Standing out as a coach is essential to attract clients, make an impact and achieve remarkable results. But with the huge number of coaches in the industry, how can you rise above the noise, set yourself apart from the crowd and move toward the next level?
In this episode of Influence by Design, I’ve invited Estie Starr who’s an expert in organic marketing strategies to talk about how to elevate your brand for next level success.
Although reaching the next level means different things to different people, it typically includes the trifecta of money, freedom, and impact.
With Estie’s expertise, you’ll learn how to build coaching frameworks that highlight your strengths, hone messages that best resonate with your target audience, and incorporate systems that will drive your business to the next level.
If you’re ready to scale up – earn more, work less, and have a bigger impact, this episode will help you through a transformative journey that unlocks your business’s true potential and stand out in the world of coaching.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER:
- What next level means to Estie (01:48)
- How to stand out to prospective clients (03:29)
- What holds people back from standing out? (07:50)
- The best ways to identify your clients and hone your message (09:39)
- S.W.O.N. strengths – discover your strength so you can eliminate the tasks that aren’t helping you grow (16:09)
- Discover your next marketing step for where you’re at right now (25:21)
- Two components of systems that can take your business to the next level (30:26)
QUOTES:
- “Standing out is a matter of tuning into what is unique about you, what your audience wants from you and that is different than everything else out there. It’s about finding that connector point between you and the audience.” -Estie Starr
- “To make sales, more people need to know who you are.” -Samantha Riley
RESOURCES
3- Day Marketing Success Challenge
WHERE TO FIND ESTIE STARR
- Website: https://www.estiestarr.com/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/estiestarr
- Instagram: @estiestarr / https://www.instagram.com/estiestarr
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BOOK AN INFLUENCE AUDIT
If you want to be known as the leader in your industry, book a quick 15-minute Influence Audit.
We’ll work together to identify:
Your current situation and immediate opportunities for growth
Uncover the #1 thing holding you back from not being booked as an industry leader
Develop a 3-step implementation plan to increase your authority and visibility
ABOUT ESTIE STARR
Estie Starr can grow any talent, hobby, certification, or skill, into a professional and profitable business. She is the founder and owner of both Strand Consulting and The Better Business School. Estie specializes in organic marketing strategy for micro business owners helping them earn more money with less headache.
TRANSCRIPTION (AI Generated)
Estie Starr Snippet (00:00):
You can always experiment, you can always try new things. But start to solidify and codify your stable base. What are the things that are reliable? What are the tools that you can lean on, or the processes that can be put in place. And if you’re doing low six figures, if you haven’t already done all three of these things, you’re very ready.
Samantha Riley Intro (00:19):
Welcome to the Influence By Design Podcast. I’m Samantha Riley, authority positioning strategist for coaches and experts. If you’re ready to build a business that gives you more than just a caffeine addiction, and you dream of making more money, having more time, and having the freedom to be living your best life, then you’re in the right place, it’s time to level up.
Welcome to today’s episode of Influence by Design, I’m your host, Samanth Riley. And today we’re going to talk about how you can take your coaching business to the next level. So if you’re sitting in that really annoying spot where you are stuck, and you want to grow and increase your income, then today’s episode is for you.
And I’ve invited Estie Starr who is really has a very special talent, she can grow your skill or profession into a profitable business. She is the founder and owner of both strength consulting and the Better Business School. And she specializes in organic marketing strategies for micro business owners to help them earn more with less headaches. So who doesn’t want that? Actually, you know what, let’s just dive in. Welcome to the show St.
Estie Starr (01:30):
You, I’m excited to be here.
Samantha Riley (01:33):
I was gonna go on and say something else. And I thought night, let’s just jump in, because you and I had a fantastic conversation last week. And I know that this is going to go in all sorts of directions or could go in all sorts of directions. And it’s going to be super valuable.
So I don’t want to waste any more time. Let’s start off with next level. I mean, a lot of people talk about we’re going to help people get to the next level. What is next level for you? How would you describe next level?
