Scaling to Seven Figures Without Ads Through Organic Relationships with Andrea Engstrom

Start banking with Atlantic Union Bank. Earn up to $800 with a new personal checking account with qualifying direct deposits using promo code UPT8. Visit atlanticunionbank.com/upto800 for offer details.

Every game day you show up for your team. Now it's your time.

We go V! We go V!

Ask your prescriber about Wegovy semaglutide injection 2.4 milligrams, Call 1-833-4-WEGOVI or visit wegovi.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Wegovy.

Why wait?

We go deep!

Whoever said fork in the road must have been hungry for the Sorento and Sorento Turbo Hybrid, their 3-row seating, and 10-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. With a capable Sorento and Sorento Turbo Hybrid, every way forward Kia is the right way. Visit your local Kia dealer today. Kia, movement that inspires.

Call 800-333-4KIA for details. Drive safely. See retailer for warranty details.

Watching football is a sacred tradition, and Sling puts you in charge of how you want to watch it. Whether you want a quick day pass for nonstop college or pro action starting at just $4.99, a 3-day or 7-day pass for game-packed weekends, a full monthly plan, or a full season pass, Sling Sling gives you total control over how you watch. Get instant access to live football without paying for unwanted channels. Sling lets you do that. Visit sling.com to learn more.

You need something from Lowe's, but your day is already jam-packed. Since MyLowe's Rewards and MyLowe's Pro Rewards members get free same-day delivery, we'll make the run for you. Seriously, just lock in your order and we'll do the rest. See you soon. Members get more at Lowe's. $25 minimum and loyalty membership required. Order eligible items by 2:00 PM, subject to weight and size restrictions and availability. Terms at lowes.com/shippingterms.

Step into the world of success with Your Brand Amplified, the ultimate podcast designed to unravel the intricacies of thriving businesses. I'm your host, Anika Jackson, and I'm on a mission to uncover the stories, strategies, and secrets that have propelled entrepreneurs and business leaders to success. having the pleasure of speaking with this guest twice in one day. Somehow we had booked a call just to chat and an interview, and, but it really started my day well. So Andrea, I have to thank you for that. And we just found out we're from the same part of the world originally. I went to high school in Tecumseh, Kansas, right outside of Topeka, and did a lot of stuff with all the Topeka schools. And Andrea Engstrom, my guest today, is from Topeka, Kansas as well.

Yes. Yes. It's, it feels like such a small world in I feel like our paths have crossed in some weird ways, so I'm so excited to talk to you again today.

I know I am as well. And we both also have experience in digital marketing. You had a digital branding agency. You also have real estate.

Yeah.

Investment properties. And then you did something that a lot of people, including myself, say we wanna do, which we talked about, but we, we don't always do it right. You turned your own expertise into a business. You scaled it to 7 figures in under 2 years. And you did it without ads.

Yes.

Which is a very key part of our conversation. Andrea is the founder of Bold Mastermind, the author of Bold Confidence, and host of her own podcast, The Andrea Engstrom Show, where she helps thousands of entrepreneurs build profitable businesses through positioning, organic audience building instead of just ad spend. So this is a conversation we need to have today. It can be very difficult to get organic traffic. So Andrea, I'm really excited for you to share some of your insights and secrets with us on your brand now.

Absolutely. Yeah, my pleasure. I'm so excited to be here, so thanks for having me.

Likewise. So I'd love to hear a little bit about, you know, you obviously love to build things. Can you talk about building and selling your agency and working through all these real estate deals and now running a 7-figure coaching business?

Yeah, absolutely. So, so my, my journey as an entrepreneur sort of started when I started working with my dad, who is one of the best like globally successful business coaches in the world. And, and I, I started working with him about 15 years ago and just came on in his market as his marketing manager and then business development director. And, and then he's like, oh, you know, would you like to be a coach? And I got certified as a coach. So I was working with him for about a decade. And during that time, what we recognized is like one of the biggest needs that our clients and our coaching firm had was lead generation. And so I learned a very particular set of skills from what he was teaching, which was referrals and networking and strategic alliance development as a primary way to grow businesses. And, and so I learned from what I was seeing happening with his clients. And, and then as we, as we were working with more and more of his coaching clients, I had come from an agency before that. I worked in a little boutique, um, marketing agency and I was like, I feel like a lot of our clients could use this service. What if we did some, you know, started doing some branding work with them? My husband was a filmmaker and just started out working on our own stuff just to promote the coaching business. 'Cause he, it was like a family bit. It was a whole family business thing. I was, he, I was like, I was like, Dad, Josiah is a really good filmmaker. Like we should, we should have him on the team too.

Mm-hmm.

