When just starting out in business (your first year or two) there are a variety of different paths to take, tasks to complete, and shiny objects lurking around every corner. When you’re not sure where to start or what to do next, this lack of focus leads to overwhelm and frustration. That’s why I recorded today’s episode (and created the awesome New Business Focus Worksheet to go with it!).

I’m breaking down the FIVE key areas to focus on when you’re just getting started, and these are absolutely crucial for a successful online business.

Are you a seasoned entrepreneur? Don’t click away, because this episode is for you, too. I not only focused on these same areas when I first started my business, but I still do today. I use these five areas almost as a check-up checklist for my business every quarter and during my annual planning.

Here’s a snapshot of what I’m covering in today’s episode:

FOCUS AREA #1: The importance of understanding WHY you’re building your business. I talk about Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and the #1 foundational question you need to ask yourself as you develop and grow your business. .

I also dive into the importance of understanding WHO you are serving - your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA).

While this exercise will take time and some real work on your part, you don’t want to skip over this if you’re not really clear.

If you’re listening to the episode and are already clear on your ICA, you can just pick back up around the 21 minute mark to move on to Focus Area #2.

FOCUS AREA #2: Why you need a website with a clear message and how to make that happen. These are some of the examples I discuss in the episode:

Example from Michael Hyatt’s ABOUT Page.

FOCUS AREA #3: The importance of choosing ONE platform to focus on in the beginning and creating original, consistent content there on a weekly basis.

FOCUS AREA #4: Authentic engagement - a HUGE factor in whether your business will succeed or not.

FOCUS AREA #5: Creating a way to make money in your business while you are figuring things out and building the business of your dreams.

I also created a great freebie to help you work through these FIVE focus areas. You can grab that right here.

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Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

On today’s show, we’re diving into strategies around two things I LOVE to talk about: list-building and evergreen lead automation! However, there’s a twist! I’ve brought on someone to walk us through some really great strategies on these topics on a platform I haven’t covered much here: YouTube!

You and I both know video is where it’s at so even if you haven’t thought about the platform much or are not a huge fan of video, this episode is loaded with very doable strategies that I want you to consider using to grow your email list.

My guest today is an absolute YouTube boss and she’s going to guide us through her proven three phase method to creating a YouTube evergreen lead machine without using paid advertising.

Sunny Lenarduzzi has a YouTube following of over 170,000 subscribers and and has helped her clients to go from zero to 100,000 subscribers and build their email lists from zero to 28,000 in less than 10 months (resulting in multiple 6-figure businesses).  

HOW BECOMING A YOUTUBE BOSS WAS A HAPPY ACCIDENT

Do you ever wonder if the work you are doing today will ever lead to something that can REALLY help you scale your business? Sunny shares her journey from being a social media consultant to coming to a place where she didn’t have the bandwidth to accept any more clients.

In order to save some time and provide a common solution to several of her clients, she created a video that that changed the trajectory of her business forever. She published that video on her non-branded YouTube channel, emailed the link to her clients, went to bed and the next morning had 2,000 views!

THE POWER OF REVERSE ENGINEERING

Sunny was completely surprised with the amount of views and comments and decided to figure out what the heck had happened, so she reverse engineered the situation. Through this process Sunny realized the key to the success of that ONE single video and applied it to every video moving forward. In that first year she grew her YouTube subscription to 50,000 in and 3 million views!

WHAT CONTENT IS BEST FOR YOUTUBE?

As Sunny will tell you, YouTube is a platform that people are searching every single day for how to solve their problems and get their questions answered. That was why that first video she published went gangbusters. She was providing a solution to a problem that many people were searching for.

Well guess what? You as an entrepreneur can be the one to provide your ideal customer the solutions and answers that they’re searching for on YouTube...you just need to show up and let you videos be found. If it worked for Sunny, it can work for you too!  

GETTING STARTED GENERATED LEADS ON YOUTUBE

You’ll want to tune into today’s episode to get all the details on Sunny’s 3-phase system to creating an evergreen lead machine, but here are the phases broken down:

PHASE 1

This phase is all about creating profitable content that increases your reach and revenue without having to rely on paid advertising. The key here is to research before recording and here’s how:

• Use frequently asked questions for content ideas
• Look for ideas from your competition and community hubs (Sunny’s not suggesting you steal from your competition, but there’s nothing wrong with getting a little inspiration and putting your spin on an idea that’s resonating with your ideal customer.)
• Look to provide content on trends within your industry. This is not for the evergreen leads so much, but more more gaining visibility and reach.
• Research and find the right keywords and key phrases to use when titling your videos.

