Pod Insights Earn Your Happy How to Start From Scratch, Find Your Niche, and Build an Audience About this episode If you had to start your business from zero today, where would you even begin? In this episode, Chris and I break down exactly what we would focus on if we lost our businesses, audiences, and platforms and had to rebuild from scratch. We share how we’d approach creating the right offer, getting in front of new audiences, and figuring out what actually gets people to pay attention and buy. Plus, we talk about one of the opportunities we see right now for building trust and becoming known for what you do. Tune in for the strategies we’d use to gain momentum, grow an audience, and build a profitable business from the ground up.
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HIGHLIGHTS
The first thing Chris and I would do if we had to start from scratch.
Why your first offer needs to solve a very specific problem.
How posting more gives you faster feedback on what your audience wants.
Why podcast guesting accelerates trust and authority.
How to borrow other people’s audiences and turn listeners into your audience.
Why becoming known for one specific thing helps you grow faster.
RESOURCES
Register for my FREE Million Dollar Guest Training HERE!
Apply for the Elite Entrepreneur Mastermind HERE!
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FOLLOW
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Transcript 0:01 Speaker 00 Okay, whenever I'm traveling, I love to skip like the main mall of the town. And I like to hunt down all of those little shops on the corner where the locals love to go, where all the good stuff is. So candles made by local people, a sweatshirt with the town's name on it, hot sauce made 20 minutes away, and the owner knows everybody's name. And I've also been on the other side of that shelf because I built a product from scratch. And I'll never forget, the first independent store who believed in it enough to put it on their shelves. Big box stores sell stuff, but small shops tell a story about people. So if you own one of those shops, you need to know about FAIRE.
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2:10 Speaker 00 Boxes. They're giving earn your happy a $75 sponsored job credit. Go to indeed.com/podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about indeed on this podcast. Life at the speed of play. Mark is offering our listeners two books for the price of one. Go to getmarksbook.com/earn sequencing sequencing.com is offering our listeners up to 10% off your full genome test plus free shipping. Go to sequencing.com and use promo code earn for 10% off. What is something that you can solve for your dream client? Like they have this specific problem? And you might be looking at it and saying, well, my dream client has a marketing problem.
2:56 Speaker 00 But when you break down what pieces of marketing they're struggling with the most, maybe it is storytelling. Maybe it is yapping on social media as a form of getting that message across. Or maybe create carousels that convert. So it's these very niche problems that people have. This is what we're talking about because now when it gets broad, we're losing people.
3:25 Speaker 01 And we're back.
3:26 Speaker 00 With another episode of He Said She Said.
3:28 Speaker 01 Okay, we're gonna do something fun today. We actually got this in the DMs. We get it once in a while, and I thought it'd be a really fun topic. What if we had to start over from scratch? And we didn't have our current businesses. We did not have our current podcast. We did not have our current audience. For some reason, all that was gone. What would we do to start over from scratch? Any idea?
3:49 Speaker 00 There's a couple of things that I would do simultaneously. I know we're both gonna weigh in on this, but one of the biggest challenges right now is social media. It's one of the biggest pain points for people because if you're starting over from scratch, it's really tough to fight the algorithm no matter what. And so one of the things that I would look at outside of social, and I'd also, we're gonna talk about how we would show up on social, but I would start looking Looking at ways that are untapped outside of social. And I would start looking at how I could get in front of already existing audiences that are in my niche.
4:33 Speaker 00 So one of the things that I would obviously do that I'm talking about nonstop is to borrow other people's audiences on podcasts. So I would go and I would put myself on a podcast tour. Now, this is not only getting me in front of audiences. The key thing here that I want you guys to get is that these audiences trust the host already. And so what happens is that when a host invites you on or you get booked, something happens that is called the trust transfer. And that is when a audience already trusts, loves and knows the host.
5:14 Speaker 00 And all of a sudden, the host is introducing you, giving you credibility from the very top. And that trust transfers to you. It's one of the only ways to collapse time this quickly. And audiences need seven hours of getting to know you and hearing you before they really, really trust you when we're talking about social media or when you're just out in the world. But one of the craziest things is that podcasting accelerates this even more because of the trust transfer. So not only do you borrow that trust of that host, it's kind of like the Oprah effect. So when Oprah, back in the day, had her show, they used to call her the star maker.
