Brave Biz Lab 2024 06 28

Hello.

Hello. Happy Friday, everyone. Welcome. Hi. Hi. Soothing. You hot? You know AC doesn't exist. That's right. That's why the Americans are bringing their own AC to the Olympics. Right? It's awful today. I feel like I'm about to die.

But you know, I'm thinking of putting on the heater.

Where are you?

I'm in Seattle. Hey, I don't think summer's hit yet.

Amazing. Welcome, everyone. I'm going to give everyone a few more minutes to arrive. If you want to share where you're signing in from and what business you have or business you're starting, please do. If you want to put in the chat or if you just want to go off mute and share.

Hey everybody, I'm Manny Rodriguez. I'm out of Denver and I am starting a public speaking and breath coaching business.

Amazing. And who wants to go next? We have Cherelle. Is that how we're pronouncing your name? Yes. Okay, you're in the uk, New Hampshire. And you're a vet physio. Amazing. All right, where are you signing in from and what's your business? Hi, I'm an executive coach.

I'm signing in from San Francisco.

Amazing. Great to see you.

Good morning. I'm Rocky. I'm from Stanford, Connecticut. I own a video production business. I've been in this business for. Since 82 for quite a while and things have changed since COVID So I'm been getting into coaching for the last couple months. And yet to coach anyone? Well, actually I'm coaching someone unofficially, but. But getting into wanting to coach more. So.

Awesome. Great to have you.

Thank you.

Yeah, couple more people and then we'll dive into questions today.

Next slide.

Well, I guess I'll go. Hi, I'm Susan. I live in France where it's hot and AC doesn't exist and I have a career coaching business. I've been doing career coaching in different capacities for the past four years, but in January I decided to take it to the next level where I only do full time, B2C. So directly to customers and not through any kind of online school or platform. Awesome. It's great to have you and I apologize for the lack of AC in your country. Amazing. I think Jenna put something in the chat. Let me just see, hold on. Jenna based in Pennsylvania, Maryland. Resume writing, career coaching, business. Career creating a photography business as well as this and as a second priority. And I have a part time woodworking crafting business. So yeah, I was gonna say that's. That's quintessential ADHD right there. Amazing. Welcome, everyone. So if this is your first Brave Biz labs, couple ground rules. Really, There aren't any rules. Any question is welcome. Okay. Even if you're not sure how to phrase it as a question, if you're just like, ah, I'm starting a business, that's welcome. We can figure out from what you need from there. There's no questions that are too beginner. There are no questions that are too advanced. If it's something that, like, has a really, really lengthy answer, I will give you what is going to be helpful to you in this moment. We can always set up a time to talk afterwards if you want. And then this happens every fourth Friday of the month. So come to as many of these as you want. If you can't afford to work with me or you're just not ready to work with me or anything, never feel like you're mooching off of me for these calls. This is literally something I have so much joy in giving to my community every month. And I urge you, if you have a coaching business, if you're a consultant, to rip this off. Honestly, this is what I call a lazy webinar because I don't prepare for it. I show up and I answer questions. I show up and I'm useful to people and I showcase kind of how I walk people through stuff. If you have a business where you're helping people with something similar, do this. This is. This is amazing. This has really helped me grow my business. I don't. I try not to gatekeep anything in these calls. Obviously, if something's like, really intense. If you tell me, if you ask me how to sell, like, that is a big topic that I. I have whole courses on. Um, it's going to be hard for me to answer all that in the confines of an hour when I'm trying to answer everyone's questions. But, you know, I will answer to the best of my ability to meet you where you are. Deal. Swearing is allowed, and I apologize. I do swear. So if you have kids in the background, I don't really edit myself. So, you know, maybe put some headphones in and we try to have a little bit of fun here. So deep breath. You also don't have to interact if you don't want to. You can just, like, be silent and be the wall, the fly on the wall, and watch what happens. The only time that interaction is compulsory is at the end when I ask for main takeaways. And, like, no big deal. If you don't want to talk, you just sign off early. Deal. Okay, cool. Well, then I hereby open earmaps. Yes, exactly. I hereby open the room up to questions. Who would like to go first?

I will.

Yes.

So I've been in a video business quite a while, and since COVID I've basically for the last five years. So kind of right before COVID it's been very difficult. So it's become a hobby more than a business. And, you know, I know that doesn't last, but the other passion I have is helping people. And I've always had a lot of knowledge with technology and with just life circumstances and so on. So I started looking into life coaches by listening to a life coach regarding some trauma that I had when I was a childhood. In my childhood. So I listened to it, and I learned a lot from it, and I gained a lot from it. And during the course of the times I've listened to the podcast, other names are mentioned. And so I picked up on those and listened to a couple of them, and there's one that I really just kind of follow on a regular basis. So now I'm in that place where I want to transition. Not transition so much. Maybe it's dual. It's doing video when I have my regular clients that I have on a regular basis, you know, at certain times of the year, like every April, every May, every November, you know, that kind of thing. And. But also get into coaching. And so I've been dive. Trying to dive into that. And, you know, you hear so many different suggestions. And for $5,997, we'll show you how to build your business. And I'm like, yeah, okay. I don't need to go more in depth. So, yeah. So any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be greatly welcome. Thank you.

Yeah, for sure. So just for clarity, have you gone through coach training yet, or is that something that's on the horizon for you?

I am in the middle of a coach training certification course.

Awesome. Which one?

It's. Oh, my gosh. Would you Demi. Oh, man. What's the name of it? Hold on one second. I got a tab open on that. Let's see. Oh, life coach. Here we go. And it is. Oh, wait a sec. Wow. One more time.

