The Get Paid Podcast: The Stark Reality of Entrepreneurship and Being Your Own Boss

Failed launches. Products nobody wanted. A membership site with costly backend problems. Business coach Melanie Miller was so broke she couldn't pay for a course that could save her from mistakes, so instead she taught herself with a whole lotta trial and error. Now she makes money in her sleep with the coveted evergreen launch model and two online courses. In this episode you'll hear: -- How Melanie lost 70% of her business coaching client base in 6 weeks. -- How she learned to create a successful online course without investing in any programs or trainings (because she literally couldn't afford them). -- What didn't work when her current offering was a $47-monthly membership program. -- Why you can't join either of Melanie's courses today. -- Details on the evergreen launch set-up that drives conversions like crazy. -- How Melanie got over her icky feelings about creating false scarcity in her marketing. -- How "audience fatigue" has caused a drop in her profits, and what she's planning to do about it. -- Melanie's productivity hack that I'm trying to implement for myself right now. -- The surprising effect that creating marketing videos had on Melanie's business. -- The potential cost of not being yourself early on in your business.

Jessica Kupferman is the co-founder of She Podcasts and the Podcasting School for Women, who has been featured on The Social Media Examiner, Entrepreneur.com, TMZ, and Entrepreneur On Fire and many more. Jessica is a connection and influence consultant who helps content creators go deeper with their audience and connect, in order to create greater influence as a business strategy. Now she's back on the Get Paid Podcast to talk about making her yearly salary from an event for podcasters, dealing with grief, protecting business relationships, and how business owners can use social media to grow their podcast. "Just because I'm fat does not mean I'm a people pleaser. It means I like candy and you're about to get really disappointed. " — Jessica Kuperderman This Week on the Get Paid Podcast Making your yearly salary from an event [3:00] Why Jessica wants to retire her husband [3:50] Losing her daughter [4:24] The best kind of fat girl [13:00] Grief-shopping and 800 plastic tubs [14:10] "Who the fuck put all these leggings in here?" [15:01] Authority is in the eye of the beholder [23:02] Social media fatigue [25:04] Speaking fees and protecting business relationships [31:41] Crying in a bedroom closet [44:14] How to grow your podcast with social media [52:01] Podcasters do it for an audience [1:01:22] Resources Mentioned: Podcast Movement by Dan Franks Lady Business Radio by Jessica Kuperferman Agora Pulse Womansplaining: A Story About Addiction Biz Chix Podcast FinCon Kira Hug National Speakers Association (NSA) Tiny Leaps Big Changes Heil PR 30 Mic (For women) Heil PR 40 Mic (For men) Rode Pod Mic Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Connect with Jessica Kuperferman: Website Get Tickets to She Podcasts Live 2019 Twitter Free Facebook Ads Masterclass Today's episode is brought to you by our Free Facebook Ads Masterclass. Five ad formulae that sell online courses on autopilot. People tell me all the time that even thinking about getting started with Facebook and Instagram ads feels incredibly overwhelming, and I don't blame them. It isn't easy! That's why I recorded this masterclass to teach you about just 5 ads that you can use to sell more of your online course group program or mastermind. Sign up, watch it, and then I want you to just choose one of those five ads to focus on to start, get instant access to the training here. Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid.

Today on the show, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite people in the podcast world, and the person who inspired me to begin the Get Paid Podcast: Jessica Kupferman. Jessica is the host of the Lady Business Radio podcast and co-hosts the She Podcasts shows with Elsie Escobar – a show dedicated to helping women podcasters learn more about podcasting. Jessica allowed me to drill her on various aspects of the She Podcasts show, including questions about what the ladies are doing to rake in the dough for the show. I even had the opportunity to go from student to teacher and give Jessica my advice on what she could be doing to grow She Podcasts, and what I think she should stop spinning her wheels on.

