The Amy Porterfield Show

I never imagined myself having the team I do now. I also can’t imagine subscribing to the old idea of what it means to be a “boss”. I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to working with a team, especially with all of the hiring we've been doing over the past few months.That's why I was so excited to sit down with Team Building and Leadership Coach, Theresa Loe to talk about building a self-managed team.I truly believe that building a team that’s aligned with your values is one of the secrets to not just building more revenue or success, but to enjoying the process.If you’re thinking “Amy, I’m so not even close to ready to build a team” — hey, that’s okay! But when you are ready (and trust me, one day you will be and it might come sooner than you think) this is the kind of insight I want you to have so you can save yourself from making painful hiring mistakes (trust me, I’ve been there). Theresa has cracked the code on how to find, grow, and lead a self-managed team, and she is sharing her best insights today: [11:17] Having a self-managed team means putting yourself in the CEO position and having people under you who are all responsible for their own projects. When you have a great idea the team can execute and make it happen. [13:58] Mindset is the number one strategy for building a self-managed team. Think about what you want your day to look like, and then slowly reverse engineer how to take everything else off of your plate. [18:01] Hire based on attributes. Make sure they are aligned with you, your vision, and your core values. People can be trained on tools but not on character. Write down the attributes that you want then put up a gauntlet to see if applicants have these attributes. [26:43] Hand off responsibilities, not tasks. Make everything a project. Instead of a one-off blog post, make them responsible for content management including scheduling, analytics, and reporting. [29:39] Communication is key. Have a clear description of what "done" means. Be very clear about expectations but nurture your team to make decisions for themselves. [33:18] You can create a feedback loop by recording any changes that you had to make to a project. Empower your team with resources. [35:20] You can start small and hire someone for a few hours a week. You need to look at those freed up hours as gold and use them for money-making activities to free up cash to add more free hours. This episode is sponsored by my Free Masterclass all about kick-starting your list building efforts. You need to grow your email list every day to have a healthy business. All of the social media posts in the world can't do for you what a viable email list can. 

This is one of those super uncomfortable moments when I have to admit…I don’t have it ALL figured out.Recently, I was at the EntreLeadership live event and Dave Ramsey’s words cut right to my soul. He said, “Organizations are never limited by their opportunity or their team, they are limited by their leader.”And the honest truth is, I regret not putting more focus on being a better leader for my team much sooner than I did.No one is born with amazing leadership skills. They take years to develop and the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be. Because here’s the truth: you can’t build an empire by yourself. Eventually, you’ll need to bring people on who stand behind your vision and are just as motivated as you are to achieve it. As my business grows and scales, my job is to be a visionary and show up for my team as a leader in a stronger way. I’ve always thought of my students and my business, but now it’s time to focus on creating a bigger stronger team of people who are empowered to make decisions, come up with ideas, and grow with my business.EntreLeadership was one of the best events I’ve attended. It blew my mind. After it lit a fire under my chair to become a better leader, I knew I had to share my biggest takeaways with you.I hope you learn from these and implement them into your business right away. Do not pass go, just do it. I promise you won’t regret it.Here are the main takeaways: [15:00] There’s always room for improvement, no matter how ‘big’ your organization is. [16:12] Takeaway #1: Dave Ramsey shared how organizations are never limited by their team. They are limited by their leader. (This one really hit me in the gut!) [19:38] Takeaway #2: Henry Cloud asked, “Does your team know how you are going to win?” It’s important to define what winning looks like for yourself and then share it with your team.  [23:39] Takeaway #3: Patrick Lencioni dropped a major value bomb when he said that fear of conflict will stifle productivity and keep you playing small. He explained that you’re cutting yourself short if you’re not encouraging your team to show their opinions even when they are challenging.  [32:43] Takeaway #4: Patrick Lencioni also talked about hiring people that are humble, hungry, and smart. He explained that these type of people lack excessive ego, are self-motivated, and use good judgment with people.  [39:32] Takeaway #5: Jesse Itzler shared his motto of “remember tomorrow.” He encourages you to ask yourself how you will feel tomorrow about any decisions that you make today. Listen to learn how I’ve implemented the Full Focus Planner with my team. [43:41] Takeaway #6: Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx, told the story of her early days in the business where she went above and beyond to educate customers on her product — she would go to the department store and talk to customers. She’s such a good example of never being too proud to get in there and do the work and get your hands dirty.  [48:13] Extra Credit: Write down three things that you would love your team, or your team of the future, to say about your leadership style. I’m doing this exercise too and I wish I would have asked myself this question years ago. Don’t wait.  Links mentioned in this episode: Free List Building Masterclass EntreLeadership Summit Sara Blakely Patrick Lencioni Jesse Itzler Henry Cloud Brooke Castillo Kolbe Assessment Read This >> The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable Read This >> Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Read This >> Ideal Team Player Full Focus Planner

If you’ve been around for a bit, then you know my motto is always be list building. Now, while there are all kinds of list-building strategies, there’s one that's by far the easiest way to grow your email list, and that's by offering a lead magnet.Through all of my endless list building experiments, I’ve learned how to create incredibly valuable pieces of content, like cheat sheets, guides, and mini-trainings.But do you know what kind of lead magnet is the best, hands down?A profit-driven lead magnet.Now, I know what you're thinking... "Amy, a lead magnet is something I give away for free. What the heck are you talking about when you say 'profit-driven'?"Here's the deal. Most of the time, when somebody signs up for your email list, they are just not quite ready to buy from you yet. When you create a profit-driven lead magnet, you are creating a tool that leads your new subscriber to a buying decision while also providing incredible value.With this very intentional strategy, you will be generating revenue faster than you ever thought possible!In today's episode, I talked about the three main questions you must ask yourself before you create your profit-driven lead magnet, and they are: What do you currently sell or plan to sell in the future? What does your ideal customer avatar need to understand, be aware of, or believe in order to want or need your product, program, or service? What type of lead magnet could I create that will compliment or align with the product, program, or service I currently sell or plan to sell? I love a good example that illustrates what I'm talking about and I've included the two examples of profit-driven lead magnets that I talked about on the show below.  I hope those will get your creative juices flowing! Example #1: My Own Lead Magnet, "20 Smart Strategies to Rapidly Grow Your Email List"Why Example #1 Works: It inspires. It's actionable. The cheat-sheet gives the what, and my course gives the how. My ideal customer avatar and I are now in a conversation about how I can help them. Now, each week, I can continue the conversation with my ongoing weekly content. Example #2: Corinne Crabtree's Free Course, "THREE Things You Must Know to Lose Weight"Why Example #2 Works: She makes it doable. It gets people results (for free). It attracts the right audience. Corinne meets people right where they're at in their journey. Her course name is simple, clear, and to the point. Right away on the thank you page, she shares her journey in a video (and still directs her audience to check their email for more). Episode highlights: [06:49] 99% of the people who give you their email address aren't ready to buy. It’s up to you to walk them down that path. Create your lead magnet with your end goal in mind, and your end goal is to attract paying customers. [14:04] Example #1 my lead magnet for List Builder's Society (see image example below). [21:13] Make sure your lead magnet meets the customer/buyer where they are at. Profit-driven lead magnets are very intentional, specific, and sometimes only used for launches. There is a difference between a really good lead magnet and a profit-driven lead magnet. [26:44] Example #2 from Corinne Crabtree (see image example below).  

