Growing Your Influence and Scaling Your Brand With Selena Soo

How do you make business problems disappear? Wrap em in bacon for business owners, marketing execs, and anyone trying to grow your business. Pump your profits and make more while doing less. Welcome to Bacon Wrapped Business with Brad Costanzo. Sizzling hot business advice guaranteed to make you fat profits. Every week, our chefs will serve you proven recipes for ramping up your revenue. Now here's your host, Brad Costanzo.

All right, welcome back to the show. This is Brad. And if for some reason this is the first time you stumbled across the show, maybe you saw the topic or you saw the guest being interviewed and you're like, all right, I'll come check this out. And it's got bacon in the title. I mean, how bad could it be? Well, I am Brad Costanzo. I'm the host of the show, and this is my. My platform to interview some really amazing, inspiring and smart entrepreneurs and thought leaders and people who are doing stuff that. That I really want to know more about. As most of my listeners will tell you know, can attest to. I don't have people on the show who are just looking for publicity for themselves unless I have a authentic curiosity about who they are, what they're doing, and how they've been so successful. That being said, today's show is with somebody just like that. And although publicity is a big part of what she does, we're going to hit on that and some other really cool stuff because she has not only introduced me to former guests such as Bushra Azar, who you may have heard on a most recent episode, but she works with clients as a business strategist and a publicity coach for visionary entrepreneurs and experts and authors. Her work has been endorsed by thought leaders such as Marie Forleo, Daniel Laporte, Derek Halpern, and a lot of other influencers both in online and mainstream media. Selena helps her clients make very powerful connections and increase their visibility and develop solid strategies to take their business to the next level. She's also also a writer for Forbes, HuffPost and Positively Positive, amongst others. So without any further ado, I'd like to welcome Selena Sue. How are you?

Brad, a quick thing. I think they gave you the wrong bio because I don't run my mastermind anymore.

Oh, whoops. Okay, so let me just redo the bio.

Okay.

And then I can edit that out, no problem.

And okay, let me just make a note to tell Katherine.

Probably just edit out the part about the publicity mastermind. The first part's probably fine.

Yeah, that's perfect.

Yeah, so I'll pick up right there. I'm just marking the time here. It's about two minutes in.

Okay, perfect.

So good catch, though.

So I'll just answer. Okay. So you said, Selena, how are you?

Well, I'm going to get to that in just a second. So I stopped online and mainstream media. Mm.

So, Selena, are you here?

I'm here. And thank you so much for having me, Brad. I am really thrilled to talk to you and connect with you more.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we've been, you know, this is the first time we've ever actually spoken in person. We're Facebook friends and we've interacted over email and chat a couple times. But I've heard of. We've got a lot of mutual friends. I've heard a lot of great things about you and I've seen some of the cool stuff that you've been doing. So it's a. It's a pleasure for me to kind of have you on the show and find out a little bit more. Especially because some of the stuff you're doing is a. It overlaps with the things that I'm doing both for myself and my clients. It's topics that I love to talk about, and I'd love to have people on the show like yourself so that I can, you know, get some of the other stuff that's working in new perspectives. So that being said, I give a little bit of a. Of a description about what you're doing, but tell me about the, you know, the work that you love to do the most, that you're most proud of, the things that are going on right now, like a little bit of the backstory. But I don't like, usually going into the, like the whole.

Sure.

Life as a child. Right.

No, I totally get it. Yeah. And I would love to talk about that. So my biggest passion has always been connecting people and promoting people that I really believe in. When I was in my mid-20s, I had a quarter life crisis and started going to this woman's life coaching circle. And through that got exposed to all of these thought leaders in the self help space and different authors. And I just felt like this was the most amazing thing and that to really help people feel better about their lives and create hope and possibility, that these experts and authors that were teaching people how to find their purpose, how to start a business, how to be happy in relationships, have better health, I just couldn't think of a better way to help people. And so deep down, I always wanted to be a publicist.

Or just find different ways to elevate people. Like that I went to business school and when I graduated, I did start my own PR firm. But then over time, it became clear to me that I wanted to focus more on the high level strategy and also help a lot of people versus just a handful. Now I have a program called Impacting Millions and we have hundreds of amazing students in that program. And it's a publicity course that really helps people use the power of publicity to elevate their brand reach lots and lots of more people. And people have got incredible results from, you know, writing articles in the Huffington Post and Forbes to being featured in Oprah Magazine and on TV and all of that. So that is really, you know, my focus is really my group program Impacting Millions.

Cool. So let's talk a little bit about a little bit of some of the publicity strategies that have worked the best for you. I don't think I need to talk about the benefits of publicity. Most of the people kind of understand that. And if they've heard some of my other episodes, we talk about that. So let's talk about what's working. We know why it's good to do. Tell me about some of the strategies that have been either really successful for you, some of your clients, and that is really working. Especially that's out of the ordinary.