And so we started offering some services to some of the coaching clients. And, and it just took off. Like, within, over the course of 5 years, we grew that to 30 team members. Our biggest client ended up paying us $1 million to work with them as an agency. And so, we built that agency really, you know, really quickly, but also very strategically. One of the things I learned through that, um, we used to host, um, just like networking events at our office. We kind of came, became connectors for others. And, and so, we, we grew the agency Even though it was a digital agency, of course, we never ran ads. We grew it through word of mouth and, and the connections that, that we had in our community, and, and it expanded from there. But that ability to grow a business organically, like, that really stuck with me. And so when COVID hit and, you know, running an agency became way less fun, especially if you've got 30 team members, and, and every photo shoot, every video shoot got canceled in that season, and And we ended up getting an offer from one of our clients. They were like, we would love to bring your agency in-house. Could we have that conversation? Like, what would it look like if we were to buy the agency? And so, um, and we were like, that sounds amazing. Yes. And so, um, we sold the agency and my husband and I were sitting there like, what do we do? Because we were not part of the buy. Like, we were like, we're out. You all take it and run. And we had built an amazing management team. So they did amazing. Um, we just transitioned really smoothly because, you know, one of the things that I learned from my dad was how to build a business that works without you. And that was really key to the things that I would do after that. So we kind of looked at each other and said, what are we going to do? And I heard a coach on a podcast talking about— podcasts can change your life, y'all. Like, I feel like every major transition in my life is because of a podcast. So y'all tune in, listen up, life-changing stuff here. But I heard a podcast about this single mom who started flipping houses, and I just said, if she can do it, I can do it. And, uh, we dove in headfirst and I did 10 deals in my first 6 months as a real estate investor. 7 of those deals were from referrals and networking. And very soon after I had that success, the people that were running the coaching organization that I was learning from, because I'm a big believer in investing in yourself and coaching. So when we decided to make that shift, I was like, okay, I got to find a coach. I want to do this thing right. And that coaching organization within 9 months recruited me to be one of the coaches on their team and to help with the marketing and, and sales and recruiting for their next level program. And so I found myself again working in someone else's organization. And after a couple of years, I just had this, like, this feeling that I can't describe as anything but just like a knowing and knowing that you're meant for more. And so part of it for me was incongruency because I was on calls with all these women building real estate portfolios. And I was like, if you're working for someone else, you're building their dream instead of building your own. And here I was building somebody else's dream again. And so, and so, you know, one day as I was working for this, this other organization, I heard a podcast and it was Amy Porterfield talking about That's the season in her life when she was working for Tony Robbins, the biggest coach in the world, doing amazing things with amazing people and basically crying in her pillow at night. And I was like, girl, that's my story. That is literally me right now. What do we do? And she sat in a room with Tony and these other coaches that were talking about what freedom looked like for them. And she said, I don't have that freedom. And I, and I said, I don't have that freedom. And so even though I was doing amazing things with amazing people, I didn't have the freedom that I really wanted. And on that podcast, she said 3 words that changed my life. She said, bet on yourself.

Mm-hmm.

And I grabbed a notebook and I wrote at the top of the page, what would the bravest version of me do? And I wrote about how I really wanted to help women. And, and I had all these friends online that on Facebook that were entrepreneurs, whether it was real estate or doing something else, cuz I had a lot of business connections. And I said, lead generation. Everybody want, everybody's asking for more leads. They're saying, how did you do that? How did you build a business? Without pulling lists, without knocking on doors, without doing all the things that the coaches were telling us to do. And I was like, I don't wanna do any of that. I just wanna build this thing with relationships. And so I mapped out a coaching program that was like how to step into your confidence. And I called it Bold Confidence, how to step into your confidence and start the conversations that can lead to really exploding your business. And so I, Put a date on the calendar, and I called the people I was working with and I was like, I'm launching this program. I'm, I'm starting with a workshop on this date. I'm really excited. I'm confident I could do what I do for you and I can do this at the same time. And they, and you can imagine what they said. No, ma'am, if you launch your own coaching program, you can't be a coach in our group as well. And so in that moment, I walked away from a $12,000 a month steady income to launch my own thing. And in my first 6 weeks, I did $64,000 in sales. And some women started asking me, Andrea, how did you do that? And I was like, let me map it out. Because, you know, it wasn't like I've never done anything in coaching before. I had learned some really good lessons along the way, and I had seen what successful people had done, and I was investing in myself to learn. And so a handful of women, I, I just picked up the phone and I called 11 women that I thought would be great coaches. Mm-hmm. And 7 of them said yes. And that's how I started coaching other women to launch coaching businesses. And from that first group, it was awesome. Like one of them did $55,000 in sales in her first 7 weeks. Another did $35,000. Another did $33,000 in just 4 weeks. And I was like, okay, it's not just me. This is going to work for other people too. And so since then, I've helped hundreds of women figure out what their thing is as a coach and launch coaching programs.

It's truly amazing. There are so many people who have programs. And I mean, I even think this in the podcast world, I have a lot of great people that I know, friends, acquaintances who are podcasters who have different programs. But, you know, I look at myself and this is one of the things we talked about, and I'm, I teach this as an accredited course at a university. I have a podcast that's monetized yet, and I have a program that's been in beta forever. And you're like, what's stopping you? Why do you have this fear of success? And I think that's one of the things that often holds us back from whatever we want to pursue is we want freedom. Maybe we want joy, but is our fear of stepping out into our power stronger?

Right, right. And, you know, and sometimes it's a fear of busy. Like, I don't like—

I actually just heard that on— I was listening to your podcast.

Yeah, we have this fear of being too busy, but what I've learned is that The responsibility of busyness is actually a huge blessing because it means that you can get the help that you need and want. And you know what is so funny? I was thinking about this today. I was like, it has been a really long time since I have fussed too much with a to-do list because if it is not my highest value activity, it is not on my list. Like, I am ruthless, even surgical, about making sure That as I gain responsibility, that I am quickly delegating those things. And, and I can attribute that to like learning from people smarter than me and seeing what works. Because if you wanna scale your business, you can't hold onto everything. Like it's not, it's not like this magic thing that like, you know, you start closing clients and now life gets so much easier. It only does if you intentionally create the freedom. That you're looking for, but that responsibility of, you know, getting more clients is actually what creates the freedom.