Ring the fire alarm because my better half, Mr. Hobie Porterfield, is lighting this place up! I’m super excited to have him back on the show, because I love sharing this side of my life. It may not always be unicorns and rainbows, but it’s pretty special.Hobie puts fires out for a living, but he also helps me put fires out in my business. If it weren’t for his emotional support, I can’t say I’d be where I am today. He’s my biggest cheerleader, my biggest supporter, and he picks me up when I’m down.We have learned and grown so much together. I just love having him on the show to share how we juggle laundry, launches, and everything in between as a team. This is an inside look at how we communicate about our needs, managing time and money, and our big goals.You sent in some amazing questions. We’ll try to answer them, and hopefully, some of the things that we’ve learned and shared will help you not only in your business, but in your relationships as well. [03:15] Hobie does more of the housework, and he likes to rub it in 😉remind me of that. [06:26] Hobie doesn’t mind listening to me talk about my work, because it gives him a connection into my world. [09:25] We sit down multiple times throughout the year and schedule everything.  [13:39] When it comes to money and investing – getting a financial planner is one of the smartest things you can do. [18:53] Why Hobie doesn’t go to conferences with me [23:52] What would happen if we swapped roles for a day. [25:49] Hobie talks about how he feels about me making more money than him [29:28] How my weight loss has changed how we spend our time [37:47] Hobie shares his amazing proposal plan that didn’t quite work out as planned. We also get a little personal with what annoys each other and how much fun we have.   Links mentioned in this episode: Village Impact Episode 260 All About Membership Sites: Your Top 10 Burning Questions with Stu McLaren One & Only Blackberry Farm Michael Hyatt Profit First

“Amy, can I still launch my course if I only have 500 people on my email list?”  Ambitious course creators ask me variations of that question at least once a week. It’s easy for the size of your list to become one more excuse not to launch. My guest today is someone who had a successful launch with a list of 750 subscribers. Tarzan Kay has had not just one but three successful launches with a small list. In this episode, she shares her tips and strategies and walks us through her inspiring launch success. Tarzan is a launch strategist and email copywriting expert for online entrepreneurs and digital-course creators. Her specialty is fun-to-read, more-addictive-than-Game-of-Thrones copy for digital-course launches.  In her own business, she uses my special webinar framework —shout out to my Digital Course Academy members! In fact, she's used it over and over to sell her own courses, fill her private mastermind, and even had the occasional $100,000 month while working 30 hours per week and being the sole provider for her family of four.  I know you’re going to love this episode. Tarzan’s tips are useful for anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with their list, big or small.  [14:33] Start thinking about how you can build relationships with individuals on your list, so they know that you're real and that you are going to deliver for them. [15:45] Launching takes courage. Those who are successful launch through the fear and keep doing it again and again. [16:23] More than revenue comes out of a launch. You get opportunities to speak, be on podcasts, build relationships, partner, and more. [20:12] Tarzan uses a tool called BombBomb to send personalized videos to people who were active on her webinars. She also puts their names on her whiteboard. Email your list weekly and start a conversation. You can even hop on calls with people from your list.  [26:50] Tarzan knows how to speak to the different personality types on her email list… and she breaks it down for us in Game of Thrones characters to make it easy to understand. [32:17] All of your emails won't appeal to everybody, but there is definitely a way to make them appeal to more than one group at once. [35:44] The number of people replying to your email is a great metric to judge whether they liked it or not. [37:01] A nurture sequence comes after a new subscriber has opted in to get your freebie. Put a lot of energy into showing them your personality. Click here to listen now!