I mean, yeah, I'd love to talk about that. So, I mean, two things I want to start with. First is it's really important to know what kind of publicity you want to pursue based on your business goals. Because some publicity is good for branding purposes and credibility. And then there's other types that may move the needle more for your business. So I've had situations where I may have a client or a student who gets an Oprah magazine. And Oprah Magazine is huge for the credibility factor and generating that excitement in your audience. But let's say if your business is about selling $10,000 consulting or coaching packages, your ideal clients might not come from Open Magazine. That might be a great place if you've got a book or a lower end offering. But for something high end, you might want consider a different outlet. So, I mean, I'm very passionate about podcast interviews. I believe that every entrepreneur should be doing them because it's great content, it's a great way to connect more deeply and talk in depth about a topic. But also the types of people that listen to podcasts, these are people that care about their personal development, their personal growth business. And if they're going to spend 30 minutes or an hour listening to a podcast interview, these are the Kinds of people that are willing to invest in themselves in terms of time and also in terms of money. And so I find people who are pursuing the wrong kinds of publicity based on what their intended outcomes are and wondering why it's not working. So that's the first place I like to begin is just getting clear on, like, why do you want the publicity? What are your goals? And based on your goals, what are the right kinds of media outlets for you?

Cool. So let's talk about in the media, is it. Have you seen more benefits from having your own columns and writing? Like, whether it's on a Forbes or Fast Company or something like that, or being written about, or do you pursue both strategies?

Yeah, I think it depends on the person. The one thing with columns, like, I know at Forbes right now they want contributors to contribute typically two to even five times a month. And I think in general, they're looking for people to write with that frequency. So as a busy entrepreneur, you might not want to be a columnist for Forbes because you don't want to wr, you know, 60 articles a year. That might be too much for you. You might just want to have the chance to be part of one or two pieces and get that press hit, you know, for credibility purposes. Or maybe there is a regular columnist that has to produce a certain amount of articles. But you could be a guest post, you could offer a guest post and they feature, you know, it's, you know, your story, your writing, all of that, and you still get to benefit from the Forbes name. So it depends. I mean, there's some people who are prolific writers and they want to write all the time. And definitely.

You know, as you continue to put your work out there and have links back to your site or free gif, that can definitely work. But for a lot of people that I work with who are my students, I know how busy they are. I don't necessarily recommend them needing to get multiple columns and be on the hook for writing seven articles a month.

Yeah, it gets to be a lot.

Yeah.

Okay, so have.

But I think part of your question was also about, like, is it better to be featured in an article or to be writing the article? So I think, I know it depends.

Upon what result you're kind of looking to get.

Yeah, it depends on what kind of result. But also.

I think there is something to be said when a journalist has decided to profile you or interview you versus you doing a guest post. But yeah, I guess it goes back to the point of it, because if the purpose of the writing that you're doing is you want to share your thought leadership ideas.

Then a guest post may be more appropriate because it's all you that you're writing. The article is all about you and your ideas. Whereas if you're being featured in an article, that writer or that journalist may be interviewing multiple people. So I think it's good to have a mix, not just all one, because of every post press hit is just something that you've written by yourself. That's one thing. But if you've got other, you know, leading journalists and people kind of choosing you specifically to feature that also does say something important.

Absolutely. So have you got any fun stories about whether it's any clients or yourself who've successfully used some of your strategies to just.

Yeah.

Really kind of explode and. Yeah. So share with us not only the results, but how they did it.

Sure, sure. So one person who comes to mind is my client, Kimra Luna, and she is a social media and personal branding strategist. And she, you know, early on, even when she was just getting started, would do a lot of podcast interviews. And then as we worked together, got her to do more and more podcast interviews and other forms of media. And she always will direct people to her free Facebook group. And so she grew that Facebook group pretty quickly. I think now it's maybe 30 or 40,000 people in that group who are all entrepreneurs, who are people interested also in her programs. And so with a podcast interview, it's not just, okay, you hear this person's story and that's it, but she had a clear call to action to get people to join that Facebook group and really took the time to cultivate people in that group so that when she does have her launches, people are lining up to sign up. And she is someone who has, you know, seven figure launches and her business, I mean, she was having a seven figure launch when her business was, I think, just about a year and a half old. Right. But that doesn't happen by accident. You know, it's because she was creating community and using these podcast interviews to develop that emotional connection with people and then drive them to that free Facebook group.

That's fantastic. Do you know what the Facebook group is?

Yeah, it's called. It's called Freedom Hackers Master. Yeah, it's a really great one. So that.

Have your own. Do you have your own Facebook group as well?

I don't know. I don't know.

It's one of those things that I know I need one. I've never created one for myself. I've created Them for clients. I've done a lot of that other stuff. It's the. What do they say? The cobbler's kids have no shoes.

Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I have mixed feelings about Facebook groups. I think first, I really do think it's such an individual thing for me. A number of my clients, they've got their free Facebook groups and it's so perfect for them, but for other people, it doesn't make as much sense for me. You know, one thing, you know, I think about my own business is I'm always thinking about how to conserve my energy. But it's also because I exert so much energy. I'm so passionate. You know, I have, you know, big group programs, but I also have some private clients, and I'm managing a lot of relationships. I'm managing, you know, really hundreds of relationships when it comes to my media relationships, affiliate relationships, influencer relationships. And so with all of that output, you know, I have to be very mindful of, well, what am I going to spend my time on? And so I've intentionally decided that I do not want to have a free Facebook group because I also, for me personally, I'd rather spend time with my students in my paid programs who are in a Facebook group. So that's just like, for me personally.

That'S how I've been exact 100% okay. You know, there's a limited amount of time in the day and, you know, the free Facebook groups, they can be great, but they also do they. They take some time and dedication to making it work and making sure that people actually pay attention to it. I can't tell you how many groups as well that I've turned like, that I'm in that I turned off notifications on. Like, I don't even want to see it because there's a bunch of stupid people in here. It's not, you know, it's not curated with good stuff, like, so I ignore most of that anyway. But. Okay, interesting. So besides, here was the question that I had what I was thinking of.

So I know that you could probably help all types of businesses and whatnot. But what has been your sweet spot in the past? Has it been people who are building, like entrepreneurs who are building and authors building personal brands around them? Or has it been, you know, people who have a product.

And not necessarily an information product, but like a physical product or a service or software or something that the person is not the thing? Has one of those been the sweet spot for your business?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I Definitely don't think that, you know, I'm the ideal person for any kind of business just because there are so many types of businesses out there. But yes, I do specifically work with and help people who've got personal brand based businesses where they're the face of their company. So they could be a service provider, I mean, they could be a doctor or massage therapist or a business coach, but they are the face of their business.

And yeah, a lot of my students and clients, they're kind of in the how to space. They're teaching people how to do other things, teaching them how to improve their careers or businesses or love lives, their health. That would definitely be my sweet spot.

Nice. And then do you primarily start with publicity? Do you do any other strategies and activities or teach them or do with them or for them?

Yeah, that's a good question. So I mean, I have different programs and so different people join them for different things. But yeah, I mean, my programs are pretty specific. So I've got my publicity program impacting millions and that is just about publicity. It's about getting on podcasts and doing guest posts and being in magazines and on tv. So it's like on that one single topic. And then I've got a networking course called Influence, which is just on the topic of networking. And then I have a program called Get Known, Get Clients and that has more pieces to it. There's sort of like 12 mini courses within that. It's a six month program.

But yeah, different offerings are interesting to people at different levels. I think for me, I really look at people's businesses very holistically. I don't just think, oh, we need to get you some publicity, it's okay. How does this fit into your overall business goals? Like if I was working with someone as a client, like I need to know, okay, how does your business make money? What are your personal strengths? How do you want to grow your business?

What are the most important goals for this upcoming year? And how can publicity fit into that to enhance it? So in terms of my private clients, right now pretty much all my private clients are making seven figures or multiple seven figures. So they're really successful. And so they generally do have that base. And it's helpful for them to know that I'm an entrepreneur like them and so I'm able to see the bigger picture of how all this works to grow their business.

But yeah, and I think that's how we need to look at things as business owners because everything needs to fit together to help you move forward with your Most important goals.

Yeah. As somebody who creates offers and trainings and things like this for people, what have you found has been the biggest hot button for your market? That what they really, really want? I mean, because I know there's some people who are, you know, they. They're actually chasing fame for fame's sake. Right? Like, they're like, I just want to be known. And there's. It's kind of that I want to be the popular kid in school again. And they're not even thinking about the business or whatever. And then there's other people who've got a more strategic view of it. And like you said, you teach publicity and networking and things like that. Like, have there. What have you noticed, has been like, the big hot button for clients that gets them to hire or buy or.

Yeah, I mean, I think that people are drawn to me because they share similar philosophies. So I do think when people start thinking about publicity, because in the industry, there is this kind of common mindset around. I want to go from zero to Oprah. And, you know, if you don't have any clients yet, or even if you do have clients, you know, first off is not, you know, Oprah's couch for Super Soul Sunday. So, I mean, you know, at the same time, I am someone who thinks big, and I love people who think big. But I also want us to also be somewhat realistic and just clear on where are we right now and what's the next best step. Because I have had situations, you know, where I've just met different people who, you know, they're just like, okay, I want to make, you know, six figures right away, and the next year, I want to make seven figures. I want to be on Oprah. And they get all excited and they burn themselves out. And it was just like, they're, you know, they're not focused on the right things in the right order. So I think that what is really important is getting clear on what are the right next steps. I think in our industry.

