Behind The Spotlight: Lisa Johnson

Hey, happy afternoon in New Jersey and welcome to another episode with another amazing small business owner who's making a difference in women's lives all over the place. Today we have my friend Lisa Johnson. First of all, she's English, so she's got that great freaking accent, but she's also built an amazing business helping women create small businesses for themselves. Here she's coming up. I know that we are going to have a great conversation because I love that she's a business strategist and not just a business coach. She really creates— I'm like, you create the opportunity for people to win. Hi, Lisa!

Hello, nice to see you. How are you doing?

I'm so happy to see you. I preface this with, wait till you hear her accent. I could listen to her speak all I'm just glad this has worked.

I was like, I don't do many of these Instagram Lives, so I'm always just assuming that it's gonna go wrong, but it works, so that's good. We're one ahead.

Right in my world, it all works out. That's what I tell myself every morning. Everything works out for me. It's all gonna happen. And like Lisa, I hear you say that, but I know a lot of good things work out for you as well. You just finished an amazing launch of your latest program. Congratulations.

No worries, it was a crazy one. We went way over target on this one, which is brilliant. Yeah, we can't ask for more than that.

No, you can't. Well, I know you work your ass off, and I know you saw the video I did earlier today talking about 7 figures in 4 years.

We actually made 7 figures in the first year. We made, we made $20 million by year 7?

20 million by year 7 for somebody who didn't go to business school?

Oh no, I didn't go to business school. That's pounds, by the way. I don't know what that is in dollars. That's like maybe 23.

A lot of freaking money. Well, you know, honestly, I thought it was 2 years, but then I went back and looked on Google and it said 4 years. I think we need a little more media around you talking about it.

Yeah, we do.

Everybody a little bit of the story because we have 30 or 40 people watching right now. A little bit of the story of how you came up because it's the moment I fell in love with you when we had, we had a private call with us, but I was like, who is this woman? She's amazing.

I mean, it's been a bit of a crazy story, but, um, 8 years ago I was $35,000 in debt, um, because I had young twins. I'd gone through a divorce, um, because I had the twins I had to leave a decent job. Decent corporate job and start all over again at the age of like 37 as a PA. And because of that, I got bored there and decided to start my own business. Now I come from poverty that no one has a business where I come from. And so I didn't really know what I was doing. And my first business kind of failed, if we're honest about it. It was a wedding planning business and it, it eventually I got to turn it around, but it failed at the beginning because I didn't know anything about business. But what that did is that made me go, well, I'm just going to learn everything I can about business, but I need to do it for free because I have no money. And so I, well, you know, I went to the library and read all of their self-awareness books and the business books, and I went to every webinar online, all the free challenges, all the things. And I managed to turn that wedding planning business around to make around 6 figures, which meant that I could leave my job. Because then, you know, it was, it was horses for courses. And, um, I got to spend more time with the twins. And then after a couple of years, people started just saying to me, oh, you know, how have you done this? And I started telling them, like, well, I've done this, this, and this. And I realized that I had a bit of a gift, I suppose, for breaking down business and getting rid of the jargon and just making it easier. So I'll tell these people what to do, and they'd go and do it and come back and say, oh my God, I've just tripled my revenue. And I didn't realize, like, consulting and coaching was a thing then. But after about— after a couple of years of doing that, I said, okay, I'm gonna start doing this as like a job, as like a business. I'm going to help people with businesses. And that was 7 years ago. And when I started that business, in the first year everything went really well. Like, I made £220,000 in profit, which blew my mind because I'd never seen that much money. Like, I didn't even know that was a thing. And so I was like, this is brilliant. But at the end of that first year, I was exhausted. I was like working from 6 in the morning to 11 at night. I wasn't seeing the twins. It was just, you know, it wasn't working. And so I decided that I needed to find a different business model. And so rather than this one-to-one of me telling people what to do constantly, I looked online. I spent half of the money I'd already earned on learning, like, what, how can I learn different business models? And I learned about all these things to do with passive and semi-passive income, whether it was cryptocurrency or dropshipping, all these things. And then started to just slowly add them into my business over a year. And some I got rid of, like crypto was not gonna be my thing, which I now, you know, kick myself a little bit. But, you know, apps weren't gonna be my thing. But the thing that I kind of fell upon were courses, memberships, workshops, anything that was like giving knowledge, but without me needing to trade my time for money. And at the end of that first year, if you think I was making £220, but I was probably working 70 or 80 hours a week. At the end of the second year, I was working 30 hours a month and I was earning over a million. And so that's when it was like, okay, this is what I need to teach people. And then since then, that's what I've been teaching people. And I, I do these big launches. So I did a launch last week. We made $3.7 million in that launch in the week. And I think that that's what I always knew I wanted to teach more people because it's about having freedom to me. I don't want loads of money if it means that I'm at my desk all day. I don't want lots of money if I don't see my kids and I can't go on holidays. It's not worth it to me. I wanted both. And there is ways to have both.

