From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Darl,
Buckle up because I’m about to show you some really cool things when it comes to filling your online course.
E-Learning is a $165 billion dollar industry and today there are a zillion courses to choose from.
Just type in a topic and the word ‘course’ into Google and see what comes up.
Today you can learn to trade on the stock market, cure a range of ailments, deep sea dive, calmly put a fussing baby to sleep, create a million dollar brand or turn your pipedream into startup…
All without going to college, attending a night class or even leaving your living room.
Course creation has exploded but before you start thinking that you’re too late to the party…STOP.
E-learning is just getting warmed up and there is still a massive piece of the course creation pie to claim.
The good news too is that you are encoded with a unique Genius Zone that shows people the way out of their most painful frustrations.
And what makes it so special that it comes from you…no one else has the blend of knowledge, skill and experience that you do.
The key is pulling that knowledge out of your head and arranging it in a way that’s simple to consume.
However…what the current state of the course creation industry shows, is that you have to get super specific in what you teach, and who you are teaching to.
While there’s still enormous opportunity, course creation is already a cluttered market, and the only way to stand out is to niche down.
So whether you’re showing how to cook gluten-free vegan food or build a riad in Morocco, the key is to get super specific and…
Use what I call a ‘Build It Backwards’ approach to filling your course…
Where you launch it before it’s completely finished.
Ever since I stumbled upon this controversial approach, I use it to fill every single course I create.
In fact I’ve broken $20 million in course sales since applying it.
But it wasn’t always like this.
My first course that I spent months mapping out and creating completely flopped.
It made just $37, barely enough to buy a wine and a burger at my local bar.
And the truth is creating a course from start to finish then selling it DOES NOT WORK.
You might make a handful of sales, but there’s a better way to fill your course without wasting time or money that I felt compelled to show you today.
And, what I’m about to show you is a little controversial, and a lot of the gurus out here aren’t telling you this kind of stuff.
I don’t know whether it’s because people keep these things secret or they just don’t know any other way.
But I want to tell you the honest truth when it comes to filling a course…
Because when I first started I did a lot of things the wrong way around and as a result, wasted a lot of time and money.
I learnt this Build It Backwards approach completely by accident when I sold a course before I even made it.
I was running a workshop and the offers I had weren’t selling, so I quickly presented this new course idea to the room.
I had to practically pick my jaw up off the floor when 70% of the room came up and joined my non-existant course.
I then had to deliver, right?
I told them I was so excited to have them inside and that I’d be sending an email in the next three business days.
It was a Thursday, which left the weekend.
So I put my tail up and pumped out this course out super quickly.
Sidenote: Today I have a strategy to create courses like clockwork. You can find it here.
What I learned from that point, is that I need to build every course this way.
But a lot of people out there still spend too much time building their course from start to finish, then push it out.
And I get it. It’s scary putting yourself out there. What if it flops? What if no one buys it? What if you get rejected?
But, do you know what’s even worse?
Spending months, even years creating a course only to launch it and hear crickets.
And realising that you can’t fill it because you slightly misread your market…
Or because you spent so long creating it, they moved on to the next thing.
So this is what I recommend you do.
Build the first module; the first two at the most.
You only need the first module to launch, but if you want to be really safe and you’re a little bit nervous, then you can do the first two.
Once the first two modules are done, launch it…and start making money.
The great news is, if your course idea doesn’t stick then you know you’ve missed the mark and you can refund the few students who joined.
You haven’t just spend months creating a whole course that won’t sell, and you can pivot, repackage it and push it out again.
Next, you will want to fill your course and the way I recommend doing this is to first calculate your freedom metric.
This is the monthly turnover of sales where all your bills are covered and you can start to breathe a little.
$20,000 per month is where most of my students start.
Then, depending on where your course is priced, calculate how many spots you have to sell to reach your freedom matric.
It could be 540 mini courses valued at $27.
Or 20 high-ticket courses valued at $1,000.
Or 4 high-ticket courses with one-to-one coaching added in, valued at $5000.
I delve more into course price points and what to include in each price bracket here.
Then, start filling your course using some free and low-cost traffic strategies.
While today we spend millions on Facebook Ads to get students into my programs, I’m still a fan of free and low-cost traffic strategies that got the ball rolling on my first successful course.
That course went on to make $5 million from very little upfront investment.
Posting value-adding comments into those groups to establish credibility and trust, before eventually befriending the people inside and bringing them over to your page.
(Note: you do this before you launch your course to first build up a following).
And of course low cost advertising starting from as little as $5-$10 per day.
(I delve deeper into my free traffic strategies here.)
As students come into your course, you just have to stay a week in front of them in creating and drip-releasing the modules to them…
All the while garnering their feedback to let you keep refining the content so it covers exactly what your market craves.
So there you have it in a nutshell; powerful yet very simple stuff.
I’m so glad you could jump in today and get a glimpse into this controversial way to sell and fill your online course.
Let me know what successes you’ve had in putting your Genius Zone out into the world.
xx
Grace
Want more free traffic strategies to fill your course? Get access to this PLUS my proven Course Creation Blueprint to take you from idea phase to launch day at my upcoming Course Creation Virtual Workshop this week. Secure your seat for just $47 USD now!
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely Lady,
And in this quick post, we’re going to share with you 5 surprising ways to rapidly increase your online course sales… without a big following.
After a decade of creating over dozens of courses, which to date have generated over $21m dollars and hosted 50,000 students…
We’ve picked up hack or two to fill our own courses for free.
Hacks that are actually free, too.
(Sometimes ‘free’ comes at the “low” price of hundreds, but these are actually free 😉
It’s all about leveraging your own personal distribution network…
HUH?!
Well, you see, Starbucks is so successful and sells so much coffee because they have invested in developing their own distribution network.
It’s no accident that they position their stores where they do.
They choose the street corners with the highest traffic, right?!
This is how they get “eyeballs” on their offer (which is their coffee, of course)..
By identifying where their market are most present, and putting themselves smack bang in the middle.
Ummm… So What Does Starbucks Have To Do With Your Online Course?
