Work Less, Earn More

If you’re not playing the game, you’re not going to win the game.   Experimenting with new platforms, new tools and new strategies is part of the game, but throwing content at a wall like spaghetti isn’t playing the game to win. A winning social sales strategy takes commitment and consistency.   Approaching your social sales strategy like a science experiment might sound complicated, but it doesn’...

Does your brand express your point of view? Or does it just tell people what you do?   If you want to position yourself as the go-to person in your industry–to become a brand people look up to, that they know, like and trust–you have to know what makes you different from everyone else doing the exact same thing you do.   Your personality, your skills, your history, your world view, those are the t...

Set them up once and let them work for you.   To be able to work less and earn more, you have to figure out how to leverage your time–how to do things once that have an ongoing impact.   Sounds like passive income, right? It is. A work-less, earn-more business is one that creates not only ACTIVE income, but passive income as well.   With an online business, without the demands of brick and mortar,...

How much time do you spend on Instagram?   How much work does it take to really get results?   I see the appeal of Instagram. And I see when I do get involved and spend time on, how much engagement I can create. I love how it allows me to talk to my audience and really start to create conversations, but it’s hard to fit into my limited schedule.   Today, I’m asking Jasmine Star how much time she r...

  Automation saves time, and can help you earn more, but it can also cost you money.   In this amazing digital age we live in, most of us are aware that we can have machines, computers, and software programs do a lot of work for us. And for entrepreneurs, who are trying to build successful businesses, that “free” labor is pretty appealing.   So, we automate. We look for things that can be done the...

Confession: Lately, I’ve been feeling BUSY.   Not exactly on-brand, right? After all, I’ve built my business on the platform of working LESS -- 20 hours per week or less, to be exact.   Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m still on that track. Not that I can really take credit for that; between 4 kids, homeschooling, housekeeping, a little (tiny) bit of exercise, and just trying to keep everyone fed… I ne...

I don't think I was 5 minutes into learning about online business before I started hearing how important it was to "grow your list."   It seemed like everyone was talking about how important it was to collect email addresses, and how valuable of an asset a big list is.   So, naturally, I got to work.   Only to find out how difficult it is to "grow your list."   After I'd signed up my husband, scho...

Do you follow anyone online who seems to be 100% unashamedly THEMSELF and everyone seems to love them?   It kinda makes you wonder (or at least, it makes me wonder): is this person just unusually charismatic -- and they know it -- or can anyone be that attractive if they’re that confident?   Margo Aaron falls into this category for me. I stumbled upon her work about a year ago and felt like everyt...

What’s the best thing for you to work on right now to move your business forward?   Well, to answer that question, start with this one: What stage of growth is your business in?   Confused? You’re not alone.   Quite possibly, you don’t know, because… nobody told you what your options are. Nobody broke down the stages of growth and gave you the big-picture for building a successful business.   Not...

  It's tough to explain something if you don't really understand it yourself.   I'm sure you wouldn't try to teach someone how to rewire their computer, bake the perfect soufflé, or correctly identify a genuine Picasso... unless you happen to have the necessary knowledge. :)   But that doesn't seem to stop anyone from trying to explain why someone should purchase a particular product... even if th...

“This is it. I’ve figured it out. I know exactly what I need to do now,” I told my husband one day in the fall of 2016.   I’d just returned from a women’s business conference in San Diego. It was the first “big” event I’d attended, and I’d learned a lot.   Including, as it happened, the “missing piece” I needed to finally start making money with my online business.   My puzzle seemed so complete,...

  If you’re trying to grow your audience on social media, then you KNOW that there’s one thing that matters more than just about anything else…   Engagement.   It doesn’t matter what platform you’re on, the algorithm cares about the same thing: how much people engage -- or don’t -- with your content.   More engagement means people are paying more attention to your posts (good!) and the algorithm r...