You know, you were, you've grown with referrals, you've grown with organic outputs. Is there a point when you decided, now I'm going to start using ads? Or is there a point in other people's businesses when you're coaching them that you recommend that they start using ads?

Yeah.

You know, I am just getting to a place where I'm like seriously exploring that because I know that, because this is what I also know for sure is whenever you want to take your business to a next level, what got you here won't get you there. And so we always have to be strategic and decide, like, where are we at in our business and have we truly capped out our potential? Sometimes, sometimes we just need to lean in and be more consistent and put a rhythm in place and what we do consistently that generates that result. And so, you know, my business today, I work 3 days a week and, and I, and I can consistently do $100,000 months in sales But I wanna do $200,000 months in sales. I wanna do $300,000 months in sales. And so, um, I'm also strategic or smart enough to know that I need to, um, ask the question, what would have to happen for that to be so? And so, um, I have a coach, of course, and my coach is like, don't start running ads until you are, uh, until you are hot on million-dollar years. And I've just hit that place where I'm like, Okay, we have that consistency and it's probably time, but you know, we're still doing business. It's just not like if I want to double, triple, 10x my business, I know that I can't just rely on organic forever. So yeah, yeah. But you know, with my students, that, that's one of the things that I tell them, like, if you're launching something new, until you have tested your concept and are closing sales from your organic network, You have no business running ads because you will waste so much money unless you've got proof of concept and some cash flow going that makes it make sense. But we've got strategies that are, you know, don't need, you don't need ads to launch a really good business.

And it's so funny because we often hear the reverse, right? Start running ads right away, start running ads, and we're going to get people into this funnel through the ads. And then you're going to do this and you're going to create all these You know, video sales letters and you're gonna do all these different things and activities. And I work with people that, that works for them. Mm-hmm. But it also has never felt like it's never settled with me of like, this is what I need to do for my business. When we were talking in before, I mentioned, yeah, I accidentally started a PR firm during the pandemic and it was all word of mouth and it scaled to half a million very quickly.

Amazing.

And if I hadn't merged with another company, I probably You know, I was looking at, okay, in year 2, we're gonna do over $1 million, and then we're gonna get here and here. And I think that, that fear of success only, it kept me out at a certain level. And that's when I said, oh, but this other partner, they want us to come there and they'll provide us with all these great things. So, you know, I, I'm curious as to what are the ways that you see as most effective For somebody, perhaps, you know, I have an audience, but there are probably people listening who don't have as much of a platform. What can they do to also find success in their businesses and scale without doing ads? Yeah.

Real threats don't give warnings or arrive one at a time. Our integrated air and missile defense adapts to evolving threats, so our forces are always ready for what's next. Outsmart. Outdo.

Whoever said fork in the road must have been hungry for the Sorento and Sorento Turbo Hybrid, their 3-row seating, and 10-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. With a capable Sorento and Sorento Turbo Hybrid, every way forward is the right way. Visit your local Kia dealer today.

Kia.

Movement that inspires.

Call 800-333-4KIA for details. Drive safely. See retailer for warranty details.

You might not think about oil and natural gas, but it's a big part of your daily routine. From the soap you use to your toothpaste, even your bedsheets, more than 6,000 everyday products are made using oil and natural gas. Companies like Energy Transfer work behind the scenes Safely transporting these resources across the country through a network of underground pipelines. Learn more at ittakesenergy.com.

Something amazing is happening in animation. Studios are processing data faster. That's because CDW showed them new ways to maximize their infrastructure, then built a flexible Dell Technologies data solution. More automation led to reduced maintenance times and greater efficiency so that creativity stays the star of the show. Dell Technologies and CDW make amazing happen. Learn more at cdw.com/delldatacenter.

I love football season. The games, the rivalries, the food, getting everyone together. No game day feels complete without a trip to Total Wine& More. I can find everything from cold beer and canned cocktails to wines and spirits for the whole crew. And if I want to bring something different to the watch party, the Total Wine team always has ideas. Plus, it's nice knowing I'm getting the lowest prices. Get your game day lineup ready at Total Wine and More. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. Drink responsibly. Be 21.

Yeah, so a couple of things that were super helpful to me. I intentionally add the right kinds of friends, and I know my audience is on Facebook. Not everybody's audience is on Facebook, but I work primarily with women, and I know that my audience is hanging out on Facebook. And so, and so I intentionally add the right kinds of friends. And what I do to be selective there is I actually create 10 criteria. This is what I coach my students to do. You want to create criteria that are like, what are the non-negotiables based on who you serve and who you really want to do business with? And I encourage you to be niche. Like, don't just say it's for anybody anywhere because That speaks to no one, right?

Yeah.