Well, as coaches, consultants, and course creators, we need to develop and leverage our own distribution network…
Aka. We need to find where our market are most present, and put our own steaming hot, but less caffeinated offer in front of them.
How do we do this?
Well, whether you know it or not, you probably already have your own distribution network set up…
You’re just not tapping into it.
If you’re not already using these free mediums and distribution networks…
You’re probably wasting thousands of dollars trying to get your offer in front of a few.
But that’s the power of your personal distribution network:
It’s Full Of People Who Already Know You, Like You, And Trust You…
Who will be excited to purchase your course…
Without you having to spend a dollar!
Let me show you how I teach my students to fill their course with these types of students, using their own organic distribution network.
Emailing your prospects, whether they’re cold or hot, using some simple and short engagement strategies is a really effective approach, but…
My Favourite Way To Draw In That Traffic Is Through Harnessing The Power Of Facebook
(And Here Are 5 Surprising Ways You Can Leverage Your Personal Distribution Network On Facebook)
#1: Using Facebook Groups
Join Facebook Groups specific to your niche…
And start connecting with your ideal clients there.
This will be a prime space for you to share value to your market…
By commenting…
Sharing posts…
Liking posts…
And establishing yourself as an expert.
Finding these groups is simple:
Just type in something of interest to your prospects, OR something that describes them…
Eg. “Female Entrepreneurs”, or “Mums In Melbourne”, or “Divorce Support Group”, or “Dog Trainers” etc.
Join as many groups as you can… and get connecting.
#2: Add New Friends
Add anyone who engages in you in those Facebook Groups…
Aka: if they like, comment, or share on your content…
Add them as a new friend 🙂
Worst case scenario? They decline.
Best case scenario? You have a hot new lead and potential dream client!
#3: Harnessing Facebook Messenger
The next surprising step is to engage those new friends through Facebook Messenger.
Now…
You don’t want to go straight to the jugular here in terms of the sale…
“HEY FRIEND, buy from me, buy from me, buy from me!”
That’ll send them packing (or blocking) pretty quick.
You want to use Messenger instead to start a conversation with your clients…
To find out what their needs are…
And to see if your online course could help them with those needs.
Then, you simply invite them to join the course through a consult, or send them straight to the sales page to register.
Simple, personal, and powerful.
#4: Make Your Facebook Profile POP
When those new friends you add accept your request…
They’ll most likely check out your Facebook Profile to find out who you are.
So it’s really important that you’ve established a professional, credible reputation.
It’s not hard to do this though…
All you need to do is start making really value-adding posts on your personal profile.
This is such a powerful way to position yourself as an authority to everyone who follows you, right?!
The posts should be:
Leadership Posts…
Case studies of clients you’ve worked with…
Testimonials, and…
Call to Actions (ie. selling your online course 🙂
I’d recommend posting 3 times a week… 1st, a leadership post. 2nd, a case study. 3rd, a value-adding call-to-action…
Like a free consult, in which you can teach your market something valuable, and then sell your course.
You can hide these posts from your friends and family if you’re worried about spamming them too…
And similarly, you can hide your photos of your kids and pets from potential clients.
Just Google “How To Make Facebook Friends Lists” and you’ll find what you need 🙂
#5: Go Live On Facebook!
If you want to take things to the next level, I highly recommend Facebook Lives too.
Your network will see you as an even greater authority, and they’ll get to know you, like you and trust you quicker.
I love boosting these presentations with another one of Facebook’s tools, which really ramps up my consult booking and course sales 🙂
So, rather than spending millions on property to create a distribution network, like Starbucks…
You can manufacture yours for free, and still get instant exposure to hundreds of thousands of eyeballs…
By tapping into the social media assets that are probably sitting in your back pocket right now.
Exciting, right?!
All of these simple tips and tricks will really bridge that gap between you and your clients…
Practically leading them by the hand to your irresistible high-ticket course offer!
Can You See How Powerful This Would Be For Your Business?
And can you see how you already have that personal distribution network I talked about?
You just need to tap into it…
And you don’t need to spend thousands!
You don’t even have to spend cents…
You just need some tried and true free traffic strategies to start filling your course (and your bank account!).
Exciting right?!
Let me know if you try out any of these hot hacks…
Xx
Grace
Want more free traffic strategies to fill your course? Get access to this PLUS my proven Course Creation Blueprint to take you from idea phase to launch day at my upcoming Course Creation Virtual Workshop this week. Secure your seat for just $47 USD now!
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
Welcome to this blog where we’re going to blitz everything to know about course creation in a snapshot.
Well…almost everything…course creation is constantly evolving.
However, there are a few key tenants to successful course creation and if you grasp these…
I promise it’s going to be so much easier to unpack the Genius Zone in your head…And wrap it up into your own stunning and successful course.
So, grab a pen, paper, close the door and turn off all distractions.
That includes your phone and social media!
I’m going to hold your hand and walk through this.
What I want to do right now is to set the scene.
I need to get your head in the game when it comes to creating an online course.
There are some myths. There are some mindset blocks.
There are some things that rule people out of this space, and I guess, particularly as female entrepreneurs, we limit our opportunities.
We don’t realize that there are diamonds in our own backyard when it comes to turning what’s in our head into a profitable online course.
So first things first. I need you to know that there are people spending money learning your Genius Zone this minute.
In fact, e-learning, last I checked, was worth $165 billion.
This includes business and personal development in a whole range of niches.
So whether you’re a parenting coach or a social media consultant…
Or you’re really great at gardening or teaching people how to write books…
Whatever it is that you show people to do, there’s a market out there paying money to learn that online.
These people out there who genuinely need you; they’ve got a problem because they don’t have your Genius Zone.
Which is why you need to put it out into the world.
You are the person who can solve that problem and get paid incredibly well doing it.
If we break this down, just to give you perspective, over $3,300 is spent online each second on online courses.
So it’s time to get your part of this pie.
And this number is growing dramatically; like 15% to 20% a year.
You can get into this space and you don’t have to know heaps of tech.
You don’t have to have heaps of money in the bank.
You don’t even have to have a Kylie Jenner-level following to get a piece of this multi-billion dollar industry.
The power of this online course space is that it can take you and your business from working exclusively and forever in a one-to-one environment…
And take you to working in a one-to-many business model.