5:58 Speaker 00 And the reason that they would call her the star maker is because she would have an absolute no name on. Think of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. Nobody knew who they were before they went on that show. And the second she had them on, their careers were made forever, for eternity. And so what happens is that the same thing happens when you go on a podcast of a trusted host. And so it's the fastest way to collapse time. And that's what I would do. I would go on aligned shows and I would also be very niche in my topic of what I'm talking about. So that it's like I am just specific. Typically talking about that one thing to that audience.
6:32 Speaker 01 Okay, so you right away you went marketing.
6:34 Speaker 00 Yeah.
6:34 Speaker 01 But remember, we're starting from scratch. What would you do is go on podcasts and sell nothing? So that's why my first step is I'd create my niche product. Like it does no good to get out there and be omnipresent or any of that.
6:43 Speaker 00 True.
6:44 Speaker 01 If you don't actually have a product to sell. So my step one, I would create a niche product and I mean really niche. That is low overhead, easy fulfillment. So this would not be like starting glossy, right? Starting glossy takes lots of money upfront, production, packaging, legal. I mean, something like sell and package air that helps other people's life. And I'm joking when I say what I mean is some form of coaching, some form of consulting, some form of skill training, something like that. For example, your brother's here visiting.
7:11 Speaker 00 Yeah.
7:11 Speaker 01 And he started a business recently where he trains people how to properly use pistols for self-defense.
7:17 Speaker 00 Yep.
7:17 Speaker 01 That's awesome. That's something that is
7:19 Speaker 00 Very niche.
7:19 Speaker 01 Low overhead, fast to, you know, stand up, fast to implement type of a product. Another example might be, well, like Justine Jean, the way that she did the yapping as a product. That is a no overhead, easy to distribute product. Or what you're talking about a lot lately, the million dollar guest. That formula is a product. It is a low overhead, meaning all you gotta do is just teach people on a recording or live. And you can deliver it to the masses, make sure it's scalable. So low overhead, easy to deliver and scalable. And be able to sell as many of them as you want with ease of fulfillment and not a lot of overhead.
7:57 Speaker 00 Yeah, there's a lot of very niche things right now that are crushing it. So there's another guy online that I'm following and he is just so specific on teaching storytelling right now. Like literally just storytelling on social media, not story selling. Just literally how to tell a story that is very clear in a short, specific amount of time. And so we're talking about solving really valuable problems for people who are, as Leanne Lopez Mosley says, she says, like you are high value problems for high value clients. So it's like, what is something that you can solve for your dream client? Like they have this specific problem.
8:40 Speaker 00 Problem and you might be looking at it and saying, well, my client, my dream client has a marketing problem. But when you break down what pieces of marketing they're struggling with the most, maybe it is storytelling. Maybe it is yapping on social media as a form of getting that message across. Or maybe you're like my social media woman who helps me with mine. And right now she's going so specific on helping people create carousels that convert. So it's these very niche problems that people have. This is what we're talking about because now when it gets broad, we're losing people.
9:16 Speaker 01 Yeah. So a great example in our mentor collective mastermind, one of our students launched a product where it's done for you, social media for those that don't want to show up on camera. It's not social media. It's done for you, social media for those that don't want to show up on camera. That's niche. That's awesome. And she's crushing it, right? It's so cool. So that's what the first thing is for me is product creation. It's got to be niche. It's got to be easily fulfillable. It has to be scalable, right? So you're not just trading your time for money. And it also has to be very low overhead to start. That's what I start with if I'm starting over. Then for me, because you jumped into marketing, right? It's a two-pronged marketing approach.
9:55 Speaker 01 It's hitting the socials nonstop, knowing it's all just feedback, feedback, feedback.
10:02 Speaker 00 Not a collection.
10:02 Speaker 01 Right? So I'd start yapping to see if yapping works for me. I'd start meme pages to see if meme pages work for me. I would start, you know, stealing trends to see if stealing trends works for me. I would take every single thing I could and start throwing it at social media to see, oh, from my personality and from my subject matter, what do people seem to respond to the most? And I'm telling you, because remember, you're starting from scratch, four posts a day. I'm not kidding you. If you're starting from scratch, what excuse do you have? Four posts a day to get this feedback as quick as possible.
10:33 Speaker 00 What I'm working towards most days, yeah.
