sometimes she’s right. And sometimes I’m right. And it’s been a really fun time. It I don’t think, again, it goes all it always goes back to the fact that we’re able to communicate. So I think that if you’re looking for a team member, just make sure you’re able to communicate with them, because you will avoid a lot of disagreements and a lot of fights if you’re able to really constructively talk together without taking things personally.

Alex Beadon 41:19
Okay, I feel like we’ve we’ve done a lot of questions here. And we’re running out of time. So I’m going to skip the rest of those types of questions. I think we’ve answered everything pretty pretty well. We’re moving now into the organizational tips and tools, questions, so get excited. Someone wants to know, it’s Ali, how do you create an organized process when starting something new Laura,

Laura Marston 41:41
I think I start from the very end and go backwards. So let’s say for a video if the if the video is we want to create. Okay, I’m losing my mind here. Okay. So if the video is alright, we want to interview two different people in a New York City’s you know, Park location, put it out there, like come up with the concept first, whatever it may be, and then start route start thinking step by step what you need to do for that. So kind of break it up into Yeah, work backwards, break it up into into different things. So like for video location, what do you need for location, you need permissions from the park, you need to pay the park in order to work there, excetera, etc, etc, then the people you need to contact them you need to and write all of these steps down. So like work backwards, and make sure that you’re writing each step of the way. So like, I need to contact people. What does that entail? The next step, I need to actually email them I need to get release forms from them. I need to get bios and pictures from them, etc, etc.

Alex Beadon 42:48
Sorry to interrupt you. But this goes really well. So the other day I posted my Asana to do list and a bunch of you guys on Instagram Stories message me you were like, Oh my gosh, your to do list is so detailed. I would love to know, Laura, like is that something that you recommend? is having a super detailed to do list so that you know exactly what it is? Or is it better to have something more broad?

Laura Marston 43:07
No, I think I think the more details, the better. And sometimes you’re like but do I really need to put here read emails for an hour like maybe sometimes you do. Maybe you you are the type of person I mean, Alex is the type of person that needs that reminder. But maybe you’re the type of person that needs to see it in your task list in order to actually do it. Asana PS has been fantastic. I had no idea about this website before I started working with Alex. And it’s been absolutely fantastic. Because not only does it give you tasks in a checklist, which gives you like that, that like sense of like reward of like, Oh, I get to check it off when I’m finished. But you’re able to color code things from based on project. So this is one thing that I saw one of my first days working with Alex, it was like, okay, organize asana and I just looked at it. And I was like, oh, no, actually, no, let me rephrase that. It was kind of like, make sure that these tasks are on asana and I looked at the asana project. So basically, you’re able to in Asana, you’re able to create projects, and then put tasks in those projects. So let’s say for us, we have Instagram podcast, Grand Slam, that’s those are three projects. And from there, you can do checklists. I was not able to spend, I wasn’t even able to input tasks into Asana until I organized Asana because that’s how my mind works. It was like, unless it’s organized, I can’t move forward, I just cannot move forward. So I spent my first full day here, deleting projects that had that made absolutely no sense grouping projects. Before it was something like, All right, we have Grand Slam marketing, Grand Slam, customer service, grand slam this grand slam dunk, and it became so broad like so two specific actually. So now back to your other question. Maybe some things do have to be more broad, and we grouped them all together. We organize Asana, we color coded everything which it took Alex three months to realize that all the projects were color coded.

Alex Beadon 44:57
I just realized like literally two days ago I was like wait is Second, these are color coded. That’s amazing. I thought there was just like random colors.

Laura Marston 45:05
But that being said, I do think that a task list that’s very organized and very detailed is a positive thing. I think that even if it, if you hate doing it, try it out, try doing a task list, a daily task, like a task list and sticking to it, and see how that helps you with your organization.

Alex Beadon 45:24
Okay, the next question is, how do you keep track of multiple things with deadlines so close together?

Laura Marston 45:30
This one, I’m going to have to say, unfortunately, as my personality, I’m able to have in my mind, many different things and still be able to keep track of them. If you’re having trouble with this, again, I would go back to writing things down, do not put things just do not leave things just in your mind, use the calendar calendars are your best friend. So start from that, again, work, work backwards. If you have deadlines, put the deadline in the calendar and then start going back and be like what has to happen two days before a week before a month before in order to make this happen. And keep track of your calendar, count your calendar and your task list are two things that you should be looking at, at the very beginning of your workday to make sure that you’re not forgetting anything, because it’s that it will be so easy to let things slip by if you have not written them down your mind is capable of many things. But remembering every little like thing that needs to happen for multiple projects is not one of them. I can tell you.