You do the work once and it’s done.
So whether you’ve got one student in your course or 10,000, the workload of the content remains the same…
And that’s my whole mission and focus as a female entrepreneur – to uncap time by automating.
Of course, once you build this course and you’ve got that one-to-many element, the world opens up.
You’ve freed up your most valuable asset; time, that’s decreasing every moment you are breathing on this planet.
You will also have more freedom with money.
You’ve removed the cap on your earnings potential and, you have the freedom to be based anywhere.
When I started building online courses, I was able to leave the hustle and bustle of Sydney because it was really stressful for me to live in that city.
I found it really busy and intense and I’m more of a country girl. I love the hills lifestyle. I love to slow things down.
So only when I’d created my course was I able to pick up from the big smoke, pick my favorite place in the country to live and move there.
It was a really important part of my freedom.
So, at this point you might be starting to imagine what could be possible if you had a whole new-found freedom in time, money and location for you and your family.
Now I want you to particularly pay attention to the money aspect of creating a course.
A course is not a side hustle. It’s not a side project or a hobby. It’s an asset and I need you to start thinking of your course in this way.
What you’re doing is building an asset that will end up becoming worth more than a lot of people’s homes. That’s huge.
My very first course that I started selling at workshops made just $37 and that was because I did it completely wrong.
So, I’m going to save you all that trial and error.
(And sobbing on the kitchen floor.)
Then came my second course (which is officially my first, as I burnt that $37 disaster from my mind).
I started selling that course at workshops and it sold so well that it ended up generating over $1 million dollars in its first 12 months.
The second course I built made its first million in 90 days.
Would you like to learn how to do that?
This is really mind blowing stuff and I don’t want to keep it all to myself.
I remember hearing the pings every time a course sale came through my phone.
I had to turn them off ‘cause it was pinging too much.
Course creation has totally transformed my business, which is why I’m so glad you are here.
Are you seeing the power of this? Pretty cool, right?
So when it comes to money, you are building an asset.
I want you to recognize too that when you’re building a course, there are a number of different types of courses, or different ways you can use courses in your business.
In fact there are 5 different ways of using a course.
The first way is using it as a tripwire. A ‘tripwire course’ could be priced anywhere from $1 to $37.
(Actually, I hate the word tripwire and just feel it’s negative! I like to call them ‘front door offers’ instead.)
So this is where you’re creating a super mini course, like something that’s maybe got 3 ‘how-to’ videos.
Simple.
You can charge a dollar up to $37 for that easily, right?
And that’s a great way to build that first customer trust and have that initial transaction that can hopefully turn into a lifelong relationship.
So that first type of course the $37 model.
You’ve then got courses from $37 to that $297 mark, right?
I call these ones ‘mini-courses’ or ‘front door’ courses.
Next level up are your main online programs. These start at the $500 price point all the way up to $2,000.
This is where you’ve got a 6-8 module online program where people are working through it, and often in those online programs there might even be group calls.
So you could have this more as a group coaching program where you might have a call a week for everyone to jump into.
Next level up from that is a one-on-one offer, through to high-end masterminds.
One-on-one offers start anywhere from $2K, and it’s where you have a 6-8 module course supplemented with a one-on-one coaching component.
And this goes through to a high-end mastermind, where you charge anywhere up to $100K.
You have to be pretty good at what you do to charge a $100K, but it’s easier to do a $2K, $5K or $10K mastermind.
I’ve got lots of girlies in my community who are smashing courses at all of these levels.
So, if you’ve already got a one-on-one coaching program, why not supplement that with your course?
Do you see the power of that?
Where your clients have access to an online training portal they can move through in their own time…
I use this approach in most of the one-on-one offers I run; in fact we use a course portal to supplement almost everything we offer.
Then finally you’ve got a membership program that provides continuity.
This is where the money is coming in, month after month.
Where the glory starts to happen.
Membership programs can range anywhere from $17 up to $297 a month – that kind of price point.
You’ve got to have a good program, however, you’re not having to work so hard every month for the sale.
So these are the five different types of courses.
I love the two middle ones – creating a program and either doing some group calls with it and pricing it around the $500 to $2000 point…
(I’ve done lots of $1,000 to $2,000 courses like that.)
Then, I love being able to add on a one-on-one call, maybe every second week over six weeks.
And that’s where you can charge a really premium price.
You can use the same course portal as you do for lower ticket offers; you just have to market it differently.
So can you see how you’re taking the content in the portal and breaking it down into different types of offers at different price points?
This means that no matter where people are in their journey, you have a solution for everyone at every level.
I hope you’ve found this super valuable.
Already, you’re starting to think like a seven-figure entrepreneur, and that’s exactly how you need to be thinking to tap into this $165 billion dollar e-learning industry. 🙂
xx
Grace
Are you curious what kind of questions 6-figure female entrepreneurs are asking their mentors? Do you want to avoid simply being a spectator, and truly make the most out of your mentor? Download my free resource for 40 more questions you should be asking your mentor now.
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
Grace here!
And I’m pretty sure you have more fun with a little sparkle in your life…
Or at least that’s the message I got from one of the members of my Diamond Doers Mastermind after our Expert Days event last week.
She was bang on too… we DID have a lot more fun! And not only at our #ShineBrightLikeADiamond themed cocktail party either 😉
Because my mind of fun? Well that looks sort of like this:
An entire room of smart-working women choosing to build the kind of business they want to work in.
It looks like women celebrating each other, and building each other up.
It looks like being coachable, and having the humility to hear the hard truths…
So we can learn from our mistakes, and be better than before, right?!
Okay, it also looks like drinking signature cocktails, and dancing all night around my patio in sequin ballgowns, but maybe that’s just me 😉
Listen up: if you think the women that hustle the hardest, go the farthest… you’re mistaken.
It’s finding a mentor to keep you accountable, celebrating the good, learning from the mistakes, and staying coachable… those are the markers of the women who “make it”.
My Diamond Doers girlies above are proof of that…
But you can be too.
Are you curious what kind of questions 6-figure female entrepreneurs are asking their mentors? Download my free resource for 40 more questions you should be asking your mentor now.