So one thing because. So Udemy, while I look for that, you can go. Yeah, yeah. So Udemy is a great platform. I would recommend you invest in some classes that have you actually practicing coaching with other people who are also learning coaching in the space and getting feedback. It's one of the things that I've seen people like. It gives you the most confidence boost because you understand how to do a session at that point. Right. Because it's kind of hard to read something or go through a course that doesn't have you practice it in real time and actually see what you're doing. So I. I would strongly recommend you check out some stuff like that. IPAC is great coactive, where I got trained. It's also amazing, I think. Lauren, what was the name of yours? Accomplishment Coaching. Right?

Yeah, Accomplishment Coaching.

They were great.

They were super expensive.

Oh, okay. Yeah. So it's probably on the lower tier, coactive and ipac. Like, you don't necessarily have to commit to the whole program. You can commit to like one weekend, two weekends, and go from there. But I think that would be a good question, Katie.

Sorry, what was the one that you mentioned?

Coactive. Coactive is the one that I went through.

Okay.

And just so you know how to, like, structure the session and all that stuff, they do not help you with growing the business. They're going to tell you to go out and give away free sessions to anyone who wants a free session. And you know what that does does? It trains everyone that your work is for free and that they don't have to pay for it.

So I heard Christian Michaelson, course he's offering, and he's like, yeah, do it for free.

And.

And you know, and then someone else said, do it for free, but make. Make it a stipulation. They have to give you refer to people. And I'm like, yeah, okay.

No, we're not starting pyramid schemes in our businesses. So the most important bit is, is genuinely you need to pick a niche, right? Because every time you meet someone, your brain, without you even realizing it, is thinking, how is this person useful to me? How are you useful to me? How are you useful to me? Right? Someone, if you move into a new neighborhood and someone mentions that they're a plumber, you're like, oh, I'll remember that because the bathroom here is hideous and I want to redo it. Or you're thinking, oh, you know, I just met someone the other day and they were talking about how their faucet stripping is driving them crazy. Let me refer them ups my social capital because I've just been helpful to two separate people, right? One of the best ways for you. And here's the other thing, is like small business owners, we don't have a marketing problem. We have a memorability problem, right? So you need to be the person that they remember when the problem comes up that your work helps solve.

Right, right, right. That way.

So figure out what your niche is. Don't be afraid to be specific. Dating coaching.

Eh?

Okay. There are a lot of dating coaches. Dating coach for lesbians who share a child who have recently gotten divorced and they want to find their next life partner. Very specific. I don't know any. None of my lesbian friends right now are divorced or have a. Children. A child. But when they get to that point, I know exactly who I'm going to refer them to. Except that I'm not because that's a made up person that I've just made up.

Right, right, right. But I understand what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you want to life coach that deals with or specific to.

Yeah, we also. Life coach. No one signs up for life coaching.

I didn't think so. Because.

Yeah, it's the joke of the life coaching world. Like we all get trained by life coaching organizations and then we're like, don't say life coach. You know, it's. It's kind of the taboo term. It's what it used to be called. Unfortunately, there are just a lot of people, They use the term and then they, they make it confusing for everyone.

Okay. Yeah.

To be.

I've mentioned it a couple times. And people be like, huh?

Right. So you want to say I'm a coach and I help this type of person with this type of problem get to this kind of solution.

Okay, right.

Or get to this kind kind of outcome.

I got it. All right, so I'll check out accomplishment coaching and coactive. That sounds.

Yeah, check it out. Ipac, like I said, is also a great one. It's kind of like ipac.

Ipec.

Yeah. So I P E C.

I P E C. Okay, all right, great.

But start there. Start there and really, really figure out, like, what are the things that you enjoy talking about every single day? Right. Because the worst is if you pick a niche and then three months in you're so bored about talking about it.

There'S not too much I get bored about talking about. Okay, great.

Enough.

Yes, thank you. Thank you.

Of course. All right, what other questions do we have? Yes, yes, Monica, on the topic of coaching, what I guess would require you to get coaching versus not necessary for having, like formal coaching? I mean, I think, I think knowing how to coach is an amazing skill that would benefit everyone. I think the difference here is like, do you have a skill or a program that you're leading people through that creates its own structure, or are you meeting People where they are. Right. So, so I'm, I'm trained and certified and coactive. You know, it's rare that I actually use a lot of those skills. Like I'll use those skills sometimes in our group sessions. Right. Especially when someone is processing an emotion or really stuck on something or if we need to identify like where their fears are coming from. But I'm very much leaning more into, here's how to do the thing, here's what you need to do. Now go do it. Right. You're, you're very much in that sphere as well. Right. You're teaching people how to transition their careers into data, the very specific skill set you're showing them. Right. It would be very valuable for you to learn some coaching, but it's also not 100% necessary. Leah Turner, for instance, she teaches people how to use LinkedIn. She's a LinkedIn coach, right? No, no coaching training whatsoever. But it's not necessarily necessary because she's training people. Coach is sometimes like a sub in for trainer or teacher or mentor. Okay. Right, okay. Yeah. So, Susan, I'm a career coach, but I mix both coaching and mentorship. I don't stick to true ICF definition of coaching. Yeah, this is actually one of the reasons why I broke away from the ICF International Coaches Federation because they're like, they have an amazing code of ethics if you're doing true coaching. Right. But I'm, I'm, I'm bastardizing it with doing strategy and creating action plans and all that stuff for my clients. That's not what you're supposed to be doing as a coach. Okay, that makes sense.

Thank you.

Yeah, yeah, totally. Icf. For those of you who are wanting to get into coaching and do like corporate contracts, being ICF certified is actually pretty important because a lot of HR departments will want to make sure that you follow some kind of standard before you bring them in. They give you money to coach their people, but it's not 100% necessary if you're just working with people one on one. Deal.

Cool.

What other questions do we have? Oh, thanks, Rocky. I'll check that out.

It's cool. Yeah, it's been pretty good. And you know, they give you ethics everything. I mean, you know, they really cover quite a bit, you know, not, not to get attached to your client, make it personal, you know how important that is and all those different things that you wouldn't really think about.

Yeah.

The fact of what you want to do and that is coach, so.

Right, right. Awesome. All right. What other questions do we have.