Estie Starr (02:01):
Next level, again, for me is different than anybody else. Next is whatever is next for you. But I would say across the board. Next level for everyone always includes more of something usually multiple things. Typically money freedom impact, right? That trifecta is usually when people say I want to get to the next level one and level the mean, a next level in income impact and freedom.
Samantha Riley (02:32):
Mm hmm. And you’re right, it is very different for everyone. And the reason I wanted to start there is because I’ve spoke with people that say, you know, I don’t really want to build this, like, you know, multi seven figure empire, I just want to make sure I’ve got more time.
So, you know, it is different for everyone. And I kind of explained that, like a mixing desk, you know, with all the little knobs I come from a dance background. So that was normal for me all day, every day to be on a mixing desk out the back.
But that’s what it’s like, if you imagine you’ve got like one little knob on income, one on time, or freedom and one on impact. You can switch them up for where you want it to be. You can
Estie Starr (03:11):
and you could turn them all up at the same time. But few people know how to do that. And most people think you have to trade them off. They’re not trade offs.
Samantha Riley (03:19):
Yes. Are my new trade off? If
Estie Starr (03:21):
you think they are. I love
Samantha Riley (03:23):
that you said that? Because they don’t have to be
Estie Starr (03:25):
no, absolutely do not have to be. Let’s start
Samantha Riley (03:28):
because we’re gonna go in all sorts of different areas. I want to talk first about really standing out because for anyone that is stuck. There are a lot of things going on.
But one of the things is we need to be able to stand out more, because obviously to make sales more people need to know who we are. I mean, there is a lot more to it than that. But how can we really uplevel our standing out and I’m putting that in air quotes.
Estie Starr (03:58):
Yeah. So here’s the thing about standing out. You have a very few humans on a planet of billions who stand out to the planet. And your average person and your average small business owner, your average coach is not interested in being Oprah like it’d be cute, but they’re not actually interested. They’re not trying to be a world renowned celebrity.
When they say they want to stand out what they mean is I want to stand out to my prospective clients so that they buy from me, I got to finish the sentence. It’s important. People don’t want to just stand on a street corner and put on a big purple wig and three inch stilettos and start doing jumping jacks you will stand out so people will not miss you.
But that would be mean what they mean is how do I stand out in my industry? who my audience so that so that English is my first language by the way I buy things at the same time, and then I speak gibberish. And to do that, it is a matter of tuning into what is unique about you, that your audience wants from you that is different than what else is out there.
It’s finding that connector point between you and the audience. You know, in the business school and with my clients, when we teach our marketing program, I have a graphic organizer I created in the general shape of a flower, I spent, I’m doing this for 15 years, 12 and a half 1000 hours coaching small business owners. So you know, it’s been a minute clearly I started when I was 15.
Samantha Riley (05:40):
Yeah, of course, of course I did.
Estie Starr (05:43):
And there was a moment, probably seven, eight years ago, where I was really struggling to explain to my clients the difference between marketing and branding. I was like, branding, marketing, same thing, not, same thing, not same thing. And I created a graphic organizer to try to get the concept across, there’s so much confusion in small business and for small business owners on what needs to be done and what everything means.
And so branding is your seed, it’s actually underground. That’s the essence of who you are. It’s the essence of what you’re about. It’s what’s unique about you, right? It’s your unique DNA. You know, and I am very spiritual come from a fundamentalist religious backgrounds. And I believe that we are all here as a unique imprint, never before, never will be, again, with unique expression. That’s why we will look different fingerprint like this is a real thing.
And no, small business is the same as another either for that reason, when they are that soul expression when it’s coming from you. And in the coaching fields. That’s exactly what’s happening. Right, you’re bearing on your entire life experience, history, interests, desires, and passion to help another gets where they want to go. That’s what it means to be a coach, certified professional coach for 15 years.
So that’s how I see it. And you find that unique thing about you. And then you have the center of the flower. That’s your audience, those your best people, the stem that connector, that’s the messaging that helps you stand out. That’s the piece, the thing that connects you to your people.
Now, whether your messaging is presented visually auditorily, whether it’s spoken word or Facebook ads, or conversations at a trade show, or meeting someone in an elevator, giving them a pitch, it doesn’t matter.