You see, across our Mastermind Event last week, where 20 of my highest level clients gathered in my teams HQ…
I noticed some common questions being asked of myself, and my Expert team.
Questions that made US think what we’d reply with…
Questions that made my clients get the kind of answers they’d need to have confidence moving forward in their own businesses.
Yep, these are the kind of questions these high-level women with 6-figure coaching businesses were asking of their mentors…
So they could make the most of the Experts around them.
And if you’d like to join the ranks of women like these, why not ask the same questions of YOUR business mentors too…
So you can avoid simply being a spectator to successful people, but start harnessing their Genius Zones to transform your business too.
18 questions 6-figure female entrepreneurs ask their mentors:
- What do you wish you had known before taking your first leadership-based role?
- How did you learn to embrace risk-taking? And how do you know when it’s worth taking the risk?
- I tried to delegate a task last week, and it didn’t work. What steps would you take for it to work better next time?
- What do you think my strengths are and which ones do you think I need to exercise more?
- How would you describe me to others if they asked?
- What would you do if you were me in this situation?
- How can I become more assertive in my consult calls?
- Do you have any quick tips for re-energizing an overworked team?
- Can you recommend a book or resource for dealing with difficult conversations?
- What can you recommend for dealing with nerves on camera?
- What are the top things I should know about copywriting/Instagram/Facebook ads/consult calls/online courses/graphic design/event planning (or whatever your Mentor’s top strength is)?
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a mentor of your own?
- What little things do you do every day to look after your own health and avoid burn out?
- How do you balance work and life? What kinds of things do you talk to your husband/wife about in terms of business?
- What’s your biggest motivator in business?
- How do you divide your time throughout the day?
- What do you wish you’d done differently with your first hires?
- Do you have a goal setting approach that works?
To see 40 more questions like these, click here to download my resource for FREE.
Do you want to avoid simply being a spectator, and truly make the most out of your mentor? Download my free resource for 40 more questions you should be asking your mentor now.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from a business mentor?
Add a comment below and let me know.
Xx
Grace
Taking the right steps in your business is key to longevity and success. Find out what they are and why skipping them is actually more expensive and can take longer! Then, if you would like support and accountability so you know that you are working in the right stage of your business, join my Doers Inner Circle on a $47 Trial today!
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
I believe there are three steps or stages in the evolution of a coach or consultant…
Three steps from start-up to a fully-fledged, seven or eight-figure business.
And that not following them can be a much longer and steeper climb to the top.
If there was a time when you put too much on your plate, only to disappoint yourself when you fell short of your goals and expectations…
Or if you are continually looking sideways and comparing…
I want you to know it’s not your fault.
It’s so easy to get pulled into scrolling the highlight reel that is social media…
Where life looks brighter, fresher and faster.
But remember it’s just that…a highlight reel.
I sometimes catch myself comparing, but I know my time is better spent looking beyond.
When I do competitor research, I’m in and I’m out. I keep it short and sweet.
And I want you to consider this too:
Falling short of your goals and expectations – whether they’re financial, collaboration, distribution or comparison based…
Or if you simply fall short of the number followers eyeballing your content…
(Remembering that what really counts is engagement…:-)
Then this is what you should know.
We are all in different stages of business and taking the right steps, in the right order, is key to longevity and success.
So you might be in stage 1, and comparing yourself to someone in stage 3.
It’s like comparing apples and oranges!
And where you are is relative.
Without taking the right steps, I would have burned out (and who knows, maybe packed up!) a long time ago.
I would have lost faith in myself and in my business simply because I didn’t follow the right steps in the right order.
(And for the record, I’ve failed, reset and restarted multiple times. I truly believe success knowing how and when to pivot.)
The truth is, there is a way to grow your business, and skipping stages or trying to do #allthethings isn’t just expensive, it actually takes longer.
Trust me, I see it every single day.
And, what I’m about to tell you is a little controversial.
Because every day it appears that successful businesses are just thrown together, balls against the wall and just somehow magically come together.
But I honestly believe there is a map to follow, where you have to do the right things in the right order.
I’m not saying you can’t jump steps, but if you do it will be more expensive, take longer and feel harder.
And if you’re anything like me, you want to make growing your dream as achievable as possible.
So, Lovely Lady, these are the three stages in the evolution of a coach or consultant.
Face-Face / 1:1 – This is the front line where you are hands-on in serving individual clients, and you might have 10 of them.
Like an interior designer doing interior design, or a health coach stepping into a gym or a kitchen to coach.
You can command a higher rate because of the personalised service you are providing and it’s also the perfect time to gather testimonials, reviews and build a firm client base.
Online 1:1 – This is exactly like the first step, except without the face-to-face.
So you’re serving at least 10 clients, you’ve basically established the foundation and trust, and at this point you can start to remove geographical limits.
You pull yourself from the front line and you’re doing consults using a platform like Zoom.
At this point you might also start thinking about putting your knowledge into a course that students can pick up and implement 24/7.
1:Many – This is where you start coaching groups.
You start uncapping your time and scaling with multiple online courses that run 24/7.
Your business keeps ticking even while you rest, and even while you’re taking that laptop-free holidays in the Bahamas 🙂
So, if you’re in startup and expecting to launch a course in weeks, slow down!
It’s not the right time yet.
You could do all three of these stages in as quickly as a year.
But I promise you, if you sit in each stage and nail it, you will have the foundation to move into the next stage so much quicker.
I find that 90% of the time, the women who burn out have skipped a stage and in most cases they just can’t figure out what went wrong.
I tell these women to come back a step for four to six months and once they’re in that stage and making money, it’s so much easier to transition to the next.
It’s kinda like when you want to get a university degree, right?
You don’t just show up at the Dean’s office and get that piece of paper because you’re committed.
Nope! You go to the classes. Do the groundwork. Practice your craft and then prove you are good.
And then once you pass, you get that piece of paper to step up to the next level…
That seven to eight-figure business in the 1:Many stage 🙂
So Lovely Lady…
If you think you have to pack everything in, and start where you want to be, it’s time to recalibrate your expectations.