Yeah.

Katie. I might as well go. Hi, everyone.

I'm Rowan.

Hey, Rowan.

Don't have a coaching business. I want to create one. I don't know my niche, but it's likely to be along the executive coaching line in terms of communication training. Something along those lines. I'm at the very early stages and looking at business plan to actually start building that out. I'm wondering if anyone's come across any good guides or models or templates for developing a business plan.

So business plans, there. There are a few different kinds that are. That are useful. It depends on what you need them for. Right. So, like, a business plan for a bank to get funding is different than the business plan you'd need to, like, get partners on board. Right. So. So. And also, like, if there was one template that worked for everyone, then I wouldn't have a job.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And no one would be here because we'd all just be following the same plan. We'd all have figured it out. Right. So knowing what I do about you here, here's what your plan will be. Okay. First and foremost, figuring out your niche.

Yeah.

And doing so by interviewing people. Now, in my program, I have people interview 50 people and 5, 0. And I'm. I'm dead serious about this, because 10 of those people will not be your ideal client. So the information they give you will be garbage. Okay. Some of those p. The other 40, some of them just won't be people that you ever want to speak to again. Like, they might have all the right problems, but they're the worst people for you. Like, you just get annoyed by them. Right. So you're gonna figure out what is not right about them for you. Everyone else is going to be a mix of people who will actually become your client, because they're your ideal client with all the problems that you help solve. And after the interview, they're gonna be like, well, I want this. How do I work with you?

Yeah.

And then the rest are gonna give you really helpful data on how they describe their problems, because here's what you're gonna run up against. Just like every expert out there, you're too in the expert language. Right. So this is like the biggest. The biggest pitfall that a lot of coaches fall into is when they go to market their work, they start talking about coaching. They start talking about the methodology of coaching, the style, the philosophy, you know, their mission statement, which is interesting. You. And it's interesting to. Who else? Other coaches who are not your ideal clients. You're talking over the heads of the people that you want to help and talking only to other people who are also trying to get clients but are also not getting them because they're also talking about coaching. Right. So you're going to leverage a lot of this content, a lot of this information you're getting from these interviews into content for, specifically for you. Because you want to work with executives onto LinkedIn. Right. And so you're going to use.

The.

Problems they talk about, the fears, the frustrations, the goals, the dreams, and you're going to talk about those things and you're just going to say, hey, listen, like, if you have this fear or if you have this goal, this is what I help my clients with. You know, go ahead and book a call with me. We can talk through to see if it would be the right fit for me to be able to support you. You're going to go and network. You're going to go to two different networking sessions a week, depending on what's available virtually and in your area. Susan? Yeah, yeah. You're going to call through every single person you've ever met, ever worked with, ever gone to school with, and just have a chat with them and just tell them what's up, find out about what's going on in their life. They might become your client. You're not necessarily doing it so that they become your client. You're doing it so they're aware because they already know you and like you and trust you. Right. Once they understand how you're useful to people, they're going to refer clients to you. Right. The first three clients are going to be your hardest. They're going to be your hardest. Like you have to, because you have to figure out how you're going to get them. You have to learn how to sell.

Yeah.

It's a very learnable skill. And then for your pricing, you're going to charge between six and $20,000 for six months, depending on the level of executive you're working with.

Okay.

Right. And I always recommend having two payment options. Have a monthly option that people can pay and a paid in full option.

Yeah.

And then of course, like the systems you're going to use, I recommend using Acuity Scheduling in my programs. I actually have a whole training on how to set it up. You know, it's very, it's very easy and I like it because it allows for people to book sales calls, to book their coaching calls, to set up recurring payments. You can have intake forms there. You can also do group calls. So if you ever do like A, like a pop up train, a lazy webinar like this or some kind of webinar. You can have them register through that. I mean, that's if you registered for this session, you registered through acuity.

Okay, cool.

Yeah. So, I mean, that is, that is the basics. It's going to be very unpredictable. Oh, it's my mom. I'll call her back later.

Bring her own. Bring her own.

God, what would she say? Anyway, it's going to be unpredictable. But the cool thing is that you're working full time right now, so you can take these, these clients on, on the side, save all the money that you have that you have coming in. And then once you're ready, once you get to that critical mass, you're like, I can't take any more clients without my life crumbling. I'm ready to leave my job. You'll have some, some money saved up that'll keep you afloat while you're ramping up to full time.

Yeah, okay, cool.

Yeah.

All right.

And of course, this is different for everyone. So like, if you're, if you're in more of a personal space, like Instagram might be the right platform for you. If you are working, again, more of a personal space, your pricing is going to be different. You know, if you're working with corporations, if you're working B2B, like, the lead time is going to be a lot longer. I've had clients who, I've had a lot of clients who have started doing the market research interviews and two and a half months later they sign their first high paying client. If you're in B2B, however, it can be six to 12 months. Right. So really understanding who your market is, you know, what your pricing should be, all that stuff and like where you should be showing up on social media is going to make your life a lot easier.

Yeah.

Cool.

Good enough.

Thank you.

Of course. Yeah, yeah. What other questions do we have? And we have a something about Westies. I love Westies. Okay, cool. So funny. All right, what other questions do we have today? Yes.

Yeah, I'd love your thoughts around mindset. Right. I think one of the things, and I'm, and I'm, and I'm getting there, but like the constant having to ask for things.

Yeah, right.

Asking for referrals, asking people to click here, asking people to do whatever, asking for recommendations, any tips or thoughts you have around, like getting over the fact that I'm constantly asking people for things because as a coach, like I love giving things. Right. But I'm constantly, I'M in that process where I'm marketing all the time. So I'm constantly feel like I'm asking for everything, and it makes me want to throw up a little.

Yeah. So what about it makes you want to throw up?

Well, I mean, probably something for my therapist, not you, but I don't like being dependent on other people. Right. Like, I got into this. I actually got into my career before this in order to serve people and help people. And so asking for things in return feels vulnerable, I guess.