It’s what are you communicating to your people, and then obviously getting that communication in front of them in the right way that they want to buy from you different than anyone else in your industry? That’s actually a stand out. Everything else is decoration. Hmm.
Samantha Riley (07:48):
I know that you and I help people to stand out. What do you see as the, I guess, the piece that holds people back from really diving deep into who that is? Because a lot of people were afraid to take that little extra step to chip that last little piece off the diamond.
Estie Starr (08:09):
Yeah, I’ll say, you know, I find with people that focusing very often is very scary. They want to be everything for everyone. I can help anybody. I get up all these different people. I don’t want to narrow it down. They’re afraid that they’re going to lose out by narrowing down but it’s the opposite.
One of my I have a few taglines. I’ve been doing this for a long time. But one is never waste money on marketing. Again. That’s very specific. And it’s a promise that I keep very well. Yeah, you learn with me, you work with me, you will never waste money on marketing again, you will understand how this thing works so that you are always earning or learning.
You’re never spending more than you’re going to earn unless you’re doing it purposely to try to learn a lesson. Once you feel like it. We don’t play marketing slot machines. We understand. That’s what most people play. Yeah, they put in money teaching. Oh my gosh, money came out great.
They do it again. No money again. No money. They’re like, Alright, how many times do I have to do this for money to come out again? No, no, I didn’t know why it worked the first time. I don’t know how to make it work again. Yeah, we’re slot machines follows. Some people like to gamble and cool. That’s your fun, okay. Everyone can do what they want with their money. You run a business? And that’s not how you build a stable, reliable, profitable business either. Yes. Gamble. So
Samantha Riley (09:31):
let’s go like dive into that little, you know, that last little bit for people that are listening that are like, well, we’ve played that game before. What is it that they need to do? Or what can you do to help them right now to to think about or start that process of like really honing in on what that message is?
Estie Starr (09:50):
So I’ll give you a super super shortcut. And the super shortcut is what is the to aim problem of your audience in their own words and A lot of people are afraid to do this because again, they’re afraid to focus on any one group because they’re afraid they’re gonna lose out on the other clients. But when you find your best targets, your best avatar, your best customer or clients, too am problem. And you can state it in their own words.
That was where the tagline for our marketing magic program came from. Never waste money on marketing again, four years ago, maybe five, early 2019. So four and a half years ago, when we started this program, hundreds of people have done it. It’s amazing. And I remember sitting, I was talking, I’m like, what, what is the thing, right? Because I follow my own strategic procedure in our business.
So I was sitting trying to find the 2am problem of my people or this problem. I’m like, Oh, my gosh, they’re wasting money on marketing, and they can’t figure it out. They’re throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping it sticks. They can’t figure it out. They’re tired of wasting money. They want this to work, they need it to work. And they just want a clear path. What are the steps I need to take to make this work reliably? Without any extras? That’s it. That’s the language. Now, am I going to lose people who do understand marketing? You’d be surprised? Not necessarily. I’ve had quite a lot of work through the program.
Yeah, I’ve had people who are successful, who want to understand marketing better, but I’m aiming at my center, and aiming at my people. And so if you’re trying to find your messaging, this is your shortcut. Pick your best client, your best five clients, your best 10 clients now more than 10. Ideally, it’s five, who are your favorite people. Now, our best clients are the people who can pay money. Otherwise, they might be people we love, but they’re not our best clients. Pay money. That’s how business works.
They can pay us, they need our help. And we’ve helped them the best. And they love telling people to come to us. These are our best clients if you want to build a stable, reliable, self sustaining business that you don’t constantly have to throw money at, to get it to work and grow. And you think about these people, and what was the problem they had when they came to you? What was the thing that had them choose you over anybody else? Right? If you’re a coach, and you’ve been in the business for a couple of years, you have these people? Who are they? What are the common threads.