Shenee Howard started her business at the tender age of 22. Over the past 7 years, she has worked with hundreds of businesses and built over 30 digital products and classes for women. Now, she helps business owners creatively name, explain and profit from the work they love to do. Shenee's back on the Get Paid Podcast to talk about being 'worksexual', taking a paycut to pursue a passion project, why branding is like life-coaching, and letting go of income goals. "When my students write good copy from my scripts, I get a copy boner. And I'm just like, 'Oh you did that? What a sentence.'" — Shenee Howard OR "In 2015, I was really trying to be a face like Marie Forleo, but now I just want to be like Dropbox." — Shenee Howard This Week on the Get Paid Podcast Why branding is like life coaching [02:42] Being worksexual [11:58] Do you want to be the Marie Forleo of business or the Dropbox? [24:28] Getting the fuck out of your own way [28:28] Being a special snowflake [32:27] The entrepreneurial gene [39:29] Taking a pay cut to sell memberships [43:25] Letting go of income goals [51:36] Tomato timers and focus strategies [54:47] Resources Mentioned: How To Do Instagram Like Will Smith by Sheenee Howard Show Your Work Money Words Monthly Actions by Moleskine Click Up Focus Keeper Connect with Shenee Howard: Website Instagram 240+ Precise Interests You Can Use In Your Targeting Today's episode is brought to you by a Google spreadsheet. People tell me all the time that choosing Facebook and Instagram ad targeting makes them want to throw their computer out the window and I don't blame them. There are a ton of options and that makes it easy for you to flush money down the Zuckerberg drain. So, I put together a big old list of what Facebook calls 'Interests' for you and a totally free spreadsheet separated out by niche. I also created a short PDF that explains how to go about using those interests so you don't waste a ton of time putting together your audience. Take the guessing out of Facebook and Instagram ad targeting. Get my glorious spreadsheet and explainer PDF here. Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid.

Brand strategy and brand copy is incredibly important in our businesses. Our brand image, design, logo, as well as the copy we produce can often send subliminal messages to our readers, clients, and potential customers about who we are, what we do, and why they should work with us. In today's episode, I talk with Brand Copy Strategist Shenee Howard about her view points on brand copy, style, strategy, and chemistry. Shenee, in my opinion, has become famous for her awesome email newsletters and GIFs. She also gets incredibly intimate with me about her business – from what drove her to become a successful entrepreneur to setbacks and doubts she has had over the course of her career as well as a few future aspirations she is looking to dive into!

Maggie started her first business at the age of seven and has been setting up small businesses ever since. A communications strategist with more than 20 years of experience, Maggie has made a career of working in and running small businesses. While she's worked with some of the world's biggest brands, she's always rooted for the scrappy underdog. Maggie owns Small Business Boss and Scoop Studios, where she helps small to mid-sized companies reach business goals through compelling content. Now she's back on the Get Paid Podcast for this week's episode of Where Are They Now, to talk about how her business has evolved since we last spoke in 2015. "I don't think there's a problem with an info product business, but I think too many service business owners don't maximize the potential of their business before they consider courses. " — Maggie Patterson This Week on the Get Paid Podcast Making $36k in affiliate income [3:46] Inside Maggie's content marketing agency [9:50] What makes small businesses toxic [21:35] Things to think about if you're considering a partnership [25:02] Landing corporate clients on LinkedIn [31:12] B-2-Aspirational B? [36:13] Why service owners aren't maximizing the potential of their business [46:48] Accessibility versus value [51:24] Entrepreneur + Mom =/= Mompreneur [1:15:18] Resources Mentioned: ConvertKit (<-- my affiliate link) Double It Mastermind by Small Business Boss The Society Membership by Small Business Boss Connect with Maggie Patterson: Small Business Boss Website Scoop Studios Website Small Business Boss Podcast Instagram Free Facebook Ads Masterclass Today's episode is brought to you by our Free Facebook Ads Masterclass. Five ad formulae that sell online courses on autopilot. People tell me all the time that even thinking about getting started with Facebook and Instagram ads feels incredibly overwhelming, and I don't blame them. It isn't easy! That's why I recorded this masterclass to teach you about just 5 ads that you can use to sell more of your online course group program or mastermind. Sign up, watch it, and then I want you to just choose one of those five ads to focus on to start, get instant access to the training here. Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid.

Copywriting, guest blogging, storytelling . . . if it has anything to do with writing the words that'll make you money, Maggie Patterson and her micro-marketing agency can handle it. But why did Maggie leave her cushy, well-paying corporate clients behind to roll the dice with an online business? And what does a business that provides SO many services actually look like? In this episode you'll hear: -- Why Maggie couldn't (and shouldn't) follow the advice that every business should "niche down." -- What it means to have an "offline" marketing business, plus how and why she made the switch and went online. -- How Maggie manages expectations of potential clients to avoid some awkward conversations down the line. -- The breakdown of her revenue sources from 2014, and the financial hit she took personally in terms of take-home pay. -- How Maggie prices out her retainer services when no two clients ever fit into the same "packages." -- The actual numbers of our individual lists and what we could do to get them to 10K in two months. -- The bizarre reason my own bank account was very low for most of June. -- What Maggie's in-person assistant does in 10 hours per month. -- The effect her podcast has on the business's bottom line. -- What Maggie says you can no longer hope for when it comes to guest posting (but why you should still be doing it).

