Doing It Online Podcast Ep 34: Going from zero to hero – fast. (Ask Kate Anything.)

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Things you’ll learn in this episode of Doing It Online

• Strategic, practical steps for getting paid clients, even if you’re starting from zero. 
• How to price a beta launch. 
• My advice for how to deal with overwhelm. 

 

 

I love these episodes, they’re so fun to make and I love hearing from you guys and being able to speak to exactly where you’re feeling stuck or struggling. 

So! We cover a LOT in this ep. Let’s start with one of my fave questions…

Q: What’s the fastest way to go from zero to actually having clients?

I love this question. It goes right back to the basics — that not-so-sexy stuff. Aka: the nerdy stuff. (Hey, that’s sexy to me.) 

Well, firstly I don’t have a shiny bullet for you. And there’s no sparkly unicorn answer. But, my advice to anyone with a big idea but a blank client’s list this:

 

1. Networking 101. Get out there and get people excited about what you’re doing. Ask anyone – your friends, family, colleagues, people who are in your corner. And don’t feel bad for doing this. In the episode I give some more detail and ideas for how you can reach out, especially if you’ve been spinning your wheels for a while.
2.  Start building your email list now and over-deliver. I want you to give HEAPS of value ESPECIALLY when you’re starting out. (In general, I’m a fan of over-delivering anyway.) Pick something you can create in a couple of hours and put that out there as a free resource and ask your people to share it.
3. Personally reach out to every single person who downloaded your free resource. Just ask them if they need any further help and let them know you’re around. No, you won’t be able to do this forever, but at the start this can make all the difference. Side note: This is also going to be some of the best market research you can do. Reach out and respond, ok?
4. Start holding some free training sessions. Either virtual or in person — whatever makes sense for you. You can go old-school with flyers and letterbox drop if you don’t have money for Facebook Ads. Then deliver incredible value and again, follow up with everyone afterwards.

It’s not a ‘one week and I’m ready to roll’ kind of deal but if you just did those 3 things on repeat you’d have clients very very quickly. 

Q: I’m so overwhelmed, how do I know what to do next?

Ok, well what I’m going to say might sound counterintuitive, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now you need to make space for some urgent self-care. 

And let’s face it, if you’re in that kind of headspace —  1000 tabs open, doing a million things and none of them well, you’re not being productive anyway. 

Take this as your permission to binge netflix for a little while. Or take that weekend away. Or go get your nails done. Get away from your devices and just do as much cup-filling stuff as you can. 

Then when you do come back to your desk, you’ll be filled with energy and inspiration. 

ThenI want to suggest you do these 3 things: 

1. Write a biiiiig list or mind map just to get all your ideas and to-do’s out. 
2. Lock those tasks into your calendar and schedule them so you don’t take up brain space trying to remember them. At this point you should be feeling a couple of tonnes lighter. 
3. I want you to look over those tasks and see where you can outsource. Even if you only outsource to a VA. What you invest in paying them will pay you back 100 times over. (They’ll probably be able to do it quicker anyway!) 

If you’re paying your VA $15 an hour, that means it’ll cost you $30.00 to get back 2 hrs! Tell me that’s not worth it. 

You’ll be free then to do the work that really lights you up inside and that matters to your business.

Q: How do I create a chilled out business like yours

Lol. I love that you think I have a chilled out business. But seriously – it is pretty amazing and here’s my response to that:

With intention. (And automation.)

It wasn’t by accident.

We do this with our clients and get them to really ask: “What do I want my business to *actually* look like?”

When you have that clear vision, you make the steps to automate and tweak things to make them as streamlined as possible. (And that’s where funnels come in.) Honestly, this is why I love what I do. Because I’ve lived the non-chilled business and it wasn’t…chill. 

Peace is one of my highest values. Anything that costs me peace, is too expensive. Click To Tweet

This doesn’t mean we skimp on work or get lazy around the edges, it’s the opposite. It means better service can be delivered, not less because we’re working on the stuff that really counts for us and our clients too. 

 

Pop-up’s, beta pricing and more! 

I go into more detail on all of these questions PLUS, I walk you through how to price beta launches, what pop-up software I recommend and more in the episode, so grab a cuppa and have a listen. And if you’re looking for more ideas on how to grow your email list to boost your client opportunities check out My #1 List Building Secret here.