I think one of the challenges is, and the opportunity is that there are so many ways to grow your business and to market yourself. And it's like, oh, well, should I, you know, be, I don't know, spending more time on Instagram or doing a free challenge or hosting a podcast or doing affiliates or this and that. And I think that a lot of people, they feel guilty for not doing more, and that guilt doesn't really serve them. So I think with the clients and the students that I work with, like, I just really encourage People to get clear on what are the things that they are excited about. It doesn't matter if it doesn't. If like, you know, other people aren't saying that is the cool go to thing to do right now. It's like, what feels good for you? I mean, in my own business, I've never done a Facebook Live or a challenge or, you know, I'm not on Instagram. I mean, there's just so many things, everyone's like, oh my God, you have to do this. Like, this will change everything. I don't even touch any of those things. And not to say that in a year or two I might not, you know, maybe I'll consider them. But I know what I'm good at and I know what exciting and enjoyable for me and I focus on that. And so with my clients who are at the seven figure mark, I mean, there's a reason why they're there. It's because they're really focused and they don't try to do everything. They're really true to themselves and their strengths and that really goes a long way.

What are some of those things that you love to do and that you're really good at? Like you just mentioned, like, what are some of the things that. For your own business?

Yeah, I mean, I really enjoy writing emails to my audience and for me personally, I don't write like, I don't have like, oh, every Tuesday I have to send out an email. And that isn't a bad strategy. I mean, certainly there is something to be said for consistency. But I just write emails like when I feel like it or, you know, if I'm like launching something or if I want to, you know, there's just something in the moment that I want to share with people. But I think that the emails that I send really connect with people on an emotional level. And also I'm very, I don't know, careful with my words. There's this saying that my mentor Amit Sethi says. And when it comes to copywriting, every single word needs to earn its way on the page. So I think that sadly there is a lot of.

Weak copy in the industry where people are just, I think it's important that if you're gonna send something, try to put your best foot forward. And also there's a lot of things that like all these buzzwords and you know, you're saying all these like, I don't know, kind of, you know, the copy version of like, you know, the red arrows and the yellow highlighters and. But it's like, well, what is this email even really about? You know, you have to click to find out or you know, if you just swap someone's name, like really anyone could have written the email. But I don't know, when I write something or when all of us write something, I think that we should really aim for it to be something that's distinctively us. And so I feel good about the copy that I write. And I think, you know, it's, it's, for me, it's the best way to connect with people. And then also I think that I've just been able to stay really true to myself.

You know, there are some people who they write in a certain way for marketing purposes, but that's not how they sound in real life. But they know that that works. I feel like, you know, and the other thing that I feel good about is the personality aspect of my brand, which is just basically who I am. But you know, I'm very open about being someone who is introverted. And you know, like, typically what you find sometimes is you think like, okay, well to be successful I've got to be bold and loud. And you know, I've never been the kind of person who is like running for the microphone or like wanting to be on stage. Many of my clients are and I think that that is amazing and we need those people. But I think it's also important to know that there's many different types of people that can successful in business. So I think I'm a little bit more understated but also really genuine and you know, really passionate about serving people. And so people really do connect well with my brand and basically connect with who I am. And so that's good because I definitely, you know, in the beginning stages of my business or when I was thinking about having a business, I was like, I don't even know if I like fit the profile in entrepreneur because I'm, you know, I was used to being more of that behind the scenes person. So it's been really exciting to see that I've been able to actually develop a business and connect with an audience in a way that really resonates with them.

Yeah, I love that. So how on your business, what's been the most effective way for you to personally grow it? I mean, there's publicity. I know you've done webinars. I mean, what's been your most effective strategy? Personally?

Yeah, for me, I mean, it all comes down to relationships. And so I know that's a broad concept. So I can kind of, you know, narrow that in a little bit. But I think, you know, early on when I started my business, I had been helping, helping people and connecting with people like Marie Forleo and Danielle Lepore and Ramit Sethi. And so these were people who endorsed me early on.

