by Angella Johnson | Dec 15, 2019 | Biz Tips, How-tos |
I bootstrapped my business at the very beginning and you can do it, too. This article is really for people in the beginning stages of business and feeling overwhelmed with all of the things they “should” do.
Would it be awesome to have someone hand you $20k to get all of the stuff I’m talking about in this article? Sure. Is it necessary? Nope. I think bootstrapping things also builds a great discernment muscle between what an investment in your business vs what’s an expense.
There are a lot of things you think you *might* need but you really don’t. You can get clients without these things that I mention.
All you need to get your first client is the willingness to talk with people and invite them to buy what you have.
Sounds easy, right? But we complicate this SO much.
All of the things I list below, with the exception of #7, are great things to have. BUT if you are in the beginning stages of bootstrapping your business, consider that you don’t need these things.
by Angella Johnson | Jan 31, 2019 | Biz Tips, Events and Workshops, Free Resources, How-tos, Marketing Tips |
My guess is you know a lot about a lot of stuff. So why is it so hard to create awesome content that captivates our audience?
The newsletters. The videos. The blogs. The social media posts. And there’s friggin’ Twitter. How do we keep up with all of it?
Why is content important?
It’s the stuff we share in our marketing.
by Angella Johnson | Nov 15, 2018 | Biz Tips, Free Resources, How-tos |
You know you need help, but what do you give someone to do for you? I tell my clients to hire a VA for even just five hours a month. This does two things: It gets you out of “I-have-to-do-it-all mode” and gets you in the habit of having support It gets you in your zone of genius and into the tasks that actually make you money You can Google lists of stuff your VA can do for you. Things like this: https://www.chrisducker.com/25tasks/ are really great lists. Here’s a list of what I have my team members do: Assistant #1: Scheduling and managing all appointments in Acuity, which is the scheduling system I currently use Website updates Email System: Sends newsletters (I write the content and a lot of the times I send the newsletters but I’d like to remove the sending of emails off of my plate completely. Sets up reminder emails for live calls Sets up email sequences Tags people accordingly sets up forms Shopping cart sets up products connects the purchase to the membership system if applicable sets up coupon codes processes payments Handles all customer service emails, including questions people have about their login info, access to programs, etc. Figures out technology glitches and escalates issues to my web person if she can’t solve it Assistant #2: Event and retreat concierge and research Communicates with the venue and vendors for all event details Researches event details then provides the details to me so I can confirm decisions Content Repurposing: Manages videos and audios on all channels Posts one meme per week to my FB group and page...
by Angella Johnson | Nov 15, 2018 | Biz Tips, Free Resources, How-tos |
What is truly required to grow a business without over-spending your time or money? What support do you actually need? In the coaching world, there are lots of folks (I used to be one of them) who say, “You need a coach.” My point of view now is that statement can be a great system for coaches to convince people to work with them. I now don’t believe that everyone needs a coach. I’ve certainly hired people when I thought I “needed” a coach and what I really needed was clarity on what I was creating and IMPLEMENTATION support. Time and time again, I have seen clients and a LOT of entrepreneurs struggling with taking action and getting results from the plan and strategies they hire. I’ve seen my own clients struggle with this. If you’re not getting results, consider this: Hiring another coach may not actually help you get results. You may not have a mindset issue. You may not even have a money issue. So what will create results? And where is the real problem? In a lot of cases it comes down to two things: Lack of clarity. Clarity in what? I’ll get to that in a second. Implementation. Most entrepreneurs I know of pretty much suck at implementing. They are great at the visionary stuff but when it comes down to actually getting the details DONE, no bueno. So what do you do if the implementation is not your zone of genius? Maybe technology isn’t your thing. Maybe setting up your website isn’t fun for you, in fact, maybe it’s a train wreck. I was...
by Angella Johnson | Sep 20, 2018 | Biz Tips, Create, Free Resources, How-tos, Marketing Tips, Messaging, Mindset, Resources and Invitations |
“I need a website.” “I need snazzy copy on my site to attract more clients, can you do that? Hmmm…I hear these things a lot and after asking a few questions, people can get overwhelmed by all of the moving parts included in a website. Do you just need a website? First, I’m going to talk about a “website” and how you probably don’t need just a website. Part 2 of this will be why good website copy costs more than $500. 🙂 People come to me thinking they need a website, but they actually require a few other things BEFORE they can get a website created that reflects who they are and that actually works for them. What’s in a website? A website is a marketing tool. Ideally, it’s something that helps you make money in your business. It’s not just slapping up a few pages online with a clipart logo and saying “good enough.” It also doesn’t mean spending $10,000 on a site when you don’t have a paying client yet or know what you are offering in your business. Here are a couple of questions that will guide you to know what you really need so when you get quotes to create a website, you’re getting accurate numbers and have realistic expectations. 1. Do you have a clear and compelling message (you know what you do and who you do it for) Side note on this one – your message is NOT your certification or modality. It’s YOU – your essence, what makes you unique and stand out. If you have a certification that is the...
by Angella Johnson | May 30, 2018 | Biz Tips, Events and Workshops, Free Resources, How-tos, Inspiration, Life!, Mindset |
I was talking myself into loving it… “It’s better than what I have now.” “I can make it work.” “I really love these parts of it…” This was my conversation 48 hours ago as my husband and I were making a decision about making an offer on a house we saw. Then came the, “maybe we’ll just stay where we are. Maybe it’s better to just do some upgrades to this house…” Today this sign went up in our yard. $hit just got real. It’s happening. We’re moving. And we don’t have a place to go… yet. Welcome to “The GAP.” The place in between what you SAY you’re letting go of and what you SAY you desire. But that thing you desire hasn’t shown up yet. The GAP is also the place where possibilities go to die from causes like, “being responsible,” “being realistic,” and “being practical.” Been there. Done that. And it’s friggin’ boring isn’t’ it? Before we get to what to do in the GAP, let’s start with that thing you really desire. If you’ve had something you’ve desired to create for a while now, what is it? What’s really stopping you? For me, I’ve talked about the desire to move for over five years now. FIVE YEARS. I made up a bunch of stories in my head: It’s too hard to qualify for a mortgage on self-employment income. I can’t yet afford the house I really desire. My husband doesn’t want to leave Utah. As long as I travel, I can stay put and be happy. Blah, blah… when I can’t stand to hear myself...
