Work Less, Earn More

Have you heard of the Employee Retention Credit?If you haven’t, you’re not alone.The ERC is part of a COVID relief program created by the US government to provide assistance to business owners who have been impacted by COVID-19.Your business could be eligible for a substantial credit but most entrepreneurs and business owners aren’t aware of it, which means there’s a significant amount of funding going unclaimed.So today, I’m talking with Mark Sullivan, CEO of ERC Specialists about the ERC, who is eligible, how to apply and how to work with an ERC specialist to make the process as easy as possible.ERC Specialists is a specialty payroll company exclusively dedicated to understanding and maximizing the CARES Act Employee Retention Credit (ERC) for small businesses affected negatively by COVID 19.Mark has a wealth of knowledge on this topic, and he is really passionate about helping entrepreneurs to take advantage of this unusual opportunity that has been created.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why you probably haven’t heard of the ERCWhat kinds of businesses qualify for the creditThree key ways your business may qualifyLearn more about Mark Sullivan:ERC SpecialistsLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Too often, choosing your business model isn’t a conscious decision and you accept whatever the default seems to be for your industry.But choosing your business model is a really important decision.The business model that you choose affects absolutely everything about how you do business, from what you do on a daily basis to how much money you make and how you make that money, to how much time you spend working each week.Let’s open our eyes to the different options out there and make conscious choices about the model that’s really right for our businesses, our customers, ourselves, and our personal goals.This episode is part of a series on business models. In each episode, I’m interviewing a business owner about their business model, how it works, how they make money, and what it all entrails so that you can learn about your different options and make that choice.Today I’m talking to Nathalie Lussier about the Software As A Service model and her business, AccessAlly.Nathalie Lussier is an award-winning entrepreneur who has been making web sites since she was 12 years old. She graduated with a degree in Software Engineering and a job offer from Wall Street, but she turned down this job to start her own business right out of college.As the founder of AccessAlly, the powerful digital course and membership solution for industry leaders, she believes that access to education can help defy stereotypes and make the world a better place, while providing a sustainable livelihood for enterprising teachers.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why Nathalie made the leap from hands-on coaching and consulting to developing softwareHow software as a service provides stability for business ownersWho to partner with if you have a great idea but don’t have software development experienceWhy AccessAlly stopped paid advertising and focused on content marketing How Nathalie and her team evaluate adding new features and services to AccessAllyLearn more about Nathalie Lussier:YouTubeTwitter: @NathLussierFacebook: @AccessAllyTMPinterest: @AccessAllyConnect with AccessAlly on LinkedInLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Choosing your business model is a really important decision.The business model that you choose affects absolutely everything about how you do business, from what you do on a daily basis to how much money you make and how you make that money, to how much time you spend working each week.But too often, it isn’t even a conscious decision, but just accepted as the default for whatever type of business you’re building or the industry you’re in. It doesn’t have to be that way.Let’s open our eyes to the different options out there and make conscious choices about the model that’s really right for our businesses, our customers, ourselves, and our personal goals.This episode is part of a series on business models. In each episode, I’m interviewing a business owner about their business model, how it works, how they make money, and what it all entrails so that you can learn about your different options and make that choice.Today I’m talking to Jordan Gill about her business, Systems Saved Me.Jordan helps burned out service providers convert their monthly retainers to virtual VIP Days. Her program Done In a Day™ has helped over 270 students create and sell their first VIP Days. She also has a podcast called Systems Saved Me with over 300 episodes all about how business owners navigate success with systems.Listen to the full episode to hear:How Jordan shifted her business entirely to VIP Days in 2017 and never looked backHow she structures her client onboarding to maximize the productivity of the VIP DayHow Jordan cultivates win-win referral sourcesThe systems and automations that give Jordan a three-day work weekLearn more about Jordan Gill:Systems Saved MeInstagram: @SystemsSavedMeSystems Saved Me PodcastLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