And because of those endorsements and because I had helped people like that, other people were drawn to me. And so I got a lot of high end premium clients from the get go. So I think when people think of me, they think about who I'm connected to. So like, oh, she works with Kimberaluna, she works with this person, she works with that person. Well, if they're all working with her, I want to be someone who works with her or joins her program. So I think that has been really huge for me. And then I think the other piece is now this affiliate piece of my business is really becoming a much bigger thing. And it's interesting because before I started my business and before I went to graduate school, I was working at a nonprofit and I managed a junior board. And the junior board was responsible for fundraising and getting in kind donations and helping set these different corporate partnerships. And so my role was to motivate these people. And so now that I have these strong affiliate programs, I have to motivate a team of people to get the word out about what I'm doing. And so that's something that's been very. It's really fun for me because I like doing that. I love motivating and leading teams. And people become affiliates for a variety of different reasons. I mean, one is definitely you need an offer that converts they're going to spend the time you want to make sure they're making money. But the other one is also personal relationship with that person, knowing that person really cares about them and has their best interests. And I feel really good about how I grew my affiliate program. I mean, when I first got started, I definitely was in a scarcity mode where it's like I really want people to promote me and want them to say yes even if they feel slightly pressured. I just need affiliates. If I have to be honest, it's like we really want people to say yes. And now I'm at this place where I don't want anyone to say yes unless it's truly right for them. So one of my friends who she'll be a top affiliate was asking about my program and saying, oh, maybe I should be an affiliate. And I was like, oh, let's talk about it.

And I was also saying if you change your mind later, it's totally fine. Or based on what you're saying to me, we just figure out how that would work and if that would make sense for your audience. But it's like, I'm really not attached. I mean, obviously I want to be able to partner with people, but I'm always thinking about them first more than me. And that's why I think people feel very safe and know that I'm the kind of person that they would want to do business because I'm always putting them first.

Exactly. Now, when affiliates promote you, are they typically promoting a webinar? Are they promoting something else?

So they're part of the overall launch, and they would start with promoting different lead magnets, and then they would promote the webinar. And then once the offer is made and it's like, public to the list, they would, you know, also promote, like, their bonuses and things like that. Yeah.

You also mentioned that early on you had some really good endorsements, like Marty Forleo and some other people, right?

Yes, early on.

So how did you go about getting the early endorsements and relationships with them? This is like, before you blew up.

Yeah. Yeah, that's a great question. So I wasn't really, like, seeking those endorsements necessarily, but one thing about me is, like, I'm always just.

Looking to be helpful, and I've always gravitated towards, like, these thought leaders that are changing the world. And so with, like, Danielle Laporte, for example, I mean, I don't know, like, 10 years ago or something, I think I reached out to her because I saw her in the Ladies who Launched newsletter, like, this women's entrepreneurship group, and I just reached out to her saying I love what she was doing, and I had some ideas. I wanted to connect her to some people. I didn't ask for, like, time on the phone with her or anything, but just like, oh, here, I want to give this to you, help you, that kind of thing. So that was the start of that relationship. And with Marie, Ramit Sethi connected me to her when she was looking to talk to someone about publicity and get some help around some things. And so, yeah, I've always just tried to find ways to be super helpful to people. And then when I realized, you know, I do want to start my own business, I would reach out to them saying, you know, hey, I'm launching my website, and I, you know, hoping to get a couple of testimonials on the website. Would you be willing to, you know, offer me something? And, you know, I would love to make this as easy as possible for you. Happy to, you know, whether it's. Well, actually, I didn't even need to say that because I remember Marie was just like, she just wrote back and she's like, yes. And then she like had the endorsement right there, which was like the best endorsement ever.

That's great.

And I think that it is so important. I really think about these influencer relationships as a form of publicity. In many ways. It's kind of like, you know, you have the media logo of like Forbes on your website. You have a testimonial from an industry influencer. I mean, that's arguably even more valuable because there's more people that have the ability to get quoted in Forbes versus, you know, there's only so many people that someone would be willing to endorse. And then also these influencers, they have their own platforms or media outlets. I mean, even just their Facebook is essentially, you know, a media outlet in a way, because, I mean, media is really about, you know, it's a platform where you're reaching lots of people at once. Their newsletters, I mean, that's a form of, you know, I think of that as a type of media as well. So when people are thinking about how do I get known, how do more people know about me, how do I leverage the power of publicity? I mean, you want to think broadly. And also a lot of the top influencers may have a podcast or a guest post opportunity or something. You know, so it's not just kind of those household name brands in terms of traditional media outlets. It also goes a lot broader.

Yeah, yeah, 100%. What's been. Do you have any really, like, high leverage strategies that you've used or. Let me frame it another way, because I've asked other guests this exact same question. Is there a tactic or a strategy that you can reveal that it almost pains you to reveal because it's so good and you usually charge for it?

High level strategy in terms of publicity.

Publicity, marketing, news, anything. Is there anything out there you're doing right now, as I said, that it almost pains you to reveal. You're like, yeah, and you're kind of cursing me under your breath because it's something that typically only your paid clients receive. If not, that's cool. But I'm just curious.

No, there's nothing that, like, I really would only tell my paid client. I mean, one thing that's coming to mind is I think brand is really important and I think prestige is really important. And so I feel like sometimes, you know, people think When I'm trying to launch something, I need to send like a ton of emails. And I think that sometimes when you do like, I think that there are actually. I know sometimes people say, oh, there's no such thing as giving away too much free stuff. I actually do think there is such thing as giving away. Yeah. Where people are getting. Yeah, just way too much.