Alex Beadon 46:28
So I have a question on the back of that, which is a lot of times I recommend Asana to people because I think it’s the best thing ever because to have it all systematized not just that when I started using Asana before Asana I was using like pen and paper. And that was a disaster because then you have to write down your to dues like every single day. And it’s just like, what it’s it’s a mess. Whereas at least if it’s in Asana, literally all you have to do is change the due date if you haven’t done something the day before. So do you think that it’s possible for people who are just using pen and paper to like, totally be organized? I guess I know, it’s possible. But would you recommend going over to something like Asana? Or do you think it’s just like,

Laura Marston 47:05
No, I think it’s personality, I think different people will have different ways of organizing, organizing themselves. Someone could it could be on their notes on their phone, someone could be pen and paper, someone could have it. I used to have it on, you know what I actually used to do. Every time I had something to do this is personally more than professionally, but I will email myself and I will not read that email until I’ve done it and having unread emails. To me, this is a whole other thing that we could talk about. Having unread emails to me is horrible. It like sticks to my mind that there’s unread emails, and therefore, I want to do the tasks because I want to read the email. And so it’s like something like get contact lenses, which has been on my email list for like a week. I know I have to do it. But that only works if you actually read your emails. PS when I started, Alex had something like 4000 unread emails, and I was gonna go crazy. So I got it down to 25. So that’s fantastic. But point is that different ways work for different people. So try different things and see if something’s not working. If it’s not, if you’re not sticking to it, then move to the next task, use a monthly planner or weekly planner or Trello Trello also could work really well. That’s another website.

Alex Beadon 48:17
Yeah, I think the important thing is to just find something that works for you. But to find something like find a system and stick to it and don’t just be all willy nilly, because that never works. Okay. Stephanie wants to know, how do you manage working together virtually? What are the pros and cons? And do you have any tools that you’d recommend?

Laura Marston 48:35
So one of the things that I think has helped us a lot that we’ve done was implement a weekly, very flexible but weekly schedule. So basically, I made it so that Alex works on administrative things on Monday, on creative things on Tuesday on podcast things on Wednesday, on interviews on Thursdays and on evergreen grandslam Facebook ads on Friday, this again, this is very flexible, and it switches day to day because of our priorities. But by doing that, I’ve now virtually I’m able to say like oh, okay, so I’m going to accept this interview request. I know to put it on a Thursday, or Oh, Alex needs to create this video. I mean, I know how to put it on a Tuesday. So it’s that’s help that’s been helping us create a systematized way of working together without me always having to ask her like when is when is the best time for you to do this, at the same time, like being able to work. So the things that we use the most, again, are asana and slack. So being able to always talk on Slack and like just stay up to date has been fantastic. The last thing that I’d recommend, whether you’re a group of two or 15 people is having a weekly production meeting on Mondays. We started it and then we stopped at one our team started getting smaller, but I think we’re going to try implementing it again. Just making sure that everyone on your team is up to date. It can be a 15 minute catch up call on Mondays, virtually, but make sure that everyone’s on The same page.

Alex Beadon 50:01
Yeah, we also talk every single day, which I think is key, like you need to be in constant communication, especially when you’re working together so closely. For those of you who don’t know, Slack, well that Laura just mentioned, it’s pretty much just like a an organized chats room with like, you can have different projects, you can talk about different things in there. And it’s quite organized, but it’s pretty much like a chat area. This is where I’m Stephanie, I think I know the answer to this question. What is your favorite organizational tool and why?

Laura Marston 50:33
I mean, I don’t want to say Asana, but it at this point, it is asana and but I want to think so I guess the My Favorite organizational tool, I would say is just checklists. And that can be manifested in any way if it’s a planner, Asana or post its, but just definitely keeping a checklist to keep you accountable.

Alex Beadon 50:59
This one’s from Ali, she said, What are your best words of advice for someone to become organized if they can’t afford to hire anything out yet.