And so for me, for example, I'm looking for women who have at least 500 friends on Facebook, who have a good profile picture because they're paying attention to how they're showing up online. And so that's the minimum criteria. But beyond that, I'm looking for people who are being encouraging to others, who are posting things that are helpful, even if it's just sharing somebody else's thing. I'm looking for financial capacity indicators, and this is something that Not everybody thinks about, but are they posting travel pictures? Are they posting pictures where they're in beautiful locations? Or are they going to conferences? Are they already investing in themselves in some way? These are some financial capacity indicators, but then I also have disqualifiers. So if somebody's showing up online posting negative, you know, toxic political stuff, they're putting somebody on blast, like they had a bad experience and now everybody has to know about it. Like, that's not my people, right? And so in about 3 to 5 seconds, I can look at someone's profile and know if they're a, if they're a likely good candidate for my program, but I'm also looking at their posts and I could start a conversation with someone, even if they don't raise their hand, even if they haven't registered for a workshop or joined my free Facebook group or downloaded a lead magnet of some kind. I can literally look at someone's profile and start a conversation that can lead to them being on my calendar as a, as an opportunity. Because we have this approach that It is organic, but it is relationship-based. And so I just wanna give you an example, okay? And so think about how this maybe applies to something that you do. But like, if I look at someone's profile, because I'm pre-qualifying them as someone that I wanna be friends with, I wanna start a conversation with, I would love if this person would become my client. If they're showing up encouraging others online, then I'm gonna friend them. I'm going to say, when they accept my friend request, I'm gonna say, oh, thank you so much for accepting my friend request, or if they end up joining a group or a workshop, any, any of those things. If they comment on one of my posts, any of those activities, I can start a conversation with. And, um, and I call this the 4 Gs. Okay. And so this is the 4 Gs of a magnetic DM sequence. So if I look at their profile and I see that they're showing up being encouraging to somebody else, I'm like, hmm, that's good stuff. I love it. And so I'm going to start with the first G, which is gratitude. Thank you so much for accepting my friend request. Thank you so much for registering for my workshop, whatever it is, whatever the action is. Thank you so much. The second G is a genuine compliment. And so it's kind of like what we would do in a real person networking situation. We're like, oh girl, I love your necklace. That's, that's pretty surfacey. But on Facebook, if, if she posted something encouraging, I'm going to like it, love it, comment on it. I'm going to say, I love that post that you made about XYZ. Now I'm not a robot.

Yes.

Right? This is not a, hey girl, hey girl, have you thought about losing 20 pounds? Like, right? I've got this product. You're going to love it. No, no, no, no, no. It's like, I love that post that you made about you and your, uh, you and your partner. That was beautiful. Right? Or I love the post you made about your dad. That was such an encouraging post. Or love that thing that you shared, that tip that you shared. Love how you're showing up encouraging others online. Okay. So genuine compliment. The third G is a good question. And so in my situation, I'm looking for women that I think would be an amazing coach. So if I'm seeing somebody showing up being encouraging, I might just say, love how you're encouraging others. Have you ever thought about being a coach? You'd be amazing. And whether they say yes or they say no, I'm going to do the fourth G, which is a gift. So if somebody says, oh no, I've not actually, I've never thought about that, then I'm going to give them a gift. Anyway, and I'm gonna say, you know, I do this thing. I wonder if this would be helpful to you, where I work with you for 3 sessions to figure out what your thing would be as a coach. We work together, you know, one-on-one for 3 sessions. It's free. Would that be helpful to you? Yes. Amazing. Grab a 15-minute spot on my calendar. We're gonna compare schedules and get that scheduled for you. And so, so following that process, I'm not waiting for someone to download my lead magnet or Take a, take a step. I'm, I'm gonna, so my, my belief is that we, we do not wait for opportunity. We create opportunity. And this is the truth. If I book 6 of those 3-day processes on my calendar every week, I do $100,000 a month in sales. That's all it takes.

Wow.

And so if I'm, you know, making 2 offers a day to do that process with somebody, I'm gonna close $100,000 a month in sales. And, and I know that that sounds very simplified, but we make things way too complicated. That's the truth. And we're like, I gotta build this fancy funnel.

Yeah.

And I gotta do all these things and I gotta run ads and I gotta— no, you just need to start conversations with people who look like your ideal, ideal candidate that you could, and, and show up and be of service. And that's been a big key is like, I provide way, probably way too much value at the front end. But the result of that is I have a 70% conversion rate doing that. And so for people that are like, well, I don't have time to meet with that many people, I'm like, well, what needs to come off your plate? Because that's a high-value activity. And every hour I spend doing that process with someone for free, I'm making $2,222 per hour on average when I look at what the actual sales are and how much time it takes me to do that.

Yeah.

And so what, what do you got that's more important to do? than something that generates that kind of result, right?

You just answered lots of objections that people listening were probably having. Yeah, right, right there. So taking the time to make sure that you're showing up, that you're being genuine. And that's one of the things that drives me crazy about a lot of social media these days is whether, I mean, Facebook, I still get the, you know, 'cause I, I was a stay-at-home mom for a while in the South. And so we did a lot of the mom MLMs.

Yep.

Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

Host a jewelry party for me. Can you do this? Can you do that? Right. And so, I tend to, that's not my cup of tea at this point in my life.

Right.

And I, it's probably not something I can put together. Californians aren't really, don't really roll like that. And on LinkedIn, right, it'll be somebody who maybe follows part of that, even though it is through a bot, but they'll do a nice intro. They've picked something up that you do, they'll compliment you, but then they go straight into the hard sale.

Yeah.

And it's, it drives me crazy. But I, so I love the fact that you're still talking about human-to-human interaction.

Absolutely.