They get their thirst quenched.

Yeah, exactly. Like if. Let's just say, I mean, I'm just kind of making this up, but let's say someone had like a free Facebook group and they were spending all day like in the Facebook group coaching people and engaging people, like ongoing for free. And they're doing these free challenges that are really. And providing content along with the challenges that could be a course. And they're this and that. And then they try to sell a $2,000 thing. And while theoretically it's like, okay, well, they've gotten results and this and that. I actually think it can make it harder to sell because it's like, okay, I already got enough of that. And it was probably if, like the challenge was also a lot of work. It was like, okay, it was so much to keep with the free thing. I don't think I can take in the paid thing. And so for me, I mean, I think that when I do webinars, they are really valuable and people are really impressed by what they learn. But obviously there is also that marketing piece to the webinar where you're letting people know about an opportunity to work with you further. But I think that sometimes because I do less marketing, I'm more effective. So one example is I did this One Day Mastermind event at my home and I only shared it with people in my impacting millions group. So it's just about 200ish people that I shared it with versus, you know, my full email list, which is a lot more people. And I just sent an email saying, you know, hi, want to let you know that tomorrow at 10am I'm going to be announcing something, you know, special. And, you know, it's very limited numbers and it is going to sell out in a matter of hours. And I mean, I don't remember exactly what I said, but I just kind of built it up and just told them, you know, that this is special and if you want to work with me, you're going to want to pay attention to this. And then I sent out the email and it was for the one day mastermind, you know, $2,500 or $3,000 with a payment Plan, no sales page only, you know, an order form to pay. I just sent out like that one email the next day. I mean, people were, you know, on the west coast waking up early, like you know, 6:45, like sitting by their computer, like waiting until 7. They saw it, they signed up, you know, sold out really quickly. In just a couple of hours, 10 spots, you know, made over 25 grand, like very quickly. That's it, moving on. But I think that other people might think, well, you know, maybe I need to do a free challenge or maybe host a webinar or this and that. And there are just certain things, I mean, especially if you're doing things that are more intimate and it's like limited to 10 people or whatever. Like you don't have to, you know, have all the bells and whistles.

Also, you know, when people are looking to work with me one on one.

Most of the time because at first I wasn't going to accept any new clients and I had like one client I was working with and that was going to be it. But I slowly decided to take on a couple more people. But you know, I never have to find clients. Usually there's like a waiting list of people who are checking in every couple months. Hey, are you, is there any openings? Are you doing any one day masterminds? Is there any kind of opportunity? And so, you know, I think it's because it's just from an energetic standpoint that's, that's, you know, like when I work with people, I give everything and I have a lot to offer. But I think that there's a lot of people in their businesses right now that are just kind of coming off like they're almost becoming like too available to people. And that's not really, I don't know, like fully like respecting the value that you bring. It's not, you shouldn't have to beg for a business. People, you know, should be coming to you because you've done a good job of like conveying what you offer and how you can help.

Yeah, there's a, there's a very delicate balance there between being everywhere and seeing so much value being given out towards like, wow, this person really knows what you know, they're talking about. But yeah, I think of that as that, you know, if you find somebody who's, you know, the best client in the world. The old copywriting adage, but it's, you know, find somebody who's, who's dying of thirst in the desert. Like, because, you know, even if you have a dirty glass of water, they're going to drink it. But.

But not that you should sell dirty glasses of water. That was not a good. That's not a good analogy. However, they're the ones. I guess I should say you can take a glass of water is priceless at that point. However, if you take a fire hose and give it to them, it doesn't matter how starving they are. Like, whoa, I don't need.

Much. Right. But yeah, there is that delicate balance to where if you're constantly giving so much information and advice and insight, people may even feel overwhelmed by the free content that you give and feel like, I don't have time to go through your, through your actual course. So. But at the same time, if you, if you've got a great, don't, you know, you can't hide it from everybody. You got to put stuff out there that kind of solves problems. And I like, I like to tell my clients as well, is like, if you're going to put out the content, put out content that does solve very specific problems. Micro problems that are maybe part of a bigger solution, but that makes them want more. That gets them some results in advance. That gets them, you know, intrigued to go, okay, if Selena's got this, I wonder what else she's got.

Right?

Yeah, it's a dance. So are there any.

Are there any nuts you're trying to crack in your business right now? And a nut you're trying to crack could be, you know, some challenge you're trying to get over, some resource you're trying to find, a skill you're trying to learn, a person you're trying to hire.

Money you're trying to raise it. Just any kind of a nuts you're trying to crack.

Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, I think that, I mean, I've always been someone who's very intentional about what I do, but even more so, like, I really am trying to be super mindful about what I say, even yes and no to in 2016. I mean, it was a great year. We hit the million dollar mark for the first time. But there were also aspects of this year that were really challenging. So in the beginning of the year, we had a lot going on. I had a live event happening in February, and right before that I had a launch in January. But the live event was something that was.

I sold tickets to it, but also it was originally designed as a bonus for people that joined one of my programs. And it's like, okay, well, I'm doing the live event. Everyone's Going to be in New York City. Might as well do a two day video shoot to get testimonials. And well, since everyone's in New York City and a lot of people have wanted to work with me in a more intimate way, might as well do a one day mastermind. Oh, everyone's going to be there. I guess we're going to need an offer. Okay, well, this program impacting millions, we need to create it now. But then we're starting with all the marketing from scratch and the content creation from scratch. And I had other launches that were lined up right after that. And so I just said like yes to way too much. And I think in the moment it made sense. Like, you know, I don't really do big live events often. I've only done one in the history of my business. So it's like we want to maximize the opportunity. There's 200 people in the room that want to buy something. But I didn't really think it through and realize like what I was saying yes to when I just said yes to doing a live event. And so a lot of work. It's so much work. It's so much work. And I think, you know, in our business it happens all the time where there are a lot of people who like, oh, I want to write a book or I want to have two signature 2k programs. I want this, I want that. It's really easy to say that you want things, but do you really know what you're saying yes to? And with everything that I say yes to, I think about, okay, well, what is the, you know, what's the financial piece involved to just get it off the ground and make it happen. How many team members is involved? Because it involves a lot of team members and it involves project management. And that's a layer of complexity that ends up costing a ton of money in the business. I also think about what is the potential stress level if you do something super high ticket, like a $30,000 offering, like say a group offering, that's that level. There's a lot of potential for people to get upset or, you know, whatever it is or. Yeah. So I always think about, like with what I'm doing, I try to think about it from every angle and some very, very careful about what I say yes to. And so right now, you know, we have a lot of opportunities. I mean, you know, I could easily come out with lots of, you know, group offerings that are 10,000, 15,000 or a $25,000 thing here. But right now I'm not Really touching any of that, because.

It has to make sense in terms of the bigger picture strategy. I think that as we all become more successful in our businesses, it's not about how do I make money. We can always make money. It's just how do we want to make it and what fits in the overall strategy. So I really try to be kind of a less is more person, and my main focus is really my impacting millions program and making sure that people get incredible results and have the best possible experience.

And, you know, that's kind of like, that's enough for me. So that is kind of the nut, though, that I'm trying to crack, because it's like, you know, there's always these opportunities and.

You know, growth is a good thing. And the business has been growing and it will continue to grow, probably like double or triple. But.

Yeah, it's not so, like, straightforward, you know, like, do I do yes or no thing? It's really an absolute exercise.

It's really. It's really funny, too, because so now I've been entrepreneurial. I've had my own business here from now since 2008. So I guess we're going on eight years where we're at. Eight years. Shoot. We're going on nine. Crap.

And I've noticed that these days. It's really funny. I haven't really thought about this until you brought this up, because I do. I have access to more opportunities and that, you know, than I did before. And I know what happens, you know, when you start down the road, like, because when you already know what it looks like, like you just said creating a new course, creating a new program or something like that. It's a lot more work than you really realize.

Like, when you're first starting off. When I was first starting off, I didn't realize how much work it was to get an information product off the ground. Had I known, I may not have done it right. Like, I was like, oh, I read a book and they said that I can make a million dollars if I write any book. Whoa. Yeah, it's gotta be easy. And I only have to work four hours a week. So there's almost that blissful ignorance of I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I'm just gonna get into it. And then you're into it. You got momentum and you just finish it. But I know I've been slower to start new projects now because I realize, wait a minute, this is a lot. This is gonna be three times more work and money, and it's gonna take three times as long as I. As I planned on it. So maybe that's that exuberance of.

That, you know, somebody who's just starting off has. I almost wish I still had that. Some of that ignorance of the amount of workload that it takes to really get something big off the ground. But because I face the exact same thing. I've got a lot of opportunities, and saying no to a lot of them end up making you more successful. Because even though it's painful.

Yeah.

You know, like, because I think we all think we can do anything and we want to do stuff, and we love variety.

Yeah.

But finding the most highly leveraged activities that we can do, and I think, you know, that kind of goes back to just really thinking about your brand. And like you said, you know, who are you? What do you want to be? What do you want to do? What do you want to be known as and for? And then once you have that, obviously now you can attack publicity and marketing and relationships with a lot more vigor. But.

That'S been good. I really, really like this any. I mean, we're recording this on the 28th of December 2016, so we're just, you know, hours away from a new year. Any big goals for 2017 for yourself?

Big goals for 2017?