If you would like support and accountability so you know that you are working in the right stage of your business, join my Doers Inner Circle on a $47 Trial today!
xx
Grace
Are you wanting to grow your business… but the thought of hiring a huge team terrifies the heck out of you? Check out this blog post to reveal how automation allowed me to grow an 8-figure team with only a small, loyal team. Then, check out how you can get ongoing support and accountability to do the same, by joining my Doers Inner Circle on a $47 Trial.
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
If you’re feeling burnt out by 2019…
And worried that you’ll only become more trapped, exhausted, and stressed come 2020…
Then this is a post you NEED to hear.
You see, I learnt the really-hard way that…
We will never accidentally just stumble upon a 6- or 7-figure business.
Especially not a business that respects your lifestyle…
Brings you joy every day you work in it…
And allows you to make a significant impact on the world.
Businesses like these don’t just happen… They are designed to be this way.
Designed by intentional, smart-working women…
Women with a roadmap, and accountability…
Not women who are overwhelmed and overworked like I was.
I hit rock bottom about 18 months ago.
For me, that meant chronic disease 🙁
I’d spent a decade as an entrepreneur, building “successful” businesses over and over again…
(I say “successful” in quotations, because while they were “successful” for my bank account, they were NOT for my life.)
I was now four years into my current business, working with other female entrepreneurs…
And it was really starting to gain traction.
I was serving a market I loved, and seeing my clients experience real transformations daily…
But in the meantime, my:
- Marriage was crumbling…
- Friendships were dissolving…
- Family were distancing themselves from me…
- And my own personal health and wellbeing were deteriorating day by day.
I didn’t realise how far gone I was… until it was too late.
Because as a business owner, it’s all on your shoulders, right?
The vision, growth, and direction of your business…
It’s all on you.
And as the head and heart of our business, we need to be the strongest part of it…
But I did not feel strong in the slightest.
Actually, I felt like the tiniest bump would make me crumble into a thousand pieces.
Does that sound familiar in your business and life too? Do you feel like the weak link, instead of the strongest tie holding it all together?
Wish you had someone looking out for you in your business? Join my Doers Inner Circle today and get 75% off your first 30-days.
Sure, I’d had tough times in my business before this season…
Times when I’d wondered, “How is this going to be sustainable?! How can I do this for another day, let alone another decade?!”
But 18 months ago it all came to a head, and I ended up in a hospital with no choice but to stop.
I was so confused… totally lost.
I didn’t have answers.
I’d taken everything I’d learnt from the past decade, and used it to grow a business that I thought would work.
But it wasn’t working.
I had the systems in place to create a lasting business…
I thought systems = success?!
My business was automated…
It was streamlined…
It was impacting hundreds of women across the country…
So why was I sitting in this hospital bed, wearing an unflattering gown and compression socks, IV-deep in burn out?!
Those compression socks were the catalyst for realising something pretty profound though:
You see, while I thought that it was all about the systems that were in place…
(And don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for systems!)
I realised that building a lasting business was so, so, soooo much deeper than that.
Beyond creating a strong business, I needed to make sure that I, as a female entrepreneur, was built to last as well.
I was working too hard in all the wrong things…
I was neglecting my own well being for the sake of a sale…
I was carrying the weight of every stress, and every mistake myself…
I was never not working in some capacity… 12 hour days… checking emails at the dinner table… sending invoices during date night…
And I had no support built around me to catch me when I (inevitably) fell down.
I knew I needed to start rebuilding myself in a sustainable way, so I could be the strongest part of my business again.
I basically ‘audited’ my entire life, which was humbling… and slightly depressing.
I focussed in on EVERY part of it…
My health, finances, relationships, marriage, business, my fun-times, my faith, my philanthropy, my hobbies and passions…
And was able to identify exactly what was being neglected…
Then, piece by piece, I was able to take a practical Doing attitude to strengthen those parts back up.
Lean on the support of over 2,000 female entrepreneurs inside my Doers Inner Circle. Try it out for $47 USD today.
I quickly realised that my one-woman-band approach wasn’t doing me any favours.
Without a team, I’d just created a job for myself 🙁
Sure, I could work in my PJ’s and skip the commute…
But also left me personally responsible for every dollar of income my business generated.
I want a day off? I don’t make money.
I want a holiday? I don’t make money.
I end up in hospital? I don’t make money.
That was not a business or a lifestyle that was built to last…
So I set aside my fear, and built a team around me instead.
The audit also made me realise just how toxic the support systems I had around me were…
So I began to become extra-intentional when it came to my circle of influence.
I stopped talking business with the people who were judgemental, sceptical and unsupportive.
I started surrounding myself with people at a higher level than me…
People who could pull me up to bigger and better things…
Instead of people who took it as their personal responsibility to “keep me humble” 😉
More and more…
The picture of my dream-lifestyle became increasingly vivid in my mind…
And I was able to design a business that integrated with my dream-life, instead of the other way around!
Note, I’m not talking about work-life balance here.
Balance isn’t a thing, in case you’re still striving for it.
No one actually feels like their work and their life is perfectly balanced…
It’s about work-life integration.
That’s a beautiful place to be… When your life and business connect and strengthen each other… that’s a beautiful thing.
Creating this lifestyle business took time…
And the dreaming and planning for a better life came easier than actually putting in the work to build it up…
But it’s 18 months later, and I would never want to go back.
Building a business doesn’t have to be lonely. Tap into the support and accountability of The Doers Inner Circle for 75% off your first month.
Now, my marriage is stronger than it has ever been… and I’m a better wife than I’ve ever been before as well…
My responsibilities as a sister, daughter, and friend are being met, so my friendships are richer as a result…
My health is better, now I’ve learnt how to not only manage, but eliminate stress…
I’m freed up to pour more love and care into being an auntie…
And beyond that, I’ve been freed up to start fostering the most gorgeous little delight as well.
All of this, by intentionally designing a life I love.
And my business?
It’s bigger than ever.
In the last 12 months alone, my numbers have more-than-doubled… and yet, I haven’t experienced any more stress or pain as a result!
It’s calmer, smarter, and more profitable than ever before…
Because I redesigned it to be a business that is built to last.