Yeah. Who else feels that way? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So here's. Okay, so I'm just gonna paint this little picture. So you have this friend, and every time you move, they show up. And they don't just show up. Like, they show up and they're like moving boxes. They're helping the movers with the couch. They bring beer, they bring pizza. You maybe sprained your ankle. They show up, they're helpful, they're doing all this stuff. They never give you an opportunity to reciprocate. What happens to the friendship.

Feels lopsided.

Yeah.

Yeah. And so when you feel like you're taking too much, what do you start doing as the friend who they've been giving to.

Back off. Yeah.

Yeah. You pull away. Right. You don't feel like this. Like, you feel like you've taken too much and you can never pay it back. Right. It's not like you just started being a giver. It's not like you started a business and you're like, in a coach and you're, like, just starting to give to your people like you've been giving for years, right? You and. And the things that you're asking for. You're not asking anyone to, like, sell their car and give you the money. You know, you're not asking anyone to, like, donate a kidney to you. Although I'm sure if you needed one, there's someone in your world who would donate a kidney for you. I've known you for a long time. I know that's truth. So you giving people an opportunity to pay it forward to you in a small way that evens the scales a little bit is actually one of the most generous things you can do. Right? You're not asking when you ask for recommendations. You're not asking for anyone to be dishonest. You're not asking for anyone to put themselves in. In harm's way or put themselves in difficulty. You're genuinely saying, hey, I'm doing something really brave right now and I'd love your support. Now if one of Your friends were doing something really brave right now, and they needed your support. What would you feel like if they were too afraid to ask you?

I mean, I'd be disappointed.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So basically, don't disappoint people. They'll be disappointed if you don't ask them, you know, and this goes for everyone. Like, anyone in your life who's worth having your life wants you to be successful. And if they can have even the tiniest little, little part of that and helping you get there, that's what they want. That's what they want. Let them have it.

It's.

It's less. It's actually like, it's you not being self. You know, if you try. If you try to do it all on your own, that's actually kind of selfish. Let other people have credit. So I know he's kind of a problematic figure because of his relationships, but John Mulaney, has anyone seen his stand up?

Oh, his stand up?

Yeah, yeah, his last one about his intervention. So it's kind of like he jokes that like. Like, 12 of his friends did an intervention for him when he was, like, really into drugs and alcohol. And how, like, now whenever he's out to dinner with these people, he has to pay because he's like, no, no. Like, you helped me, you know, saved my life. He's like, couldn't, like, four people have been at the intervention? Like, four people, like, but still, like, you know, Give them the chance. Yeah.

I think maybe, you know, for me, it's. It's a little bit of, like, I actually don't have a problem asking for personal favors.

Right.

But it's because it's like business. It feels a little wonky. I need to get over that. Right. Because now my business is my personal life. So I guess I just have to get over that fact.

Right. And also, let's. Let's just also acknowledge that if you're an American woman, you've been traumatized at one point or another by a friend from high school, college, or an early job asking you to come over to their house for a party? And by the way, here's some Tupperware that I'm selling. Would you like some? Oh, and would you like to call some of your friends and ask them if they want to buy some, too? Like, we've been traumatized. We've ended friendships over this. You're not doing that. You're starting your own business. You're not trying to roll people into a pyramid scheme. Right. It's different. But our nervous system it feels the same.

Tupperware and Mary Kay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you.

That's helpful. Okay.

I heard something one time that relates to what you were just saying, Yvonne, and that is as. As. Could you imagine if you made the greatest pie? Certain, certain type of pie, maybe let's say strawberry pie. And it was, you know, everyone just raved and ranted about and everything. And then you had friends over and you were making a pie and then you went into the kitchen and you proceeded to eat the pie instead of sharing it.

Yeah.

With everybody. Right. Not because of anything, but the fact that you really like it. So it's with our business. We're helping someone. We should share it with them.

100%. Very true. Yeah. Awesome. I think we're mucking out stables also right now. That's really exciting for me. I've never had someone muck out staples on the call. Anyway, what other questions do we have today?

Oh, gosh.

I'll go.

Yeah.

Hello.

So I'll. I'll start off by saying I'm really proud of myself right now. So I pulled the trigger on something that I've been trying to figure out how to do for a while. And I pulled the trigger and taught the class that I wanted to teach this week. And I called it a teaser class. And I invited people that I knew. I re engaged an email list that I had from 2020 that, like, I was really, really scared to do for some reason. I don't know why, you know? And I had. I had about 700 people on that email list and I only had like 11 unsubscribes and five people mark me as spam, which in my mind was very successful.

Yeah.

And then I pulled from other resources and I was able to get about 20 people to either view the class live or record it. I'm very technically challenged. I did it over zoom. I somehow managed to figure out how to mic myself, how to have a friend of mine, like, co host with me. But my problem now is that now that I've taught that teaser course, I've told everybody that I'm doing this series, and I now recognize that I have a lot of deficit in knowledge about the setup and the funneling and all of the, like, behind the scenes stuff. The one I'm teaching, I'm a chef. I am teaching people how to cook. I got that all day long. No problem. And I've niched down. I don't know if in your mind, Katie, I've niched enough, but, like, specifically, I teach people how to cook without recipes. So to rely on their intuition and how, how to do that naturally. Because I've taught cooking for a long time and it's always been my sticking point, the recipe and having to write that. And like I'm teaching people how to do something I don't do.

Right.

So I thought I was going to be marketing mostly to moms, but I realized after putting this class out, there's just so many people in that are interested in the type of work that I'm doing.

Right.

I feel very under the gun to get this series now produced and I'm, I'm afraid I'm going to go into freeze mode because of the overwhelm.

I just want to. When you say series, are you pre recording it? Are you?

