WEBVTT - Build Your Business Now (How-To Monday) 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.480 Hey, hey, ba fam, It's time for another Holla Back 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.320 Monday Woop woop. This week, we're looking back at some 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:10.600 of our favorite episodes from days past for memorable guests 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:11.600 who unforgettable moment. 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.920 There's still so much to learn from the be A Vault. 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:25.440 Take oh listen, willya hey v a Fam? I am listen. 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.840 It's not so often besides Tiffany, that when I'm sitting 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:31.760 across from someone on a virtual you know, doing the podcast, 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:33.720 that I feel like the warm and fuzzies and I 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:36.479 just want to like give a hug from through the 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:40.560 computer somehow. But if Tiffany couldn't be here, I am 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:45.000 so so glad to have Ellie d'op sharing the virtual 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:48.120 studio stage with me at brad Ambishen this week. If 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:51.320 y'all have not heard of Ellie Talks Money, where have 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:55.840 you been? Honestly? All right, I'm going to read you 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.400 her little bio first, because she deserves all of the 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:00.960 praise and all of the all of the flowers that 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:04.360 she deserves. But I am so excited to have Ellie 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.600 here because not only is she so inspiring, you're gonna 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:10.440 hear all about how she built her business off that 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.520 stimmy Check. Shout out to Biden, shout out to I 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:18.120 don't know the pandemic mm hmm. But she now coaches 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:20.840 thousands and thousands of people and how to do the 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.520 same thing and launch their own successful online business. So 0:01:23.800 --> 0:01:25.320 if you haven't heard of Ellie, let me tell you 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:28.640 about my friend. Okay. Ellie is a business and strategy coach. 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:32.199 She is a founder and CEO of Ellie Talks Money 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:35.960 and the ell Evated Academy. She took her twelve hundred 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:38.520 dollars stimmy check, used it to start a business and 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:42.479 eventually turned it into a multimillion dollar company in less 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:45.840 than one year before turning thirty years old. And why 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:48.920 is this not here with four children, single mama with 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:52.920 four babis okay. And since then she has served over 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:57.680 fifty thousand students and is committed to assisting especially women, 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.640 build successful businesses so they can live the life of 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:04.480 their dreams. She has been featured all over the dang place, 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:08.560 from twenty five most Influential New Voices of Money by 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:13.119 Next Advisor to the hundred most Influential African Americans by 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:16.640 the Root, plus Fortune, Entrepreneur news Week, all over the place, 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:19.160 and now she's on round ambition. So we're gonna get 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:21.600 We're gonna get put in the bio now featured on 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.720 ba Okay col Cuck cool Ellie. It's so good to 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:27.640 it's so good to see you. I was just reflecting 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.600 you and I met in person, and I wasn't that 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.519 familiar with you until I met you at finn Conn 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:36.640 earlier this year, which I don't know if I told you, 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.400 but that was like my that was my re entry 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:43.760 into like society, yeah, personal finance society. 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:44.480 Tell me. 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.360 Yeah. It was like my first time doing any trip 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.519 by myself as a mom. And I just remember I 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.239 felt like I was floating down that hall. It was 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:57.000 like such a corporate conference type vibe, but I could 0:02:57.080 --> 0:03:00.240 have been in like Versailles, the Palace of Versailles. I 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:04.040 just felt so damn good. I felt fancy. I drank 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:08.040 wine in my room, but I got to talk free. 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:08.320 No. 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:10.920 I remember, because you guys were the ogs in the 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:11.840 finance space. 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:12.840 You guys were the og. 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:16.000 Really, I think fin Con, at least in terms of 0:03:16.040 --> 0:03:18.600 like black women taking up space at fin Con, you 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.520 guys definitely did it first, which I think made room 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:24.919 for people like me to now be going because that 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:26.239 was my first fin con too. 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:28.720 So I think you and I met too at the 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:33.120 Women of Color podcast meetup, which blew my mind because 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:35.440 like I got there really early and we got I 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:37.440 sat down with like two other women, but by like 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:40.680 the next ten minutes, you came in plus like one hundred, 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.400 like well at least one hundred women of color. It 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:48.000 was so amazing. But I want everyone to get to 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:50.040 know you a little bit, So can you tell us 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:53.640 how Ellie talks money, how elevated, how you became who 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.720 you are today, because just a few years ago you 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:58.840 were not in the position you are now. And I 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:00.880 just find your story so inspiring. 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:02.400 Thank you so much. 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:06.720 It's definitely been a wild ride, and I always enjoyed 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.960 telling people the story because I think it's really one that, 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:14.000 you know, makes people realize you can change your circumstance 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:14.720 at any time. 