I’m not saying that to brag… I’m saying that so you can see that building a profitable, lifestyle business doesn’t just happen.
What happens are stressful, obsessive, overdone, life-draining businesses.
They appear overnight…
But creating a lifestyle business you actually enjoy has to be done by design.
And that actually has more to do with YOU as a female entrepreneur than anything, or anyone else…
Because making sure you’re built to last too… well, that’s the most important part.
Xx
Grace
Want help knowing where to start doing to turn theory into reality? Secure a 30-day, risk-free trial of my Doers Inner Circle for just $47 USD.
Need help freeing up hours in your day? Would you like to learn how to automate your business and outsource work so you can focus on what only you need to do? Sign up for a $47 trial for The Doers Inner Circle today and you will claim hours back in your week before you know it!
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
What I feel the most as a business owner who has 14 million tasks, 26 staff, another business in the pipeline and family who lives over the place…
Is that time is ticking.
I think it’s a vibe and a stress point we’re all feeling at the moment!
And time is the resource that I value the most.
Because unlike money, it’s the one thing that I can’t replenish, make back or buy.
But…I don’t think that lack of time is a valid excuse for not showing up anymore.
Because from experience, we mostly run out of time when it’s not valued right.
If reading this is making you think ‘But Grace, how many more tasks can I possibly fit into my day?!’, just hear me out for a second.
It’s said that every single person in the world has the same 24 hours.
But I want you to stop believing you have the same 24 hours as Beyonce…
(Or whoever else’s name is on that inspirational quote card 🙂
Beyonce doesn’t have the same bunch of tasks on her plate that you do.
As much as she might achieve in a day; run the world and do it looking like a glamazon…
Running a business can sometimes feel like you are carrying the world on your shoulders.
(And it can feel like a lonely place under all that weight too.)
So instead of trying to pack everything into 24 hours, there’s a much smarter way to fit the most into each day.
Where you’re not crushed under all the doing.
And it starts with a truth bomb, so stick with me 🙂
It might just cast a new light on the way you plan and organise each day from this moment on.
If you don’t financially know what your time is worth, you can’t respect it.
And you will get stuck in a vortex of tasks that you shouldn’t be doing, at the cost of your goals.
Lovely Lady, these are my top tips for respecting your time, and packing the most into each day.
- Figure out your financial goal – i.e. $5K per week.
- Divide that by the number of hours you want to spend working – i.e. 24 per week. You’ve just calculated your hourly rate.
- Pull up that rate before you do any task. Because if you can pay someone less, then you’ve just freed yourself up to tasks that are worth thousands of dollars.
To put it into context, the CEO of McDonalds isn’t flipping burgers – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but his high-value tasks are worth thousands of dollars an hour.
When I began a business, I started outsourcing tasks on Fiverr and Freelancer early on.
And my matra today is ‘I will only do what I can only do’.
It mentality switches up everything.
So next time you pick up a task, ask yourself if it’s automatable. 90% of business tasks are.
And ask yourself if it’s worth your hourly rate.
If not, outsource it, delegate it and start freeing up hours in your day.
xx
Grace
Want help building your business online? Wish you had a simple and proven roadmap to follow, instead of the guesswork? Get a $47 trial of The Doers Inner Circle today, and you’ll have clarity and confidence implementing this strategy faster.
From The Desk Of Beth Richardson
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
So, Instagram…
I’m sure you’ve heard of it.
It’s big (and it’s growing).
But, even as marketing-ninjas (who consider ourselves ahead of the game when it comes to the latest and greatest opportunities online)…
We couldn’t believe just how big this particular opportunity actually was.
Check out the 10 stats below that blew our minds…
And let us know if they shocked you too:
1. Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users…
… and 63% of those users login at least once per day.
So, you can see why we’re kinda sceptical when people say their market “aren’t on Instagram”, right?
Oh, but I coach businessmen, and Instagram is more of a girls club, right?
Not even!
The gender mix on Instagram is 52% female, and 48% male… a pretty even split if you ask me.
Oh…
But my market are older, and Instagram is for those millennials and youthes, right?!
Wrong again!
29% of users are above 35… and almost 10% are above 45!
Trust me, they’re there. And if not? Their kids are there (never underestimate how much say they have!)
2. 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day… and a third of those are from businesses (like yours).
Stories are short and fleeting…
But that’s not to say they aren’t one of the platform’s most powerful assets.
In fact, 62% of people say they have become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories.
Soooo, if you’re not already creating quick and organic content on your Stories, we strongly suggest you get on this bandwagon ASAP.
Not sure how to establish your business online? We can help. Join The Doers Inner Circle on a risk-free trial today to get your free 90-day roadmap.
3. People LOVE following brands on Instagram
If you thought users didn’t want to follow brands anymore than they wanted their inboxes blowing up with promotions, you’re not alone. Turns out, that’s not the case!
The number of Instagram Users who are willingly following their loved brands and businesses is on the rise. Brand follower growth increases from 6% to 8% month over month over month…
And 80% of Instagram Users follow a business account.
You don’t need to worry about being a wolf in sheep’s clothing, by pretending you’re not looking for new clients…
You can confidently offer up your Genius Zone to your followers online!
That is, as long as you pair those opportunities with valuable, relevant, and authentic content.
4. Having at least one hashtag will get you 12.6% more engagement
Hashtags aren’t just #mainstream, they also serve a practical purpose to get more eyes engaging in your content.
Not sure what to actually hashtag?
There are plenty of great online generators that will pick the highest trending and hottest hashtags to use.
5. On average, your cost-per-click (CPC) will be lower on Instagram than Facebook
Got a shoe-string advertising budget? Instagram can potentially save you $1 a click on your ads!
The average CPC for Instagram feed ads is around $0.60! (Facebook’s average is $1.72).
6. Worried you can’t sell high-ticket coaching on Insta? Don’t fret…
If you think Instagram users are mainly broke teens and college students, don’t worry!
The annual income of users is pretty evenly spread…
Meaning although some users are just there to browse…
Others will be willing to pay you what you’re worth!