And if you can’t see it, listen, I’ve had a business coach all my years, I am a business coach. This is what I do all day every day. And I have always had my own coach, yet another coach, maybe to help you see it. I have a woman in my program now. She herself as a coach has an incredible life skills program. And she also has a very hard time narrowing and her targets, right. So I teach life skills, I help people with confidence, right? We all know this person, right?
She’s 10 million people that we all know. And this is a real story, though, but she could be so many people. And it’s okay. Just give me your your top five, give me your top five. She gives me your top fives and all of them. To me, there was a clear common thread. We’re at a career transition, all of them. But she was giving to me in different ways. Well, this one came in, here’s the story. And this one came and here’s the story to her. They were all completely different stories.
To me. It was like boom, career transition right in my face. And she’s like, Yeah, but there’s all these other different people. That’s not all it is. And says, Okay, fine. Go deeper. Find me more reasons. Give me the top 10 reasons people coming up the top 10 reasons. Eight are related to career more money, more success, more fulfillment at work, new job. I was like honey bunches of boats.
Okay, I just want to show you that out of your 10 things that you think are a difference. Eight are related to career transition. Yeah, is your thing. You don’t even see it. Sometimes you need someone else to help you see it. Sometimes you can see yourself find your thing. You have a thing, believe me, you have a thing.
Believe me, you have a thing we all do. We all have a thing. And when you start to hone in on that, you will not lose you will only gain it will become easier. And I find the other reason that some people are afraid to do this. I’ve had many clients like this, I myself have experienced this. You’re afraid you’re gonna get bored. Mm hmm.
Samantha Riley (14:14):
Oh, my goodness, I hear that all the time. Yeah,
Estie Starr (14:17):
I want to do just this thing. I want to do other things. Don’t worry, honey, you’ll do other things. You’re saying other things will come. The grocery store that brings you in for the sale item also sells 750 billion other items. They’re bringing you in on this item. Once you’re there, you get all the other stuff too. This is the thing you bring people in on your messaging is not the end of your delivery. It’s the beginning. That’s
Samantha Riley (14:41):
exactly what I was about to say. I think people get really confused with the messaging and the delivery because that is something I hear all the time. You know about I’m afraid I’m gonna get bored. But this is where we really need to understand this and I’m gonna say it again, the messaging isn’t the delivery the messaging is needs to be Super honed in.
And it is something that very often I’ve noticed that someone else doesn’t need to help you with, because you’re so in the weeds, that you can’t see it exactly like the story that you told them. I actually had a client last week that reached out to her ideal clients on Instagram. Actually, I said that wrong.
They’re not clients, yet there are people that she wants to work with ideal prospects, and ask them some questions. And the goal that she got from them was fabulous. Not only did she get what she needed to find out what those 2am problems are, but she now also has a relationship with these people. So you know, if you can’t figure it out, either get someone another coach to help you or go and ask them.
Estie Starr (15:49):
Asking your people also great, if you have the people to ask, again, previous clients, what is it that made you choose me? There are so many coaches, why did you choose me? You get that answer for 510 15 times you will find the patterns or someone can help you find them.
Samantha Riley (16:06):
Yeah, totally, totally. Alright, so now we understand about sending out with the messaging. Now let’s talk about organic marketing, or the best marketing strategies. And I guess I said organic marketing first, because you do talk a lot about organic marketing. What are some of the best strategies that are working right now, when people are using really good messaging?
Estie Starr (16:31):
I would say it depends on you and your audience. So there are so many options now for small business. 2030 years ago, you didn’t have nearly as many options, right? You had print advertising, outdoor media, mass media was completely unaffordable.
You wouldn’t you’d no small businesses, maybe local, they could do a little commercial or something. But you basically just had, you know, print maybe a little bit of outdoor if you really had a big budget tradeshow and Yellow
Samantha Riley (17:03):
Pages advertisement.
Estie Starr (17:06):
Yeah, like you didn’t have now. Oh, my gosh, you have everything open to us. I think what makes it so confusing. It’s so hard to figure out which things to do small business owners feel pressure to do all the things you can’t No one can do all the things the biggest companies aren’t doing all the things they’re a lot of the things they are.