Racheal Cook is an award winning business strategist who believes entrepreneurship doesn't have to be so complicated. Over the last decade, she's helped thousands of women entrepreneurs design predictably profitable businesses without the hustle and burnout. And this week, she's back on the Get Paid Podcast to talk to listeners about life-proofing her business, comparisonitis, and replacing webinars with ecosystems. "Instead of trying to push everybody into like a funnel, where if they don't enter at the right point they'll never hear about the offer. I've been building it like an ecosystem." - Rachael Cook This Week on the Get Paid Podcast Killing your darlings [6:46] Finding Your Online Business Soulmate [14:21] How Politics Affects Your Launches [17:03] Launch Stacking Ramit Sethi [23:03] Replacing Webinars with Ecosystems [26:33] The Intimacy of Instagram Stories [33:50] Comparisonitis when Shit Hits the Fan [35:42] Supporting Your Team by Finding them More Clients [43:48] Trade-offs and Figuring out Your Role in the Business [57:30] Resources Mentioned: Ramit Sethi The Sweet Spot Quiz by Rachael Cook Racahel's Previous Episode on GPP Sweet Spot Strategy CEO Retreat CEO Accelerator Guest Room Creative by Bethany Silva Rose Mark Creative by Kayla Rose Tarzan Kay Bench Linden Legal Strategies by Stinson Mundy Connect with Racharl Cook: Website Podcast Instagram 240+ Precise Interests You Can Use In Your Targeting Today's episode is brought to you by a Google spreadsheet. People tell me all the time that choosing Facebook and Instagram ad targeting makes them want to throw their computer out the window and I don't blame them. There are a ton of options and that makes it easy for you to flush money down the Zuckerberg drain. So, I put together a big old list of what Facebook calls 'Interests' for you and a totally free spreadsheet separated out by niche. I also created a short PDF that explains how to go about using those interests so you don't waste a ton of time putting together your audience. Take the guessing out of Facebook and Instagram ad targeting. Get my glorious spreadsheet and explainer PDF here. Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid.

You gotta spend money to make money, and Racheal spends hers on people. People who are doing tasks that SHE could definitely do herself. You've heard it before: don't be the bottleneck in your business. But it's so much easier said than done. This interview with Racheal had me taking a closer look at the people I work with, what else they could take on for me, and the possibilities all that free time could lend towards. In this episode you'll hear: -- How Racheal priced her consulting services when she was just starting out with small business owners. -- How and why she did the opposite of niching down. -- What Racheal did to boost her sales conversion rate from 1.5% to 4.5% when launching the same program yet again. -- How you can use video game theory in your programs to increase retention rates. -- Details on the 6-figure team that allows Racheal to work 30 hours a week running 2 separate businesses, plus her revenue numbers for 2014. -- How bringing on a CFO has dramatically changed her business for the better. -- What Racheal isn't very good at. (Confirmation that she's not a god among men!)

Tara McMullin (formerly Gentile) is back for our very first Where Are They Now episode. Tara's the founder & host of What Works. She's been connecting small business owners through mastermind groups and online community for over a decade. Whether on the podcast or in the online network, her goal is to facilitate the free flow of ideas, information, and inspiration between entrepreneurs. She believes that no one person has the answer to "what works" in small business–but that, together, we can create a living, breathing knowledge-base of real-world solutions to all of our small business challenges. "We use different levels of service. They're operational levels as opposed to a pricing, marketing, or customer levels. I'm not building a business model to help people move from one level to another. I'm providing three different service options for them." – Tara McMullin This Week on the Get Paid Podcast How changing her name affected both her personal life and business [2:47] What Donald Trump and small businesses have in common [12:17] Cult of Personality VS. Personality-based Brands [15:51] Is Instagram contributing to the rise of cults? [18:05] Realizing that she didn't know how to market her business one year in [25:45] Building a business around conversations [28:24] Authoritarianism and Steamrolling Consent in List Building [40:15] Pricing strategies that Marginalize People of Color [47:55] Aspirational Pricing versus Value-based Pricing [51:01] Applications: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly [55:22] Should you be promoting your podcast on Medium? [57:51] Advice Culture and Why it's Harmful [1:01:03] Navigating pay cuts as an Enneagram 3 [01:18:32] Resources Mentioned: The Bon Appétit Channel Dismantling Systems of Oppression in Business by Tara McMullin Money + Misdirection by Hillary Weiss Claire's Episode on What Works: Rebuilding Your Business After A Break Connect with Tara McMullin: Website Podcast Instagram Free Facebook Ads Masterclass Today's episode is brought to you by our Free Facebook Ads Masterclass. Five ad formulae that sell online courses on autopilot. People tell me all the time that even thinking about getting started with Facebook and Instagram ads feels incredibly overwhelming, and I don't blame them. It isn't easy! That's why I recorded this masterclass to teach you about just 5 ads that you can use to sell more of your online course group program or mastermind. Sign up, watch it, and then I want you to just choose one of those five ads to focus on to start, get instant access to the training here. Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid.