Three questions for you before we start today:

• Do you want to grow your business? (Check!)
• Do you want to leverage more of your day to day? (Check!)
• Do you want to make your life--personally and professionally--easier? (Check!)

Then you need the ultimate tools for your trade. And today I am in my cave of resources to share exactly what I use to scale my business, get maximum output from my team, and streamline so many different areas o of my life.

So, what tools do I use? I’m glad you asked!

Along with these resources I also provide the pros and cons of using them and the insider hacks that I’ve come to realize along the way.

Because these tools will serve your business so well, I’ve created a free cheat sheet of all my FAVORITE tools, links to where you grab them, how they work and those awesome hacks I use to make them work even better.

These hacks will save you time, money, and headaches.

No tool is going to be the end all be all for any project, but you need to find ones that work for you and stick with them.

Commit to these and your team will follow suit. I was once that person who kept switching out tools because I would “find something better.”

My team finally called me on it and I came up with these battle-tested tools that we use on a daily basis. I can’t wait for you to check them out for yourself!

How can I be an expert if I am brand new at all of this and no one is paying attention—yet?

This is a valid, legitimate, understandable concern. My best advice: Get over that doubt as quickly as possible and get moving.

Here’s why:

We all started somewhere. All the experts you follow and admire today started at the bottom.

When I started my business 6 years ago, I was so afraid of so many different things.

A big lesson I learned along the way is that you are the expert of your content, your voice and your audience. Don’t think less than that at any moment.

In this episode I walk you through the Five Reminders that You Can Be The Expert Inside your Online Course. These reminders are drawn from what I have learned over the last six years. I share my secrets to success because I want you to break through those fears immediately.

Before I get into it, I want to tell you about this week’s freebie.

Whether you’re a coach, consultant, speaker, freelancer or service provider of ANY kind, owning your own course is a game changer that can have a dramatic effect on your income and impact.

Recently I’ve reverse-engineered the biggest lessons I’ve learned from five of my own successful online courses (that have served over 35,000 entrepreneurs while generating $6.4 million in revenue) and I’ve put all those key learnings in a brand new free master class.

My LIVE master class is called "How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days" and before it’s too late, I want you to grab your virtual seat!

Now, back to it—

The five reminders will let you know that you’re capable of embarking on this journey and more so that you are ready to take action NOW.

Listen in to learn the two areas where you might be holding yourself back when moving forward with building your online business.

Also, I give you the tips and strategies you need to assure yourself that you are the expert.

You will also learn the qualities that make a great online teacher and the surprise qualities that you think you might need, but don’t.

If you are thinking about building a course in the near future—or if you’ve ever felt like a fraud while growing your business— I think you will find these reminders incredibly valuable.

This episode is for you if you:

• Wonder if your “newness” will impact the quality of your class
• Want to learn more about cultivating your teaching skills
• Are curious about just how much commitment you need to start a class (the answer may surprise you!)
• Are nervous about the competition and how to push it away or embrace it

These reminders are a great trigger for me every time I start a new course. I hope you find them as valuable as I do.

Don’t forget to grab your virtual in my LIVE, Free Master Class, "How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.”

I want you to price your next (or first!) online course with confidence.

In your heart of hearts, are you getting paid what you’re worth? Are you hitting the “sweet spot” of pricing perfection?

This week I tackle these questions and give you a seven-step pricing strategy so you can determine what you should really charge for your course—and feel whole about the entire process.

I am INCREDIBLY passionate about this topic. Creating my own profitable and content-driven online courses has been the key to my success and I want to make it the key to your success too.

But first, I have something really exciting to share with you. I have a new master class ready to be unveiled: “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.”

In this master class, I share the secrets I’ve learned from helping 38,000 entrepreneurs, while making more than $6 million in revenue.

Grab your spot (it’s free!)

Now, back to today’s topic: In your gut, are you charging what you’re worth?

I would bet that this is the hardest part to starting your first online course—or even maybe your second or third.

Ask yourself these three questions:

• Are you afraid to ask for what you’re worth?
• Are you willing to deliver 10x the value of what you’re charging?
• Does your price point attract the clientele you want?

Let’s dig into the seven steps here.

One of the first steps I share is surprisingly missed by many entrepreneurs. It is such a crucial part in determining your price and I don’t want you to skip it.

