Growth Letter #25
Bonjour!
Guess who’s going on holiday soon?
Meee!
This 10-day break will include a 3-day stop in the south of France, a week in Sicily, and a full day in Lake Como.
I’ve been working hard this year and I desperately need this break.
I mean, this year alone I have:
Launched my 12-week marketing program, The GYM
Launched my Group Coaching
Onboarded new customers on my Done-For-You Marketing Services
Supported dozens of female founders (and one male) with the strategy to grow their online business
Delivered audits, strategies, masterclasses, and workshops
It’s incredible.
But also challenging.
So I’m feeling this need to disconnect.
I’ll get a non-business book, leave my phone in the Airbnb, and just focus on swimming and eating good food.
1. 💪🏼 FEATURED FEMALE FOUNDER: SARAH BREEDLOVE
(IF SHE COULD DO IT, SO CAN YOU)
A few years ago I came across the Netflix series Self-Made.
I wasn’t sure what it was about, but I decided to try it.
It tells the story of Madam C.J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove).
And from that day I’ve been fascinated by her story.
Let me start by explaining her circumstances:
She was born on December 23, 1867, in Louisiana (3 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincon - freeing 3.5 million slaves)
She was the daughter and sister of slaves
She was a black woman
Her mother died when she was 5
Her father died when she was 6
She was orphaned at the age of 7
She only had 3 months of formal education
She was abused by her brother-in-law
At the age of 20, she was a single mother to a 2-year-old
Her odds of becoming a successful entrepreneur? ZERO.
Yet, she did it.
How? Keep reading 😎
She worked as a laundress and cook, barely making enough to survive.
But she was determined to make enough to provide for her daughter.
Sarah suffered from severe dandruff and other scalp issues, including baldness. She was on a mission to resolve this problem for herself and all black women.
She began experimenting with homemade remedies and developed a line of hair care products that addressed the specific needs of Black hair.
Her initial success came from a product called "Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower" (She was also a copy genius - the name tells the transformation! Kudos to you Walker!).
But she didn’t just create products.
She built a system: The "Walker system”, which included not only the products but also a method of hair care with specific instructions for hair application and maintenance.
She traveled the country, giving lectures and demonstrations, and empowering other Black women to become "Walker agents" by selling her products door-to-door.
But she did this with marketing brilliance:
By incorporating singing and storytelling into her sales presentations, making them inspiring, entertaining, and informative.
(Hot tip: these marketing strategies have always worked!)
This helped her create an army of saleswomen and scale her business.
This poor black woman, daughter of slaves, with no formal education, was able to build an empire.
Her wealth had a massive impact on the black community. She:
Trained and employed thousands of women, and she was incredibly generous.
Gave a lot of her profits to charity and scholarships for women, and she was heavily involved in political issues.
Used her home, Villa Lewaro in Irvington, New York, to host events and gatherings, creating a cultural and social space for Black artists and intellectuals.
She once said:
"I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South.
From there, I was promoted to the washtub. From there, I was promoted to the cook kitchen.
And from there, I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations.”
By the time of her death in 1919, Madam C.J. Walker was the first female self-made millionaire in America.
There are so many growth lessons in her story, so I’m sticking to my top 4 (plus 1):
It goes back to the title: If this woman was able to figure this business sh*t out, you have ZERO excuses
Be clear on your niche and Ideal Customer: She didn’t cater to everyone. She built hair products for black women
Make it scalable: her strategy to travel and train women was what helped her build an empire - and along the way, she was able to help so many women (in a time when black women had very few opportunities)
Don’t “just” build offers - build experiences: the “Walker System” was more than just buying a product. There was a whole system and experience on how to prepare and treat your scalp the right way.
Bonus lesson: Don’t wait for permission to be promoted.
You can promote yourself to whatever you want - whenever you want.
You are educated, have a network, and live in a time when everything is global and opportunities are everywhere.
So stop making excuses.
Instead, make a strategy to grow your business online.
Pssst: I can help you with that (as soon as I’m back from my holidays).
Book a FREE Eureka call with me in July. As the name suggests, it will help you tackle that one issue in your business (or business idea) that will impact growth.
2. HOW I BUILT MY CUSTOMER JOURNEY (AND WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU)
My core offer is the 12-week program, The G.Y.M.
It gives small business owners who are just getting started on this business journey a strategy, a funnel, and a plan.
But I knew that at the end some GYMers would still need my ongoing coaching and support - because marketing is never a set and forget.
So I launched my group coaching offer.
And for 6 months I guide my coachees on their business growth.
By the end of this journey - some of them will be ready to move to the next stage:
Fractional CMO on monthly retainers: where I build the marketing strategy (and ensure it gets executed), set up scalable systems, and manage their daily marketing, team, and marketing operations.
In simple terms:
The G.Y.M. >> Group Coaching >> Fractional CMO
Why does building a journey with upsells and downsells matter and why should you care?
Several reasons actually:
It’s much harder to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one
People already know you, like you, and trust you: they don’t want the trouble of looking elsewhere. But if you don’t have a journey, they will!
It will increase your AOV (average order value) and LTV (Lifetime Value), which has a big impact on sales and it will reduce your CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) making your business more profitable
A well-designed customer journey with upsells and downsells anticipates your customer needs and improves the overall experience
Some stats for you
Acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing customer.
Increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits from 25-95%.
The success rate of selling to a customer you already have is 60-70%, while the success rate of selling to a new customer is 5-20%.
One customer experience agency found loyal customers are 5x as likely to repurchase, 5x as likely to forgive, 4x as likely to refer, and 7x as likely to try a new offering.
(Source: Outbound Engine)
3. ACTIONABLE GROWTH TIP: DON’T JUST BUILD AN OFFER. BUILD A JOURNEY.
The first thing you need to do when you start a business?
Having an offer (product/service/experience).
The second thing?
Building a journey around that offer.
Ask yourself: What’s the next natural step?
Anticipate your customer needs.
And make the overall experience of working with you outstanding!
💁🏻 WHEN YOU'RE READY, THIS IS HOW I CAN HELP
🤙🏻 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.
🏆 GROUP COACHING
If you want to learn more, you can check it HERE.
Who is it for?
Small business owners who already have a business and a good foundation in place, but are looking for marketing knowledge and accountability to keep making progress and improve their results.
The spots are limited.
💪🏼 THE G.Y.M.
Join the next G.Y.M. cohort: September 16th to December 2nd.
This is a 12-week marketing program that will help you build a marketing strategy, plan, and build a sales funnel.
Who's it for?
Small business owners who are just getting started with online business! By small business owners, I mean:
YOU, if still working for an employer, but secretly want to quit and have your business
YOU, if you have started your business recently and are feeling completely lost and overwhelmed with marketing
YOU, if you have been freelancing or have an offline business but want to move away from a time-for-money business model and need a new strategy for this
GYMers get a ton of personalised feedback and support from me, so the spots are very limited.
The best way to secure yours is by jumping on the waitlist HERE.
GYM "Waitlisters" will get a special discount and bonus.