There's a lot. Yeah, you found a way to have a nice amount of bucks, but you figured out a way that was going to work for you and your freedom. So when you look at the marketplace now, like, what do you think is the biggest mistake people are making when they're trying to get freedom?

I feel like lots of people have realized that putting digital products and courses online is a good thing to do, like basically going from that one-to-one model to one-to-many. I think people have realized that now. After COVID, it helped everybody, they bought everything online. But I think the problem is that people don't grow an audience. So they learn how to launch things and they learn how to create something amazing, but they have no one to actually sell it to because they're not growing an audience of people on an email list and they're not nurturing that audience. And I think that people need to start there and even Realistically, not even thinking, what am I gonna sell? Grow the audience of the people you wanna work with. They will tell you what to sell them. You can co-create it with them. And that makes a big difference. I co-create everything with my audience.

Yes, I'm with you on that, especially when it comes to media and visibility, right? You want that audience to not— I think a lot of people, when they think about visibility, they're trying to get an outside audience to them.

Yeah.

But when I think about visibility, no, it's getting your audience even more in on what you're doing and who you are. Because they're already in on you.

Yeah.

And I think sometimes forget, like, you have a built-in— I've, you know, built-in people to what I'm doing who are already paying attention. Why am I always on the outside trying to get more people in?

Yeah, talk to them and nurture them. Right. Yeah.

Look at this side. Doing this, I think people forget that. And because I think a lot of the messages out there is like, get more, get bigger, get, get richer.

Yeah.

Proof of that, that that's not the way you have to do it. But Lisa, I wonder, like, what was it about you that allowed you the space to make those risks, right? To take that leap? Because a lot of people, I'm sure people listening were like, well, that's great for Lisa to do, but I can't do that because Lisa must be X.

Yeah, but, and I used to do that too, let's be honest. I used to go, it's all right for that person over there because she's— and I would come up with the stupidest things like 'Her parents must have given her money,' or, 'It's all right for her because she's prettier than me,' or, 'She's thinner than me,' like I'm a size 16. Like, I used to see people that were size 16 going, 'Well, that's why,' and I'd come up with all these things. They don't have kids or whatever, and it's ridiculous. We give ourselves these narratives, and we all can do what we can do. And I think that the thing, if I'm honest, the thing that made this work for me is I stopped trying to do things the way other people were doing them. I realized that I didn't really like some of the ethics, some of the integrity around this industry, if I'm honest about it, and I wanted to do it a different way. And so everything I've done, I've done in a little bit of a different way. Like, I haven't done any of the usual tactics that people kind of use, whether that's like pressure selling or whether it's, you know, using only affiliates that have massive lists. All of my affiliates have have done my program and they probably have lists under 1000. Like, I believe there's a better way of doing things that helps you to be able to sleep at night. I don't want a business unless I can sleep at night.

Well, that's really refreshing because, you know, a lot of those messages out there— actually, I was writing a blog post today that I'm posting next week that's about that. Like, you can make 6 figures in 6 months, right? You, you were making 6 figures, but you were figuring out a system that was yours. You weren't learning somebody else's system. Nothing is a big mistake as well. They're like, well, I'm doing it this way. It's like, well, does that work for your personality, for your lifestyle, and for your clients? Versus it might work for their clients and not yours.

Yeah. And there's no cookie cutter in business. There can't be. And that's why the kind of pyramid scheme stuff that's out there at the moment, the MRR and all of that kind of stuff, the problem with that is it's cookie cutter. So it's never going to work for you as much as it did for the person who you're learning it from. What we need to be doing is looking at people's strengths and going, what do they like to do? How can we do more of that with that person? Honestly, there are a million ways to make a million dollars. We need to pick the right one that's for us. We don't have to say, well, she's doing it that way. And I do think a lot of people look at what someone else is doing, they're maybe trying a strategy. And as a strategist, I love it when I see people, you know, doing a strategy. But then what happens is they do it for a month, it doesn't quite work because we know that it takes longer than that. And so they look at someone else going, well, they're doing this, so I'll try that. And they just keep changing when actually pretty much all strategies will work if you just carry on for long enough.

Oh, that's a huge problem. It's like, well, I tried that already. And for my clients, it's like, well, I pitched them. And my answer— my question is always like, how many times?

Yeah, well, like once.

And the same thing with sales, like, well, I put it out there. If I just post and don't DM people, or if I just DM people and not send them videos. Like, there's— right, you have to know who your people are and what they want from you. But doing it once or twice or even 5 times, that's not going to make it happen. It's that consistent— like, everyone always talks about having the right message, but I really think— and I'd love your opinion on this— it's more about consistency of you showing up and speaking from your heart than having the right message.

And the right message can be seen through. Anyone can make a message. If you're not living it, it doesn't really matter. You're just saying something over and over again. What's really important is consistency. And people get scared of the word consistency, but it doesn't mean constant, it means consistent. And they're two separate things. Like, just because you need to be consistent doesn't mean that you have to be on all the time. Doesn't mean that you have to be on social media all the time and working all the time. You just need to be consistent when you are, and that's different. Well, you, you know, I'm never constantly on.

Right? Like, you know, and if I didn't— if I wasn't just me when I met you, then you probably wouldn't have come on either. You know, you have to have those. That's the other piece of it I think that you're really great at is you're 100% Lisa all the 100% time. And that's part of the struggle. But you've been through a lot. Do you think that piece of it has really helped you?

Yeah, definitely. I realized very early on I've been trolled online. I've been bullied. Like, I can't tell you how many things have happened to me online and as a child. And so I realized quite quickly that even if you're the nicest person and you never say anything that might annoy anyone, people aren't gonna like you anyway. There's still gonna be a section of society that doesn't like you. So you may as well just be you and say the things you actually mean. And from then, I started to really talk about what I wanted to say without fear. Like, I really believe that we need to act all the time as if we'd already been canceled. Because then what happens is you start saying the things you actually want to say, and that's when you attract the best clients, not when you're hiding from the things you want to say in case it annoys someone.

Oh, Lisa, I'm like, okay, you need to write an article about that because I know you are. And where I was getting to was that you're an anti-bullying crusader, but I love that point of view of like— and we'll talk about you doing an article or something about it because that's such a disruptive— no, it's really disruptive. I can't stop my brain. It's a really disruptive concept of like If you just act from like, already people hate you, or you're going to get told already, or already people don't like you. I think sometimes— I actually just had a meeting with a friend of mine about her business, and she was like, well, I have imposter syndrome. And I was like, so does everybody else.

Also, I don't really believe in imposter syndrome. Like, I think what we've done there is we've given ourselves a lovely title, a lovely syndrome that sounds very medical, and so sounds very real. That we can just go, well, I can't go live, I can't be visible, I can't show up, I have imposter syndrome. Don't give yourself a reason not to be able to do something. You, you're just a bit scared because you haven't done it before. That's normal, right? We're all scared before we've done it.

Oh, I, I guess I would say that I want to throw up the 5 minutes before I'm ever on live TV, but put me on live TV tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm terrified every time I walk onto a stage. I'll still do it. Like, you're allowed to be scared and let fear not be the loudest voice in your head. Like, you can just sit there.

Right, and the more that we talk about it, the more other people can do that as well. Because I think they look at somebody like you and they're like, well, she has this big business and she does all this great stuff, and I'm jealous that you're tall, to be completely honest. I'm very short. When we— when I see you in the summer, you're gonna be like, oh, you are short.

I'm not that tall.

Well, I'm very— I'm only 5'1".

I'm tall compared to you.

It could be anything. It could be like— I always think if you're skinnier and taller, that people listen to you more, right? Because I'm not skinnier and I'm not taller. But it's just stuff to make your head spin. It's one of the reasons— I think I told you I did a comedy show recently. I did stand-up comedy. And it was like, I need something that's going to be outside me and outside my business that scares the S out of me so that I can go do big things after that.

Yeah, because you've done things. Say that again, sorry, it cut out.

What do you help— what do you do to help yourself get past those thoughts and do the big things? Because you do a lot of big things.

Yeah, and every time I do something big, I'm scared, and then I remind myself when I was scared of something else that now feels really natural. So the first time I went live on Facebook, terrified. Now I can do it with my eyes closed. I'll just walk along and I'll do it and I won't even think about it. Terrified the first time I did television. Terrified the first time I had a piece of PR out. Terrified the first time I said what I really thought on social media. And terrified the first time I had haters and had trolling. Now all of it is like water off a duck's back. And so, if those things were scary and now aren't, that means that things that seem scary to me now will not be at some point. And so, you may as well do them. Rather than be scared of them. I actually quite like the fear, the feeling of being scared. I like that risk.

Yeah, I'm with you. And I'm like, it's— for me, it's that I can— when those things come in, it's like, I can do this, whatever. Like, I can do this, I've done this, like, I've done this and this. It's just that story you tell yourself. It is. I can't do it, or I can't do it.

Yeah.

Um, like, my son, my son does Olympic weightlifting, which is, you know, he pulls it up over his head, he does like crazy amounts of weight. And I was like, what What doesn't, what doesn't stop you from like dropping it on your head?

Yeah.

He's like, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

But don't you think so much of this is the thoughts? It would be so easy for me 7 years ago to go, well, I can't do this because people like me from where I come from don't do this. Um, people with twins and, and, you know, no, having left school at 16 years old don't do this kind of thing. It's easy to do that, but how much fun is it when you then do it in spite of? It's much more fun, and you feel much more like you have achieved something. I really truly believe that people who have been through any kind of adversity, and there are so many of us that have either been through poverty, I don't know, financial kind of hardship, illness, having grief in our families, anything like that, people that have done those things are so much likely, so much more likely to succeed in their business because they are used to an obstacle. You know, some people you see, they find an obstacle and they go, "Oh, I really wanted to do this, but I've now hit this obstacle. I tried, oh well." But people like us, people that have had any kind of adversity, they'll go, "Okay, well, I'll find a way around it 'cause that's what I've had to do my whole life." And so actually they're more likely to succeed.

Yeah, I think that's the constant with people who are successful in our business. It's just getting yourself to do something, like you said, be consistent about something. Just keep moving forward. So what's next for Lisa? What's scary next for Lisa?

Oh, I don't know. The scariest thing for a while was having a book out. And then that came out, and that's all done.

Times bestseller.

Yeah, and that became a Sunday Times bestseller. So now it's like, what is the next scary thing? So like, I've spoken to you before. The big thing that I'd love to do is to speak on television about money and to dispel all of these myths about money so that we can just talk about it normally, just like we talk about anything else in life, without it being this big taboo thing. I think it's really important, especially for women, that we start talking.

Oh, I especially— 100%. So any journalists that are watching, Lisa just told you what she wants to talk about and that she wants to do it. So go get in her DMs if you have a platform. Lisa can be on talking about money. I love, I love the power of the show because it allows people to say what they want in the world, the universe kind of give it to you. Lisa, I also know that you have something coming up in Vegas this May.

I do. I have a mastermind called Destination Inspiration, and we take our mastermind to somewhere in the world, and this time it's Vegas. So we're coming to Vegas in May for 3 days, 4 for this mastermind, and for the first time ever, we're opening it to 10 people that aren't in the mastermind, so that they can have the kind of conversations that 7-figure business people have. Because often, I remember when I wanted to be in those rooms, and go, what are they talking about? What matters at that point? Because if you're around those people, you're more likely to get there. And so we said, well, this time, rather than keep it exclusive to the mastermind, let's allow 10 people to be on that retreat with us. And so that's what we're doing.

Well, I can't wait. I'm so excited for that. And I've experienced that. I have a friend who has a huge business, and I had a conversation with her about my business, and she was like, why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing this? And I was like, because nobody— I don't know anybody else at your level, and no one's ever said anything to me. I didn't think—

Yeah, you don't know what you don't know, right? Like, you only know what you know at that time. But as soon as I was in those conversations and I was in those arenas, which is why you and I are in a mastermind together. I want to be in the arena of people that are doing big things. And as soon as I saw that, that made me start to do big things because I believe you have to see other people doing it to realize that you also can. And it changed the game for me. And I want to do that for others.

Well, I can't wait to see you in action. Lisa, thank you so much for coming on the show. Lisa told us two things. She's, first of all, she's amazing. I now know that you understand how I think Lisa's amazing. And I'm so happy to introduce you to all my people, Lisa. She wants to talk about how money cannot keep— doesn't keep you back and how you can get forward through it and what it's about. And also that if you want to work with Lisa and you want to be in the room with— you want to be in the right room, right? That's what we say, Lisa. You want to be in the right room. Make sure to go to her, her platforms. It's all about Vegas. Lisa, what's it called?

The best place to find me is just here on Instagram. It's everywhere on there. So yeah, @LisaJohnsonStrategist is where I am, but Destination Inspiration is what we call call it. And I'd love to see some people there from, from your neck of the woods as well.

We'll have a Jersey contingency. We'll come on out. All the information will also be in the caption. Lisa, I adore you. Thank you so much for coming on. I appreciate you being here. And as always— oh, it's glitching a little bit. As always, Lisa, thank you so much for being here. And as always, make sure you check out Lisa. Make sure you go to my link in bio. I have a class on Wednesday called Spotlight to Sold Out, where I'm teaching you not only how to earn media, to make sure you're actually making money from it so you can sell out your programs and book out all of your offers. Lisa, thank you so much for joining me today. I'll see you soon.

Thanks for having me. Bye.

Bye, everybody.