Then, we tackle how your product fits into your business. This is key for determining the most attractive price point for what you are offering. I ask you a couple of questions to help you through this step. It can be a tricky road to navigate. Listen here.

Next, we talk about the length of time it can take to launch and re-launch your product.

Ultimately, I want to help you get solid on how you feel about the price you’ve set. Once you decide on the price point, you’ve got to own it.

These seven steps will help you do just that. Own your price. Be confident. And go sell it.

Do you know the detailed story of your perfect ideal customer?

I am not just talking demographics or a just few pain points and struggles— I mean the nitty gritty, day in the life kind of stuff.

Because my special guest, marketing and branding strategist Jasmine Star, paints such a vivid picture of her avatar, Elle, that I feel like I know her as well as my best friend.

I think once you hear about Elle and how Jasmine created her—and how you can create your own story—you will be riveted.

That is just ONE of the many brilliant pieces of insight Jasmine drops when she stops by for my latest episode.

Other amazing takeaways from my new favorite branding and marketing strategist:

• Learn the best approach to understanding how your product can help your audience—and ultimately how that will shift your approach to social media.

• Check out strategies for empowering your potential customers to choose you over your competitors. Your competition isn’t going anywhere, but if you can build trust with your clients and make their life easier, they will stick with you.

• Discover the keys to writing better copy, creating better emails, and nailing your social media—all with just a few KEY tips.

I had the MOST fun creating the episode this week—because I found Jasmine so brutally honest, funny and refreshing.

Listen in (and get ready to laugh) as Jasmine explains the 5 key tips for growing your brand.

Stay tuned for later in the episode when Jasmine goes into my favorite tip! It’s obvious you want people to love you and your social media, however, you actually WANT to repel some people. It’s so important and in the best interest of your business. She breaks down how to do this with finesse and self-assurance in order to grow your tribe.

I get asked all of the time: Amy, where do I start? And the answer is to start with building your business in Phase One, and progress to Phase Two. This is how to build a business that will endure in the long term, and really fulfill the lifestyle you are looking for.

I know this because I can look back and see what worked for my own business, and what I would have changed if I had to do it all again.

With Phase One, you focus on how to make money in the here and now.

In this phase, you are asking these kinds of questions: What skills and knowledge do you have right now to ensure you can make money quickly? Who’s your avatar? Do you have a solid plan in place to grow your list? What’s your strategy for your blog or posting to social media?

In this phase you are sharpening your skills and getting into the trenches with your ideal customer avatar so that you can understand their needs, wants and genuine pain points. This intel is incredibly valuable as you begin to hone in on your own messaging for your business.

I’ll walk you through several business models that are perfect for this level.

Then with Phase Two, we move into creating a business and life you love.

For this, you will ask yourself: What’s my ultimate business model?

There needs to be an alignment between what you want to do and what your avatar wants from you: That’s the sweet spot.

In many situations, including my own, a business model that offers A LOT of flexibility, consistent revenue and an abundance of opportunity to impact your audience is one that is built on you creating online training programs.

Listen in to see how to put all of this into action.

I also want to remind you to download my special freebie for today’s episode, called, “Where Should My Support Dollars Go?”

One aspect that ANY level should be thinking about is: How do I make the most of my time by hiring support? I want to give you a little cheat sheet to help you hire the right level of support for where you are at in your business.

Do you have questions about Facebook advertising? That’s a silly question, right? We’ve all got questions! (Why does Facebook have to make it so complicated sometimes?!)

This week I have my go-to-resource for all things Facebook ads with us, Rick Mulready.

You might remember Rick from previous episodes. He left the corporate world to help entrepreneurs like you optimize your online advertising. I could not be more excited that he’s back with the latest “need to know now!” details to help us optimize our Facebook ads.

In addition to answering the questions below in exquisite detail, he is also hosting a FREE workshop on how to create a lead system using Facebook ads. (Scroll to the bottom to learn how to grab your seat.)

Here’s a list of the questions we answered on this recent episode:

• Could you share a case study about Facebook ad spend, list growth and conversions?
• What do I do if my ads aren’t converting well?
• How are people getting around the character limit on Facebook ads?
• Should I use an image or a video?
• Is there any way to get more insight as to why Facebook rejected my ad?
• Is what I spend per ad too much?
• How do I know if my pixels are set up properly and reporting accurately?
• The pages I want to target are not coming up for me. Am I targeting correctly?

