She Means Business Show

As soon as she returned to work after having a baby, Lorraine soon realised that she was being held firmly back by the glass ceiling. She had been dabbling with creating a side-income for herself, so when the opportunity came up to take over the online course company she had been enrolled in, Lorraine took the plunge. She had seen it simply as a side-hustle, but it turned into so much more than that. A few years and a lot of hard work later, Lorraine has grown her business, Formula Botanica, into a global success, with almost 9,000 students across 161 countries. Formula Botanica is an online training school for people who want to learn how to make their own organic skincare or haircare and how to then turn those products into a viable and profitable indie beauty brand. In this podcast, Lorraine and I discuss: How being held back at work after having a baby pushed her to start her own business. Her journey from being a student in her own online education business to buying and taking over the company. All the changes, updates and processes she had to put in place to revive and grow the business, the steps she took and the things she focused on. The successful launch that helped her realise she could quit her job and work on the business full-time. How she used customer feedback to change and improve the business. How she juggled growing the business and raising two children and the lifestyle she has managed to create for her family. The struggles she faced with getting herself and her business out there and what she did to overcome her fear of being visible. Winning The Digital Achiever of the Year Award from Google among beauty industry giants. How she got started with video and how her skills have improved over time. The kind of success her students have achieved. All the exciting plans she has ahead of her this year. Lorraine’s top tips for success are: Don’t be scared of being visible - just do it and keep doing it until you feel comfortable with it. It will get easier the more you try! Be really consistent in whatever you do. Be realistic in what you commit to doing and then keep showing up! Find what drives you and gives you your passion as that’s what will get you through the hard times. Find out more or connect with Lorraine Website: https://formulabotanica.com Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FormulaBotanica/ "Join Lorraine and over 5000 other incredible women in business over in our Members' Club here >>   

Before I started making money from home I remember wondering if all these people who were claiming to be making money from home were just chatting nonsense. I couldn’t believe that you could make so much money just sitting in your living room wearing your pyjamas! But since stepping into the world of online business myself, I’ve managed to build a multiple 7-figure business online being able to work from home or wherever in the world. There are so many incredible ways you can make money from home in this episode I’m going to share with 5 you high earning businesses you can start from home if you simply have a laptop and internet connection!

From interviewing celebrities like Nicole Kidman to reporting from Iraq, Lucy Griffiths has had a really, really exciting career. So after realising that she wanted a more “normal” life away from the jet-setting adventures she had lived out for so many years, Lucy set up an online business turning her passion and expertise into profit. She has now built a multi-six-figure business helping people use video more confidently, and has sold more than 20,000 courses! She’s also in the process of setting up two more businesses and is regularly approached by big brands and businesses to consult and help them do the same! She has been an FEA member for some time now and says one of her favourite things about the Members’ Club is the community of people she can work with and who she trusts. Everyone involved in getting her three current projects off the ground is a fellow Members’ Club member! In this podcast, Lucy and I chat about: The struggles she has faced running her own successful business along with setting up two more businesses and how she’s making it work whilst also being a mum. Her incredible journey from journalism, to coaching, to creating an online course business. What her schedule really looks like as a successful entrepreneur and mum. The success she has had with Pinterest (where she was gaining a million views a month) and how she changed her strategy when she realised it was her biggest driver of traffic. How she deals with being a solopreneur and working from home whilst pitching to boards of directors and big businesses. The strategy she used to grow her email list, make her Facebook Ads profitable and increase her visibility. Her suggestions for getting started and growing your email list if you don’t have a big budget for ads. Find out more or connect with Lucy Website: lucygriffiths.com  Instagram: lucygriffithsdotcom  

