Work Less, Earn More

One of the biggest changes we’re making in 2021 is how we run the podcast. Instead of pre-recording and editing all the episodes before we release them, we’re now recording the show LIVE each week inside Startup Society, so that the members can listen in and participate by asking questions.   As I write this, I’ve just finished recording the first of these live sessions, and what a great interview it was!   In today’s episode, I sat down with Keina Newell, financial coach and founder of Wealth Over Now. Keina works with professional women and solopreneurs to create new possibilities with their money so they can save more, pay off debt, invest in themselves and stress less about money.   Keina is passionate about her work and finds no greater satisfaction than helping her clients start managing their money with joy because they’ve learned to feel possibility where they once felt shame, guilt, overwhelm, and anxiety.   We had a great discussion about how she’s built her coaching practice to $10K months -- while maintaining her full-time corporate job.   Keina shared a lot of great insights into how to market yourself as a coach (or freelancer) and how to balance a side-hustle with a full-time job. Listen to the full episode to hear: How Keina’s grown her coaching business from 0 to where she is today The systems Keina has in place so she can operate her coaching practice while working full-time How she's maximizing profits with a 1:1 business model Learn more about Keina Newell: wealthovernow.com Wealth Over Now on Instagram   Learn more about Gillian: Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!  

Will 2021 be any different?   Who’s to say…   Personally, as much as I’d love to think that 2021 will fix everything, what I really believe is that “a day is a day.” It doesn’t matter the label we put on it, it’s just a 24 hour period in which anything can happen; 24 hours we’re given to make the most of.   Or, in the words of Master Oogway:   “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”   Anyway, 2020 is one for the books, and to wrap it up, I’m opening up my books to show you how we fared.   I’d like to wrap this up by sharing that my hope for 2021 is that it is truly our best year yet. We learned SO much in 2020, and I know that if we apply those lessons this year then we’ll be in good shape. Listen to the full episode to hear: How much my business earned How much we spent How many hours my team and I worked to earn that money Plus a few of my biggest 2021 goals (including our income projection) Links: gillianperkins.com/validate Instagram: @gillianzperkins Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Startup Society Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!  

Patience is a virtue, but that doesn't mean you can't be TOO patient. And you know what? A lot of people are.   A lot of people waste a lot of time (+ energy and money) because they're patient. And dedicated. And committed. And motivated.   ALL GOOD THINGS. But also potentially problematic.   My dad said it this way: "Don't be afraid of being a quitter. Be willing to quit when you realize you're in the wrong place."   You know who I see make the mistake of being "too patient" more than just about anyone else?   Entrepreneurs.   And it makes sense when you think about it. Not only do entrepreneurs tend to be extremely passionate, committed, and motivated, but there's also this idea out there that success has to take a long time.   ...which I don't entirely disagree with. It definitely takes a while to build a big, successful company. And if you want to build anything meaningful, you need to be committed and in it for the long game.   But too many entrepreneurs hear that and think it means that it will take years to make even their first dollar.   So, what do they do? They work for years... for nothing.   And I don't mean they invest years for an eventual payout.   I mean they waste years working on something that never pans out.   Please don't make this mistake.   Please take the time to figure out if your business idea is valid.   Research the market. Determine the demand for what you're interested in selling.   And don't just stop there... get proof. Share your product (with the right people) and see how they respond. Prioritize generating your first sales before you spend years trying to "build" your business. Listen to the full episode to hear: 3 questions to ask to figure out if your business idea is valid Why market research is essential to building a successful business How to tell if your business idea is valid and worth pursuing Why it might not take a long time to build a substantial, successful business Learn more about Gillian: Predict Your Profits Workshop Attract Paying Customers Action Plan Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Startup Society Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!  