Here’s who you’ll reach on Instagram:
- 31% of the people making over $75,000 a year
- 32% of the people making $50,000–$74,000 a year
- 32% of the people making $30,000–$49,000 a year
Need help building your high-ticket coaching offers? Join The Doers Inners Circle on a risk-free trial today, and we can show you the fastest path to your freedom metric.
7. Instagram has the highest engagement rates across all social media
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube… there’s a huge number of social media sites with hot, active users. But instagram takes the cake when it comes to user engagement.
2 – 7% of users interact with posts, giving you the opportunity to start real conversations and online (professional) relationships with followers online.
8. Users don’t see 70% of what’s on their feed
Worried you’re posting too much? Don’t want to spam your followers?
Well, the good (and bad news) is, thanks to a more recent switch up of Instagram’s algorithm, your followers probably aren’t seeing your posts at all!
Erm… yay?
Feeds aren’t chronological anymore. Instead, users will see the posts of accounts they engage with the most.
Focus less on quantity, and more on quality.
9. Instagram users engage more on weekdays
Logically, it would make sense for weekends to be more popular, right? Users have more time to scroll and engage…
But in reality, that’s not the case.
Instagram Users are much more likely to not only see, but actually engage with posts on a weekday. Perhaps as a bit of an escape from the 9-5 grind, maybe?
We checked our own stats, and realised how spot-on this is.
Our worst engagement days are Saturdays & Sundays, while posts on Monday & Tuesday get hundreds more views.
We also discovered that almost half our followers are in the USA…
So posting in the morning is best for us to get engagement across timezones.
Neat, huh?
10. Instagram posts with a face in them get 38% more likes… so get your mug out!
Look, selfies aren’t a trend for nothing.
Although you don’t have to plaster a duck faced selfie on your feed to get engagement…
Posting a picture that features your gorgeous mug will get up to 38% more likes than those that don’t.
Why?
We think it’s simple. Humans love following humans.
Show your followers that there’s a real human behind your content, and you’ll be rewarded for it.
So, if you want to reach more people with your message… and meet more clients where they’re at…
Then 2020 is the year to jump on the Instagram fast-train.
Want to reach more people with your business, but don’t know where to start? Access my 7-figure coaching advice, and huge community of like-minded women to keep you accountable.
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
Are you completely sick of the glorification of hustle?
So am I and I’m breaking it apart!
And fact: I’ve made over $20 million without hustle and this is why I believe you can be more successful without it…
In a digital world where virtually anyone can amass a following and start a business…
And bootstrap their way to a viable company…
I hear the words hustle and side-hustle bounced around a lot.
And I have a gripe with those words!
Because viable doesn’t always equal success, and I truly believe that hustle on its own leads to burn out.
I was there myself.
When I first set out to start a business, so many people told me I’d be running on coffee and sacrificing sleep 🙁
And I was convinced that wouldn’t be me; it just wasn’t the way I wanted to run.
Sure, I knew I’d have to put in the hard yards…
But ultimately I wanted to work with ease and flow.
And neither of those things have a place in exhaustion.
I’d left my job in corporate events so I could escape working 50 hours a week.
And sacrificing sleep; well that’s just not me!
But the deeper I got, the more I found myself putting in 10, 12, then 16 hours days.
And sure enough surviving on eight cups of coffee while trading time for money…
Hand cranking every task and approaching burnout.
It wasn’t until I started getting strategic…
Turning my Genius Zone into online courses to automate my business where I could…
So I could begin scaling my reach and step out of the doing.
And that’s why I think that hustle and grind without a strategy only leads to one place…
Burnout.
Today I’ve built a hands-free, scalable income that runs while I rest.
But I’ve seen so many women in the same place I was; reaching their limit and burning out fast.
And that breaks my heart 🙁
I think the epitome of it was when I was talking to an entrepreneur recently, who’d built a really successful business.
He was all for the hustle and said roughly these words:
“I mean, sure. I don’t have any friends.
I don’t get to have time out of the business.
I can’t remember the last time I took a holiday.
I’m feeling pretty burned out.
I’ve had two divorces and I never get to see my kids.
But geez, I got a big, good business that I’m proud of.”
And I was like…What??
Why are we teaching the mentality where we can only build a successful business at the cost of all else?
I 100% do not believe it’s worth getting to the end of the line literally burnt out.
Or that you have to destroy your life to start enjoying it.
And I 100% believe in a profitable businesses.
I’m not working for a hobby.
That’s why I’ve made over $20 million in the last couple of years and why I continue to focus on profit.
But, I also truly believe in the duality of profit and lifestyle, and that these two things can co-exist.
You see, too many people miss the lifestyle part.
And if you fall in that camp, you need to stick that word up beside your computer as a constant reminder to start basing your decisions not just on profit…
But on lifestyle too.
Lifestyle is achievable by putting automation in place, outsourcing and/or delegating tasks, taking the time to rest and recover and scheduling laptop-free holidays or mini-breaks.
I know I work more efficiently, get more done and make better decisions when I’m calm, collected and rested…
Not when I’m burnt out, stressed out or reaching for a quick solution because my brain literally can’t hold any more capacity.
So, Lovely Lady.
Can we just wipe this whole hustle mentality and enjoy the journey?
As someone who’s walked through chronic fatigue, cancer, burnout and breakdowns, I can guarantee nothing is worth the toll of those things.
So it’s time to put things back in their rightful order.
It’s time to have balance in life.
And it’s time to remember that I give you permission to rest, pause, take breaks and vacations and actually enjoy the ride.
xx
Grace
Are you wanting to grow your business… but the thought of hiring a huge team terrifies the heck out of you? Check out this blog post to reveal how automation allowed me to grow an 8-figure team with only a small, loyal team. Then, check out how you can get ongoing support and accountability to do the same, by joining my Doers Inner Circle on a $47 Trial.
From The Desk Of Grace Lever
Aldgate, South Australia
Hey Lovely,
When I realised just how capped I was when it came to growing my business…
I knew I needed back-up.
The thought of automating my business hadn’t really crossed my mind…
And instead, I figured the next logical step was to hire a team to help me.
But if you’ve been at a similar crossroads, you’ve probably felt the same way I did…
Totally freaking terrified. 😮
Hiring another HUMAN to come and help me run my business!?
Are you kidding me?