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:17.120 And you know, when I started my. 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:21.320 Business, even just like pre rewind to starting the business 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:24.159 right so you know, I gave birth to my twins 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:28.719 in twenty nineteen, and maybe four or five months after that, 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.200 I ended up getting laid off on my job and 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:34.839 then I moved. I ended up also getting a divorce. 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.839 Then had to move back home to my mom's house, 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:43.080 which was not like the most fun experience. Loved my mom, 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:45.440 but I didn't have my own room, you know, I 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.440 just had to take up space in our living room essentially. 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.520 So it's me and my four babies, two of which 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:53.400 I'm still nursing, the twins. 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:57.120 And I applied to I want. 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:59.839 To say, over fifty five jobs, if I remember, you know, 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:01.719 I just kept applying, applying, applying. 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:03.480 I'm like, someone's going to your skill? 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:05.440 What were you working? Was it marketing? 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:08.200 I was as director of sales, so I was working 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:12.000 in sales. And I worked for a financial services company, 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:16.080 so we sold life insurance and you know, really im 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:20.080 wealth products to senior individuals. So I was always kind 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.120 of in this money space and I was doing such 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:24.800 a good job. I had such a great job. I 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:27.320 loved my job. But you know, layoffs happen. You can't 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.400 control it. And so when I applied to all these 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:35.440 jobs and not one of the fifty five hired me, 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:37.240 I'm like, what is going on? 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.800 Like is it me? Is am I the problem? What 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:40.800 is happening here? 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:43.680 And so it was really at that point, you know, 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.559 of course, COVID started happening. My kids were at home, 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:49.919 I was unemployed. I was doing door dash with my 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:53.400 kids in the car to make money. And when I 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:57.960 knew that these stimulus checks were coming, I said, this 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:00.520 might be the opportunity that I've been with waiting for, 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:04.800 you know. And I felt as though that stimulus check was, 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:09.400 you know, almost an investment or capital into this business 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:11.000 that I wanted to start, because where was I going 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:13.599 to get twelve hundred dollars any other way, you know. 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:17.240 And so I took that and I decided to start 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.240 my consulting company, where in my mind, I was going 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:23.279 to take what I knew how to do sales, marketing, finance, 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:28.839 funding and show women entrepreneurs, specifically black women and mothers, 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:32.039 how they can use some of these same skill sets 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:36.840 to build their own business. And to my surprise, it 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:40.360 was so well received, and in that first ten months 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:46.080 we hit seven figures. So it was truly listen, it 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.360 was a wild ride. It was a wild ride. 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:50.360 It in the first ten months, you said. 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:51.279 First ten months. 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:55.400 Yes, I started it in July of twenty twenty and 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:59.000 by April of twenty twenty one, we had crossed seven figures. 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:01.800 See the business choice You made was to have those 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:06.480 babies in early twenty nineteen, because you were already out 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:08.680 of the fog. Damn it, you were out of the fog. 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:11.600 You had like had your brain back. I was in 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:15.520 the fog in twenty twenty, and like the timing, like serendipity. 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:18.040 I mean, obviously you're great at what you do, but 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:21.560 you can't not acknowledge that in twenty twenty, everyone will 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:24.239 were stuck at home and so many women a special 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:28.000 women of color right our audiences, were struggling financially, they 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.840 were let oh the hours cut had to quit because 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:33.119 they couldn't work remote and they had kids at home. 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.680 So what perfect timing for someone to come and say, like, 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:41.880 you can actually create an online business. You know, honestly, 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:43.880 I was one of the women who probably needed to 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:47.000 find your work because it was only in twenty twenty one, 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:53.080 post fog most Fouk on Newborn Stage that I launched 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:55.760 my business, Mandy money Makers. Also I love that we 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:57.640 both just like, let's just put our name in it. 0:07:57.720 --> 0:08:02.200 Let's just okay. Also, I was like, I can't think 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:04.760 of anything better, but I launched that. Well, actually I 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:06.400 didn't even launch it right away. I just did, like 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:08.840 free coaching to see if I was good at it. 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:11.440 You're probably like, why but I did that? 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:13.000 No, girl, let me tell you. 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:16.400 I did free coaching too for the first probably three 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:18.440 or four months because I needed to make sure I 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:19.320 wasn't crazy. 