Work Less, Earn More

If you are really multi-passionate, it's likely that researching your ideas, weighing the pros and cons and other methods of analysis will still leave you undecided about what niche to choose. Because the problem is that you love all your ideas and you can't stand the thought of scrapping any of them.Today, I’m sharing three strategies for overcoming your indecision, and finally picking a niche.Listen to the full episode to hear:How to use “practice mode” to figure out if you really want to build a business around an ideaWhy you should date your ideas before you commit to marrying one of themHow giving yourself total freedom can actually help you nail down your nicheLearn more about Gillian:100K MastermindSmall Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkinsResources:Can't pick a niche? Do THIS instead.

When I had my first two kids in my early twenties, maternity leave was really rough. It kind of happened, it kind of didn't, and a lot of things went wrong.But when I was pregnant with my third baby, I completed a couple of projects that made a massive difference in my income and allowed me to take three full months of paid maternity leave.So today, I’m sharing that story and telling you what happened and what those projects were that enabled me to take paid maternity leave.And whether or not you’ll ever need maternity leave, these strategies are still relevant for any situation where you know you’ll need to be able to take a chunk of time off without sacrificing your income.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why I couldn’t take much time off with my first two babiesHow my third pregnancy pushed me to finally get moving on generating passive incomeWhy I batch plenty of content before going on maternity leaveLearn more about Gillian:100K MastermindSmall Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

In a lot of ways, the opportunity of today's creator economy reminds me of the California Gold Rush. While some early adopters were able to make a lot of money, most people were very skeptical of the idea that you could make money as a content creator.Fast forward a few years, and people have caught on that this is a real thing. But now they might be wondering if success is only for the lucky few who got in at the right time and all the big money has been made.They might be thinking that the market is saturated, that there’s so much content out there on YouTube, or Instagram, or on blogs that there’s no space for one more creator in the market. They’ve gone from not believing it’s a real thing, to believing they’ve missed out.But this is not the case at all. More and more people are getting started as content creators every month, building their audience, and creating a living as creators. And not only that, the journey from zero to earning $10,000 per month or more, is getting shorter and shorter.How is that possible?Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned in my five years as a successful content creator about strategies that work, so you can shorten your journey from zero to earning a living from your content.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why you need to focus on just one platform when you’re starting outHow to layer monetization strategies to raise your income fasterPros and cons of affiliate marketing and sponsorshipsLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll know that I’ve interviewed people about a variety of different business models, which may leave you wondering what the best one really is.The truth is, there is no such thing as the best business model because different things work for different people. It all depends on your goals and even your personality.For some people, rather than courses or group programs or memberships, it makes the most sense to continue to work directly with clients. Maybe they enjoy building relationships, the accountability of client deadlines, or the certainty of getting paid for their work.And just because you’re not going for a passive income model doesn’t mean you can’t work less and earn more.Perhaps the most obvious way to do that is to get higher-paying clients, but how do you land those clients?Today, I’m talking with Ruth-Joy Connell about how to pitch to and land corporate clients.Ruth-Joy Connell is the CEO and founder of RJC Consulting Global — a Corporate Consulting firm specializing in helping service-based entrepreneurs, price, pitch, and close corporate contracts. Her goal is to help entrepreneurs serve and earn at their highest level so that the work they do can have a generational impact. When she’s not collecting coins, you can find her shopping at Winners, watching re-runs of 90s TV shows, or traveling to new countries.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why taking your work to corporate clients doesn’t mean reinventing the wheelHow to clarify the client and consumer for your workThe best platform for marketing to corporate clientsFive steps to creating a list of prospects to reach out toLearn more about Ruth-Joy Connell:RJC Consulting GlobalLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkinsResources:The Ultimate Guide on How to Find your First or Next Corporate Client

In just a few weeks, I'm going to be turning 30 years old.This last decade has been such a crazy one filled with so many adventures, starting with getting married at 20, then having my first baby the following year, and buying our first house the year after that. And since then, we’ve gone on to buy a couple more houses.I had four more babies, started several businesses, and visited 12 countries. It’s been a really packed decade and God has taught me so much both through all of these different projects that I've done and also through all the challenges that I've faced, both personally and emotionally. There have also been external challenges like tackling growing a business or buying a house.So I thought that today would be such a good opportunity to reflect on some of these lessons that I've learned, both to remember them and to share them with you guys.Listen to the full episode to hear:The most important lessons my twenties taught me about earning money and building wealthThe physical and emotional factors that help me stay healthy and happyWhat my twenties taught me about supporting my mental healthWhat I’ve learned about trust, faith, and my relationship with GodHow my relationships in my twenties taught me about commitment, security, and reaching outLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkinsResources:The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions--Today, Julia Ross