So what I had in mind was to do an eight week series with the option of whoever signs up for it to attend live, but then also record it. And at the end of that or no, excuse me, not at the end, once I have a recording, I would send it out and so then there would be this bundle of eight. So they could either purchase all eight or they could just sign up for the series that or excuse me, the class within the series that appeals to them most and there would be a price difference like the one class for X amount and the bundle for a lower per class amount.

So, so I want you all this and if you forget everything else from this call, this is what I want you to remember. A confused buyer never buys.

Mm.

What confuses the buyer choices.

Got it. Okay.

So and also doing math. Don't ever make people do math.

That's why we don't measure in my class.

So but also here's, here's what I always recommend and I, my clients do. This is like if you, when you're starting a business, one on one is always going to be your fast path to cash. Next you're going to do group. Right. So live sessions. It's a group setting. They're in it, they're there, they're live, they're interacting with you. And then after you've done the group live several times, that's when you create the virtual product.

Got it.

Right. I love how economical you're being. And like I'm going to create the virtual product and the group at the same time and people have a choice. Right?

Right.

That creates a problem because people aren't really going to sign up because they're not going to know which one they're going to do you know which one would be better for Them. So they're going to go, oh, I'll think about it and then they'll go away and forget about it. So you're not going to have anyone. And then, and then you're going to be like, oh shit. Like, well now I've said I'm going to do these two things. So here's what I want, here's what I want is I want you to do the group live. It's just like that is the one option. Sign up for eight weeks, we're doing the group, you're going to do it again and you're going to do it again and then whatever, like the best ones of those, of those recordings are, you're going to turn that into a virtual product. You're not going to worry about that yet.

Okay.

Okay. And when you do set it up so like if you do have a place where people can go and you know, view these, these videos after the session, keep it low tech because remember, like you're low tech, your clients are going to be low tech too.

Right. I've, I've loaded it onto Vimeo. So the one class that I did, I had people say they couldn't make the live, but they were interested in a recording, so I recorded it over Zoom. Yeah, the quality is not so great, but whatever. And, and then I, I, it was too big of a file to have a free Vimeo account, so I paid for one. But it means I password protected it as well. Even though it, you know, whatever, it was free. Anyone could see it.

Yeah. So perfect. And then for a group thing, I love acuity. You can, you can have people sign up for a series of classes, they have to pay for it there. If you wanted to give them two payment options for the same thing, you could. Right. But acuity is very simple and you just have to go through and schedule and say that once they sign up for one, they have to sign up for all of them.

Okay.

Yeah.

And then tell them there will be a recording sent to them after they go to the live.

Yeah, exactly. And then you, basically anyone who signed up for it and paid for it, you can literally just send them an email after the fact. Here's the reporting from this class. It's a little more for you, but until you get to the point where this is like a tried and true process, you know, you have money coming in, I don't want you spending money on systems that'll help you make it more streamlined, you know, I'd rather you do it lean and dirty, you know, to Start and then build it up as you go.

Yeah, I mean, I think what I pay for now, as far as businesses goes, I, I think I'm at my limit on the, on the things that I'm going to pay for. You know, the Zoom account that allows me to go beyond an hour. The, you know, Canva account that allows me to do everything. I have Flow Desk as my email server, so things like that are set up. I also realize now that because of some of my technical behind the scenes challenges, I'm like, all right, I'm spending way too much time getting into the nitty gritty of all of this. Even though I do need to know how to do it. I realized, like, I messed up my workflow and things got sent out when they weren't supposed to be sent out. Even though I looked and I like that the date that it was supposed to go and it went the day before, you know, and I didn't mind the hiccups because I, you know, I'm giving myself grace, but I also know myself and that I can get very lost in the minutia of learning and not do the part that's gonna bring me some money. So I need to figure out, like, how do I. I mean, is it. Are. Is it a VA that I should. Hi. Like, should I or I. I don't. I'm a little lost in this part, I think.

I think it's actually more of a, like, fear gremlin that's coming in and saying, you have to be perfect at this stuff and you have to learn it all and you have to know it all. Right, fair. So this is really normal. You know, when we are, when we're starting something that we've never done before, there's often that voice. It's like, well, you're not perfect at this. You're going to screw this up. See, you screwed it up there and there and there and there. So you need to spend time learning how to do all this stuff before you go and do it again because you don't want to make any more mistakes, right? Oh, and then, oh, well, maybe you need to find a va. So then you have to find the time to figure out, like, what the VA needs to do and interview people, find more people, hire someone onboard them, play tactic that our subconscious plays on us.

I think my biggest fear right now is not necessarily. I mean, yes, that stuff that I'm saying, but that I, that I have so some momentum with what I just did and I have people interested going, oh, my gosh, I can't wait for this series. So for me, I'm like, I have to maintain this re. Engagement. And then also like all of these people that are saying they're interested in my product and I guess my, I don't mind learning all of these things, but I don't want it to take so much time because I'm in the learning process to produce something that I, I said I was going to produce and produced interest, you know, like.

Right. So, so here's, here's something that I want you all to remember is if someone said, yeah, I want to buy that, great. Here's a link to buy. Oh, you want to buy that? Great. Here's the link to buy. Oh, you want to buy that? Great. Here's the link to buy. If you have people who are saying that they're interested in the series, send them a link right after this call. Here's the link to buy to what? To your program.

But I don't have it yet. I have to make it, build it.

So here's, here's. I don't want anyone here to ever hold themselves back from selling a program just because it's not built yet. If you wait to build it, it's not going to happen. Especially if it's your first time doing it. Lay the track as the train is coming.

Okay?

Right. Because here's the other thing. You know, you've never done this course life before, right. You're gonna get through the first thing and realize, oh, here's a big knowledge gap that everyone has. I didn't plan on that yet. I didn't realize that I'd have to train on this bit or everyone's way more advanced than I thought. I can actually go into this more advanced thing, you know, it's, it's going to change as you do it. If you try to pre plan every single thing before you get to it, like oftentimes you're gonna have to change it anyway. Right. We have several people here also, if you're having trouble with video, not volunteering anyone, but if anyone here wants to volunteer themselves, you know, who's worked in video.