And so for small business owner, I always say you have to focus from your place of strength. And I call them SWOT strengths. SW O N, every business owner I’ve ever worked with hundreds one on one, and has at least one of these as a primary and then they could have the other one secondary or as well, you might have all four. We are multifaceted, but us at least one is the primary.
And swan is an acronym that stands for speaking writing one on one and networking. Some people love to talk. They’re really good talkers, their big tent people. So for a talker social media video. Yeah, is really good. Getting on stages, being on podcasts, you’re a talker, Tom, find opportunities to speak webinars, summits, in person events now that the world opens again, these are all great options for a speaker. If you are a writer, right? It’s that simple.
Do not feel but I hate talking. Someone said I have to do podcasting. You do not have to do podcasts, okay, you don’t like to talk, don’t talk, you do not have to write. And by the way, social media is a great place for writers to they have a completely different type of social media presence. They will excel in different places. Each social media platform has its own party, you choose social media based on two things where your audiences and who you are and what you’re selling.
And it’s still true that your average writer will be more successful on LinkedIn or Facebook than they would on Instagram and they will not do squat on tick tock. So every platform is different. You choose your platform based on your strength and where your people are and where they’re looking for what you’re selling. So a lot of people that crossover. Where are your people? Where are they looking for you? Where they hang out, LinkedIn is b2b.
You have a handful of people on LinkedIn who can like sell art. Yeah, but that’s not good. Not where the hairdressers go to hang out tightly. You know, it’s not where the jewelry designers go to hang out. It’s not made as a visual platform. It’s decent. b2b. Instagram is made for pretty pictures. That’s what it’s all about. That’s literally what it was created for. Facebook is a hanging out reading. I have an entire class on this called Social Media magic that teaches you how to leverage every social media platform organically, for clients and customers.
If you’re a writer, right, you can write for other blogs, natural blogs, not 1994 No one’s finding it. You’re not one of 15 blogs on the internet. No one’s finding your blog. Write for another blog you write for another periodical you write for. You can do email marketing. If you’re a writer, now again, if you have seven people on your email list, that’s alright. But you can do guest email posts, you can do email blasts, your writer writes, one on one people usually have the hardest time. So I’m going to come back to them.
The M is for networkers, networkers network. I know you’re like, oh, my gosh, SD, master of the office, we should get you a case. Don’t worry, I have one. networkers should network. Get up, go to networking events in person online, work a rule talk to everybody like your networker network, by the way of podcasting. Some people use it as a networking strategy, not as a speaking strategy.
There are many people who do podcasting as a networking strategy. So each and some people use social media as a networking strategy to hang out almost exclusively in the DMS, they almost never in the feed. It’s not just the medium. It’s how you leverage each medium. So many opportunities. Yeah, go hang out at a community event. Work the room, you’re a network. Now one on one people always say put in. I don’t really love speaking, I don’t like getting on stages. I’m not a great writer and eat networking. I don’t want to work the room. What about
Estie Starr (21:15):
yeah, I got an answer for you. You’re gonna want your deep relationship person. You do deep connection with people, you have people in your life in your world, who love you who want you to succeed, reach out to them and through them, who they can connect you to. As sometimes one on one, people can use a podcast strategy. Sometimes when they do it in a one on one way. But most often my one on one people are most successful when they reach out to their world because one on one people have deep relationships. They do.
And I will tell you every single time every time I’ve had a client or a student, who said to me, but I don’t have anyone. And I said just think about it. Just think every time the stories are insane, okay, a person who worked in education, who was trying to, you know, get big in the school systems. And he’s like, oh, you know, my mom works for the Board of Ed. And for years, she’s been telling me she could get me out.
But I keep telling her I don’t want her help. Is that what you mean? SD? Uh huh. That’s what I mean. Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean. A woman who says to me, Oh, but I have this friend who has a few 100,000 followers on Instagram, she keeps telling me she wants to do a live with me and post about me and share with our audience that I keep telling you, I have to make my own Instagram is that what you mean SD, that’s what I mean.
