EP 196: Building An Empire One Piece of Content At A Time With Bonnie Gillespie

The Nitty-Gritty:



* How Bonnie Gillespie started building her content empire before she even started a business* Why a 3-ring binder was all the evidence she needed to know it was time to write her first book* How she used an automated Twitter account to build her audience and produce a new product from repurposed content* And, why Bonnie doesn’t buy into guru culture—despite being a leader thousands of people look to for guidance





Writer’s block—most people who write have experienced that crushing feeling of having nothing to say.



And if finding new customers, convincing them to buy, and developing new products depends on your ability to produce great content, writer’s block can feel worse than an empty bank account.



But what if everything we believe about writer’s block and our business’s dependency on a steady stream of new content is wrong?



This month, we’re examining the stories of business owners who have planted a seed, watered it, tended it, and helped it grow.



In this episode, you’ll learn how Bonnie Gillespie, the author of Self-Management For Actors, planted a seed before she even started her business. Her bridge job as a show business industry columnist blossomed into an empire that is still rooted in the words she wrote over 20 years ago.



Email by email, article by article, blog post by blog post, book by book, even tweet by tweet, she’s strategically pieced together her body of work.



Bonnie and I talk about how she realized her first book was waiting to be born, the way she used an automated Twitter account to develop a new product, how she stays in dialogue with her audience to fuel the content she publishes, and why she doesn’t buy into guru culture.



Do you have a story about planting a seed in your business?



Have you run a small experiment and watched it transform your business? Have you taken a small step and put yourself on a whole new path? I’d love to hear your story.



Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #explorewhatworks and tag me, @tara_mcmullin. We’ll be sharing your stories throughout the month! And, you’ll be entered to win a free lifetime membership to The What Works Network. For full rules and giveaway instructions, go to explorewhatworks.com/aprilgiveaway. Giveaway closes April 22, 2019.



Now, let’s find out what works for Bonnie Gillespie!





What Works Is Brought To You By







Mighty Networks powers brands and businesses – like yours! – that bring people together.With a Mighty Network, online business owners just like you can bring together in one place:



* Your website* Your content* Your courses* Your community* Your events online and in real life* And charge for them…all while building YOUR brand.



Visit mightynetworks.com to see more examples of brands bringing people together and taking their businesses to the next level.







It’s tax season… and that means you’re thinking about whether your books are in order.



If you’re ready to stop stressing about cleaning up your business finances yourself, it’s time to get Bench.



Bench combines easy to use software with real human beings who do your bookkeeping... ★ Support this podcast ★