The thought of someone else’s livelihood riding on my business made me want to throw up.
I mean, I could barely rely on myself for an income…
Let alone paying someone else.
And it didn’t take much research to confirm my suspicions…
It’s not cheap to hire good staff.
Actually, it’s not cheap to hire bad staff either…
And with the way the employment industry is going, it’s becoming less and less likely for coaches and consultants to take this “logical next step” to grow their business.
From their salary…
Annual and sick leave…
Public holidays…
Payroll tax…
Recruitment…
Training and professional development costs…
Office space…
Stationary…
Computers…
Furniture…
And a hefty supply of peppermint tea to keep the office moral afloat… 😉
Hiring just ONE staff member to carry the load of your business seems pretty intimidating, right?
Or even as far as totally unrealistic for a lot of women 🙁
And as I dug a little deeper, it got worse.
Do you know that the average Australian business spends 25% – 40% of their revenue on staff and wages?!
40%!
For every $5,000, that’s $2,000 gone.
So, what are we supposed to do?
Either way will cost us 🙁
We can’t move forward without hiring a team member…
But we can’t hire a team member without moving forward, right?!
Well… Not quite.
By harnessing the power of automation in my business, I’ve taken a third route that I didn’t realise existed.
What if I told you that you could automate entire positions in your business as well…
So you can focus on doing what only YOU can do… serving your clients…
Without spending 40% of your income on wages?
“Heck yes please, Grace!” 🙂
In fact, when I shared this same message with a woman I was coaching…
She came up to me a few months later…
And proudly announced she’d fired 6 of her staff members.
(Don’t worry, from the stories she told me, they weren’t a good fit for her company anyway 😉)
But that was the winning part:
She didn’t have to hire new ones in their place! She could automate their work, and not only save thousands of dollars…
But hours of frustration trying to manage a team she didn’t click with.
Want more advice on how to grow your business without a big team? Join the Doers Inner Circle on a risk-free trial today, and access my roadmaps from anywhere.
So, the obvious next question is: how do YOU work out what roles in your business can be automated…
And what roles do need another person to take them over?
Because don’t get me wrong… I love my team.
And I do recommend finding a loyal, hard-working team if you can…
There are roles like your customer success, inboxes, Facebook group management and more that need a human touch.
Otherwise, we run the risk of seeming like robots to dream clients, right?
BUT –
There are probably more to-do’s than you think that can actually be streamlined with a do-it-once-and-it’s-done-approach.
As in, you can automate them ONCE…
And not pay a staff member $50k a year to do that instead 😉
So, how do you define which roles need that human touch… and which would benefit more from a system?
Step 1: Figure out what you’re actually doing on a day-to-day
I kept a diary for two weeks, writing down every single task, and how long it took me.
Literally… a mega list of to-do’s.
When you do this too, you’ll find that every task you’re doing for your business should fit into one of your four “hats”…
Marketing, sales, product, and customer success.
Marketing get new prospects, Sales turn them into paying customers, Product deliver incredible programs, and Customer Success make sure they get results!
Step 2: Decide which tasks are high-value, and which are low-value
Which ones YOU should be doing, and which ones are better suited for someone else.
My high-value tasks look something like this:
- Creating new content for my members, like courses and training…
- Jumping on live coaching calls to serve my clients…
- Speaking face-to-face with prospects at events…
- Dreaming up new, exciting ways to grow my business. Working ON my business…
- Spending half an hour a day in the inbox, so I can speak personally with my members…
Basically anything that involved me sitting in my Genius Zone…
And the tasks that no one else could do in my place.
Not sure how to turn your Genius Zone into an irresistible program your dream clients will love. Join the Doers Inner Circle on a risk-free trial today, and we can help you figure it out!
Step 3: Decide whether the remaining low-value tasks required a Human or a System
For example, my inboxes… they needed a human in them whenever I wasn’t.
But manually sending invoices… well, that could use a system, right?
Building out funnels and landing pages… that needed a human to do.
But rescheduling missed consult calls… that could be automated, surely.
See what I mean?
When I did this in my business, I was surprised by how many of those tasks actually didn’t need a human at all!
They could be set up once, and could then run in the background like clockwork, without me having to lift a finger.
It was so exciting…
If I could cut down my time in my inbox to just half an hour a week…
I would have 2 extra hours every single day that I could meet a girlfriend for lunch…
Take my dog out for a walk…
Or invest back into automating more of my business 😉
The hours kept adding up, task by task.
As I reclaimed the time I didn’t know I had!
I automated the more repetitive tasks first…
Things like confirmation emails whenever a new prospect would book into my calendar…
An automated text message to go out the morning of our consult so they’d remember to rock up…
And even an automatic email that would ask them to re-schedule if they missed their appointment… to cover all my bases.
It was so much more simple when I could take it in bite-sized chunks.
And the best part…
I didn’t need to hire, train, or manage a new staff member to do any of it!
Flash forward to today…
Every time I go to hire a new staff member…
I ask myself… could I just automate this role instead?
Seriously.
And it’s been a game-changer for me.
Remember how I said the average Aussie business spends 20-40% of their revenue on wages and staff?
Well, my 8-figure business now spends just 10%.
Of every dollar I turn over, only 10c goes towards salaries.
In fact, when I did the maths not too long ago…
At this moment in history, I’ve automated the work of 21 different staff members.
That’s a MILLION DOLLARS back in my pocket every single year…
Can you see how powerful that is?
Now, I know I may get some backlash…
Grace, you’re making Australian’s redundant 🙁
But here’s the thing:
If I can automate a position…
And avoid having to search high and wide to find an incredible, loyal, hard-working human to do that role…
Spend the time to train them, pay them, and maintain them…
Then I say heck yes, right?!
The idea of having a huge team terrifies me…
So I’m more than content growing my 8-figure empire with just 15 full-timers on my team 🙂
Meet my team in-person at our next doers weekend away. Join the Doers Inner Circle on a risk-free trial today for free tickets (worth $5,000).
And the best part?
Those 15 full-timers are freed up as well, to only focus on high-value tasks that come from their Genius Zone…
And empowered to automate the rest.
Game-changer, right?
Xx
Grace