Yeah, thank you.

Yeah, very technical. You know, it's. Don't, don't get wrapped up in figuring out the whole thing and how it's going to be perfect right off the bat.

Okay.

It's just, it's never going to be perfect even after you've done it a million times. It's always going to have something, you know, go wonky or need to be different.

Right. I'm also realized, like, I'm not charging, like, I heard you say something like six to $20,000 for somebody, you know, like, that's nowhere near, like, I'm talking about, like, a bundle of eight courses for, like, 49, you know, so I.

Don'T think that's too cheap. That's too cheap. I don't think you should charge $20,000 for it, but I think 300, 400, you know, think about, like, what Sir La T charges for their cooking courses. And they're only teaching people how to cook one thing. Sure, they're providing the food, but they're not giving people a skill that they can use any. Any night of the week. You're giving people a skill that they can literally just go into their refrigerator, be like, what have I got? Cool, I can whip something up. Right. How much money is that going to save them in the long run? I know how much money I waste each week on food waste. I'm not proud of it. My ADHD gets you. Gets in the way a lot. If I had some more cooking skills, I'd probably not have that much waste. Right. We want to think. We always want to play out. Like, if people had the skill I'm teaching, what would that make them on the other end? How much money would that save? How much frustration would that save? You know, like, what kind of pride would they have to be able to invite friends over and say, oh, just throw something together and have people like, oh, my God, you just threw this together. This is so good.

I know how much I charge for a live class, but I'm also providing the food, and I'm providing, you know, I mean, you're. You're in. You're in another space. So I. And it's also. And it's very difficult to. For me to find people to do that. So I wanted to switch to a virtual platform in order to have. Have it be less expensive to be. To be more attainable. Yeah. So I. I need to. I'll. I'm going to step away and. And talk about that. I think I've taken a lot of time.

You're good.

You're good. We never apologize for taking up space on this call. Okay. Okay.

Is that how you pronounce your name? You've probably seen this show on tv. It's a cooking show based in Italy. I think this lady does exactly what you do. Teaches people how to cook with what's in their pantry, you know, regardless of what's in there. And she's charging, like, $20,000 for people to go over there. Of course, there's a holiday involved and accommodation and travel, but there are people willing to pay a lot of money for something like this. So to Katie's point, you know. Yeah, you could probably raise your. Raise your prices a bit. Yeah, there's room there.

And I want to. I want to. Yes. And all that. You know, the fact that you're teaching people to cook intuitively. Is that what the. That was the word you used?

Yes.

This is more than just learning how to cook. This is getting in touch with your intuition. This is learning how to use your intuition in a very realistic way. You know, that could be incredibly healing for anyone who's dealt with, like, narcissistic abuse in the past to learn how to tune into their intuition when, like, their life is no longer on the line.

Right.

Like that. There's a healing element here that you can absolutely play up because it's 100% true and it'll attract those people who really want to learn in that manner.

Okay.

Yeah.

Right.

Cool.

Thank you.

What other questions do we have? We have about 12 minutes. I can probably do two more.

Yes, I had a quick question about pricing. Going back to that. So I repeat, client came through. They wanted, you know, a project done within the next, like, three weeks or so. And today I'm putting the proposal together for them. And as I was, you know, listening to everyone's conversation, everything, I started thinking, you know, I am a bit in a cash crunch right now because last month was a little slow. Should I offer a, you know, paid in full option versus at the end of the project option? Because all of my clients right now, we're on a net 30. So.

Yeah, it's.

It's so annoying.

Yeah.

You are changing your policy. There's no question. You are getting paid before the project is even started.

Okay.

Okay. That is.

Yeah.

And for this first time, you can say, hey, listen. And of course they've. They've worked with you. They know you produce good stuff. Right. You can say, hey, listen, I am changing my policy around payment. It's now required at the beginning of the project. I know this is a new thing. So here's what I'm willing to. Here's what I'm throwing in for my existing clients who this is kind of a change up for, is I'm including, like, give them like an extra little bit. Maybe you'll interview someone for a testimonial for them and throw that in, you know.

Yeah.

Something that's low lift for you but will be impactful for them that they can really leverage in their stuff.

My automatic, you know, thought was, oh well, if they pay in full, then I give them a percentage discount. You know, maybe that will look good on their bottom line, you know, that they feel like they got something cheaper, you know, than the full price. But okay, that's interesting.

Yeah, I, I honestly, I prefer to give people more than to discount. But also, like within your industry, it is very typical for people to discount a certain percentage if people pay in full. Right, right. But it also, when you say I'm giving you 10% if you pay in full, it opens the door that they don't have to pay in full, that they can stick with the net 30.

Right.

You know, so here's what you can do is you can say, hey, listen, just want to let you know I'm changing my payment policy. It's now paying full before the project starts. But here are the options because I know we've worked together for a really long time and I know this kind of changes your timeline a little bit, but I want to make sure you're getting the best out. You can choose to get 10% off or I will throw in a little extra thing and tell them what that extra thing is, which sounds best to you. So that way they still feel like they have choice.

Mm.

It's kind of like when you have a two year old and you're trying to get them to brush their teeth and they don't want, it's like, do you want to brush your teeth in the kitchen or on mom and dad's bed? Do you want to use the red toothbrush or the blue toothbrush? Right.

Right.

Okay. Okay, that's good. Thank you.

Of course, yeah. Everyone get paid before you do the work. You're, you have integrity. You're going to do the work. If they don't like the work, you're going to be reasonable in helping them get to the point where they like the work. But you deserve to be paid up front. You're, you're not a big huge corporation. You don't have to pretend that like cash flow is always amazing. You're a one person shop who has to pay bills. Deal. Okay, awesome. What other questions do we have? Oh, bye, Yvonne. Happy Friday.

I've got a kind of question.

Yes, Rob, Hello.

But mainly hello because I've sort of been connected on LinkedIn for a long time and then your email dropped in, I thought, oh, and I thought, I've had a similar idea of something I could do. And the first thing you say is, steal this idea. And I go, I like this, I like you. And it's just been a really interesting sort of hours conversation going, oh, this is good. So I'm so glad I got the email and clicked on it. My thing is training people how to make video with their smartphones, but in cohorts. So in big companies with like a cohort of 40, I think I'm leaning towards a question. I've discovered there's a group of universities here in the United Kingdom that have got funding. There's about 60 of them and they all start. Most of them start in September. So I'm planning a kind of launch, I suppose, to try and get in touch with them and say we could all work together. So it's potentially 60, you know, customers, I suppose. I like the name of your company and I think I'm guilty of everything you're suggesting is a possibility. I am trying to find every reason not to do it and to just go, it won't work. And do spreadsheets and just busying myself. And there's something. I'm being a weenie, basically. So I just really thoughts on. You can just slap me around the face and go, crack on, Rob.

Yeah. I mean, so if you don't ask, the answer's always no.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And here's, here's the thing. Like, they may not be able to do it this year. They may have funding. They have allocated that funding towards someone else. But, like, you planting the seed this year means they're more likely to be able to do it next year. You know, they may not know. They may not be able to do it with you this year or they may know other organizations that could actually utilize you better. Yeah, right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, so. So I think what happens is we, we see opportunities and we're like. And then we start playing out, like the big picture of how it's going to completely change our lives.

Yeah.

And then we're like, everything's writing on them saying yes or no.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Right, yeah. When really, like, we don't know where that yes or no is going to go to.

No.

Right. We don't know if, like, one of them, like one of these kids, um, their parents owns like a huge corporation that could absolutely use you for some stuff they want to do internally.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, we don't know if, like, it's going to be yes from one, but other people are going to say no and then you're going to have, but then you're going to have proof of concept that you can then go and shop around to other universities that don't have this program yet.

Yeah, yeah, Right.

Spot on.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You also, like, it's so funny when you're first starting out with something, you don't know how people are going to perceive it. Right. So you may be coming at it from a kind of a marketing perspective of like, oh, universities will want this because it's going to showcase what student life is like and why, you know, people should apply to go to this school. Whereas the schools may see it as like this major confidence building thing.

Yeah, yeah.

And something that they could build into like a mental health program for students.

Yeah.

You know, you're not going to know any of that until you at least ask the question.

Yes.

Right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spot on. Yeah, yeah. That's what, that's what kind of thing I thought you'd say. But it's nice to say hello as well. Yeah.

And also, you know, it's, I think oftentimes we, we build it up in our minds also because we're like, oh, well, how do I pitch this? How do I make this sound like the thing that they need to buy when really, like, the things that's going to be the most impactful is to go and say, you know, I'm so excited you guys are building this. You know, what kind of support do you need? Yeah, yeah, you know, where you were, you stuck. Like, what kind of things are you hoping this will do? What gaps do you have right now in your curriculum and this and that and the other thing, because I do these things and I'd love to get involved and help if I can. Yeah, right.

Yeah, yeah. Thank you.

Of course. Yeah. And you know, of course, like, have fun with it. I think the more I do this, the more and the more I like, lean into being bad at stuff. I was playing tennis by myself last night with one of those machines and like getting really frustrated with the first, like, round because I was like missing and I was getting so angry. And then I'm like, wait, me being angry at myself for missing the ball or hitting it badly isn't helping me get better. Right. Like, how ridiculous. Why am I making this so not fun? So the second time I filled up the machine and was doing it, I just decided, okay, that was too high, that was too low, that was too left. Two to the right. Okay. Oh, that was perfect. I got a good one. Another good one. Okay. That one was to the left. Right. It becomes a lot more fun.

Yeah.

You know, so when we really lean into the fun of our business, even when it's really scary, even when it's really vulnerable, even when we're worried that people are going to see us fail. Because, I mean, like, at my gym, like, there's a wall of treadmills looking out. Everyone was watching me miss all the. But when we lean into the fun of it, we're far more likely to stick with it. We're also far more likely to have success.

Yeah, yeah.

But, yeah, stop being a weenie.

Yeah. Essentially, I'm writing all this down. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Brilliant.

Yes.

And also order a hot dog costume from Amazon. Like $19. Everything's more fun in a hot dog costume.

That's great. I know the ones you mean. Yeah, I've seen you in them. Yeah.

Good enough.

Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you. Thank you.

All right, we have about three minutes left. What I love to do to end is do main takeaways. And I like to put popcorn, this. So this is the part where if you don't want to share anything, if you don't want to talk, you don't have to. You just. You can leave now. I won't hold it against you, but whoever goes first gets to voluntel the next person who voluntels the next person. And it doesn't have to be profound. It can be, like one little thing. It could be something, you know, massive. But whatever it is that you're taking away from this call, who would like to start us off? Yes, Monica, I really liked your last story and that you need to. Even if you're frustrated, you need to find a way to make things fun. And there's no use in, like, being mad at yourself. Just, you know, learn with the process. Yeah.

Thank you.

And who are you picking? Jenna, Hi.

I.

No, I feel overwhelmed right now. Just. That's why I didn't say anything. It's not because I don't have anything to say. It's because I have too much to say. I just. I don't know what's going on lately, but I am a constant just sponge of just learning and have a million rabbit holes. I'm going down with, like every avenue right now. It's probably like a procrastination from something I don't realize tactic, but so in this call, I just pretty much soaked everything in. It's my first one, so I think maybe the main takeaway was just the make sure that my service offerings are a little more narrowed. Like the A confused buyer never buys. You know, I don't have a lot of service offerings, but just making sure that they're very, like, crystal clear and not, you know, I don't know.

So.

How about.

Rob, we'll go back to you.