How much do you want to earn in 2021?   I used to really dislike that ☝ question... because I had no idea how to answer it.   “What do you mean, ‘how much do I want to earn’? As much as I can, of course!”   It’s a lot like when you’re shopping for something expensive and the sales rep asks you, “So, what’s your budget?”   Of course, sometimes we DO have a budget, but a lot of the time I just want to spend as little as I can to get the thing I need. (I’m sure I can’t be the only one…)   Any answer to the “how much do you want to earn” question just felt… arbitrary. I’d say a smaller number, trying to be “realistic” -- but it wasn’t [at all] what I really wanted. Or I’d say a BIG number, but it felt pointless because it seemed impossible.   If you can relate to this struggle between modest “realistic” goals and ambitious inspiring goals, then today’s podcast episode is for you.   Because here’s the truth: there CAN be a balance between those two extremes. And not just a compromise… you can actually set goals that are both realistic and inspiring. Listen to the full episode to hear: Two ways to set goals based on math My recommendation for setting your first growth goal What can get in the way of you growth What to do if your growth goals feel overwhelming How to set goals when you’re just starting out Learn more about Gillian Predict Your Profits Workshop Attract Paying Customers Action Plan Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Startup Society Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!

Several years ago, when I ran a digital marketing agency, I met an incredible woman named Margo Carroll.   At first, I didn't realize how incredible she was -- she was just another client who was hiring us to run her Facebook ads.   But the more I got to know Margo, see her work, and learn from her, the more impressed I became.   Not only does Margo do everything she takes on with integrity and serious commitment, but I also discovered she has an area of unique expertise: sales psychology.   Margo understands the human mind and persuasion in a deep way, but, more than that, she's able to strategically apply that knowledge to connect with people and create highly effective marketing campaigns.   And, while Margo originally hired my company to help her advertise her business, over the years the tables have turned, and I've become the client. Margo has helped us conduct thorough market research, write sales campaigns, launch webinars, and strategize our funnels. Listen to the full episode to hear: How to use market research to learn more about your customers and more effectively sell to them Why market research is incredibly valuable to do when you're in the planning stages (deciding what to sell) to improve your copy and maximize your sales How asking a potential member questions before they join your Facebook group is a type of market research (and how you can use it in your future copy) The first steps Margo recommends if you haven’t done research in your business before Learn more about Margo Carroll: margocarroll.com Follow Margo on Instagram Learn more about Gillian: Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!  

Are you more “left-brained” or “right-brained”?   We all have some balance between the more analytical and the more creative/emotional sides, but most of us lean more one way or the other.   A lot of entrepreneurs -- especially visionary, founder sorts -- are extremely creative, always coming up with new ideas and solutions. Many even refer to themselves as “creative entrepreneurs.”   Those right-brain skills are KEY for entrepreneurial success… but they still have to be balanced out.   Because while creativity can get you started and keep you inspired… it’s analyzing the numbers that will allow you to stay in business long term.   Maybe “analyzing the numbers” sounds fun to you! (Where my nerdy friends at??)   But, on the other hand, if it sounds scary, hard, or boring… well, I just want to let you know right now that it doesn’t have to be any of those things.   Understanding your business’s numbers -- and making strategic decisions based off of them -- is an essential skill as an entrepreneur, and it can actually be quite interesting and easy!   To show you exactly how to do this for yourself, I asked Rita Barry to come on the podcast this week. Rita specializes in metric-driven marketing for online businesses, and she shared some really practical advice on how to get started making more strategic, numbers-based decisions in our businesses. Listen to the full episode to hear: How to keep your metric-driven marketing plan super simple The questions to ask when making your plan The best way to spot bottlenecks in your business and what to do about them How to find what’s working in your marketing and the best way to pull and read reports Learn more about Rita Barry: ritabarry.co Follow Rita on Instagram Connect with Rita on LinkedIn   Learn more about Gillian: Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!  

Every month, I’m peeling back the curtain and sharing the ins & outs of my monthly revenue.   These income reports are an in-depth and honest look at how much my business earned, what it cost, and how many hours it took me to do it.   This is the very last income report of 2020. I’m glad I committed to doing monthly income reports -- it gave me accountability to really look at the numbers regularly and see exactly how things were going.   Every month, I’ve felt like we didn’t do very well: like we didn’t earn very much, like we spent too much, and like we worked too much.   But when the month finally wrapped and I looked at the numbers… we’d done awesome!   That’s what I like about numbers: they tell us the truth. Unlike our subjective perspective, which is highly distorted by emotion.   So let’s dive into the numbers.   In every income report, I share which tasks and projects really ended up paying me best so that you can see how I’m optimizing my business so that I can work less and earn more over time. Plus, you’ll get a time report, breaking down the time I spend on each activity and how that created a financial result (or not). Listen to the full episode to hear: How we earned $37,530.08 in November What we learned from last year’s Black Friday promotion and what we did differently this year Why our income month-to-month isn’t always tied to that month’s activities Why we spent most of this month planning for 2021 Links: Instagram: @gillianzperkins Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Startup Society Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!