Your one on one person, use your one on one world. And then you will find your next one on one, and your next deep connection and your next close relationship, you will leverage that and a lot of your close relationships are with other speakers, writers, networkers, and even when they’re not that other one person happens to work at the organization of the place that has the following that you need to get in front of every time because there’s always a way it’s built in for you. It’s there.
You follow that they love that you love and you want to get in front of your bees. So this is one of our I’m giving you like a piece of one of our classes in the business school. And your B stands for the body, eyes and ears of your audience. So you’re using your swan string to reach your bees to use your swamp strength. Not get in front of your bees, you will not get business isness now you got it. I’m gonna start using it. But you got to find your bees where they be at that.
Samantha Riley (23:33):
Absolutely, yeah. So
Estie Starr (23:35):
where are your beasts? Now I had a guy call me once cannot make these stories up. I couldn’t if I tried. They’re too good. I had a guy call me up once he does continuing education for geriatrics. And he says to me, he’s like, I don’t know if I could just get my social media working. It would be great. And it was specifically Facebook. This is years ago. He called me already. You know if I could get Facebook working, it would be perfect. I was like okay, so continuing education for geriatrics.
Do you focus on their children to get like grandma or grandpa pine? Right, or the or the daughters and sons? He’s like, No, I was like, Do you focus on you know, people who are in assisted living facilities trying to get programs? And then he’s like, No, we specifically focus on geriatrics who are still living independently to create community and keep their minds stimulated and keep them young and alive and connected. I was like, Okay, let me get this straight. Now, this is probably 10 years ago, this call I just never forgotten. It’s still so relevant today.
So this is septuagenarians 10 years ago, these are today’s 80 year olds. Okay. And the guys, I said to him, Okay, so one second, you told me you’re targeting 70 year old today’s 80 year olds who are living on their own and you want to get them through Facebook? He’s like, Yeah, I’m like, Are they on Facebook? He’s like, I don’t know. I’m not. Ah I had no idea.
He was just listening to everyone say things. We gave him a strategy of just Local Ads, right hanging up sides and community centers, postcards sent to the right addresses he’s great. Get in front of your bees where they are do not turn. Great Grandpa on tiktoks, the three of them there?
Samantha Riley (25:20):
Yeah, I want to go back to something that you said so quickly, and you skipped over it so quickly. And I want to go back, you were talking about it, specifically, when you said writing and you know, you’ve only got seven people on your email list, that’s not going to do it.
But I wanted to go back and mention that if you do only have seven people on your email list, or if you only have one podcast, or, you know, at the moment, you’ve only been to one networking event. Start there.
And don’t think Oh, my goodness, I can’t email yet because my list size isn’t big enough, or I can’t go and network had a bigger event because my business isn’t big enough, like you’re talking about go to where your clients are at. But I’m also saying market where you’re at and go now like don’t hold yourself back.
Because I do see a lot of people that aren’t emailing their list regularly because they’ve got a small list. But at what point does that list get bigger, like, we still need to look after that one person that’s on your email list doesn’t know that they’re the only one, they still want to get these emails and that regular communication from you. You start from
Estie Starr (26:27):
wherever you are, that’s for sure. True. And you start from where you are, again, according to what’s easiest for you. Not what’s hardest, what makes the most sense, not what’s most confusing. I’m sending an email to seven people, again, you just use Gmail and BCC, it’s super easy. But if you want to grow it, set your minimum target, say, Okay, I’m growing my list to 100.
And when it’s 100, I’m going to start doing weekly or monthly emails, go start growing it. How are you going to get people on it? Well, what’s your swan string? Where are your bees? What are you going to give them to put them on your list?
What are you going to trade them for their email, because it’s a trade, people will give you their email if you’re going to trade them something for it. But to trade. Once upon a time, we had white papers, we’ve got lead magnets free offers. What are you trading could be anything? You know, I had, when I started my email list, I started with 1000 people. But that’s because I was a speaking for a few years before I ever started my email list. And every time I gave a workshop or lecture or a seminar or something or anything, I would pass around the clipboard, we’re going back like 1215 years now, it’s been a minute pass around the clipboard.
