Growth Letter #21
3 WAYS THIS LETTER CAN INSPIRE & HELP YOU GROW.
7 Takeaways from my first paid program
Bring your customers on a journey with you
Actionable growth tip: Map your customer journey
Grab your cuppa coffee (or tea… or water. Whatever you fancy!)
This is a 7-minute read. Every word was written with care, by a human who's keen to help you grow.
🤯 7 TAKEAWAYS FROM MY FIRST PAID PROGRAM
At the end of 2023, one of my clients had to cut back on my hours.
I needed that income, so I had to make a decision.
My options were:
Looking for another client
OR launching my program
I decided on the latter: I launched The GYM!
A 12-week marketing program to help you create a Marketing Strategy, Build a Plan and Get Sh*t Done!
I went with the riskier and scarier option - but this is also the option that can help me SCALE and make the impact I wanna make.
With a tiny audience (and SO much fear!) I went ahead.
And do you think I was teaching for 12 weeks?
Well, I was.
But I was also learning - a LOT!
And I want to share some of the takeaways from this experience because it might benefit you if you're planning to exit time-for-money business models!
So without further ado… here are my 7 takeaways.
#1: FOCUS ON VALIDATING YOUR IDEA
When I launched the GYM, I didn't have the content for the whole program ready.
I had slides for the first 4-weeks, but that was about it.
Everything else was just an idea.
(Ideas I knew I could deliver on - obviously!)
The mistake most people (and start-ups) make:
Spending a lot of time perfecting their product/course before they even validate IF their idea can actually sell.
Focus on selling (or pre-selling) FIRST.
Create as you go.
Keep improving and perfecting for as long as you're in business.
This was one of the BEST lessons I learned from my business coach.
Following her advice saved me MONTHS (if not years) of work (which would have killed my motivation and eventually killed the idea!).
#2 IT'S A ROLLER COASTER
Every Monday I felt extremely anxious. Nervous. Agitated.
It wasn't until a few weeks into the program that I started to realize what was happening:
I was agitated each Monday because each Monday was when I was dropping new modules.
And each Monday, I was nervous and fearful that I was not providing enough value.
That would be the week I'd lose the group's interest.
I was putting so much pressure on myself.
It was all in my head.
(And I guess it's all because I deeply care.)
On a recent Zoom meeting with other entrepreneurs, I realized that this was a very common feeling.
This gave me a lot of peace.
But I can tell you this: this journey is not for the faint of heart!
#3 I WAS WRONG
When I launched, I was super clear with my messaging:
I was targeting female founders who were starting a business OR stuck with their business growth.
The reasons for targeting women were:
I lacked female role models in business while growing up and I made it my mission to become one
I love elevating other women
I want to make my tiny dent in gender equality by helping female-founded businesses
But then, one guy called Pedro, replied to one of my emails promoting the GYM saying:
“I'm so inspired by your journey and this program looks great. But I'm not a female founder.”
I replied saying: “In the GYM, everyone is welcome.”
The day after I woke up to a confirmation that he had enrolled.
He became one of my star students during this program and left me the most incredible review:
“This course has been by far one of the best investments I've ever made. I feel you just saved me one or two years (or more) worth of Google and solitaire despair that would likely end up in yet another project archived. I am so so grateful for having stumbled upon the GYM and now seeing my project come to live with all the tools and knowledge you gave me. Love the structure and pace of the GYM, contents, knowledge share and specially your accountability and hands-on approach!”
- Pedro Ganço | A senior product manager getting ready to launch his own program
So my messaging has changed and I'm redoing my Ideal Customer Avatar for my next launch.
While I'm still on a mission to help women build their businesses online, I also want dozens more Pedro's in my program.
Driven.
Kind.
Engaged.
With a solid idea, but looking for guidance, knowledge, and accountability to make it happen.
#4 KEEP YOUR GROUP ENGAGED - BY PICKING THE RIGHT PLATFORM
I wanted to keep the group active, engaged, and most importantly - continually making progress.
I was posting every day on the group channels.
I was DM'ing them (or they were DM'ing me) to help them with what they signed up for: PROGRESS on their business idea.
I had a fun Friday post about pizza (obviously!) which normally included a video with a question too.
Of course, some weeks some were more engaged than others.
Life happens.
Holidays.
Kids.
Jobs (yes some of them have full-time jobs and are working on their dream projects on the side).
This community vibe and engagement would not have been possible without the right platform.
I picked Heartbeat and although it's not perfect (is there such a thing?) - it did tick all the boxes on what I was after:
❤️ A place to host all the program content
❤️ A place where people could easily find resources
❤️ A place where the group could engage in conversations
❤️ Where I could also speak to each person privately
❤️ Where people could easily find (and sign up for) all the live events
❤️ One that people could download to their phones and see notifications for new threads and DMs
One that people could listen to the content on the go (I was told that this was a favorite!)