First off, isn’t it so cool that we live at a time when information is so readily available?   The answer is out there to any question you might have… and it’s probably even just a Google search away!   But with more content created every day than you could ever possibly consume, this abundance of information can also be… overwhelming.   Information overload is real. And it can really hold you bac...

One of the toughest parts about being “young and broke” is not having the money to do some of the  responsible things you know you should be doing. Stuff like: buying (and eating) healthy food regular maintenance on your car extra insurance regular dental exams hiring a bookkeeper for your business   I hope you’re in a place right now where you can afford most of these things... because I know how...

One of the toughest parts of building a successful YouTube channel is just getting your first 1,000 subscribers.   Once you hit that coveted 4-figure mark, the algorithm takes over and (as long as you keep posting consistently...) practically grows your channel for you.   But how can you get those first thousand??   Everyone does it slightly differently, but hearing their stories can help you figu...

As you’re likely aware, we’re currently in the process of guiding a group of 130 students through the VALIDATE accelerator program, helping them figure out whether or not there’s demand for their business ideas.   I shared a lot last month about why this process is so essential--including the fact that it protects you from possibly wasting countless hours (even years) of your life on an idea that...

What's more profitable, online courses or self-published books?   A lot of people who are interested in making money by selling information (either as a course creator or author) consider these two options.   To some, the choice is obvious.   Of course it's online courses!   After all, everyone knows that "authors don't make anything."   And we've all heard plenty of stories of course creators who...

Behind every successful entrepreneur… there is a team supporting them.   In my first few years of business, it was just me – wearing all the hats, doing all the things, and responsible for everything.   But, as my business grew, I knew that I needed help; both so that I could keep my sanity and to be able to continue to grow.   After several failed attempts to hire help (mostly VA’s that I didn’t...

One of the biggest changes we’re making in 2021 is how we run the podcast. Instead of pre-recording and editing all the episodes before we release them, we’re now recording the show LIVE each week inside Startup Society , so that the members can listen in and participate by asking questions.   As I write this, I’ve just finished recording the first of these live sessions, and what a great intervie...

Will 2021 be any different?   Who’s to say…   Personally, as much as I’d love to think that 2021 will fix everything , what I really believe is that “a day is a day.” It doesn’t matter the label we put on it, it’s just a 24 hour period in which anything can happen; 24 hours we’re given to make the most of.   Or, in the words of Master Oogway:   “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but tod...

Patience is a virtue, but that doesn't mean you can't be TOO patient. And you know what? A lot of people are.   A lot of people waste a lot of time (+ energy and money) because they're patient. And dedicated. And committed. And motivated.   ALL GOOD THINGS. But also potentially problematic.   My dad said it this way: "Don't be afraid of being a quitter. Be willing to quit when you realize you're i...

How much do you want to earn in 2021?   I used to really dislike that ☝ question... because I had no idea how to answer it.   “What do you mean, ‘how much do I want to earn’? As much as I can, of course!”   It’s a lot like when you’re shopping for something expensive and the sales rep asks you, “So, what’s your budget?”   Of course, sometimes we DO have a budget, but a lot of the time I just want...

Several years ago, when I ran a digital marketing agency, I met an incredible woman named Margo Carroll.   At first, I didn't realize how incredible she was -- she was just another client who was hiring us to run her Facebook ads.   But the more I got to know Margo, see her work, and learn from her, the more impressed I became.   Not only does Margo do everything she takes on with integrity and se...

Are you more “left-brained” or “right-brained”?   We all have some balance between the more analytical and the more creative/emotional sides, but most of us lean more one way or the other.   A lot of entrepreneurs -- especially visionary, founder sorts -- are extremely creative, always coming up with new ideas and solutions. Many even refer to themselves as “creative entrepreneurs.”   Those right-...

Every month, I’m peeling back the curtain and sharing the ins & outs of my monthly revenue.   These income reports are an in-depth and honest look at how much my business earned, what it cost, and how many hours it took me to do it.   This is the very last income report of 2020. I’m glad I committed to doing monthly income reports -- it gave me accountability to really look at the numbers regu...