No, I think it's just about, you know, being smarter in the business. And.

It'S not about, like, doing more. It's, you know, other things we're doing. How can we do them better?

Is there anybody you're trying to reach or get a relationship with that you don't currently have a connection with yet? Whether it's a individual person, their name, or a type of person?

I mean, I'm always looking to build relationships with people in the media, and I'm always looking for opportunities to share with people inside my Impacting Millions group. So that is something that I'm always interested in.

So, yeah, media people are the types of people that I love to connect with.

Okay, perfect. Just writing that down. So if any of my listeners have any great connection in media or are a great connection, you know, where's the best place to get ahold of you?

Yeah, they can email me. They can email helloelenasue.com and if people have an opportunity, like, let's say they've got a podcast and they're looking for some great guests, you know, I've got, you know, hundreds of incredible entrepreneurs who are media trained in my Impacting Millions group. So would love for people to, yeah, think of me for that. Because I love sharing those kinds of opportunities.

Fantastic. Well, Selena, thank you so much for being a guest on the show. This has been awesome and I'm glad we finally got to connect in person. Well over at least 3,000 miles away, but now this has been awesome and I know my audience is going to love this. And if they, if they want, you know, more of this and more of you, check out her website. It'll be in the show notes. And you know, is there a social media of choice that you use that people can follow you?

I'm not really that big on social media.

Exactly.

There are two gifts I want to, you know, quickly mention for people that want to learn more. So I have this report. It's really in depth. A 31 page report where I talk about what I did in my first year of business as a coach to generate $157,000. And I share, you know, my business model, the price points that I had when I started my business and how those evolved. Pretty early on my business I ran a mastermind and at the time it was $24,000 and how I got people to actually refer ideal clients for the mastermind. So like, you know, the emails that I sent and all of that. So it's a really in depth behind the scenes look at how I built my business, my business, the relationships. And I think that sometimes it can be helpful to kind of see how someone else did it because there may be pieces in there that could be helpful for you. So if you want to check that out, you can go to salinasue.com freereport so that's the first gift. And the second gift is I created this guide. It's called the Ultimate Guide to Meeting people at Events. Because I think as entrepreneurs, even if we're behind our computers, I think it is worthwhile at least once, once a year to go to some event where there are a lot of people in your industry congregating. But then when you buy the ticket or you invest the time to be there, how do you make the most out of it? How do you make sure you're not just leaving with a bunch of business cards that you don't do anything with, but you're actually forming powerful business connections. People who want to refer business to you, who want to support you, who are people who are kind of in your. Maybe they could end up being someone who's kind of like in your inner circle. I think when I look at my key mentors and friends and close colleagues.

A lot of the time I did meet A number of these people at these in person events. So it's a pretty epic guide and you can check that out and there's no opt in required. It's just all on the web. You can go to salinasue.com eventguide awesome.

So the first one was free report the other one's event guide.

Yes.

Awesome. Yeah, that's huge. Some of my best friends and best relationships have been at live events for sure. I do catch myself not even actively networking. I mean I end up meeting new people at them, but I could probably be even more proactive. But they still have been some of the absolute best things I've ever done in my entire life. I mean, relationships are the name of the game, or at least they have been for for me. So I know they have been for you as well. But this has been awesome. So Selena, thank you so much for sharing this guys. Go check out her free report, selinasu.com freereport and selinasu.com eventguide and if you guys have any questions for me, for instance, let's say you're growing, you're trying to grow your business and you're stuck and you're not sure exactly which direction you could want to take. And should I do a webinar? Should I create a sales funnel? Is my marketing message right? I don't know what to do. I'm so confused and I've got so much going on. Feel free to reach out to me for second opinion. You can email me directly@askbradaconrappbusiness.com you can tell me all of your ills and see if I potentially have a cure for one of them or if some of the people I know, that's one of the benefits of doing this podcast for the past two and a half years is that I know a lot of people that if I can't solve your problem, maybe somebody like Selena or one of my former guests can. So utilize the resource that you've got once more send me an email to ask bradakenratbusiness.com by the way, I'm reading an amazing book by a friend of mine. It's a now New York Times best selling book called the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson. On the book is actually redacted with a little asterisk, but not on this podcast. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's been really an amazing book. It's not a business book, but it's really a lifestyle book and thought I'd give Mark a fun shout out. Not that he needs it, but I think it's a. It's a really cool way to kind of clear your head, especially if your brain is all stressed out with entrepreneurial emergencies. And if you guys have any books that you would recommend and want to let me know, shoot me that email with a book recommendation over to ask bradbaconrapbusiness.com and I'll check it out. Alright, Selena, thank you once more and I look forward to staying connected with you even further.

Thank you, Brad.

All right, see you guys on the next episode. Or I should say episizzle, because this is too hot.