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:20.640 I needed to make sure it. 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:26.760 Was exactly yes, exactly okay. So yeah, and I'm let's 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:29.640 talk about that too, because for me, not only did 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:33.120 it help like re established like established trust with my 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:35.480 audience to or just like a core group of women. 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.800 I think two hundred people signed up. Two hundred women 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.439 signed up for a free coaching session. And I did 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.440 those throughout, like maybe over the five or six month period, 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:45.600 and it took a long time, but I was like, 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.640 I'm going to finish these. But it was so it 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:50.760 was kind of old fashioned, like on the phone or 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:54.240 on zoom with women asking them what their pain points were, 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.680 like really getting to know the customer. And I feel 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:00.520 like that has to be one of the strategies talk about, 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.200 is like understanding what people need. And then it wasn't 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:06.840 until I completed those free sessions I was like, I 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:08.040 know what I'm going to do. It's going to be 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.640 the Mandy money Maker Academy. It's going to be group 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:15.480 coaching community because these women are lonely. Yeah, talk to 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:19.800 me about what you learned from those early months launching Elevated. 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:22.559 Yeah, so you know that's so important. 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.280 And I know for me, when I decided I was 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:27.920 going to do this, I was really afraid at first 0:09:27.960 --> 0:09:31.480 to charge for anything, because you know, it's one thing 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:33.960 going to work and being paid at a job, and 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:37.840 it's another thing choosing a price point for the market, 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:42.160 you know, for customers. So I remember strategically thinking, Okay, 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:44.080 I'm just going to do this for free so people 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:47.760 know that it works, so I can get some testimonials, 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:53.040 and then ultimately I'll use that to charge, which you know, 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:55.480 my price at the time was like forty seven dollars, 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:58.280 you know, for an hour long coaching session. I was like, 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:03.320 let me kind of get all this, but definitely, right, 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:06.520 I know, right, that was definitely a key part of 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:09.840 I think building the trust and the audience quickly, because 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:14.760 I didn't really launch my first paid course until October 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:16.079 or November, and it. 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:20.719 Was fifteen dollars. It was a fifteen dollars product, and. 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.960 Even by the time I got to that first seven figures, 0:10:24.000 --> 0:10:26.880 I think my highest price point was seventy five dollars. 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:31.160 So I really wanted to take the time to build 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:34.800 that trust so that I could create a product and 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:37.960 a brand that was accessible to people. So when I 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:41.080 did those coaching calls for free, the only thing I 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:44.240 asked them in return is, hey, if this works for you, 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:46.760 can you send me a quick one minute video and 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.120 just telling me what worked even what didn't so I 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:52.520 can learn so I can grow. And those that gave 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:57.160 positive testimonials, I use those as marketing to eventually make 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:00.120 sales when the product had a price on it. And 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:03.360 I think that really helped because what we also noticed 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.600 in that twenty twenty twenty one period is there was 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:11.280 a lot of people coming on the internet selling something right. 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:13.160 It was I mean, we. 0:11:13.160 --> 0:11:15.600 Had the crypto, we had the for X, we had 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.200 the this, everyone had a course, you know, And I 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:20.000 was like, well, I had to make sure that people 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.679 really know the real deal and I know what I'm 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:26.120 talking about, so let me just use social proof and 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:30.240 testimonials to kind of solidify that voice. 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:31.240 And it really helped. 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:36.400 It really helped, right, and the time that it takes 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:39.200 to build that trust for someone who's wanting to start 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:41.760 a business it's hard to sometimes tell them because I've 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:45.400 had these calls too where it's like, so, what's your secret? 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:47.480 Maybe money looks like it's doing so well right now, 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:49.800 you know, what's your secret? And I was like, Well, 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:53.160 had a podcast for seven years before I launched it 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:55.800 that helped build some trust in you know, a small 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:59.200 but meaningful audience, and then did it for free for 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.200 six months, and I did other things to make money 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.840 over that period. So talk to me about, like, as 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:06.840 you were doing the free coaching, you had that twelve 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.440 hundred dollars, where were you putting that money and how 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:12.240 soon were you actually seeing returns? 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:13.840 Yeah, that's such a good question. 0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:17.319 So for me, that twelve hundred went to I upgraded 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:19.520 my phone to at the time, I think it was 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:23.079 a twelve iPhone, just so I could create better quality content. 