Am I on yet? I think. Am I on? Yes. Can you hear me? All right, My takeaways are. I didn't know I was coming on this till about five minutes before. And what a lovely group of people you are. It's just like, whoa, what a great way to spend. And it's Friday afternoon here. What a great way to spend an hour and just sit back and rethink things. Yeah. Like you were just saying, the idea of a confused buyer never buys. And I'm going, oh, God, I've got about eight offers. Let's, you know, crack into that. So it's all like other people's ideas is like, a really good thing, rather than, I should do this, I should do that. So it's like, you know, a sort of team effort. And. Yeah. So thank you. And what a. What a. What a lovely group. And. And, you know, really solid advice. I've been typing away going, yes, need to do that, need to do that. So, yeah, really, really time well spent. But. But my. My huge takeaway, though. I think you spotted the beginning. And I'm definitely nominating Cherelle. Hello, Cherelle. Is. Is. Yeah. I wonder if this is a world first on a zoom to have someone working out. I presume that's what's going on. So we'll find out. So, yeah.

Thank you. Oh, Shirelle, we can't hear you. You're on mu. There we go. Oh, we can't hear you, though. Still. No, we can't hear you, unfortunately. I don't know what's going on. You're unmuted. But. But it's still not coming through. Okay, we're going to come back to you, Cherelle. Rob, do you want to pick someone else?

Rowan.

Thanks, Rob. From an Aussie to a pom, I could say a few more things other than stop being a weenie. So just get in there and do it. But I'm a weenie too, so what I. What I took away from this was the amount of additional market research that I need to do.

I've.

I've already reached out to a dozen people. I have to do a lot more, so. And just the vast array of different opinions that I'm already seeing, even with 12. So what you said there, Katie, is already resonating. So I think with 50 plus, it would be give me a. A greater sort of view of where I'm going and what the problems are. So. So that was good. Yeah. And I'm going to throw it to Monica.

I already went.

Oh, you did? Sorry. Manny.

Yes.

Hi.

So this was a.

This was a great meeting. I was able to take away interview 50 people to kind of identify your niche and their fears, frustrations, goals, and dreams. That's something that I'm going to start on immediately and then scheduling two networking sessions a week. I'm big on meetup, so I think I could very easily do that. The main takeaway, though, is to lean into the fun and not the frustration because sometimes I have a tendency to get frustrated or frightened, scared, intimidated, and just need to switch perspective and, you know, really, really find the fun regardless of. Of what the task is.

So thank you. Thank you. And who are you picking?

Rocky. Rockman. Yeah, Rocky.

Yeah.

Oh, it still says Rockman. Okay. Anyway. Yeah, you got it. Thank you. Main takeaway for me was the term life coach is too general and developing a niche. So that's been already something bothering my mind because I like a few different areas, but. So that's one. And I really like the statement of confused buyer never buys and don't make them do math. So great takeaways. And I'm glad I found this meeting. This is my first. And I'll be back. Thanks.

Awesome.

Thank you.

I think we can hear you now.

Oh, kids, then that's okay.

We didn't actually hear it your way by default.

Oh, dear. Yeah, I mean, the biggest takeaway was sell now. So I'm trying to work out how to kind of branch over to the US to get selling, but the pricing difference is so it so big.

Yeah.

Like horse owners in the US Are willing to pay a lot more than the uk.

Yes, they are.

But yeah, like you say, biggest takeaway is just to start selling now and seeing how. How it works out and interviewing people to see what they want and then I can put it in that way.

Yeah, 100%.

Great.

Thank you. And I'm so glad you joined and I was like, so excited to see inside your barn. So crazy here. What are you picking next? Do you want to raise your hand? Monica's already gone, I think with Patia and is on.

Yeah, Peisha.

Okay, There we go. So I have a takeaway from our conversation and that a lot to take away from that. But I think one of the things that I'm going to really think about today is my pricing. I think that I'm totally comfortable charging what I charge in person. And, you know, I. Even though that it can be a tough pill to swallow for some. But I. I think I was really going away too low, now that I think about it, for the virtual piece. So I'm going to rethink that today. I don't know if I'm going to go as high as 300, but we'll see. But, you know, it's funny that I. I find when I'm in the kitchen, I have no problem being light and doing things and just trying things. I mean, it's the whole part of the intuition thing, and I can't do it anywhere else in my life. So to hear the takeaway that everybody seems to be hearing, you know, to be putting joy into it and not, you know, I don't know, making it such a big deal to, like, really try to have the fun and give yourself grace, I think is the takeaway that I'm coming from here and not just for myself, but, like, to really accentuate that in what I'm offering, because I think that's a big piece of my offer, is taking away alleviating anxiety when you're cooking. So thank you, Rakhi.

And who are you picking next?

I think I can't read it because my glasses are off.

Yeah.

Thank you. Thanks for the session. I'm taking away, I think, like, a.

Renewed.

Appreciation, Differences, so I'm actually taking that. I enjoy that. You cut off this session like this. Lazy. Oh, sorry, we're getting, like, every other syllable, unfortunately.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm taking away some inspiration for lazy Webinar. Oh, good, good. I'm so glad. Yeah. Rip this off. It's honestly the best thing I've ever done.

Yeah, thank you.

Appreciate it. And then I think, Rich, are you the last one? Anyone else who hasn't gone? No. Okay, then, Rich, it's all you.

I like that you've been giving for years, and now you'll be asking for support. And then don't disappoint people. You know, ask for help and share your knowledge and don't be selfish. I mean, that was really important for me.

Yeah.

Awesome. All right, everyone, have an amazing Friday. If you're in the US and you celebrate 4th of July. Hope you have a great 4th of July. Next week we will be on. If you're one of my clients, we will be on with all the normal stuff next week. We just don't have. Wait. Yeah, yeah, we'll be on for every single thing. So I will see you if you're one of my clients. Otherwise, have an amazing week and I'll see the rest of you in a month. All right. Have a good one.

Thank you very much.

Bye. Bye.