One of the biggest reasons that many entrepreneurs struggle to build the business they want is because they’re not in the right mindset to create success. It’s that simple and for such a long time I was that person and it was so frustrating. One day I decided that I really needed to have a mindset shift and when I did this, it literally changed my entire life. So in this post, we’ll be going through four simple steps to help you have that mindset shift that will help you build a wildly successful business. These strategies have really helped me shift my mindset and have been crucial in helping me achieve some of the biggest goals I had on my vision board. Step 1: Create awareness around where you’re at right now. Any sort of change starts with awareness and clarity, so this is all about getting clear about where you’re at and what your mindset is like right now. There’s a powerful intuitive journaling exercise that I love to do that really helps me create awareness around what’s going on in my life and how i’m feeling right now. Take some time somewhere quiet with a pen and a piece of paper and give yourself permission to tune in with yourself and write about what you’re feeling and what’s going on internally. I love the question, “How am I feeling right now and what’s my mindset like?” Just start writing without filtering or thinking too much. Allow the words to flow out on paper and don’t really think as you go and create awareness around what you’re currently thinking: the good, the bad and the ugly. This is all about being really honest with yourself. Step 2: Take a look at what shifts you need to make. As part of the intuitive journaling exercise, write down what your biggest struggle is right now, what your biggest mindset challenge is right. For example, maybe you’ve realised that you’ve got this deep-seated feeling that you’re not good enough. Maybe you’re stuck because you feel embarrassed to put your idea out there and you’re scared of being judged. Whatever is bubbling to the surface for you in terms of a mindset block, a doubt, worry or fear, focus on that and ask yourself “Why do I feel like this?” and write that down. Keep asking yourself to peel back the layers and to get to the root of the problem and what’s really going on. You need to figure out why you’re feeling the way you are so that you can do something about it. So often we think our feelings are the problem, but when you do an exercise like this, it often brings up issues you didn’t even realise were affecting you that are often the real problem. It could be something that happened 3 years ago that you didn’t even realise is having a huge impact on how you’re actually feeling and the mindset you’re keeping today. Doing this exercise helps you uncover what is really going on. Kee asking “but why” to dig deeper and deeper so that you can uncover why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling or why you have a certain fear, doubt, worry or challenge that you’re facing at the moment. Step #3: Discover the shifts you need to make.

Caroline’s earliest memories are of her mum and dad sitting around the table talking business, so already from a young age, she knew she wanted to pursue business and that this was the right path for her. After quitting a university course that just wasn’t right for her, Caroline threw herself into her mum’s card and gift shop, where she managed the business and worked with other local entrepreneurs to introduce initiatives in her town to help high street businesses. From working in the corporate world to growing two brick-and-mortar businesses, Caroline joined the Members’ Club and couldn’t get rid of this niggling feeling that she wanted to start an online business that would help decipher marketing for other small business owners. This led her to set up Golden Treasure Business Consultancy, which helps entrepreneurs in early stages understand what marketing is, how to stand out and get their voice heard. In this podcast, Caroline and I discuss: Her journey from following her parent’s lead into business and setting up multiple successful businesses to focusing on what she does best and making an impact. How a local council initiative put her in the lead and helped her discover her passion for helping small business owners. How an unexpected, last-minute talk she had to give landed her the first client for her consultancy business. The biggest challenges she has faced and the scariest parts of becoming the face of her new marketing brand and sharing her story. How she’s managing to juggle motherhood alongside running two businesses and how she divides work and family time. Her goals for growing the business and taking it to the next level and the importance she’s putting on the impact aspect. How she’s using the feedback she’s gathering from her audience and from Facebook Groups such as the Members’ Club to build her online course module after module. All about learning to be flexible, improving and pivoting as you go along and not letting challenges defeat you. Caroline’s top tip for success is: Don’t try and be everywhere, on every platform, and don’t forget the offline world. We all spend so much time online that we often forget what else is out there and the offline marketing strategies we can put to good use. Find out more or connect with Caroline Website: https://www.goldentreasureconsulting.co.uk FB: https://www.facebook.com/goldentreasurebiz/ >