I get so many questions about LinkedIn. You’ve been asking how to use it for your audience, for list building, and what’s working right now.I decided to bring in the big guns and invite world-renowned LinkedIn expert Viveka von Rosen on the show. Viveka is the author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day and LinkedIn: 101 Ways To Rock Your Personal Brand: Grow your network and build your business!.She is also a personal branding expert, LinkedIn Learning author, international keynote speaker, and has been recognized as a top LinkedIn and social media expert. She contributes to many major publications and has even been featured on two movies about social media. She is co-founder of Vengreso which provides digital sales solutions.I’m so glad to have her here today to talk about what is currently working on LinkedIn, strategies for B2C clients, what is coming up with video and LinkedIn Live, and so much more. She even gives us actionable steps to transform our profile to sell in a non-salesy way and use content to nurture and grow relationships. [06:08] Diving deeper is the strategy that worked for Viveka. She was also able to learn the platform inside and out, build relationships, and stay top of mind with her audience. [14:25] You can repurpose blog posts on LinkedIn by clicking on "write an article" and pasting that article in LinkedIn Publisher. Other great ways to repurpose content is to add images to your article, create a PowerPoint presentation, and publish it as a document. Videos can be uploaded as native video or in the soon to be released LinkedIn Live. [16:07] Position yourself as a thought leader. Make your background image about your product and have your summary read like a sales page (but not salesy). Who are you helping? What are their pain points? What is your solution? [21:47] Selling is about being human and relationships. Know your audience and speak to your audience and don't worry about people self-selecting away from you. [27:51] The secret recipe is to share something every day and create a long-form post once a week. For the long-form post use 1200 to 1400 characters and emojis to share something of value. Shoot and upload a relevant video or PDF, PowerPoint, or infographic for 10X the number of views. Use LinkedIn messaging to create a sharing fan club. [33:22] A great way to get access to a B2B prospect is to interview the influencer in that company. This is how Viveca and Vengreso have been able to start the conversation for six- and seven-figure deals. This episode is brought to you LinkedIn Marketing. If your goal is to target your customers where they're engaging every day and when they're ready to make a buying decision, I want you to consider LinkedIn.When you advertise on LinkedIn, you're attracting potential customers and fostering relationships that often translate into high-quality leads, website traffic, and higher brand awareness. Go to LinkedIn Marketing to redeem a free $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign.Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Discover the importance of being known for something specific in business, engaging with a niche audience, and consistently discussing specific topics to establish a clear brand identity. Learn how to create a recognizable brand by confidently staking your claim on what you want to be known for, and get five specific ways to get clear on your unique expertise.

Let’s be honest here. Writing copy can be hard, but it’s an important almost mandatory skill for new business people just starting out. In fact, I wrote all of my own copy my first few years of business, and I suggest that you do the same. Become a student of copywriting. The more you do it, the easier it will become. Today, I’m talking about a technique that will help you build up that oh-so-important relationship with your ideal avatar.This technique is by Ry Schwartz an expert copywriter who writes a lot of my copy. He also teaches copywriting and my audience loves him. This method is called Coaching the Conversion. It's all about writing copy in a way that will resonate with your ideal customer avatar at a really high level and will meet them right where they're at. It will help them feel as though they know that you see them and you hear them.I actually think it's important that you write your own copy for the first two years of your business. You need to truly understand your ideal customer. Writing copy for your ideal customer is an intimate experience. It really should begin with you. It will make you a better entrepreneur and a better communicator overall if you take the time to perfect your expertise.After this episode, you will walk away with golden nuggets that will help you transform your next promotion. I even share one of my best converting ads and break it all down for you step-by-step.Coaching the Conversion Method in 4 Steps [10:34] Shift your mindset about how you feel about being a copywriter. Look at copywriting as a means to coach your ideal customer through a transformation by using words that make them feel seen and heard. [13:47] Know your ideal customer avatar like you know your best friend. Sometimes you have to read between the lines and know-your-customer intimately. Clearly understand their pain points, desires, and what makes them tick. [17:42] Use their words. It's important that you reflect back to them what they are feeling and what they are saying. Keep a running list of words and phrases that they use. These are pure gold for copywriters. [19:24] Remember that coaching the conversion walks your potential customer along the path from where they are now to where they could be or where they want to be. The first part of the path is your weekly content then you move on to coaching opportunities inside a webinar. Then send post follow-up emails. A Concrete Example from One of My Highest Converting Facebook Ads:How long have you been waiting to finally have the confidence to go all in on building and selling your digital course? Six months a year more. It took me a while to get started to.I was scared I'd fail, and guess what? I pretty much did. My first course only made me $267, but I stuck with it and 7 courses, 42,000 students, and 8.7 million dollars in revenue later. I've learned a thing or two, and I want to share all that with you. Register for free here (and then I give the link).  Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!Links mentioned in this episode: Free List Building Masterclass Ry Schwartz Episode #235: How To Identify Your Ideal Customer Avatar