And Then you're offering so much value with the 3 free sessions, which I think a lot of people also don't do, right? It's pay for this or you can schedule a time and then you can book and you're in my program, period.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah. So, so the, the question is like, what can I do to be of service first before I ever ask anybody to buy my thing, join my program, whatever it is? So it, it, it's, it, it's so cool because at the end of those 3 sessions, Like, I'll walk people through, like, okay, so are you ready? Do you want to run with clarity? Let me, can I share with you what that looks like and how we actually take this idea and turn it into a business? And so I walk through what we do in the program, and then I literally just ask the question, does this feel like it would be helpful to you? And they're like, yeah. Okay, well, here's what it looks like for us to get started. And it's such an easy conversation because not only have we demonstrated coaching competency, And, and there's a clear pathway, like follow the proven path for success, and I'm gonna walk you through step by step. But it's never a hard sell cuz it's just like, does this feel like it would be helpful to you? Awesome, let's get started. And they already know me, like me, trust me, and we've developed some great rapport. And I, and, and I never offer my thing, like I never offer my program to someone if I don't think they're gonna be successful because I guarantee my students success. And that's a, that's a big part of it too, is like, you're going to start doing $10,000 months minimum, at least 3 $10,000 months before you exit my program, or we're going to work together till you do. So I am in this with you. If you're showing up, I'm showing up for you until we make a business that is really exciting. Like, we're building a 6-figure business, and I'm going to care about your success some days more than you do. And so let's do this thing. If you want to do it, I'm here with you. And so I think Like when you provide undeniable value and you've crafted a really clear offer that can walk someone through the steps to have that transformation, and if you can find a way to like make them feel really confident, because sometimes they, people need to borrow your confidence, right? And so I don't offer my program to someone if I'm not confident that they can be really successful with it, because I don't want to work with somebody for 5 years while they're trying to, you know, figure this thing out. But that prequalification process, I'm like, I see your potential. We work together for 3 days. I can see how you work. And so if I offer this to you, it's because I'm confident. And if you're not feeling totally confident, borrow my confidence in you because I, I know what it takes to be a successful coach. And if I see it in you, like, I'm gonna pull it out of you, right? Yeah.

So you've, you've just explained several differentiators. in your brand versus any other brand that's offering the same thing. You know, you're, you're caring if people show up because you're guaranteeing their success. You're offering value upfront. You're forging a genuine relationship and conversation, and you're really explaining everything that they're going to get.

Mm-hmm.

Because I will tell you, I've been in programs where couldn't show up for one reason or another, and yeah, they might send some emails that they send to everybody else, Mm-hmm. But there's not much else beyond that. And so you can end up spending time in a program for a year and not really derive the value that you thought. I've seen people who kind of do a bait and switch, right? They tell you they're gonna do one thing in your program and then you get in and what they're offering is something completely different, or you're like, I didn't sign up for that. You know? And I, I think that's a lot of people's frustrations when I know that life is better when you have people that are helping hold you accountable and helping you work through things that you can't work through on your own.

Yeah.

You know that, right? I think most people do, but then there can be, you know, those, those other actors who maybe are not providing everything that you are. So this is all a huge part of your brand, and I feel like you did get a, you got a great foundation early on, but you had to decide what you were going to do with that. It wasn't guaranteed.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've, I've also been a part of programs where I've heard so many people like sad or fussing or complaining that they didn't get the result and then they got kicked out at the end of their time. And so part of it is like we learn from, we learn from, we can learn from people's successes. We can also learn from what other people have done that, that didn't work out for, for several. And, and so making sure that You know, and that's the beautiful thing about having your own business is that you get to decide how you want to show up. You get to decide how you're going to deliver service with excellence. And if you've had negative experiences in the past, don't let it be the thing that keeps you from doing something like that, but make it drive you to be better than something you've experienced because you're the— now you're the boss. Like you get to create the experience that you wish you had.

Can you talk a little bit about that person who maybe they'll borrow some of your confidence, right? But they aren't as comfortable sending messages to people, sending friend requests or connection requests to people. How can they still use their audience and their, you know, whether even if it's a smaller sphere of influence to find that success? Like how would you approach somebody like that?

Yeah. So, So, one of the things that I do recommend is that if you know that there's an area of growth in a business that you're like, that's going to be the thing that I want to get off my plate as quickly as possible, then you know what, you know, maybe one of your first hires would be or what it is that you would want to get off your plate very quickly if you can. And so, we're going to look at your organic current connections, and I love to tell people, I'm like, make a shortlist of people you would love to work with. And the reality is, unless you're willing to invite someone to do something, you're probably— it's probably not going to happen unless you are willing to get somebody. And I actually, when I started my business, I was working for somebody else and my— and I had an assistant in, in that role. And when I transitioned out of working for them and like launching my own thing, it was my daughter. And I was like, come on, girl. Like, like, I'm not going to leave you behind. Like, we're going to start this thing. Which was also terrifying because now I'm responsible for not just my own income, but also hers. And so, but one of the things that I learned very quickly when she and I were working together is that she didn't have the same emotional baggage that I do about reaching out to certain people. And so I was like, there were, you know, 50 people on a list who had taken an action. They wanted my scripts for how I did this thing. And I was like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't want to like, what if they say no? What if they like say, don't ever call me again? Like. And I just finally, I just said, okay, her name's Bailey. I was like, Bailey, would you just message everybody like the same message all at once to start the conversation? And she did. And she had no emotional connection to it. She's like, I don't care. Sure. I'll send the message. I was like, awesome. And we booked 10 people. Like my calendar the next week had 10 people on it. And I was like, okay, so what did we learn from this? I need, like, if I'm feeling like I'm having hesitation to reach out to someone, I need to make it something that is a no-brainer. I don't think about it. So it either needs to be an automated thing. So if they download this thing, they get this message and I don't have to think about it. And these were people who had literally raised their hand and I was like, I don't know, I don't wanna bug people. Like, I have that too. But the more that I do it, the more that I realize like, wow, if you just literally send a message reaching out to someone, or if they'd take an action, you invite them to the next step. A lot of people will say yes, but it was my own like fear of rejection. And I'm wired like, I love people. I love to meet new people. And that also means that my biggest fear is rejection. And so I want everybody to like me. And what if I, what if they don't like me? Or what if they say no? Or, and so I have all this, like, I have head trash too that I work through. But what I recognized is I need to put systems in place that make it an automatic next step. If someone does something, then there's something that automatically happens. And that's, that's part of how we scale. That's part of how we, you know, get things moving forward. But if you're showing up providing value, There's ways that, you know, if you're finding yourself hesitating, ask yourself that question, like, what would have to happen for that to be so, so that that's happening automatically? It's happening without my emotions involved. And sometimes that means we need to get a VA. We need to get someone who's taking that first step, you know, and it's like, here's the script, here's the thing. And I did it myself. And I was like, this is what works. This is what we're going to do. And then very quickly I realized that I need to take my own emotion out of it and just make it something that, that automatically happens where we're Taking people to a next step, starting conversations, getting my calendar booked out. Because once somebody's on my calendar, I'm like, yes, let's do this. I'm so excited to meet you. And then automate or get help with the things that you're finding yourself hesitating on. But, but the reality is, is if like, if you don't want to put yourselves out there, then maybe start a different business. You know what I mean? Like, we can't get clients without asking for clients. Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, you, if you're not willing to have a conversation, then, you know, get a day job. You know what I mean? Yeah. But if you're, if you're wanting freedom, and so we, we choose our hard, right? You've heard this, like working a day job is hard. Like not having freedom to be with your kids when you want to be with your kids is hard. Reaching out to someone and inviting them to work with you for free for 3 days, like it's not so hard now, but like if it feels hard, but like choose your hard. show up and provide value because the, the, on the other side of that is a really cool business that creates freedom for your life and you choose your hard. So, decide what you want your life to look like and then be willing to do the things that other people aren't willing to do and do it consistently and then get help with it as you grow. And pretty soon you look up and you're an overnight success.