PHASE 2

This phase is all about converting your viewers into customers through Sunny’s H.O.T. (Hook, Outcome, Testimonial) formula. She explains how  you can use this formula to tweak your video scripts to keep your viewer engaged, which will turn them into a loyal viewer, and ultimately a paying customer.

It’s through Sunny’s H.O.T. formula where list-building comes in too! Sunny explains how to work in the ever-so-important conversion calls to action where you provide an opportunity for your viewer to download a guide, checklist, or worksheet.   

PHASE 3

This is the evergreen traffic machine phase! Now that you’ve got your phase 1 and 2 bases covered, it’s time to publish your video. But you’re not just going to publish and wait...Sunny explains why the first 24-48 hours after posting your video is crucial to actively distribute a link to your warm audience in order to get some engagement going which tells YouTube that your video is one that should be ranking on the first page. Once you’re on that first page, your cold audience is introduced to your video and this begins that evergreen lead machine!

You might be thinking, “This is great, but I don’t have any authority on YouTube, so how am I supposed to rank when my competition is so tough?”  Sunny explains in detail in today’s episode but the key is to work on getting search rankings in smaller competition pools.

So there you have it! I’d love to hear how you’re going to use YouTube as a list-building technique in your business. Head over to Instagram and DM me and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

This episode is brought to you by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days”. If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.

On today’s show I brought on the Integrator on my team, Chloe Euse. The goal of this episode is to help you step into the Visionary role as the founding entrepreneur of your business so that you can do more of the things that you were created to do and that are in your zone of genius.

The deal is, in order to be able to fully step into that role, you will need to hire an Integrator (also known as a Project Manager) to work alongside you.

I’m taking you behind-the-scenes so you can see how a Visionary and Integrator work together. To give you a hint, you as the Visionary are responsible for deciding on the WHAT of the business, while your Integrator figures out the HOW to make your vision come true.

I really want you to take the time to tune in and listen today and hear directly from us, but here are the key areas we cover:

• The skills that are vitally important for an Integrator to have
• How specific Myers Briggs types may work better (or worse) together
• The nitty-gritty of how a Visionary and Integrator work together (you two are going to work VERY closely together so you better like each other!)
• Whether you should hire a local or virtual Integrator
• How the Integrator executes on the Visionary’s vision (this is where the other members of your team and contractors come in!)
• How tension between the Visionary and Integrator is actually a good thing
• Why an Integrator is NOT an implementer. There is a very important distinction here!
• What a day in the life of an Integrator looks like
• Chloe’s TOP 3 tools that she couldn’t live without as an Integrator
• Chloe gives you (the Visionary) some final words of wisdom for when you decide to take the leap and hire your Integrator (her insight here as an Integrator is GOLDEN!)

And to wrap this episode up with a big bow, we’ve got a couple fantastic freebies for you. Both are Google Doc templates that you can take and make your own.

1. The exact Integrator job description I used when I hired Chloe.
2. The pre-hire test-run assignment I used for my top Integrator candidates.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.  

Raise your hand if you could use a little extra cash in your business right now!

In the first few years of building my business I certainly could have used some extra money, and had I known what I know today, I would have done something entirely different that would have brought in a nice flow of revenue during those tight times: affiliate marketing.  

If you don’t have affiliate marketing as a revenue generator in your business, I want that to change for you today.

My guest today, Pat Flynn, is going to share his proven system for earning money through affiliate marketing. Why did I choose Pat to be our guide today? Because he has earned three million dollars through affiliate marketing commissions since he started this business! He knows his stuff!    

AFFILIATE MARKETING IS A GAME-CHANGER!

If you’re new to the idea of affiliate marketing, Pat simply defines it as the process of earning a commission by promoting another person or another company’s product.

The great thing about affiliate marketing is that if you love a product or service and have a platform that you’re able to share why you love it with your audience, you can earn a commission from that recommendation at no cost to your audience.

Pat shared how he promoted one of his favorite products through a banner ad on his website and was being paid $1,000 per month, but he contacted them and asked about trying out an affiliate relationship instead. They did and he went from earning $1,000/month to $8,000 the next month!

PAT’S TOP TWO TIPS ON HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN AFFILIATE MARKETING:

• Be authentic. Don’t be an affiliate for a product you don’t believe in. Think about the things you would recommend to a friend, this is how you should think when you’re deciding what products to be an affiliate for.  
• Treat the product you are promoting as if it were your own. Tell your audience why you love it, how it has helped you, and how it can help them. It’s extra helpful if you can take them behind-the-scenes and show how you use it.