Laura Marston 51:07
So I’m gonna give you guys just because I want to a personal organization tip. Always, when you’re walking around your house, grab something to take to like, let’s say something’s out of place. So if there’s a cup on the living room table, that should be in the kitchen. When you’re walking out of that room, bring it from the living room to the dining room table and drop it off at the dining room table. And the next time that you walk past the dining room table and grab it and take it to the kitchen. So always see, like, on your way of doing other things, what you could be doing at the same time, just to keep your house organized. I know that’s not what you were asking me. But that’s just a personal tip from me to you. If you’re not able to organize it to hire someone, immediately, I think systems find systems that work for you. Again, it could be a checklist, it could be a program, it could be voice noting yourself to to be like, don’t forget this. Don’t forget that. But it just has to be things that you will actually work with, and you will actually do.

Alex Beadon 52:07
Yeah, that was a great tip. And she told me that tip when she came to visit me about going from one room to the other. And when I remember to do it, it really makes a big difference. When I remember, okay, Holly wants to know, how do you manage your work and life balance. I have an almost two year old who takes up all of my time, but everyone else seems to have kids and balance while working from home. FYI, just a disclaimer it Laura and I do not have kids. Laura has a puppy now. So that’s good. Look at look at her she’s running in her sleep. So take it away, Laura.

Laura Marston 52:40
I’m work life balance. I think this is one of the things that I fear, most honestly about my future I want I’ve known from when I was very little that the thing that I will probably be the best at is being a mother. And I dreamed about being a mother and I can’t wait for it. But at the same time, there’s always that fear that you won’t be able to do it all. And I think what in the end comes down to it is I think one of the hopes for me working with Alex is that if we’re able to create this wonderful work from home kind of lifestyle, then it’s easier for me, especially in New York City to have kids and to have the type of lifestyle that it is. This is totally different because it’s a puppy. But one of the things that I’ve been doing with Zara just this week is she actually has a playpen that she works, that she that she’s in while I’m working so that she learns to entertain herself. I mean, obviously, this is not a tip for kids, but but at least trying to find ways that that to segment your personal and professional life. So whether that’s hiring a babysitter to come and work for the two hours that you’re able to hire them. So you focus 100%, on, on work, and then you focus 100% on your kids might be the way to do it. But it’s just finding ways to be able to segment things. Try not to mix them. Because sometimes mixing it just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you can be working and taking care of your kids or your puppy. Maybe it’s some it’s finding kind of like Alright, I’m gonna go to a coffee shop for two hours. While they’re at their, you know, flute classes, that’s a really random thing, piano classes. And I’m going to focus solely on work for those two hours. So, again, sorry, I don’t have kids, but I’m hoping that that’s something that I can achieve in the future i i would suggest you guys giving me tips anyone who has them for my future,

Alex Beadon 54:39
I recommend a podcast by my friend Nikki Elledge, Brown called the naptime empires. I think she talks a lot about what it’s like to be a mom and an entrepreneur, and how you’re trying to like do everything. Definitely check that out. But I think you answered the question. Well, and Laura has been a genius with this puppy because I used to have a dog and I was on elegant enough to get a playpen like this. It’s so smart because it keeps her in one little area. Okay. So two people messaged in and they wanted to know what your tips were about creating Facebook audiences, because they know that that is something that you do. So do you have any tips for creating good Facebook audiences? I know the other day you said he watched an entire video about it, where you were hoping to learn a lot about Facebook audiences. And you realize that some of the things that guy said were off, so anything you can share with everyone would be greatly appreciated.