I love the way you framed that.

When everything's on the line, systems can fail when the unexpected Our systems are built to operate through disruption across the full cyber spectrum because failure isn't an option. Leidos. Outsmart. Outdo.

Whoever said fork in the road must have been hungry for the Sorento and Sorento Turbo Hybrid, their 3-row seating, and 10-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. With a capable Sorento and Sorento Turbo Hybrid. Every way forward is the right way. Visit your local Kia dealer today. Kia, movement that inspires.

Call 800-333-4-KIA for details. Drive safely. See retailer for warranty details.

When you partner with CDW, you get more from technology with AI-powered devices that turn complexity into clarity. CDW experts are modernizing Workplaces with Microsoft Surface, empowering your teams with innovative accessibility, delivering repairability for your IT staff, and protecting your data with built-in security. Make amazing happen. Learn more at cdw.com/surface.

I don't know about you, but I get pretty excited when football season rolls around. That's why I always make a stop at Total Wine& More before kickoff. Whether it's craft bourbon, cold beer, or ready-to-drink cocktails, it's easy to build a lineup that keeps everyone happy. And when I'm getting everything ready for game day, it's nice knowing I'm getting the lowest prices. Make Total Wine& More part of your game day tradition. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. Drink responsibly. Be 21.

Don't you wish everything was more rewarding? With Rakuten, almost everything is. You can earn cash back on those new shoes you've been wanting. You can save on the next trip you book. You can cash in on groceries. Just join, shop your favorite brands, and save. And when it's time to redeem those rewards, choose PayPal, check, Bilt Points, or cash out with gift cards. Eligible American Express members can choose to earn Membership Rewards points instead of cash back. Terms and conditions apply. So go ahead, take a trip, fill a cart, order dessert. Rakuten is a world of rewards. Join today for free. Go to rakuten.com or get the app. That's R-A-K-U-T-E-N.

Talk to me a little bit about when you were able to get to the point where you were only working 3 days.

Yeah. Yeah. So for a while in my business, I was doing, I was actually doing a 4-day process. So I would work with, I would work with people for 4 sessions for free. And because I was doing so many things manually in the process, because I work with people to figure out what their niche is, or I've got these, you know, processes to figure out where you're at in your business and where you want to go. And usually the thing that is keeping people from moving forward is clarity. And so I will help someone nail their niche. And I was doing this and it was taking, you know, it was taking 4 days, but I realized on the 4th day of the week, I was just closing clients. And so I asked myself the question, like, what would have to happen for this to, for us to really get to that clarity in 3 days? And so, and so I gave myself a thinking day. Highly recommend, highly recommend. Thinking day is where you put your phone away. You do not open your laptop. You sit with a notebook. And write. And the question that we're, we're brainstorming about is, it's like, if you have a goal or something you want to accomplish, ask yourself the question, what would have to happen for that to be so? And so, when I was like, I really want to work 3 days a week instead of 4 days, but I can't figure out how to get the same result, I was like, 70% close rate is a really good close rate. I don't want to mess that up.

Right.