Financial freedom is a common goal and an amazing thing to experience, but it often gets tied together with the idea of penny-pinching today so that you can save for the future, with the end goal being to amass as much money and stuff as possible.Regular people call this saving for retirement. Others take it to an extreme and call it F.I.R.E: Financial Independence, Retire Early.And some people don't save at all and just hope for the best. But a lot of us somewhat goal-oriented folks at least feel like we should be making sacrifices today so that we can eventually retire fabulously wealthy.Whether or not we successfully do that, of course, is up to our personal motivation, willpower, and ability to strategize.But is accumulating money and stuff even truly the highest ideal? Should it really be our priority? Do we really need to feel guilt over not making those sacrifices today?Listen to the full episode to hear:How feeling financially secure is a moving goalpost with diminishing returns on your happinessFive priorities that guide the way I save for the futureWhy you have more control over what you earn than what you can saveHow to make your spending intentional rather than emotionalHow I shifted my mindset to being a good steward of my financesLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

I have a new baby!Surprised? So was I!Meet Ezra Perkins. He’s almost three weeks old and he arrived three weeks early, so he truly was a surprise for us.Today I want to take a few minutes to share the story of Ezra’s birth because it’s kind of a funny story.Listen to the full episode to hear:How Ezra surprised us on our 10-year anniversary trip to the beachLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

Have you ever had a moment of clarity when you suddenly realized that your life doesn’t have to be the way that it is?Maybe it’s when you see someone else’s life, or something on Instagram, and you see how beautiful it is and you wonder, why doesn’t my life look like that, or feel like that?Sometimes it’s the moment when we realize the only reason our life is the way it is–that we live where we live, have the friends we have, eat the food that we eat–is because we’re in the habit of doing them.The good news is that regardless of whatever led you here right now, you can start making different decisions and completely transform your life.And it doesn’t have to take years. In as little as six months, your life could look dramatically different.So today, I’m sharing the fundamentals that will take you from where you are now to where you really want to be and make dramatic changes in your life.Listen to the full episode to hear:Six ways to categorize and clarify the changes you want to makeHow to decide what area of your life to focus on firstThe major mindset shifts that will help you make big changesWhy setting quantifiable goals is essential to making plans and staying motivatedLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

There are two big reasons I wanted to talk to Jereshia Hawk.First, a few years ago she overhauled her business to make it more streamlined, a move that has proved wildly successful. I wanted to know what that looked like from the inside, what simplifications she made that had such a big impact, and if there were other factors that contributed to the way her business took off like a rocket.Secondly, I wanted to nerd out about sales funnels and sales systems. I love getting into the nitty gritty details with people who have really successful sales systems. Jereshia has a system that is driving her multimillion dollar business, so obviously something is working, and I wanted to get the scoop on how her systems work, how she’s getting leads, and how she’s turning those leads into customers.Thankfully, she agreed to do a deep dive with me and I’m so excited to share it with you.Jereshia Hawk is a sought after business coach and sales expert who grew her business from $0-2 million in less than 4 years with organic marketing, a lean team, and high profit margins. She helps high-achieving experts launch and scale leveraged group coaching programs by packaging and positioning their intellectual property and strategically repurposing live videos to generate new leads. Jereshia’s mission is to help narrow the racial wealth gap by helping 100 women of color (and their allies) per year build and run million-dollar online coaching businesses that contribute to a ripple effect of positive impact and lasting legacy.Listen to the full episode to hear:How simplifying the business solidified how her audience perceived her, and why that translated into salesHow Jereshia made the call for which offers to drop, and where to put her focusHow she validated the demand for Leverage before committing to the programWhy Jereshia says a more personal, human approach to sales is necessary for higher price point programsThe three simple steps in Jereshia’s sales funnelLearn more about Jereshia Hawk:jereshiahawk.comInstagram: @jereshiahawkLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkins

Is bigger, always better?The point of running a business is to make money. Making more money means your company is more successful. And a bigger business makes more money, right?Well, not always. Turns out the profit margins on big businesses can be razor thin, or even non-existent.It can be easy to get caught up in messages that you should grow your business to be as large and as successful as possible. But is that really your goal? Not if you’re like most people who want to run their own businesses. You probably started your business because you wanted freedom, a flexible schedule, to be your own boss, and to create a better lifestyle for your family.So how do you achieve those goals? By taking a minimalist approach.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why bigger business can mean higher costs, more effort, and less profitHow simplifying your revenue streams and offerings actually helps you earn more money, with less time and effortWhat minimalism means for your businessLearn more about Gillian:Small Business 101Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!Instagram: @GillianZPerkinsResources:The Minimalists