TWO TYPES OF AFFILIATE MARKETING TO CONSIDER: PASSIVE & ACTIVE

An example of a PASSIVE way of affiliate marketing is when you include links to products on your website, like my Tools of the Trade page here. This is considered PASSIVE because once you set it up, it’s there and as people come to your website or are linked to it in an email, they can click on the links to make a purchase. Another example is by including a link just like this link right here in the show notes in which I’m sharing my affiliate link to Pat’s 123 Affiliate Marketing program.

An example of an ACTIVE format of affiliate marketing would be it Pat and I decided to do a special webinar with a launch sequence where we were actively promoting and selling the product to our audiences and we even offer a special deal that’s only available during a specified time period.

A prime example of this is when I promote B-School each year in February. I go all out in promoting Marie’s program because I 1000% stand behind her program, and because of this I promote the program as if it were my own. Being an affiliate for this program has been a game-changer for my business and I definitely use the strategies that Pat teaches in his program.

Either way, always be upfront with your audience that you are an affiliate. This is being transparent with your audience, but also protects you legally.

JUST GETTING STARTED IN AFFILIATE MARKETING?

Pat is clear that you do need to have an audience to be successful in affiliate marketing, otherwise who would use your links or join your webinars? However, I love that he talks about planting seeds now for people that may come across your content down the road. You may not make much money when your audience is small, but everything will be in place for you to earn affiliate commissions as you grow.

This is also a great way to begin monetizing because that trust you gain by recommending other people’s products can then lead to you selling your own products down the road.  

HOW TO AUDIT YOUR EXISTING AFFILIATE MARKETING STRATEGY

Maybe you’re already an affiliate, but you want to do an audit to see what’s working and what’s not, Pat suggests looking at your Google Analytics and see what’s doing well and optimize for those. Here are a few of the optimizing ideas he shared:

• Include more links in your blog archive
• Interview the founder on your show or on your blog
• Create a demo video for the product you are recommending
• After you’ve generated lots of leads for an affiliate you are then in a good position to contact the company to discuss other ways to promote your affiliate link beyond the traditional methods (Pat gives some good personal examples in the episode)
• Create offers or bonuses as an incentive to go through your affiliate link
• Add links to your resource page
• Do a review of the product

PAT’S #1 NINJA AFFILIATE MARKETING TRICK!

Create a demo video!

Pat says creating a demo video is one of the most underused but HIGHLY effective techniques to take your affiliate marketing to a whole new level.

Pat includes the in-depth how-to create a killer demo video that converts as a bonus to my audience if you purchase his 123 Affiliate Marketing program through my affiliate link, but he also shares a few tips right here!

• You don’t need to share every little feature or process for the product you’re recommending. Your demo video should show just enough to excite someone, but not bore them. It’s not a tutorial, it should be a overview that shows the viewer what the product is and how it can help them.
• Pick three features to share in your demo video, but make sure to understand how to share why these features exist and why this product is unique.
• Show your viewer how easy it is to use the product. If you do, they will want to get started using the product right away!  

TOP MISTAKES TO AVOID IN AFFILIATE MARKETING

1. Promoting the wrong product. Make sure your are promoting relevant products that you have experience with and that WILL help your audience.
2. Not pushing hard enough. Of course you don’t want to be annoying or too pushy, but when you know you’ve got a product that will solve that person’s problem or help them to achieve a certain goal they have, then you can and should push harder.

Alright, you’ve got ninja tricks, some mistakes to avoid, and hopefully a plan to either begin earning money through affiliate marketing, or a plan to give your existing affiliate strategy a boost

Take a listen to this short one-minute video where Pat tells you a little bit more about how you can earn money through affiliate marketing.  

I just got back from a total immersion weekend retreat in Palm Springs with my Integrator Chloe and in today’s episode I share all the details of what went down! Unlike a typical team retreat we weren’t brainstorming ideas, we were actually cleaning up the messy stuff in our business.

Yep, I’ve got messes to clean up just like anyone else. I must say, I do believe my team and I are a gold standard when it comes to setting up systems and processes, but I think no matter how well the backend of your online business looks every single one of us has room to do a little cleaning, don’t you think?

Let me share a little bit about the weekend...

WHAT IS A TOTAL IMMERSION RETREAT WEEKEND?

First things first, this is NOT a team retreat and it is NOT a big brain-storming weekend where you come up with new ideas for the future. This is dedicated time to spend looking at the messy parts in your business and cleaning them up. The types of things you’ll be looking at cleaning up, fixing, or eliminating are areas that will ultimately impact the financial bottom line in your business.

WHO SHOULD GO ON A TOTAL IMMERSION RETREAT?

