What you don’t know about running a creative business: 5 secrets spilled

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Are you ready to be let in on a little secret? How about five of them? All related to running an online business?! Heck yes, I know you’re here for it!

In today’s episode, our experts are spilling the secrets about running a creative business, and you do NOT want to miss this!

This season’s experts:

Jordan Gill, operations consultant and founder of Systems Saved Me, helps overworked one-woman shows become streamlined solopreneurs. Her jam is creating a cohesive operating system for managing your tasks, files and inbox. She’s been on podcasts like What Works and CEO Vibes sharing her love of replacing monthly retainers with one day virtual intensives. She currently lives in Dallas TX with her cavapoo Vivienne and collection of 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

Visit Jordan: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Katelyn began her career in marketing and public relations in Nashville, Tennessee. After working in the agency world for six years, she decided to pursue the entrepreneurship route to create more freedom and flexibility in her life. Now, Katelyn works as an Online Business Manager where she helps entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize the backend of their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front. A Georgia grad, she bleeds red and black and is a diehard Georgia football fan, dog mom and outdoor enthusiast.

Visit Katelyn: Website | Instagram

Megan is a Life and Business Coach that specializes in helping online course creators, coaches, and service providers build a scalable, sustainable, and enjoyable business… without sacrificing their personal life!
She does this through her coaching program, Empowered CEO™, and her weekly live show, The Productive Life.
Megan has a Master’s Degree in Organizational and Human Resource Development, corporate Human Resources and Recruiting experience, and has been helping online business owners streamline and systemize their businesses since 2015.

Visit Megan: Website | Empowered CEO |Facebook Group

Quinn Tempest is a business strategist and coach who helps females founders create more purpose + profit in their business *without* burning out. She’s the founder of Create Your Purpose®, a community of global entrepreneurs dedicated to building impactful businesses with intention. Her professional expertise is in branding and holistic digital marketing strategy and she is a frequent speaker at events and organizations around the country.

Visit Quinn: Website | Instagram

Alisha Robertson is an author, business coach and the founder of Living Over Existing; a podcast, newsletter and community for women entrepreneurs who want to run a successful business without sacrificing the life she desires.

After experiencing severe burnout, Alisha tore down everything she thought she knew about becoming a successful entrepreneur and decided to build a brand that helped women to focus on building their business and life with intention. Through her work, Alisha strives to not only help women entrepreneurs to launch, grow and scale their brands but also help them to prioritize themselves in the process.

Visit Alisha: Website | LOE Collective | LOE Instagram 

Transcript:

Erin Flynn:

Hey, welcome back. This is Erin and today’s episode is going to be especially exciting because our experts are going to be spilling the secrets of the online business world. I’m really excited to hear what they think should be public knowledge. So, let’s just dive straight in and hear what they have to say.

Jordan Gill:

Hi, I’m Jordan Gill from Systems Saved Me. So, one secret, I guess, that should be spilled is that it truly is about having all roads lead to one offer. I think that people are being told to create these intricate funnels and have podcasts that leads to a mini-course, that leads to a bigger course, that leads to a program, that leads to a mastermind, that leads to who knows what. And you have all these offers and it over-complicates everything. And so, I found that what I’ve done well is stay true to what my one service was always going to be. And then, now, I have one program. And so, it’s very easy for myself and my team to make decisions about what promotions I should be a part of or podcasts I should be a part of or what marketing we should do, because all roads lead to done in a day.

And that’s something we say in our team meetings all the time. If it’s something else, not interested. And I’m not going to spend my time there, mainly just because it doesn’t serve our overall purpose and how we make money and how we impact people. So, I think that to have a whole, again, my course membership, signature course, program, mastermind, that’s a lot of levels. That’s a lot of content to keep track of. That’s a lot of funnels to keep track of, pages, links, graphics, logos, websites. Anyway. So, I would like to share that you can let all of that go, go all in on one opportunity. And you just get better and better at marketing it because you’re spending all of your time and effort there, versus it being super spread thin over multiple offerings at once. So, if you want to connect with me, you can go to my website, systemssavedme.com, or find me on Instagram to DM, at Systems Saved Me.

Katelyn Hamilton:

Hey, this is Katelyn Hamilton. And I am an online business manager and marketing strategist. The best secret I can tell you guys about the online business world is truly that everything isn’t always what it seems. So, you look at the success of these people that you’re dreaming about becoming or your role models, and while it looks like their business is so easy and in flow, and they’re only working so many hours a week or they’re traveling all over the world, I can promise you that there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than you know of. I personally have a six-figure business. I work in the backend of six figure, multiple six figure, seven figure businesses with my clients, and regardless of if they’re traveling or what they’re doing, it is still a lot of work. And while it’s enjoyable work, and it does give you those freedoms and opportunities to work on your own schedule, there is still a team of people that are working around the clock in a way to make that business run successfully and support that person that you see. And they’re still doing a ton of work.