The answers from Rick are killer and I don’t want you to miss them. If you want to jump right in, click here.

During our chat, Rick shares the case study of a holistic health practitioner who saw an avenue for growth by teaching her way of business to her peers. She created a video campaign and ran with it. Only, she inadvertently made a “mistake” and drove traffic to a site that I would otherwise say is unwise—but it WORKED for her.

In making this “mistake” her conversion rate grew to 40%-50%. She spent $3,000 and earned a return of $30,000. You have to listen to Rick’s explanation of why this worked.

Rick insists that if you aren’t converting your leads, you must keep it simple and take a look at the top one or two statistics that are most relevant to your outcome. Do you have the right target audience? What is your conversion rate? What is your click through rate?

Rick tells you the general cost per conversion that you should strive to spend. He also likes to see a 20% and above conversion rate on a landing page. He explains strategies and actions that you can take to make sure you’re on the right track to achieve this.

For those of you dying to know how your competitors are adding more text to their Facebook ad than is allowed, Rick tells you precisely how. We also discuss when it’s best to post a video or an image with your ad.

One of my favorite insights was that Facebook’s chat helpline is up and running. You heard me right . . . LIVE FACEBOOK AD CHAT! He explains where to find the live chat session, and he raves about the good results he’s gotten from reaching out.

Lastly, Rick talked about targeting and what to do when you can’t find the Facebook Pages you want to target. He shares three sure-fire tips for successful targeting. It may take some detective work at times, but it will pay off.

Don’t forget to register for one of Rick’s three, FREE, live webinars (on April 12 and 13) to discover how you can create an automated system that gets leads and sales everyday for your business.

I’m thrilled to tell you that Rick has agreed to come on more regularly to answer your pressing questions. We know that you need these answers to keep moving forward. Look back for another “Amy and Rick FB Ad Q&A Session” in about six weeks!

Google-ads, targeting, and Facebook-scaling, oh my!

We are LUCKY to have e-commerce expert and trainer Steve Chou in my latest episode to keep you in the know of what’s working now in e-commerce.

The great thing about this interview is that although we are talking about e-commerce, the insights are applicable across several areas—business coaching, information marketing, growing your email list, webinars, and so much more!

Quick story about Steve: He owns the site, mywifequitherjob.com. And she did. They live in the gorgeous (and pricey) Silicon Valley. She wanted to quit her job to have more time with their kiddos, but they had to figure out a way to supplement her $100,000 salary. They started the site and in the first year it became a success.

HOW did Steve do that? Steve goes into detail on how he and his wife grew their business by driving traffic to their e-commerce site in this week’s episode.

First and foremost determining the best sites for your e-commerce marketing depends on what your value proposition is. What are you looking to market online with e-commerce?

If it lends itself to searches; for example, Google shopping converts very well. But you see, if you’re selling something general like T-shirts, Google might not be your best bet. And, you might want to go with the targeted marketing on Facebook for better conversion rates. Other businesses like Steve’s e-commerce wedding site where he sells custom wedding handkerchiefs, use both Facebook and Google ads. He dives into that kind of detail in our chat.

Steve and I touched on

• When Google shopping will work in your favor
• When using Facebook is ideal
• What the minimum price point is of something you would want to advertise on Facebook

Equally important for you, Steve sees content as the next wave of how to market products and services and I could not agree more. We got into an important discussion on why video will be the next major trend and why you need to know where you should use it.

It all comes down to REALLY knowing your audience and who will buy your product.

Want to know how to scale your Facebook ads? This is one of the topics Steve and I discuss and I’ve created a free training video for you to dive a little deeper.

Whether you’re looking to improve your e-commerce site, build your list, or grow your consulting business, these spot-on Facebook ad scaling tips are for you!

Listen to Steve give you more strategies on content, training programs and growing your business via Facebook, Google, Instagram, and Pinterest here.

My quarter one has felt chaotic. I felt scattered. Everything except time to create content was dictating my life.

It was time for a new approach to my schedule.