Any Oprah fans out there? If you are a diehard Oprah fan like me, then you probably watched Season 25 of Oprah Behind the Scenes, and you probably remember Executive Producer Sheri Salata. She was also co-president of Harpo studios and OWN. I remember watching a scene from that special that showed Sheri waking up in the morning with her bulldogs getting ready to go to the Oprah show, and I thought how does she do it all?It turns out Sheri has a fascinating story. She had reached the heights of her business career when she decided to reinvent herself and find more balance in her life. She woke up and realized that a career of her dreams wasn’t enough. She set out to reinvent herself with a job and life that are one and live her life to the fullest.If you have ever felt stuck or in a rut, you will love Sheri’s story of reinvention and using happy as a compass. Sheri is the author of The Beautiful No, the owner of The Pillar Life, and co-host of The Sheri + Nancy Show. This is a powerful episode as Sheri shares her wit and wisdom in a way that only a true storyteller like Sheri can. [08:16] Sheri shares what her life was like as executive producer for Oprah before day one of life after Oprah. [11:13] Sheri had a great story for her book. She started in an entry level position for Oprah at the age of 35. This was the 3rd or 4th time she started over, and she reinvented herself again at age 56. [13:58] You don't know your in a rut until you're out of it. Forcing yourself to jump the track and breathe new air makes life more interesting. [16:28] Sheri had a dream come true career but not a dream come true life. She had to do a serious reckoning with the tenderness of hearts to get to the core of the kind of life she dreamed of. [19:44] At a Shamanic ceremony in the desert, Sheri learned that to start with a fresh page you have to let go and clear the slate. [24:05] Sheri and Nancy built a business around living and doing things for a better life and then reporting back about it. [28:01] Sheri switched her story about working out. She is a storyteller, so she told herself a new story that inspired her using words like power, flexibility, renewal, and recovery. [30:55] Awareness is everything. How not to make misery your compass. When happiness is your compass, you are keenly aware of what feels good. These are clues that your destination is lovely and wonderful. [36:58] The amazing story of how Sheri landed her job at Oprah. You don't want to miss this story! It's also the basis for the title of her book The Beautiful No. This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn:LinkedIn is the perfect platform to market your business. Marketing your business is all about reaching the right audience at the right time and connecting with them when your message resonates the most. So, if you want to target your customers where they're engaging everyday and when they're ready to make a decision, I want you to consider LinkedIn.In fact, four out of five customers who are on LinkedIn are decision makers at their companies. You can see some incredible traction with your LinkedIn ads. If you want to redeem a free $100 dollar LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign on LinkedIn go to LinkedIn.com/Amy.Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Is there something holding you back in your business? Today, I’m talking about that ONE EXCUSE that may be holding you back from taking that next step that will really propel your business forward. This excuse holds many people back, and they don’t even know it. It’s kind of like a snake in the grass, where you don’t even know it’s there until it slithers up and STOPS you in your tracks.I’m also going to show you how to identify this excuse in all its many forms and how to breakaway from this cycle with a simple technique that anyone can do. It might not be easy. It might not be comfortable, but being able to take action even when it’s not easy or comfortable is key to progress. Moving forward even when you don’t have all of the answers can get you unstuck and start the positive momentum you need to move the needle forward in your business. [05:09] Not moving forward because you are stuck is an excuse that can take many forms and hold you back. [09:42] The way to get past this is taking imperfect action even when it is messy and uncomfortable. [10:57] How I took imperfect action with my team bonus structure. I approached it like I knew what I was doing and put together a plan to the best of my ability. I NEVER have to start from scratch again. That's what imperfect action does! [16:21] You have to have something to show when you ask for feedback. [18:10] You have to make a decision and produce something. The hardest place to be is starting from scratch. Get beyond this point, even when you don't have all of the answers. That's how to get stuff done! Links mentioned in this episode: Online Marketing Made Easy Facebook Group Episode #255: What's Keeping You Safe Is What's Keeping You Stuck Free List Building Masterclass Amy Porterfield on Instagram