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:27.599 I paid for my LLC, I paid for some subscriptions 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.720 like Canvas, Shopify, et cetera. And then the rest I 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:32.640 kind of just set on the side. I think was 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.000 maybe four or five hundred dollars that I sat on 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:37.160 the side. And I was like, when I learned how 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:40.120 to run ads, I'm going to use this to do it, 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.640 you know, but what I can say is the business 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.520 started to make money. I think I hit my first 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:50.920 I remember my first five hundred dollars day was October 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:54.760 twenty third, I think of twenty twenty, which isn't a lot, 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:56.400 but to me that was a big deal. 0:12:56.840 --> 0:12:59.280 Five hundred dollars in a day and a whole lot. 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:01.360 Some people that in a month or in a week 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.800 listen that that's something that was what were you making 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:05.920 a DoorDash in one day? 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.240 Yeah, and so I think it was at that point 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:11.760 that I realized, Okay, this might be able to do 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:14.280 something like, maybe I should really stay consistent with this 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:15.920 and really keep going. 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:17.560 So, you know, I was living at my mom's house 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:18.080 at the time. 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:21.480 I was on social services, so luckily I had basic 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.240 needs met, you know, for me and the kids, so 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:28.559 that I could just keep throwing myself into this business 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:31.320 to where my first five hundred dollars day then turned 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:33.959 into a thousand dollars you know, I made my first thousand, 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:37.199 three thousand, you know, but it really did take time. 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:40.520 So something I always tell business owners even now when 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:44.679 coaching them, is it's not always going to be oh, 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:48.079 you started today and next week you made. 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:48.880 Ten thousand dollars. 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:53.160 You know, it is going to take some consistency, and 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:56.120 sometimes you're not going to see money made for three, 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.000 four or five months. But it doesn't mean that it's 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:00.520 not working a lot out of the time. 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:01.320 It just is. 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.240 Working under the surface, and it takes time to take root, 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:08.559 and then once it sprouts, it consistently grows. 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.880 I was talking to someone who specifically wanted to meet 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:16.360 to coach them on podcasting because they launched a podcast 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:20.040 earlier I think like mid last year and just wanted 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:23.240 some tips. And I'm like and I was like, I'm 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:26.040 just going to tell you keep doing it consistency and time. 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:29.920 But I think what's so overwhelming to people can be 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:33.320 how will people find me? I may have the best product, 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:35.520 but with the internet, and I know so much of 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:38.880 your strategy is around social media marketing, and as is mine, 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.800 and that's been successful for me as well for people 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:44.000 who are stressed about I may only have like twenty 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:46.560 followers and they're all my friends and my family, you know, 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.200 And I feel like you see people on ig who've 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:52.840 got tens about hundreds of thousands, millions of followers, and 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:56.080 you feel like I can't get there. Any advice for 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:59.280 like that audience building portion, because that can be really 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:02.200 important to your point. The thing about Ellie and what 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:04.840 she's talking about is like this, this is content you create, 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:08.440 so it's technically free. It's organic, like you're building an 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:11.200 audience organic. And then there's the paid version of that 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:14.280 where you run ads on Facebook. And I love that 0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:18.360 you started organic first. That's also my strategy, make some money, 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:21.440 put the money into Facebook ads. But anyway to my 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:26.240 question audience building for new business owners, what are your 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:28.040 strategies and advice there? 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:31.520 I mean, it is such a key part of business. 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:35.240 I think people you know, sleep on social media sometimes 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:37.880 or they feel very intimidated by it. But it's such 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.440 a great way where this free app you know, these Instagrams, 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:45.160 these tiktoks, these youtubes, when you use them, you are 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:48.600 literally able to bring traffic to your page, to your 0:15:48.640 --> 0:15:51.440 business and then start making money. So I think for me, 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.840 some really great audience building tips that have assisted me 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:59.400 in building my platform and have assisted others. I'm not 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:01.880 going to say insistency, although that is a part of it. 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:03.480 I think what's even the. 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:05.760 More important, right that's stressful. 