And you know, beginning I didn’t even have printed pages, I would just take a pen and make like lines and just write like hmm, name, phone, email, business industry or business name. And then my lecture, I would always tell people, it will give you the lecture notes or the slides or whatever it was, at the time. If you want them, just put your email on the clipboard, and I’ll mail it out to you.
And I did every time. And so by the time I started my email list at 1000 people on it, because I had traded something of value for those emails all throughout the process. A lot of people will getting they’ll just lose them. Or they won’t even try to gather them to begin with. Those contacts are important. Get them save them.
Samantha Riley (28:19):
Mm hmm. But also converse with them. Like it’s really important. Yes, no, it’s
Estie Starr (28:24):
a real conversation. I don’t ever, my list will tell you if you ask them. I have real conversations with them. I never just send things out of nowhere. And I, I will always explain what I’m doing. So I regularly send out a weekly email. Every week ish. I miss some weeks. It’s not. I don’t over promise, I just send out things. Usually on average about once a week.
And then when I have something big coming up, I’ll warn them be okay. I’ve got a big thing coming up for the next few weeks, you’re gonna hear from me a lot. You don’t want to just unsubscribe from this little series, no problem. But for the next few weeks, you’re gonna hear for me a lot like a big thing happening.
So it’s exciting. Stay tuned. And then when I’m done with my big thing, I’m just dropped off the face of the earth like okay, big thing is done now. See you again soon. There is a conversation happening here in my emails, I will often tell people hit reply. We know what you think of this. You know, here’s a thought, What are your thoughts? Do you ever do this? You will try this. I’m in conversation with a list of 10s of 1000s of people. Hmm, totally. No, it’s cool. I get to converse with 10s of 1000s of people at the same time.
Samantha Riley (29:39):
So fun. So fun. Now, we’ve talked a lot about or a little bit about your swarming. I love that I love to swim around. That’s fantastic. Let’s talk about scaling strategies. Because this is where I have a foot in two different areas. I’m here Huge into systems.
But I also see people bringing systems in sometimes a little bit too early and not just getting in and getting the thing done. I’m a big believer in you need to do something before you can create the system. And that creating the system. Without doing that will often hold you back just as much as not having the system.
So I’ve gone round a few circles there. Talk to me about what sort of systems you see coaches needing to really get to the next level. So let’s just talk about coaches that are in the low six figures, because obviously, we didn’t need different scaling strategies at different areas. But what do you see holding people back around that level?
Estie Starr (30:40):
I was that person for a bunch of years, right? number of years ago, I was coach in the low six figures for a while. And it took me it took me a couple years to break that ceiling. Actually, I mean, before that I was just dreaming of six figures. Yeah, my early days, I was like, how do you do that? I don’t even understand it. I was billing out at like 100 $150. And I was like, I don’t have enough hours in my in my year or that much.
But I can’t even understand how you do it. I had five children, I was working between carpools. Like there were hours in my days for me to earn six figures on my hourly rate. So in the beginning, couldn’t even figure it out. Then once I cracked it, I was like, I’ve cracked it. But how do I get beyond this, I couldn’t and then I couldn’t figure that out. And then I cracked that. And so you always hit your next level. I have a great acronym for systems that I actually got from another coach many, many years ago.
And a system is something that saves you stress, time, energy and money. That is what a system is. When I talk about systems, that is what I mean, it’s a systematic way of doing things. And I believe that all systems for coaches have two components.
There are the technical systems, whether they’re with staff, or technology solutions that just automate and make the technical elements and aspects of your business smoother and faster to free up your time. Right. So that’s one part of systems. I have replaced three, four, maybe five staff positions over the years with various pieces of technology that have cost, I remember I replaced the full admin position about five years ago with a piece of technology that cost me $25 a month. I was like, that was really good one.
Now it took me a few hours to set up. But a few hours of setup for $20 a month has saved me many 10s of 1000s of dollars in five years. What are the technical things in your business that you’re spending a lot of time on? That I can almost guarantee you don’t those are some systems, every coach and low six figures should be putting in place. Then you have your what you might call your content systems.