10:35 Speaker 01 Right? That's the first prong of my marketing approach. And by the way, it's an obligation. You have to get good at social. I don't care if you, if it's not your thing or whatever. If you're starting over, you got to get good at social because it is the still to this day, even though it's got its challenges, the best free reward you for your energy and experimentation sales channel that there is.
10:55 Speaker 00 It informs everything you have. It says, this is what people want from you and this is what people aren't interested in. And so that's why it's like four posts a day. You guys just collapses the time of figuring out what in the hell you should talk to your people about.
11:08 Speaker 01 Oh, I mean, here's a good example. If a lot of you are like, well, I'm doing one almost every day during the week. So say you get four out of a week versus four a day. Here's the difference. In a month, that's a hundred and twenty posts if you do four a day. Versus if you're like, oh, I'm doing about four a week, that's a measly sixteen. Which way do you think you're going to get the fastest feedback? Which way do you think you're going to get the best skills? Which way do you think you're going to get the most data? If you do it a hundred and twenty times out of the gates in a month, or a measly ass sixteen. And the problem is when people are starting from scratch, or they're trying to get their business going, like, it's not working. How many times you posted? Ah, three or four this week already. That is not an acceptable effort if it means something to you to get your business off the ground.
11:52 Speaker 00 Yep.
11:53 Speaker 01 So that's the first problem. And then the second problem is what you brought up, in my opinion. Complement it and accelerate it. So I consider other people's podcasts an accelerator.
12:02 Speaker 00 Yep.
12:02 Speaker 01 I like how you talk about the trust transfer. To me, it's an accelerant. Like, you put the fuel in the flames and now it turns into a raging fire. Because they work together.
12:12 Speaker 00 Yep.
12:13 Speaker 01 Your efforts on social media are amplified when somebody hears you on a show and they go and check out your social media. When you're on the podcast, people are going and following you when they like you and all this stuff. So one hand literally helps the other, one hand washes the other when it comes to that. But there's not a faster way to position yourself as an authority. And this is what people have to understand. In order to support your niche product, you must be an authority. You take a Justin G and she's an authority in yapping. What was yapping before her? Nothing.
12:41 Speaker 00 Yeah.
12:41 Speaker 01 It existed, but it didn't.
12:42 Speaker 00 It's just face to camera.
12:43 Speaker 01 All it takes is thirty days of you telling the world through your content that you are an expert and people start to see that way. And then maybe sixty to ninety days of being on show after show after show, where other people are telling the world that you're the expert. See, how does it go together? You're telling the world that you're the expert by putting out the content at nauseam. And then other people that already have trust, by having you on their show, now they're telling the world that you're the expert. So in thirty to ninety days, you are now considered one of the experts. You've got plenty of customers showing up and you're borrowing other people's audiences.
13:23 Speaker 00 Mm hmm. Yep.
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14:43 Speaker 00 When I launched Glossy, my drinkable skincare brand, I was obsessed with the formula. The product was my baby, but the store part felt way more intimidating. And that's a big reason we built on Shopify in the beginning, because you really don't have to be an e-commerce expert to get up and running. And that's a big deal in the beginning of a business. And here's the biggest lesson I learned about the holidays. You do not want to be building your store in the middle of the rush. You want to be set up, you want to be tested and ready before the traffic hits. So two things I love. First, Shopify mobile app. I'm on planes, I'm on stages, I'm here recording with you, and I can still check my inventory, help a customer, see payments right from my phone, which is so much fun. And that's the second day checkout.
15:27 Speaker 00 So Shopify Checkout with Shop Pay converts up to 36% higher than the competition. When you've worked that hard to get some On to your site. That last click matters. So if you've had a business idea sitting in your notes app for way too long, this is your sign. Launch before Black Friday, a time of year when more people are already shopping and ready to buy. If you're ready to launch your business before Black Friday, go to Shopify.com/happy to start your free trial. That's Shopify.com/happy. Go to Shopify.com/happy today to hear your first.