Tip #1: Make it easy on yourself I remember when someone told me at the very beginning of my business journey that I needed to build an email list. I had no idea what that even meant or where to start! It felt so overwhelming and made me feel paralyzed because it seemed like there was so much to do. In the end, I just made it easy for myself and started off with a really simple form on my website to attract subscribers. I didn’t even have an email service provider at this point! I was just copying and pasting addresses into my own personal email and then emailing people whenever I thought I needed to. After a while I discovered Mailchimp and from there I began to build an email list using a pop-up on my website that simply said “Sign up to receive a weekly dose of inspiration from me”. That was it! The number one most important step you can take is to get started, so don’t let anything hold you back! Just get started in the simplest way possible and then build and improve from there. Tip #2: Get clear on what you’re going to be emailing to your list Once you’re all set up to attract subscribers, the next step is to get clear on exactly what you’ll be emailing them on a weekly basis. What types of emails will you send to your list to nurture those relationships and provide value? Create a simple plan of what you could send out every week and remember that it doesn’t have to be some complicated piece of content, like a video, podcast or a really long blog. You could simply send out a tip, an inspirational quote, a piece of advice or a story you can share that somehow provides value. Once again, keeping things simple plays a huge part in rapidly creating success and then building on that. Make this doable or you likely won’t do it consistently. Tip #3: Tell people about your email list! People actually need to know about your email list in order to want to join it! Start out with a goal of getting 100 people on your list, even if this includes all of your family, friends and people who are not likely to be your customers. Knowing that people are actually receiving and reading your emails, maybe even replying, is a hugely powerful mindset shift and builds momentum. Remember to just take it step by step We all have to start out with a goal of getting our first 10 subscribers and then our first 100 and then 200 after that and so on. So many of us never start because we’re on step one and we get frustrated that we’re not on step ten. Make it as simple as possible for yourself, stay consistent, be patient and go through each step as it comes along and before you know it, you will have built a list of thousands of subscribers, potential customers and one of the most powerful and profitable assets for your business. If you want more help building your email list from zero or you have an existing list and you’d love to skyrocket your momentum and growth, then you definitely need to check out Amy Porterfield’s amazing masterclass for the Members’ Club!   The masterclass is called How To Hop Off The Struggle Train: List Building With Intention, and in it, Amy teaches her five-pillar framework for building your profitable email list in a simple but incredibly powerful way - https://mc.femaleentrepreneurassociation.com/fea/waitlist/ Download the free 28 Day Business Blueprint here! https://femaleentrepreneurassociation.lpages.co/smb-free-audio/

When Niki Hutchison realised that her corporate job did not accommodate working mums, she knew something had to change. And after returning to work following a health scare, her decision was made: She needed to quit that job and take her career and her lifestyle into her own hands. Niki has now been an entrepreneur for eight years, after starting a hip-hop dance school for kids based in Edinburgh. But after a few years she realised that what she really wanted was to develop a business where she could work from anywhere. She credits a fellow Members’ Club member for opening her eyes to the opportunities that starting an online business would afford her. So with a background in marketing, Niki decided to become a marketing strategist and set up Niki Hutchison Ltd. > In this podcast, Niki and I discuss: Why she decided to quit the corporate world and start her first business. How she realised that it was her marketing skills that were the true value. The journey she went through to find the confidence to step back into a marketing role and set up her second business. How a Members’ Club member opened her eyes to the opportunities of online business and the possibility of having the freedom to work from anywhere. How she overcame obstacles and used her online business to fulfill her lifelong dream of spending her Summer living and working in Ibiza with her family. Her goals, plans and dreams for the next few years and what she’s focusing on right now to make it all happen. The importance of having clarity around your business strategy before diving in. The biggest challenges she has had to overcome throughout her entrepreneurial journey. Niki top tips for success are: Think about your overall business goals first of all before jumping in or spreading yourself too thin across too many social media platforms. Be strategic and use your specific goals to create your own strategy. Once you have your strategy in place, make sure that you’re regularly checking in on the results so that you can keep doing what’s working and eliminating what isn’t. Make sure you’re clear on which of your revenue streams are actually bringing in the most revenue. If looking at your competitors is sending you spiralling into a negative mindset, just mute that out and focus on your own work. Get clear on your own goals and what you would like your own business journey to look like. Find out more or connect with Niki Website: www.nikihutchison.com Freebie: The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Plan