And I don’t mean content necessarily as marketing content. But sure. I mean more in what you’re delivering to your clients. Yeah. How can you deliver the results more reliably, in a systematic way in a way that maybe starts to remove you in some ways from the equation? Right? How can you start leveraging your knowledge more and your time, a little less, whether it’s an online program, doing group coaching, whether it’s just having some of the work you do with your clients, put into worksheets or homework that they do in between sessions, or, you know, before I did my first online program ever, I had a bunch of snippets recorded, and I used to send them to clients in between sessions.
So like, I can’t repeat myself anymore. Like here, you need to know this piece of information and this whole background of this thing, and then do this worksheet, and then we’ll do our session. That was the foundation of my online group training program. But I was already doing that with my clients.
And when you’re starting to scale up, and you want to earn more, work less, because once you’re at the low six figures, mean, that’s kind of just what you want to do. You want to earn more, work less and then likely possibly have a bigger impact depending on on your personal drives. But that’s what I’ve seen most coaches because the coaches go into it for impact. So when you’re in love, you’re already breathing. Now you just want more income, less work, more impact.
Yes, are the pieces, alright, getting rid of the technical task, add many things, there’s so many ways to do that, just get rid of it, you need to do very little of it, honestly. And to start to systematize your delivery, start to figure out the things that you’re doing over and over the unique things that you’ve created. If you’ve tapped in, you know, we have our certified coaches and consultants.
They use our framework and system if you’ve tapped in someone else’s framework system, you already have this. Great. So that’s already done. But if you you’re creating your own or you’re doing your own thing, or maybe even in addition to something you’ve been certified in you develop your own methodology on top of that, start to codify that.
Start to codify that start to develop tools and assets on your unique contribution, your unique methodology that you can start to systematize. Because that will also alleviate your work and start to allow you to scale. And lastly, start to systematize. Your marketing.
Alright, stop being haphazard, this is this is really what we’re doing in everything. It’s time to stop being haphazard. We’ll throw spaghetti on the wall and hope it sticks now, you can always experiment, you can always try new things. But start to solidify and codify your stable base. What are the things that are reliable? What are the tools that you can lean on? Or the processes that can be put in place? And if you’re doing low six figures, if you haven’t already done all three of these things? You’re very ready, huh?
Samantha Riley (35:45):
Yeah, I love that you’re talking about Systemising marketing, it’s a piece that I find that at that low six figure mark, that’s what I would put in place. One of the things I put in place first. And also the other thing is time at low six figures, most people are maxed out on time.
So I feel that they’re two super important pieces. And if that’s where you are now, then definitely look at those two areas and start to think, How can I do this. So I’m getting the same repeatable outcomes over and over and over, because that’s what a system is.
So we’ve talked a lot today about getting to the next level. And I know that you’ve got a free gift that will help people to really take that next step and build on what we’ve been talking about. Can you share a little bit about what that is?
Estie Starr (36:32):
If you go to estiestarr.com/freegift I always have like, should I spell that for you? I feel like you know, I’ll spell it anyways. So estiestarr.com/freegift, there’s a three day marketing success challenge. It’s a paid program, we have it open there now temporarily for free.
And there is a point depending when you hear this podcast that it may not be there, but there’s always something cool there to help you get better, more reliable results from your marketing. So a startup comm slash free gift. And it’s a 3d marketing success challenge giving you clarity and confidence to market yourself successfully.
Samantha Riley (37:16):
Love it, love it, love it, definitely go over and grab a copy of that and as put into place what we’ve been talking about today about really taking your business and your brand to the next level. So thank you so much for coming and sharing your goal with us today. It’s been an absolute pleasure chatting with you.
Estie Starr (37:33):
My pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
Samantha Riley (48:23):
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Influence By Design podcast. If you want more head over to influencebydesignpodcast.com for the show notes and links to today’s gifts and sponsors. And if you’re looking to connect with other experts who are growing and scaling their business to join us in the coaches, thought leaders, and changemakers community on Facebook, the links are waiting for you over at influencebydesignpodcast.com
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