I know you feel me here. I needed a die-hard plan to make time for what drives my business forward. I needed a content creation RITUAL.

That’s why this episode is so important to share with you, because you will be able to apply my learnings to formulate a content creation ritual that works for you.

Last week, we talked about priorities in your business—and life. This week, we are taking it one step further and breaking down how to manage your work time and space, so that you are earth-shatteringly-productive and focused on what matters in your business.

First and foremost know this—I am insanely committed to my ritual for content creation, but by no means is it easy. I still struggle with it daily because my mind still thinks I should be doing a million other things. It’s TOUGH.

In fact I’m so committed that I have developed my own Tiger Time. That’s right, Tiger Time.

This is the part of my day that I fiercely protect (like a tiger and her cub!) in order to give myself the time and space to create my BEST content. The rules are strict, but the rewards are HUGE.

It’s been so successful for me that I’ve created a freebie that will walk you through the steps to create your own content creation ritual. So, to take action on what you’ve just learned here, to grab it.

I’ll also clue you in on a few musts for planning out my week—including what helps me prepare for the week ahead, and an old, yet trusty planning tool that I’ve dusted off from the past.

It’s all in the latest episode—I hope you enjoy and see this ritual make a real impact on your business!

When my dear friend Michael Hyatt said he was going to come by to join us for our latest episode, I knew it was going to be good, and profound.

And in my latest episode, he doesn’t disappoint, ladies and gentlemen...

Because he’s talking about the ONE thing we should be focused on in our lives: Our life plan. It’s all tied to his latest book, Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, which Michael co-authored with Daniel Harkavy.

Why, you might ask, is a life plan more important than many areas of your business?

Because, as Michael says:

“A failure in one area can reverberate and cascade into other areas of our life.”

So when you’re overall life plan is off track, then your business is naturally off. According to Michael, when you’re what he calls “drifting,” you’re distracted, overwhelmed and unaware of where you should put your focus. This can create an environment for failure.

Michael helps you understand that by getting your priorities in line, so you can be prepared to make the little decisions you need to get the big results you want out of your business, and in life.

Because, it’s not the big moves that determine the quality of our output, it’s actually the little actions. In last week’s episode, I explained how I grew my business via incremental steps and not one large move.

Michael takes this one step further to help us decide what we should be focusing on in our lives, so that we are prepared and patient enough to conquer those little steps.

To get started, he prompts you to ask yourself:

• How do you want to be remembered?
• What is most important to you?
• How do I get from here (wherever that is) to where I want to be?

Michael then shares the surprising reality about putting yourself first. (It’s a tough lesson.)

The book is packed with great insights, and Michael has a special deal if you buy the book tomorrow (March 11). If you purchase Living Forward by tomorrow, Michael will give you for FREE:

• A detailed action plan guide
• The Living Forward quick-start audio training
• A custom Living Forward adult coloring book

To claim your bonus:

Visit the following link and follow the prompts http://livingforwardbook.com/#claimbonuses

After talking with Michael, I am more empowered than ever to determine a clear destination and make the tough choices I need to make to get me there.

So my friends, get ready to be present, be engaged and be fully focused. Get ready for a life of less drifting, and more fulfillment. Go here now to check out this special interview with Michael.

Today's episode is #100 (let's celebrate!)-- and I've got another hot topic I wanted to talk to you all about. This hot topic is focused on a big mistake I see a lot (especially in the first two years of business!) but I rarely talk about. Until now.

It begins with deciding on which path you should take for your business: Horizontal OR Vertical? 

Which is best for your business right now? How do you know if you are on the right path? And which path did I choose from own my business (to see crazy good results)? 

You can see the answers to these questions and more in my latest podcast episode here.

100th Podcast Episode Giveaway

Not only are we talking about such an important topic on today's episode, but I've also got something incredibly exciting to share with you!

I often get asked if I do one-on-one coaching and while I don't have the bandwidth to add coaching to my business currently, in honor of my 100th episode I wanted to create something extra special. That's why I'm giving one person the opportunity to get laser coaching from me in person, right here in San Diego, California.

If you are the winner, you get to come out to San Diego for the day where I will put you up at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa right near my home. (You're going to love it--it's gorgeous.) Bright and early in the morning, we will meet in person and spend the day taking a deep dive into your entire business.