And so I wrote about the problem for 3 hours and I was like, what is it that I do in my head that, how could I, how could I streamline that? Because I was literally like asking people all these questions and then formulating, and I'm a, I'm an idea person, like, you know, and so like I loved leading brainstorming sessions for my branding agency. Like, oh, that was the best naming strategy, messaging strategy, like all those things. And so I was taking a lot of that. that expertise and doing it just with my own brain. But then, um, after going through that process and figuring, I figured out, I was like, how can I duplicate? And now is a very cool time in the world. How can I duplicate what happens in my brain naturally with a very advanced prompt that reproduces the manual thing I was doing and allows me to get that result much faster? And so the solution was literally like, how can I use AI to streamline this and produce an even higher quality result for the people that I'm working with. So I guide people through a very clear process, incorporated a little bit of AI, and it allowed me to shorten that. But before that, you know, I was like I mentioned earlier, I am ruthless, even surgical about what comes off my plate. Because if I find myself doing the same thing over and over that I could then, that if I could teach somebody else to do it, I'm going to do that. And so I, I keep my calendar very focused on highest value activities. And the majority of business owners are spending about 20 hours a week doing something that they could outsource for $25 an hour or less, right? And that seems like, that seems like it may be not a big deal, but over the course of a year, $25 an hour work times 20 hours a week for 50 weeks in a year, just for easy numbers, is $25,000. If you're capable of generating $1,000 an hour with your time, changing that $25 to $1,000 in activity over, for 20 hours a week over 50 weeks in a year is $1 million. It's $1 million. And so if I am capable of generating $1,000, $2,000 an hour doing my highest value activity, then I need to free up as much time as possible for that highest value activity, right? And so the only thing that stays on my plate today, In order to do 6 figures a month in sales, working 3 days a week, is I close sales and I'm getting, and I'm in a place now where I'm like, what got me here won't get me there. So I'm training somebody else that, that can duplicate that effort too, but keeping the same thing that's what's working really well. Like we're not going to break the thing that's working so well, but everything else has to come off my plate. And so systematically I hired another person and another person and I have just part-time team members. So So please don't think I have like, I'm not building a 30-person agency again. I'm not going back to that life. But if we can get really clear on what it is that needs to happen in the business, and I have other people running it. And you know, earlier this year I thought that I needed to hire a COO. I was like, I need to get, I need to put somebody else in place that's managing everything else. Well, the truth is I just needed a 15-hour-a-week project manager. And so I don't even have a to-do list anymore. She just tells me what to do. She's like, this is your part. This is your part. We've got the rest. And so we've created SOPs for everything that happens in the business. And if we've got 20 steps that, um, like, here's how we fill this event here, like we're doing a new workshop, here's what needs to happen. If there's 20 steps, my name's on 2 of them that, and one of those things is deliver the workshop, right? Like I'm not doing all the things that are happening behind the scenes, but I did those things to start with. And then documented it and then hired a person part-time that could run that thing so that I can stay focused on high-value activity. And so my life is actually less stressful today with more income than it was when I was first getting started and like, you know, doing all the things, but, but it's also scalable, right? And so it, when I, you know, most, most business owners that I talk to or most coaches that I talk to are like, you know, $10,000 or $20,000 a month would change my life. Like, that's a, that's a top 1% coach. If you're doing $20,000 a month, you're a top 1% coach. And if you've got a coaching program that's like even $5,000, like you just need to close one client a week, which means if you booked, I mean, if you had 2 or 3 opportunities on your calendar every week, you're probably going to close one client and that creates a $20,000 a month business. That's pretty life-changing for most people, especially when we're thinking about, so, so the level, like, I think sometimes we make it complicated. Like, I've gotta get hundreds of leads coming in in order to then get a certain number of people booked and then a certain number of people will buy. And like, what if you only had to have like a few conversations a week and you could completely replace your income from your day job? Would that be cool? Would that be worth it?

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

You also mentioned AI, and I've recently been using Claude to schedule blocks of time on my calendar to look through, to like, to go back and forth a little bit because I don't have that operator that I've realized when I've had success in my past businesses, that person that I had. And for many reasons, right at this point, I'm just going, I just, I'm gonna use Claude and I have team members to focus on other things, but I'm not quite ready to hire that person. So, I'd love to hear a little bit about how you're using AI. Are you using it as a thought partner? Because this is a great example of interplay with, like, the people, right? You reaching out to people, people-to-people conversations, hiring team members, but then you also did mention using AI for part of that process.

Yeah, so, one of the things, and I think this is a huge opportunity for coaches today, one of the things that I primarily use AI for is, is not necessarily in the operations of my business. And, and I've actually just hired someone recently to like help me integrate an AI agent because we're going to test doing that DM sequence that we do in, you know, through Facebook and Instagram DMs. We actually like, if somebody opts in for something, we're going to test that in a text sequence with a digital assistant. And like, what if we had an AI that was like duplicating that effort, but in text messaging. Very cool. So we're testing that out. And so I'm not saying everybody go do that because I don't ever recommend something until it's working in my own business. But one of the things that's been super helpful and that I think is a big opportunity for coaches is to create prompt pathways for your students. Because what I realized, you know, I created my coaches program over 3 years ago, and what I realized is that over the past year or so, everybody's trying to do the exercises and the things, they're like taking it into Chat or they're taking it into Claude. And I was like, okay, so if I could give them a more strategic approach to that, could they get the result faster? And the answer is yes. And so just in the last few months, like we've, we've added 25 new prompts to the portal. And so people can systematically go through and do the exercise, make, you know, run the prompt, make a decision, and then keep rocking. And so I think that's a huge opportunity because what people are looking for is, you know, with coaching, is accountability, certainly. They want support, but a faster, more efficient way to get something done. And if you can give people the secret sauce, because like anybody can do what I do if they know what I know, right? And so if we're just stumbling through trying to figure it out on our own, it's going to be slower and take longer, and we may not get the same result. But if I can duplicate what happens, like what happens in my business to be successful, and I show other people like, here's how to get that result even faster and very, you know, very meticulously, strategically using the right prompts instead of stumbling through on your own, then we can help people have that success much faster. And so that's one of the primary ways that we're using it. And, you know, we also use it for things like meeting notes and like the to-do lists coming out of a team meeting or to-do lists or like the next steps or tasks coming out of like a, you know, a Zoom call or something like that. But we're just getting started with like the idea of like AI agents and we're, and I'm pretty excited about it and I'm investing in it. Like, I'm like, yes, if this, if this could do, if like instead of having 2 team members that are doing the same thing, if I could have 1 team member and then, and, you know, put some AI agents in place, now we can actually What's another way that we can scale, right? And now we're ready for massive traffic, which is why we're talking about like, okay, what would it look like if we started running ads and can we duplicate the thing that's working if we put some pieces in place that make it so that that could be so? So going back to that question, what would have to happen for that to be so, right?