The business model that you choose affects absolutely everything about how you do business, from what you do on a daily basis to how much money you make and how you make that money, to how much time you spend working each week.Choosing your business model is a really important decision.But too often, it isn’t even a conscious decision, but just accepted as the default for whatever type of business you’re building or the industry you’re in.So let’s change that.Let’s open our eyes to the different options out there and make conscious choices about the model that’s really right for our businesses, our customers, ourselves, and our personal goals.This episode is part of a series on business models. In each episode, I’m interviewing a business owner about their business model, how it works, how they make money, and what it all entrails so that you can learn about your different options and make that choice.Today I’m talking to Natalie Gingrich about her business, The Ops Authority, where she certifies and mentors women who leverage their natural skillset of operations and administration. She's driven to help women earn an income with ease while doing what comes most naturally to them.Natalie has merged her corporate career background with her entrepreneurial learnings to create the Director of Operations Certification Program, the only strategic operations certification for leaders.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why Natalie landed on developing a certification program rather than strictly a courseHow Natalie began marketing to her networks and why relationship marketing is still a key strategy for her todayHow her podcast functions as the top of her sales funnel, and why it works for her audienceWhere Natalie spends the most of her time and money in her business, and which sales avenues provide the best conversionLearn more about Natalie Gingrich:The Ops AuthorityFacebook: @TheOpsAuthorityThe Ops Authority PodcastLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Over the next several episodes, I'm going to be interviewing a series of online business owners about their business models, how their businesses make money, their biggest expenses, how much time their businesses take to run, how big or small their teams are, and more.Today I’m interviewing Anna Wolf, the owner of Superscript Marketing, a small agency that sells a productized service, meaning they sell a service that looks very similar for each of the different types of clients they serve.We’ll talk about why she chose this model, how it works and some of the additional considerations that this type of business can create, as well as the pros of selling a simple service rather than responding to each individual client’s specific needs.Listen to the full episode to hear:The legal, financial, and psychological reasons behind using a mix of contractors and employeesWhy Superscript’s highly specialized niche means they don’t have to spend a lot of effort bringing in new clientsWhy Anna has chosen to remain a boutique firm rather than scaling up, and how she is branching out her businessWhy professional development and team bonding are significant line items in her budgetLearn more about Anna Wolf:Superscript MarketingConnect with Anna on LinkedInLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Over the next several episodes, I'm going to be interviewing a series of online business owners about their business models, how their businesses make money, their biggest expenses, how much time their businesses take to run, how big or small their teams are and more.Today I’m talking to Marie Poulin, creator of Notion Mastery, her hybrid online course that mixes self-paced study with office hours and community support.Marie helps solopreneurs and small teams streamline their digital systems, processes, and workflows, so they can spend more time on what matters.Notion Mastery is an online course and community that helps folks use Notion to live and work better.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why having live calls and office hours was instrumental to developing Notion MasteryHow a hybrid course plays to Marie’s strengths, personality and how she wants to show up in her businessWhy leveraging interest in an existing tool like Notion or YouTube is a great beginner strategy for developing coursesThe real costs in money and time of running a hybrid course and communityLearn more about Marie Poulin:Notion MasteryYouTubeTwitter: @MariePoulinLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Over the next several episodes, I'm going to be interviewing a series of online business owners about their business models, how their businesses make money, their biggest expenses, how much time their businesses take to run, how big or small their teams are, and more.Today I’m talking to interior designer Candice Prather about how she blends her offerings to capture very different types of customers in a service-based business.Candice Prather is a Maryland-based Interior Designer and Realtor at Keller Williams Preferred Properties. She is a proud member of The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), and The National Association of Realtors (NAR).Listen to the full episode to hear:Why you have to think like your customer when developing a marketing strategyHow Candice uses a detailed questionnaire to prep potential clients for their sales callHow she manages