We'll look at everything: your avatar, your messaging, your positioning, your products, programs, offers, list-building funnel, all of it. I will give you my insights, my feedback, and advice to help you take your business to the next level whether it be horizontal or vertical.

After we're done and our brains are good and fried, we'll go out to a fun dinner together and celebrate our accomplishments. Sound good?

How to Enter The 100th Episode Contest

Make a short video (under 3 minutes) in which you tell me...

• What you do
• Why you would be a good candidate for a deep dive with me
• What you hope to get out of spending a day with me here in San Diego.

Post your video on YouTube and enter the following in the description:

www.amyporterfield.com Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast Contest

Post the link to your video in the comments on the blog below.

If you want to take it one step further, share your video on social media with the link to our contest page (www.amyporterfield.com/100th_episode) and the hashtag #AmysCoachingGiveaway  (Sharing your video on social media isn't 100% necessary. I know some of you might feel like you don't want to put yourself out there that much just yet. But I would really appreciate it if you did!)

Okay, those are the ground rules. If you want some real insight into how to make your entry as compelling and convincing as possible, keep reading...

Who Should Enter This Contest

My offer of coaching is good for someone with an established business that wants to up-level, but it’s also good for someone that’s just starting out.

As long as you’ve been in business for at least a year, you know what you want to offer, you’ve started to build out your foundation such as creating consistent content or you’ve got a blog or podcast, then you too are a good candidate for this contest. You don’t need to be well established in your business for me to choose you for this special opportunity.

Now here are some pointers for creating your entry: 

• In the video you make, I want you to not just tell me about yourself, but really show me what you're about. Get as creative and expressive as you feel comfortable.

• This isn't a "technology" contest--I'm not going to pick somebody just because they used a lot of fancy video effects--but if video production is your jam, then go for it! Do whatever helps you express yourself the most.

• My team and I will select one winner based on your initiative, your willingness to put yourself out there, your enthusiasm, and your ability to communicate clearly what you do and what you want to get out of this time together.

• You have until Sunday March 6, to post your video.

• All video entries must be posted in the comments of these show notes by Sunday, March 6, at 11:59 p.m. PST.

• We will announce the winner on Monday, March 13, by putting it into the show notes here and, of course, contacting the winner. Aaaand I will probably be talking about it all around social media, because I'll be way too excited to keep it inside!

Don't Be Shy!

I know it’s a big step to put yourself out there with this whole video entry thing. But I really want to encourage you to do so! This opportunity to meet with me and put a laser focus on you and your business could be business-changing and life-changing! I promise I will make it worth your time.

I'd also like to take a minute to thank you immensely for following me on my journey of creating this podcast. It truly is one of the most favorite things I do inside my business. It has probably made the biggest impact in my ability to reach bigger audience and connect with you and grow my business overall.

Thank you so very much for letting me do what I love. I cannot wait to continue this podcast with more and more episodes about building your business and list building and webinars and all the cool stuff I get to talk about. Here's to the next 100 episodes!

And I cannot wait to see what you create in your own business...starting with your videos!

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT:

Whoa! We were blown away by all the AMAZING entries. After spending all week reviewing each submission, we are so excited to announce that the winner of the all expense paid trip to San Diego for a one day Deep Dive with me is:

Christina Tondevold

Christina, I cannot wait to connect with you in person to map out a plan to knock your business out of the park and get you home more with your sweet children. Please email Trivinia@amyporterfield.com to work out final details for your trip, which will happen later on this year.

But, there’s more…

With hundreds of submissions, I knew it would be hard to narrow this down. I’d love to spend a day with each of you! While we were able to come away with a clear winner, I did have a list of entrants that I wanted to offer something special to. So… if these folks would reach out to trivinia@amyporterfield.com, we have a super fun idea that we’d like to run by you.

Michelle Evans

Craig Sylvester

Annette Stephanian

Sara King

Heather Ryan

Daniel Fava

I want you ALL to hear this . . . I KNOW it was not easy to make a video and put yourself out there like that. I was so touched by the effort and vulnerability that went into each and every video. Many made me cry, many made my laugh and ALL of them touched my heart. Thank you for taking the time to share a little piece of yourself with me. Although I could only choose one winner, your video truly mattered to me!

- Amy