16:07 Speaker 00 There was a stretch in my early twenties when I was chipping away at credit card debt, and it honestly felt like it was never going to end. I'd make a payment, I would feel good for a day, and then I'd look at the balance and feel like I did nothing. And what changed everything was finally seeing a finish line. That's why I love Monarch's debt pay down simulator and visualizer. It shows your exact debt free date based on your real balance and payments. And you get to watch that timeline move. Every extra payment, the date gets closer. That kind of visible progress keeps you going. And my favorite part is playing out your options. You can run different payment scenarios side by side and instantly see which one gets you debt free
16:52 Speaker 00 the fastest. You're in control of the plan. Monarch takes that heavy endless feeling and turns it into a plan with an actual end date. And a quick check in on my phone means I always know where my money is. Going from this will never end to a date you can circle on the calendar, that feels like freedom. Write your own money story with Monarch. Use code EYH at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50. That's 50% off your first year at Monarch.com with code EYH.
17:28 Speaker 00 This is, I mean, that's exactly what I would do. Obviously have the product before that. So you guys, this is a hundred percent what you should focus on right now, whether you have a business or you don't have a business yet. You know, so many people were asking on my trainings. I did six trainings this week.
17:46 Speaker 01 Yeah, you crushed it.
17:46 Speaker 00 They were literally incredible. And one of the biggest questions is like, when should I do this? Like if I've never been on a podcast before, if I already have a business, like, when is it right for me? It is right for you from the very beginning, or if you already have a business or a product, because you want to be building audience from the get-go. And going on other people's podcasts is one of the fastest way to build an audience. So even if you don't have your product yet, which means I want you to focus on what that product that Chris was talking about is going to be. But what a lot of people do, even if they don't have that business fully formed of the product yet,
18:26 Speaker 00 is that you go on podcasts talking about topics that transform people's lives. So you can start talking about ideas and topics, and from there, you can create that niche product, get feedback, and then that's when you also want to continue to go on more shows with that niche product.
18:45 Speaker 01 So your cart is closing soon, meaning people are gonna miss the chance to be able to learn from you, how to get on shows, maybe bigger than they thought they could get on, how to get booked on lots of shows. And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. More importantly, how to create your signature story that works no matter what the host asks you, and sneak in your call to actions to take the host's audience, from an audience that you're borrowing, into an audience that you own and converts into sales. And this works. Like, one of the people on your show, she made $25,000 the first day her interview on your show came out. Another girl, she made over six figures in the first 30 days, directly from your show when her episode came out.
19:23 Speaker 00 Gillian made an extra 50K.
19:25 Speaker 01 An extra 50K when her episode came. Guys, these happen over and over and over again. So where can they go and where can they get this training?
19:32 Speaker 00 So you can go to milliondollarguest.com, and right now, that is just
19:38 Speaker 00 Cart is open, you guys. Like, we are ready to roll. We're gonna be starting our first session. It's a five-week accelerator. We're gonna be starting our first session on August 12th. There's the most incredible group of people that I know you guys are going to be not only learning together, but this is gonna be a group of people who like go on each other's shows, who go out there and hold each other accountable to getting on a podcast tour. Like, this is gonna be a next-level group of people that you wanna be a part of.
20:05 Speaker 01 Yeah, but they can't wait till August 12th because that's when the training starts. There's only a few more days of the cart being open and there's only a handful of spots available because it's live training.
20:14 Speaker 00 Yes.
20:14 Speaker 01 So where do they go again?
20:15 Speaker 00 MillionDollarGuest.com.
20:17 Speaker 01 MillionDollarGuest.com. Hit stop right now. It's the end of the episode. MillionDollarGuest.com. We will see you on the live training so that you can get on any shows that you want and convert their listeners into your customers.
20:29 Speaker 00 We'll see you next week.
20:42 Speaker 00 Okay, friends, I have a podcast for you. If you're building a business or dreaming about starting one, you're gonna wanna put this one in your rotation. It is the Boss Babe Podcast, hosted by Natalie Ellis, who's a part of the Yap Media Network. And Natalie is one of my close friends. We've known each other for a really long time. I have been on her show. She has been on mine multiple times. I've learned from her so much over the years. I learn and implement what she teaches all of the time in my business. I think she's one of the best in the biz. Her show is designed to help ambitious women build successful businesses while creating more freedom in their lives. Natalie gets into the real strategies, challenges, and realities of building and scaling a profitable company, sales, business growth, social media marketing, audience building, financial independence,
21:26 Speaker 00 and how to make it all sustainable, which this is what she lives and breathes in her own life. So if you're a woman entrepreneur, a business owner, or an aspiring founder ready to take your business to the next level, this one's for you. Check out the Boss Babe Podcast. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen.
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