Try our Start and Grow Membership Course and build an incredibly successful membership site of your own! https://femaleentrepreneurassociation.com/start-and-grow/   You’ve seen me and so many other experts out there going on and on about the power of membership sites, and that’s because developing a membership program really is transformational for your business and brand. If you’ve been growing your audience for a while, maybe selling products or services to them, and you’re wondering whether a membership community is what your audience needs, then this episode will give you a whole new perspective on the power of building a membership program. So in this post, I want to share with you the 2  things that should sway your decision if you’ve been unsure if you should build a membership site for your audience. Lesson 1: Recurring revenue means peace of mind and financial freedom! So many entrepreneurs take the leap from earning a steady income through a 9-5 job into the “uncertain income” that comes with building your own business. When you’re jumping from month to month, constantly worrying about generating enough leads, converting customers and making that next $1, it feels like an exhausting, emotional rollercoaster. Just think about how many of the things we buy into nowadays come in the form of monthly subscriptions. From tv, music and data storage to food, vitamins and beauty products. Companies are falling over themselves to switch over to a recurring revenue model because it brings certainty, stability and scalability. If you’d love to have a really clear idea of how much revenue your business will generate this month, next month and the month after that, building a recurring revenue model (such as a membership site) is absolutely the way to go! Just think...how transformational would it be if you had… 100 members paying you $37 per month and generating $3,700 in recurring revenue? 350 members paying you $37 per month and generating $12,950  in recurring revenue? 5,000 members paying you $37 per month and generating $185,000 per month in recurring revenue?   Lesson 2: Building a membership means building a community of super fans The essential foundation to build and grow absolutely any type of successful business is to build an audience that loves what your business is all about. We all know the essentials of building an audience… growing an email list, finding followers on social media, driving traffic to the website, networking and collaborating. But what’s even more powerful is building a community of SUPER FANS. Super fans are on a completely different level to subscribers on your email list or your followers on social media. These are the people that are most likely to be the first to take you up on your offers when you release new products, the first to leave you a review, the people who will go and tell everyone they know about what you’re doing. They will support you and cheer you on every step of the way. Super fans know for sure that you can help them and believe in what you’re about. A membership is a space for you to cultivate and nurture your super fans. It is a place where people can truly belong to your community and get to connect with you (and your other super fans) on a much deeper level.   Download the free 28 Day Business Blueprint here! femaleentrepreneurassociation.lpages.co/smb-free-audio 

After a career in corporate PR, visual communication and branding, Vicki decided to use her expertise to build her own business and live life on her own terms. She joins me in this episode of the She Means Business podcast to tell me all about her entrepreneurial journey and what being a member of the Members’ Club has done for her business. Vicki is now a branding designer for female entrepreneurs, corporations and retail businesses, helping them build a great presence, increase visibility and improve consistency so that they can fascinate and captivate their audiences. Vicki says she felt a little bit lost when she first made the transition from corporate to entrepreneurship and that’s why she joined the Members’ Club, to understand what she needed to do to step up her game. Joining was, in her words, “game changing”. She says surrounding herself with the right type of people was an essential part of her success. In this podcast, Vicki and I discuss: The day that made her decide to take the leap from the corporate world into entrepreneurship. How she felt making that transition, the challenges she faced and the transformations she experienced throughout her journey. The importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals as a solopreneur, joining communities and groups. The flexibility she found running her own business. The importance of the mindset shifts she made throughout her entrepreneurial journey. How she finds a lot of her clients and collaboration opportunities through the Members’ Club community. Vicki’s top tips for success are: Don’t get stuck and procrastinate to start your business. Go all in, take the leap and just do it straight away rather than sitting on the idea! As you run your business, always continue to develop your ideas. Ask questions when you get stuck or ask someone for help because people are almost always willing to help! Find out more or connect with Vicki: Website: www.vickinicolson.com facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickinicolsonbranddesigner/   Download the free 28 Day Business Blueprint here! https://femaleentrepreneurassociation.lpages.co/smb-free-audio/

Creating a compelling brand is so important for developing the story of your business and, ultimately, winning customers. But there's more to it than simply choosing your fonts, colour palette and art style.   Here is my breakdown of the questions you need to ask yourself and the actions you need to take in order to develop a successful, compelling and incredible business brand:   1 - The brand is the personality, the heart and soul, the feeling of what a company is.   2 - If you position your brand’s values clearly, it creates a platform for customers to identify with. 3 - Ask yourself what values you actually want to infuse into the essence of your business. 4 - Be clear with the voice of your brand; this will help customers to emote and identify with it. 5 - Ask who your audience actually are. Build a brand according to their perspective. 6 - Create avatars of your ideal customers. Who are they? How do they live? What are they like? 7 - Who is this person in relation to who your company are? How can you help to serve them?. 8 - There is no such thing as a unique message, only unique messengers. 9 - Get involved with designing; as the founder, it is your vision. 10 - If your strength is not in creative thinking, outsource the design tasks to an amazing creative. 11 - Don’t compare your Chapter One to someone else’s Chapter Twenty! 12 - Use tools like Canva to do a lot of the heavy lifting for you when designing. 13 - Put together a brand mood-board so your design style is consistent and in line with your voice. I hope these tips really help you to create the brand of your dreams. I know that for me, building a brand has been one of the most exciting and fun aspects of developing the Female Entrepreneur Association, and I really hope you get as much joy from the process as I did!  Carrie  xx   Download the free 28 Day Business Blueprint here! https://femaleentrepreneurassociation.lpages.co/smb-free-audio/