This is time best spent either on your own, or in the company of the right-hand person in your business. I took Chloe, my Integrator, because she is such an integral part of my business. . (Side note: Don’t miss upcoming episode #224 where I bring Chloe on the show and we talk about her role as an Integrator (aka Project Manager). We get into what she does, how she does it, who she manages, how we work together, her fave tools and lots more!)

FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOUR TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND RETREAT

Answering the following five key questions will help you to set a focus and make sure you’re on the same page (if you will be with someone from your team):

1. What’s your #1 pain point in your business right now?
2. What feels messy, broken, or painfully slow?
3. What needs to be fixed before you can grow?
4. Where are you losing money? Do you have any current leaks in your funnels, or in any system that you’re using to make money right now?
5. What have you been putting off for way too long? What are the important things you’ve been wanting to get to but you know there are just not enough hours in the day?

I want you to answer these questions when you take your total immersion retreat weekend, too. Yes, I want you to take time away to clean up the messes in your own business. You will not regret it, I promise you!

TIP for answering the five questions: When answering these questions for yourself, think about team, systems, processes, and funnels (for my beginners, don’t let the word funnel throw you off...this just means the different systems and strategies that you have in place to get people to buy or join your email list).

I go into much more detail in today’s episode, but I’ve included a snapshot here for you to see how our weekend progressed. Now remember, this is going to look different for everyone, but I thought the examples from my business might be helpful to get you thinking about areas in your own business that might need some cleaning up.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING

• Agenda
  We worked on our agenda during the 2-hour drive to Palm Springs. It’s important to have a clear game-plan before you arrive at your destination, so you can get right to work. While we laid our agenda out in detail, we allowed ourselves the flexibility to change and pivot as necessary throughout the weekend.
• Calendars
  We cleaned up my calendar bigtime! I’m a big fan of the “no train” but for some reason I lost my way over the last few months and had said “yes” to too much. Because of this, I was missing important deadlines in my business because my calendar was too full. This also meant that I was working nights and weekends and that is something I am trying not to do.

SATURDAY MORNING

Fresh and ready for a new day, we cleaned up our elaborate evergreen funnel system inside InfusionSoft. Because we’ve been at this for awhile, parts of our funnels were broken. Let me just tell you that this part was NOT fun!! But, you know what, I’m glad we knocked it out early in the weekend. : )

SATURDAY AFTERNOON - THIS WAS THE FUN PART FOR ME!!

• We talked about the projects we were going to work on moving forward and who was going to work on what.
• We also talked about what projects we needed to put on the back burner or eliminate completely. In this episode I talk about a big decision we made in switching up something that one of my team members was working on.

SUNDAY MORNING

• Wrapped up any loose ends and headed back home. (I didn’t do it this time, but next time I’m definitely scheduling massages for me and Chloe to enjoy before we leave.)

MY TOP TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND TIPS

I believe a total immersion weekend retreat like this is critical to the success of your business. Step away from your everyday distractions and you won’t regret it! Here are some tips for you to consider when you go on your retreat:

• Choose a destination you enjoy and that inspires you. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but if you’re at a place in your business where you can splurge a little, go for it!
• Just know that your days are going to be long. We worked hard, but it was so worth it!
• Change up your environment so you don’t go stir crazy. We found fun little places around the hotel property to work throughout the weekend: the beautiful lobby, our hotel room, and we even knocked out a couple of hours of work from the bar while sipping on a refreshing margarita!
• Take time to eat, drink lots of water, get some fresh air, take walks, and get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
• Let your family know that this time away will be focused on work and that you will not be available much throughout the weekend. It’s very important to limit distractions in order to make the most of your time away, and by stating this up front you will make sure no one at home is feeling neglected!
• Keep a Google Doc noting the big decisions that you’ve made over the weekend and any team communication you want to relay when you return.
• Get all those action items moved into your project management tool. Chloe always says, “If it’s not in Asana, it’s not happening!”
• Don’t forget to have a little fun, too! You’re going to be working really hard, so I suggest you treat yourself to a massage or some sort of simple pleasure at the end of your weekend.
• Upon your return, have a meeting with your team or individual team members to fill them in on some of the decisions you made or changes that may be coming down the pipeline.
• Repeat your total immersion retreat weekend on a quarterly basis!

So what do you think? Are you ready to book a total immersion weekend retreat to clean up the messy parts in your business? I hope you said “yes!” because this is an investment that you won’t regret! If you’ve decided to go for it, pick where you’ll go and book it in the next 48 hours, and when you do, head over to Instagram and DM me to let me know when and where you’re going!

This episode is brought to you by Audible where you too can listen to the book I mentioned that I’m loving right now: High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, for FREE! Members of my audience get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/OMME