Yeah.

If somebody's listening and they take one thing from this conversation, what would that be?

I would say, you know, I'm gonna call back to this, this thing that a wise woman said to me once on a podcast, bet on yourself. I think sometimes we get stuck in this mode of doing things how we've done them, or this ceiling of belief about what's possible. And the truth is, is like, you have everything inside you that you need to be successful. You just need to be willing to to bet on yourself and like take that next step and move forward. So like, I always have this idea of like a fear of missing out. I'm always— I always would rather have tried something and failed at it than to always wonder what would've happened. Like, what if I had done it? What if I had done the thing? And so I'm really grateful today, you know, today I'm really grateful that like 3 and a half years ago I decided to bet on myself. And so that's my That's my call or my challenge to you all is like, take, take the opportunity, bet on yourself, just see what happens.

Mic drop. I mean, we could just end right there, but, um, I, I really appreciate our conversation because the truth of the matter also is that you didn't just build one business, right? You've been able to prove your model, you've been able to refine it, and you've been able to do this with organic leads with referral business and scaling it very well, but scaling it, you know, smartly and really with intention.

Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah. Yeah. Learned a lot. Learned a lot through the process.

And, you know, we didn't even touch on your book, so I'd love to, you to give a little pitch for your book and tell us what will we learn in Bold Confidence? Does it have some of your program? Is it something else?

Yeah, so Bold Confidence was based off the very first coaching program that I launched, helping people step into their confidence, figure out how they talk about what they do in their business, and be able to start getting organic leads coming in. And so it's really like deciding who you want to be and then knowing how to talk about it and, and becoming a magnetic a magnetic person that attracts the opportunities that you want. And what I found is that, you know, like of the 150 women that went through Bold Confidence, there was a real high percentage that I was able to say, girl, you got what it takes. Let's take it to the next level. And so a lot of my students from that first program ended up becoming coaches because they were able to step into their own bold confidence. So it's a great place to start.

Fantastic. And I do, we, I think you gave us some really great advice. You've, you know, given us a few things to think about. I do always ask, do you have a favorite quote, mantra, verse, poem, family motto, anything else, any other words of wisdom that you wanna impart on the audience before we go?

You know, I love that quote from Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return to Love, where she says, our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God, and your playing small does not serve the world. You are meant to shine as children do, and you are born to make manifest the glory that is within you. And it is not just in some of us, it is in all of us.

Well, if that's not inspiring to everybody who's listening or watching this episode, I don't know what would be. Andrea, I— you have touched my heart. And, you know, all of these conversations seem to happen at the right time.

Yeah.

So I really appreciate getting 2 opportunities to speak with you today. We will of course have lots of links in the show notes, including your website, which is your name, andreiengstrom.com. We'll have your free masterclass as well, and your book and all of the other fun links so that people can really do a deep dive into learning more about your techniques, what you do, and how you may be able to Help them approach life and business.

Oh, thank you so much.

Yeah, of course.

I appreciate you.

I appreciate you, and I appreciate everybody who is listening to this episode or watching it. Please leave us a rating review if you haven't. Share this episode with somebody who needs it, and I'll be back very soon with another amazing guest. Thanks for listening or watching to this episode of Your Brand Amplified. Don't forget to leave us a rating or review on your favorite podcast listening platform. And if you want to learn more, check us out at yourbrandamplified.com.

When you partner with CDW, your people get more out of technology. CDW data experts are simplifying complex workloads with high-speed AMD processors, which helps your project managers efficiently manage heavier workflows, game designers level up creativity, and scientists develop their next breakthrough. Amazing, right? Make amazing happen. AMD and CDW. Learn more at cdw.com/amd. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still?

Not a chance.

You're a lifelong learner who's come this far.

Now we're here to help you keep going further. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more.

Music, food, art. These things define and unite us, and they come in colors that breathe culture, colors that connect us with their variety and richness. You'll find that same variety in Valspar Ultra Paints. Great coverage and durability starting at $29.98 per gallon. Enjoy everyday protection against scuffs and wear with a smooth, washable finish. We're made of colors, and with Valspar Ultra, you can reflect that pride of culture you have inside on every wall of your home. Available at Lowe's.

Therapy's biggest impact doesn't show up in some dramatic breakthrough. It shows up in the smallest moments. You bite your tongue instead of escalating. You put your phone down instead of firing off that text. You say what you actually mean instead of what would hurt someone else the most. Nobody applauds those moments, but they quietly change your life. That's what growing feels like, and that's exactly what Grow Therapy is here for. Grow is therapy that works, covered by insurance. Sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality licensed therapists across the US. Offering both virtual and in-person sessions nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability, and you can book a therapy session in minutes and begin in as little as 2 days, not the national 48-day average. See if you could pay as little as $0 for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com/booknow. That's growtherapy.com/booknow. growtherapy.com/booknow. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.