Most entrepreneurs that I know, most of my clients are very successful because they’re driven. They’re willing to go the extra mile and they put the time into their business that isn’t always communicated. And while, certainly they have days of flow and they can work their schedule to be a whatever they want it to be, there is absolutely still periods of hustle and work and stress and tight deadlines and stuff that goes into every person’s business or launch or whatever it is. So, don’t discount that hard work that you’re putting in. And if it feels like, “Oh, they have it so easy,” I promise you that they’re experiencing different things at different levels, but it all comes down to the same stuff that you’re probably experiencing now in a different way.

And while running your own business is such an amazing experience, it is also a roller coaster of emotions and work and success and highs and lows. And that’s something that probably won’t change. I mean, at times, business does get to be really easy and really great, and you do get to lean into that, but at other times it isn’t as easy as it appears. And I think the more people realize that, the less people would give up on their business so soon because it really does take hard work to work a business. So, I encourage you to just keep that in the back of your mind as you are in your business and write out what success means to you, what does owning a business mean to you? What makes you happy and brings you joy that you can lean into every day?

Because while there may be hard in every day, there’s also joy every day in your business. So, I really think that you have to stop the comparison game and truly remember what it is that you love about running your own business. If you want to stay connected with me online, you can join my email list or on my website. You can check me out on my website at www.katelyn K-A-T-E-L-Y-N ehamilton H-A-M-I-L-T O-N.com. Or you can find me on Instagram at Katelyn, K-A-T-E-L-Y-N, E Hamilton on Instagram.

Megan Minns:

Hey, this is Megan from meganminns.com and I help online business owners learn how to run, grow, and scale their business in a way that’s also really fun for them. And I think the online business world has such this mystique of perfection. And let me explain what I mean by that. I think that we are always looking at other people as the way we should be showing up. Someone does a launch and it seems really successful and we say, “Oh, that’s what I should be doing.” Or someone is showing up in a certain way online and we think, “That’s what I should be doing.” And you’re just always looking at other people and seeing the end results and you’re comparing yourself to the end result. And you’re assuming that everything that happened behind that went smoothly and perfectly, and no issues and everything was perfect and they have no regrets.

And I think the biggest myth is just that, that is the reality. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg. All we can see about another business is that end result. We can’t see the messy project management system behind the scenes, the overdue deadlines, the missed deadlines, the frustrating conversations, the difficult decisions, how that compared to their goals, team changes, maybe they had to let someone go, we don’t even know. We also don’t even think about the fact that a lot of the big names in the online space have huge teams helping them, huge full-time teams, and we’re comparing ourselves to that end result. And I just wish we all talked about the behind the scenes a little bit more. I am trying to do this myself, but I understand it’s really difficult to share behind the scenes sometimes. So, whether or not people are sharing it and talking about it or not, I really want you to know that everything you’re seeing is just the prettiest end result that could have been pulled together at that time.

And that there’s a lot behind the scenes that changed and was messy, and that didn’t go well and that wasn’t perfect, and that was frustrating and was difficult. And all the stuff, all the turmoil, all the work that went into it, all the time, and all the risks. And so, I really want you to stop comparing yourself to the end result and to stop assuming that, that end result is the best outcome possible as well, because we just don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes because a lot happens, especially in bigger teams and bigger companies. So much happens that we’re not privy to. So, I just really want that to be something you taken to consideration through the rest of your journey in business is that we can look at other people and be inspired by them and cheer them on and support them and be excited.

But that we also don’t need to assume that everything behind the scenes was perfect, and we don’t need to compare ourselves to that end result. And instead, just focus on doing the best you can do instead. So, I hope this helps. I think this is a lesson that I learned that can really change the game, and I hope it means something to you as well. I would love to connect with you over on Instagram. So, you can go to Megan_ Minns and I will see you over there.

Quinn Tempest:

Hello, lovely people. This is Quinn Tempest. Not a singer, but trying to be. I’m the founder of Create Your Purpose and lover of all things sparkly and colorful. Today, I am spilling the tea on a secret in the business world that should be out there. And that is this, entrepreneurship is not glamorous. We’ve all seen those photos or videos of entrepreneurs sitting on the beach with a laptop saying that you can do this too. And I hate that. If I’m going to be on a beach, I’m not taking my laptop, that is for sure. I am taking a margarita and a good trashy romance novel. So, I think this, it’s a marketing ploy, first and foremost, but I think a lot of people buy into this idea of entrepreneurship is this freewheeling thing where you can work from wherever you want and do whatever you want and create your own path.