client workload across her two primary offeringsWhat add-on products boost Candice’s bottom lineHow Candice envisions scaling her businessLearn more about Candice Prather:CandicePrather.comInstagram: @CandicePratherLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Over the next several episodes, I'm going to be interviewing a series of online business owners about their business models, how their businesses make money, their biggest expenses, how much time their businesses take to run, how big or small their teams are and more.Today I’m talking to Cher Hale about how she’s built a micro-agency by design, serving a very specific demographic and market that aligns with her values and passions.Cher Hale is the founder and director of Ginkgo PR, a boutique agency that believes in using public relations to help historically-excluded authors and entrepreneurs take back their narratives.As a Taiwanese-Black American woman, Cher is passionate about leveraging the power of media to tell diverse stories through online, print, TV, and podcast mediums so she can play a role in reshaping how our society views social justice, feminism, and multiculturalism.Listen to the full episode to hear:How Cher mixes a limited number of traditional retainer clients with consults and a membership optionWhere the biggest chunks of her money and time go as a micro-agencyWhat she loves about her hybrid business model and one big disadvantage of a longer contractLearn more about Cher Hale:Gingko Public RelationsConnect with Cher on LinkedInLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

When I started working on starting my online business, it was because I was running away from the business that I already had.Essentially, I was breaking up with my current business and my online business was a bit of a rebound. What I wanted out of my online business was flexibility and freedom. I wanted to know how to make as much money with as little effort as possible and in those rebound days, I was susceptible to anything that sounded like what I was looking for.It wasn't until I was well into the process of building my business that I realized there were some things about the business model I had inadvertently chosen that I wasn't all that fond of or that there were other options out there.Over the next several episodes, I'm going to be interviewing a series of online business owners about their business models, how their businesses make money, their biggest expenses, how much time their businesses take to run, how big or small their teams are and more.To start this series off, I'm bringing on my friend, business mentor and podcast producer, Tara McMullin. In this episode, Tara breaks down seven simple business models for small business owners.Tara McMullin is a coach, community builder, podcaster, producer, and writer. She’s the founder of What Works, a digital platform for small business owners who are building strong, resilient, and sustainable companies. She’s also the co-founder of YellowHouse.Media, a podcast production agency that helps entrepreneurs create standout podcasts that grow their businesses. Tara’s podcast, What Works, has been downloaded over 2 million times and boasts over 300 interviews with thriving small business owners.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why getting clear on your business model helps your business become more sustainable, resilient and easier to runHow keeping it simple can actually generate more revenue with fewer expensesSeven simple business models with real-life examples and a breakdown of the math behind the revenuePlus two models for physical product-based businessesKey questions to consider when choosing a business modelLearn more about Tara McMullin:What WorksThe What Works PodcastInstagram: @tara_mcmullinYellowHouse.MediaLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!

Did you set a goal to take your business from $0 to $100,000 in 2022?You might think of dividing 100,000 by 365 and figure, “okay, I need to earn at least $274 per day and I’ll hit that mark.”But the first thing to know is that it isn’t going to happen that way.Most likely this process of going from zero to six figures over the next year is something that's going to happen exponentially.You're going to start slow. It'll seem like you aren't making any progress at all at first, but over time, your income will increase faster and faster.It will almost certainly be something of a rollercoaster, where you’ll earn more one month and less the next.It’s a two steps forward, one step back kind of experience.And that might not be what you want to hear, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s the truth.Keep listening to find out what else you need to know to hit that six-figure milestone in 2022.Listen to the full episode to hear:How to keep discouragement at bay so you keep putting in the work to hit six figuresWhy it’s okay to have some unknowns in your business planWhy you need to get to market quickly, even if your product isn’t yet perfectWhy your income might dip while you’re setting up scalable systemsHow to build a marketing and sales process that works for your businessLearn more about Gillian:Startup SocietyGet on the waitlist for VALIDATEProfit Planning ChallengeGet in touch!50 Service Business Ideas – Free Download