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:10.120 You know, that's what everybody Consistency like, yes, we get 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:12.840 we have to be consistent. But I think even beyond that, 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:18.400 what goes into audience building is giving free information, right, 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:21.000 And what I mean by that is people are going 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:26.720 to follow and maintain relationship with a content creator when 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.360 they feel like they can learn something from them, whether 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:33.800 it's learning something about skincare or health, or business or 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:37.120 budgeting really whatever it is. If they if they feel 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:40.520 connected to that person, because every time they see a 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:44.240 post it helps them in their life in some way, 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:46.960 that's what you want to aim for. So when I'm 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:50.400 you know, coaching my community or letting them know what 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:52.720 they can do to build an audience, I always say 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.960 you should go to these websites. There's one in particular 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:57.960 called answer the Public dot com. 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:00.680 Yes right, so good, and. 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.640 So you're able to essentially put in your topic. So 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:06.600 if it's skincare, right, you put that word in, it's 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.240 going to generate you know, hundreds of questions that have 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:12.800 been asked by people on the Internet about skincare, and 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:15.639 so you, as the content creator, you basically want to 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:18.119 pull out some of these questions. How do I have 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:20.399 better skincare? How do I take care of my skin? 0:17:20.560 --> 0:17:23.359 What is skincare all the questions, and you want to 0:17:23.400 --> 0:17:27.919 create videos essentially answering those questions, because what that is 0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:32.280 doing is creating educational content that is still a value 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:35.960 to where the people who start to digest your content 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:39.200 will ask themselves, Wow, you know, if I'm learning this 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:43.080 much from them without paying, imagine what I'll learn when 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:46.520 I actually choose to purchase a product. And I think 0:17:46.560 --> 0:17:50.480 that's how you build an audience quickly and a loyal audience, 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.960 because you're giving them the option. You're like, yes, I 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:57.080 do have my paid products and services, but you can 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:59.000 also hang out on my page for a little while 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:01.880 and you'll learn something here too, And I think that's 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:05.359 really valuable, especially you know, when we have a society 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:09.120 where something is being sold all the time. I think 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.760 it can be really refreshing and help build an audience 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:15.359 quickly where your first objective is for you to learn 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:17.439 and your second objective. 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:18.280 Is to sell. 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.320 It can be really uncomfortable. I mean it wasn't uncomfortable 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:23.480 for me because I'm like, I got to pay the bills, 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:28.760 but I think I wasn't working. I was basically living 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.879 off my savings and I got some consulting clients for 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:33.879 the first like six months of my business, so I 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.720 could do the free coaching, but I was I really 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:39.399 wanted to own my income in that way and I 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.479 didn't want to consult anymore. And so for me, I 0:18:42.520 --> 0:18:46.040 was like, it's got to happen for myself. But I 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:48.560 think for people who are on the nine nine to 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:53.560 five hustlers ninety five entrepreneurs sometimes that it can feel 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:56.040 like you're making an income and maybe you're doing okay, 0:18:56.480 --> 0:18:59.440 but like starting to sell your service, there's a struggle 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:01.480 there to you like figure out what do I price 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:04.919 this at? And will people even buy this? So can 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:07.040 you talk about and I'm not even and listen, like 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:11.600 you and Tiffany both are a phenomenal at building successful 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:15.840 businesses on like relatively low ticket offerings. You know, even 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:18.840 to this day, Tiffany she could probably charge way I 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.080 know she could. She knows she could charge way more 0:19:21.160 --> 0:19:23.840 for her Patreon, but it's ten bucks a month, you 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:26.560 know for business mentorship and you know, literature Academy I 0:19:26.600 --> 0:19:29.560 think was like twenty dollars a month anyway, So and 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:32.119 you too, And obviously the point is to reach as 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:35.520 many people as possible. But talked about the selling hurdle 0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:39.200 and how people can get over doing that and being 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:41.680 okay with making money. 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:44.800 I know, and you know what I feel like this 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:47.359 is so I feel like it's even more of a 0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:51.520 burden and a challenge for women entrepreneurs, and especially black 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:54.439 women entrepreneurs, for us to name our price and to 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:57.720 be comfortable and confident to say like, this is what 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.719 I'm going to charge, you know, and that's that's what 0:20:00.760 --> 0:20:03.160 it's going to be. It's still something that I face. 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:06.240 You know, I always get a little uncomfortable raising my 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:09.959 prices or changing my prices because I want people to 0:20:10.000 --> 0:20:13.040 be able to get it. But I also got these 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:17.359 full kids and a team of people, so we're always 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.040 in that balance. But I think for me, what was 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:24.920 really helpful, and you know what I often tell other 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:27.160 people to do is in that beginning phase when you're 0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:30.080 coming up with your price, I think I always say, 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:34.199 start somewhere between fifteen and thirty dollars in terms of 0:20:34.240 --> 0:20:38.840 a digital product. Now, your time is a different price offering. 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:41.280