And yeah, it is all of those things, but it’s also really, really hard work. And to be honest, it’s not for everyone. And maybe that’s not the most empowering thing to say, but it really isn’t. Some people need to be given structure. Entrepreneurs have to create their own structure. Some people need to be given a calendar and a timeline and be told what to do. Entrepreneurs are completely self motivated and if that’s not, you, you need to figure out a way to either get that accountability or instead find it within yourself. But I meet with a lot of people and women, mainly, who idolize the idea of entrepreneurship and working from home. And I get it. I get the allure, but it’s hard. It’s self-motivating and I’ll say too, I think entrepreneurship brings up a lot of stuff.

It brings up a lot of emotions. It teaches you a lot about yourself. In fact, I think entrepreneurship is like therapy on steroids. You expose all of these different parts of yourself. You learn all the ways you get in your own way. You also learn where you’re not that great and where, if you were in a non-solopreneur situation in a business or something, you would have someone to lean on. So, I think entrepreneurship is very exposing, it’s very vulnerable. And of course, on the flip side, it’s probably the best thing I ever done. It’s where I’ve really been able to find my purpose, create my purpose, make an impact, but it’s not glamorous. It’s not sitting on a beach with a laptop. And if it is, and if that’s what you want, don’t do it.

So, that’s really, the secret is it’s hard work. It’s worth it, but it’s not for everyone. I’m guessing if you’re listening to this though, it’s probably for you. So, keep going, but be honest with yourself and get the support that you need along the way, because we shouldn’t have to do this alone. Yes, it’s self-motivated, but we’re not alone and we can get support. So, keep going. Come over to Instagram, to connect with me. Let’s spill the tea. I love a good tea latte. I am at Quinn.Tempest. Feel free to give me a follow, send me a DM. Tell me you heard me here and I’d love to connect with you.

Alisha Robertson:

I’m Alisha Robertson, founder of livingoverexisting.com. And the business secret that I think should be spilled is that marketing doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. The number one question or the number one concern that a lot of my clients have, or the one thing I see always circling online is that people can’t market because they don’t have a big marketing budget. That’s not true at all. You do not have to have a huge marketing budget in order to successfully put your business and your offers out into the world. And I think, we think that marketing must cost a lot of money because, one, we’re on social media all day, every day. And all we see are ads that have been purchased from people over and over and over again. Or we’re watching TV and we’re seeing commercials coming back to back to back from these big companies who of course have big budgets.

But if you have a little to no budget for marketing, you shouldn’t let that lack of funds get in the way of you putting yourself out there. So, all marketing really is, is finding different ways to share with your audience what you do or what you have to offer, over and over and over again. And that could be done through your social media. So, how can you create a social media marketing strategy? How can you create a content marketing strategy where you’re really leveraging your blog or really leveraging your podcast or your YouTube channel? How can you really leverage your email marketing? How can you make sure that you’re creating emails that are really attracting your dream clients or attracting your dream customers?

So, all of those things, of course, have some costs associated with it at some point, but you don’t need a huge marketing budget in order to effectively put yourself out there. And just think, if you’re comparing yourself to these other companies or these other people, they probably have been in business for a really long time, so they may have the budget to be able to do this. They may have the funding, meaning they are receiving money or grants in order to put behind their marketing strategies. Or they may be some big major company that has millions of dollars to splurge on ads or splurge on commercials, or all these different campaigns that we see going around. But if you can just get really creative and get really strategic and specific about who it is that you’re talking to, you don’t need a huge budget in order to market. Literally, the internet gives you everything that you need.

So, go out there and create those incredible, consistent blog posts, making sure that you are consistent with your email marketing strategy or that you are being consistent on social media, and just picking those key platforms that you want to show up on, create great content from there and show up consistently. And really, don’t be afraid to get creative because marketing, of course you can put some money behind it, but if you don’t have it, or if you’re not ready for that, don’t feel like it’s necessary in order for you to be successful. All right, you guys. I hope that was super helpful. If you would like to connect with me, you could find me over at livingoverexisting.com and you can also follow me at The Alicia Nicole on Instagram.

Erin Flynn:

Hey, it’s Erin. I’m back and I want to know which one of these secrets was a real secret for you. Which one were you not expecting to hear? I would love it if you would join the conversation over on our Instagram, find us at Successfully Simple, over there, and let us know which secret had the biggest impact for you. As well as, if you have any online business secrets that you want to share with everyone else, I’ll see you on Instagram.