We all do it. We judge books by their covers… and also by their size.   Somehow we think that if a book has more pages then we’re going to get MORE out of it.   We do the same thing if we buy an online course: we think that if it was more expensive it’s going to be more valuable and that if we open it and it has more modules than we thought that we’re going to get A LOT more out of it. We assume, therefore, that it will be more useful.   I’m guilty of this thinking, too. Sometimes I find myself doing this with podcast episodes (like this one, for example!) “Oh, that episode’s only eight minutes long—it probably won’t even be worth my time.”   But we all know that sometimes the best gifts come in the smallest packages: the check for $100K, the engagement ring, the simple (yet powerful) advice of a mentor.   In the spirit of keeping it simple, today’s episode is only 8 minutes long. If you have that time to spare, give it a listen. In just a few minutes, I share some advice I got last year from one of my mentors that’s allowed me to work significantly LESS while increasing our revenue by over 80%.   Who knows, maybe it’s exactly what you need to hear to work less and earn more in your business, too! Listen to the full episode to hear: Why you should ALWAYS ask yourself: what would this look like if it were simple? Why more complicated strategies WON’T necessarily get us bigger and better results Sometimes more complex ideas are addictive—we feel like once we’ve identified them that we can’t live without them—but is that really true? Learn more about Gillian: Attract Paying Customers Action Plan Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Startup Society Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!    

Two words: MIND. BLOWN.   I used to believe a LOT of myths about SEO, including: Google ranks websites higher if they’re frequently updated More content means your site has more chances of ranking well Adding target keywords to articles is the best way to tell Google what it’s about   And by “used to” I don’t mean years ago.   Nope… these are all myths I believed as recently as last week.   That is until I talked to Kim Herrington.   Kim’s an expert in SEO, search engine marketing, and digital marketing—and she’s the founder of a digital marketing agency where she helps businesses, entrepreneurs, and influencers harness the power of search engines while maintaining high ethical standards and simplifying the process.   On today’s episode, Kim shed a LOT of light on an often mysterious subject: how to get your website to rank well on Google. Honestly, she shared a lot of things that surprised me!   So… if your website is one of the main ways your business attracts customers, this is a can’t-miss episode. Listen to the full episode to hear: Can SEO tactics create predictable results? How complex is SEO? Is it something anyone can do or is professional help necessary? What SEO tactics create the biggest results? What are the first steps to getting a website to rank on the first page of Google? Learn more about Kimberley Herrington: Transform Your Business with Strategic SEO Guide to Get More Website Traffic Instagram   Learn more about Gillian: Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!    

Sales funnels. You might be thinking: those are one of those complicated things everyone says you need in order to be successful, but really… they’re probably just a distraction from what you really need. Right? Actually… No. (Sorry, not sorry.) In fact, if there’s ONE thing a business needs -- it’s a sales funnel. Good news though! EVERY business (that successfully makes money) manages to check this box -- even if unintentionally. Sales funnels don’t need to be complex. Here’s the thing… a “sales funnel” is just the process that your potential customers go through to find out about your business, decide to buy your product, and then purchase. Donut shops have sales funnels. Hair salons have sales funnels. Coaching businesses have sales funnels. Software companies have sales funnels. Amazon has a sales funnel. Literally, EVERY business has one. But if you don’t intentionally design your funnel, then it’s unlikely that it will work very well. Listen to the full episode to hear: Why EVERY business needs a strategic sales funnel to make money Everything you need to know about funnels, including what they are, how they work, and how to set one up for yourself My best tips for creating a sales funnel that generates the max number of sales The four components you need in order for your sales funnels to be as SUCCESSFUL as possible Learn more about Gillian Attract Paying Customers Action Plan Join Startup Society (promo code: earnmore) Startup Society Profit Planning Challenge Get in touch!