Laura Marston 55:33
So the number one thing I’ve been doing with the Facebook ads is really honing into what our target audiences and the funny thing is that the more you do Facebook ads, the more you know who the Facebook ads are work, or, like, who’s converting well, so for example, I started quite general. And then day by day, I’ve been kind of taking things off these audiences. So I started with males and females and then realize males are not converting. So I took the males off, I started with all English speaking countries. And then I started taking away the countries that weren’t converting well, Ireland, for example, not converting well. Point is, is that I started sorry, I started from from a much more broad audience to more specific, and I think that the more that you do it, you can look at it day by day and say like, alright, the ages 46 to 75, are not working so well for us. So let’s soul these stick to this. And the more that you’re able to then narrow down your audience is better, what the one thing that I was learning from that video that Alex was talking about is that the person was saying, start with very specific audiences so that you only have 5000 people so that they convert better, but honestly, bigger audiences have been working better for us. And I think it’s because it’s easier to sell to the many than to the few when you don’t know exactly who it is. But by doing this, I’ve started with a with a sample size of 2 million, and I’ve gotten down to maybe 20,000. Because I’ve every day I’ve been able to say like, okay, California is better than Washington state, for example, I don’t actually know if that’s true, but and then take away states. So at this point, I’m not even in the US, I’m doing it by states, I’m not doing it by actual like the full us. And I think in the future, I’ll even start doing cities instead of states. My other tip would be to really pay attention to the time of day that you are putting your Facebook ads at. So I started doing a 24 hour cycle and then realizing that, like, if it’s the US, no one’s gonna buy at six in the morning or not buy but convert at six in the morning. And actually Facebook, I would suggest highly downloading the app for your iPhone, or for Android. I’m sure it exists in Android too. But it’s been a lot better, because it shows you a lot of the little statistics. So it shows you like what time people are buying or converting. And you’re then able to say like, okay, it’s better if I turn on my Facebook ads starting at 10:50am and turn it off at midnight, then have it running all 24 hours. So just really look into the statistics that Facebook actually provides for you. Because it’s actually a fantastic source of information to go from there. And then really cater it to yourself, like have two different Facebook ads running one that only runs at nighttime so that people in Australia or in London can buy can convert. And on the other side is the other one just works for the US. So just really try to use their statistics and find a way that works for you.

Alex Beadon 58:32
I loved your answer. That was awesome. Okay, the next question is from Diane, what is the one thing you do when you wake up?

Laura Marston 58:41
Oh, gosh, I am horrible at all these like, morning rituals that everyone talks about. I mean, I know I should drink a glass of water. Do my gratitudes I know I should stretch and I don’t do anything to be totally and completely honest. The first thing I do is listen to the annoying alarm clock and I’d probably from there try to start waking up my husband that is probably the thing I do in the mornings. And then from there, I drive myself shower, and I’ve been stretching in the shower and doing my gratitudes in the shower. I think the shower is a really great way to have a moment to yourself. But honestly, I’m really bad with all the morning things that I’ve been trying to implement them because I know that they’re very beneficial to my mental health.

Alex Beadon 59:26
Laura also has the best shower, just sign. I love taking showers in her shower. Okay, so we went through most of your questions. I skipped some of them because a few of them were already answered in the answers to the other questions. Laura, is there anything that you would like everyone to know or something that you’d like to share that maybe we didn’t talk about or a question that you wish had been asked?

Laura Marston 59:52
I don’t think so. I guess this was not as scary as I thought it would be to be honest and I just want to share that. That It can be intimidating for me to think about how many people might listen to this. And I hope that I don’t you know, I didn’t ramble on that you guys actually enjoyed this. But I think I think we were able to provide, you know, really nice answers. And this is like a huge milestone for me that I’m actually able to put myself out there in this way. So I just wanted to say thanks, and really know that it’s meaningful to me that you’re allowing me to talk to you.

Alex Beadon 1:00:25
You’re so cute. And that was a good thing to say. Because I think a lot of people, even me, like I was telling Laura, I still struggle when I’m wearing now. Like, I think this is episode 24. Every time I listen to the episodes, especially guest interviews, I get super self conscious, and it’s really hard to hear myself. But when you do it, it’s not so bad. So that’s good. So that’s just a reminder to everyone. Also, I realized I use Laura’s old last name, she just got married last month. So it is Laura Marston everyone putting that out there. That’s the name that we’re gonna be having at the front of this podcast. I just realized, thank you guys so much for listening. Laura has one more thing to say.

Laura Marston 1:01:07
On that same note, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of your wonderful well wishes for my wedding. And for my dog. It’s been really, really wonderful and kind of strange to be getting so many beautiful messages from people that I don’t really necessarily know. But it’s been giving me a lot of insight into this wonderful community that the online world can be.

Alex Beadon 1:01:26
Yay. Thank you for listening. And definitely go and check out Laurel at Lau 43 on Instagram. Send her some love. Let her know if you enjoyed this episode posted to your stories. This is episode 24 of on purpose with Alex Beadon and we’d love to hear from you guys. Enjoy the rest of your week. And we will talk to you guys again soon. Bye. Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to get me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you messaged me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye

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