Facebook groups are messy (and younger generations dislike Facebook).
Heartbeat is just a great balance of ease, quality, and price.
#5 I DON'T KNOW IT ALL
My zones of genius:
Strategy
Leadership
Some topics I covered needed a deeper dive from experts.
So I brought in:
Emily from Emily Claire & Co. to cover messaging (she gave insanely good feedback on landing pages)
Amylee from SEO is my Happy to deliver a Masterclass on SEO
Eli a Notion expert to deliver a workshop on how to use Notion to build systems
BEST. DECISION. EVER.
For the next rounds of the GYM, I want to get even more guests and juicier topics.
#6 START BIG, FINISH BIGGER
The GYM started with a funtastic welcome call.
But it's ending with the most incredible bonus (happening in May):
In our last live call, I announced…
A FREE branding photoshoot with wine and pizza!
Yes, I have to “take advantage” of my incredible hubby and all his talents (if you're new here, my husband is a photographer AND hosts pizza workshops in Lisbon)!
The look on everyone's faces when I announced this was PRICELESS.
Can't wait to share some group photos!
#7 IT'S NOT OVER
My biggest takeaway from this experience:
Growing up, I was the girl who was clueless about what I wanted to do with my life.
I always admired people who were so determined saying: “I want to be a vet,” or “I want to be a lawyer.”
43 years later, I found what I'm meant to do!
(well, didn't that take me a while? 😬)
My whole journey including 10+ years in marketing and 20+ years leading teams has brought me to this very moment:
I want to help small business owners put their ideas into the world and grow their online businesses.
So watch this space, because the GYM will open its doors again. And again. And again.
And the next round is happening soon.
The seats will be limited (I want to keep the groups small) and the waitlist is growing!
PS: This is the LAST chance to jump on the waitlist and unlock discounts and bonuses.
👐 BRING YOUR CUSTOMERS ON A JOURNEY WITH YOU
When you have a core offer that you know works (by works, I mean sells!), you need to plan the whole journey around it.
So what can you offer after?
How can your customers keep working with you?
And upsell?
A downsell?
I knew that this program would offer my GYMers a solid strategy. A plan. And implementation (building a sales funnel).
But marketing is never over. It's not something you can set and forget.
As your business grows, there are always new questions and new challenges.
Marketing challenges.
Strategy challenges.
Growth challenges.
Mindset challenges.
So I built a new super special offer for my GYMers: a 6-month coaching with me.
No hard sells.
Just an open invitation: “if you want to keep working with me, this is how.”
And in just a couple of days, 40% of the group already converted 😍 I'm so excited to keep working with them and so grateful for their trust.
(PS: Don't get too impressed - it's a small group! 40% means 2 people for now).
🚀 ACTIONABLE GROWTH TIP: MAP YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Find your core offer.
Then… build a whole journey around it.
Let's imagine you're a Head of People with years of experience recruiting and coaching teams.
The core offer could be a program about:
“Apply for 6-figure jobs and get hired” - very clear transformation and outcome.
You'd think if the person gets hired, the journey ends there, right?
Wrong!
The person got the job, but now imposter syndrome kicks in.
The company's politics are driving you mad.
You don't feel your CEO is taking you seriously.
And the drama goes on (whoever works/worked in companies, knows EXACTLY what I mean).
So the natural next step on this journey is to offer group mentoring/coaching to help your customer overcome these issues and help people thrive in their roles, get pay raises, bonuses, and more.
There's always a natural next step. A next level.
Find it. Sell it.
Your customer already likes YOU.
Trusts YOU.
If you don't have that next offer ready, they'll look elsewhere!
And we don't want that to happen, right?
WHEN YOU'RE READY, THIS IS HOW I CAN HELP
💪 THE G.Y.M.
Last call to to join the next G.Y.M. cohort.
This is a 12-week marketing program that will help you build a marketing strategy, plan, and build a sales funnel.
GYMers get a ton of personalized feedback and support from me, so the spots are very limited.
The best way to secure yours is by jumping on the waitlist HERE.
G.Y.M. "Waitlisters" will also get a special discount and bonuses.
PS: This is the last call to join the waitlist. In the next email I'll reveal new GYM dates 🥳. Stay tuned.
🤙 BOOK A STRATEGY CALL
Do you even need this? YES, but only if you:
Are not happy with the way things are going in your business and/or career
You're confused about what the next step in your business should be
You're not sure where to go from where you are
You know you're not attracting the right customers (if people are bargaining your prices - that's a big red flag)
Your business is not growing
Was it a yes to any of this? Then I “prescribe” you a strategy call.
After the payment, I'll ask you to fill a short questionnaire so I understand how I can support you.
We'll then hop on a 90-minutes Zoom call to create a strategy and plan together.
