1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,080 If you've been on the Internet for any number of years, you've heard the 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,759 age old advice, hire a team, build a team, hire more 3 00:00:07,759 --> 00:00:10,639 people, and then hire some more. And if you are like, I don't know if 4 00:00:10,639 --> 00:00:14,344 that advice works for me, this episode is for you. I have the amazing 5 00:00:14,344 --> 00:00:17,945 Maggie Patterson coming on the show today to talk about her new book, Staying 6 00:00:17,945 --> 00:00:21,785 Solo, as well as, well, how you can do that yourself. But first, 7 00:00:21,785 --> 00:00:25,384 a word from our sponsor. Riverside is the all in 8 00:00:25,384 --> 00:00:29,210 one podcast recording and editing tool that I use for this Right 9 00:00:29,210 --> 00:00:32,970 Here show. 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If you wanna get 19 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,905 on the Riverside train, check it out today, the links in the show notes, and 20 00:01:09,905 --> 00:01:13,585 make sure to use my code DREA, d r e a, at checkout to 21 00:01:13,585 --> 00:01:15,925 get 15% off your membership. 22 00:01:17,185 --> 00:01:20,725 Welcome to episode number 359 of the Mindful Marketing 23 00:01:20,785 --> 00:01:23,659 podcast. I'm I'm so excited to have you all here today. And Maggie, thank you 24 00:01:23,659 --> 00:01:27,020 so much for being on the show again. Yeah. Well, thank you for keep inviting 25 00:01:27,020 --> 00:01:30,860 me back. I appreciate it. Honestly, this is 100% selfish, because 26 00:01:30,860 --> 00:01:33,659 I just love your brain. And I just want to pick your brain just publicly 27 00:01:33,659 --> 00:01:37,314 for everyone else to hear as well. So I'm excited about that. Either way. 28 00:01:38,814 --> 00:01:42,415 But one of the things that I really admire about you is you have 29 00:01:42,415 --> 00:01:46,115 really strong stance and a really strong opinion about some of the things that 30 00:01:46,255 --> 00:01:49,715 are really the antithesis of what the big bro y online 31 00:01:49,854 --> 00:01:53,320 business y people say. And for years, you know, there's this 32 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,920 common advice of, like, to scale, you have to build a 33 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,680 team. So let's start with this big question. What's the 34 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,454 deal with staying solo? Well, the deal is 35 00:02:04,454 --> 00:02:08,134 I noticed this pattern. I work with service providers, some of 36 00:02:08,134 --> 00:02:11,894 which are micro agency owners, and then some of which are true, you 37 00:02:11,894 --> 00:02:15,435 know, done for you solo service providers. And 38 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,120 early on when I started working with this group, I just assumed, like, I had 39 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,880 scaled into a micro agency that everyone wanted to do that. But I kept 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,720 having my clients come to me and say, but, Becky, I don't want 41 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,035 a team. I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna do that. And I'm like, 42 00:02:31,515 --> 00:02:35,355 oh, this is a thing. And they felt really awkward about it. 43 00:02:35,355 --> 00:02:39,195 They felt bad. And a lot of the messages they 44 00:02:39,195 --> 00:02:42,555 were getting kind of in that bigger business ecosystem was 45 00:02:42,555 --> 00:02:46,155 like, they were playing small, they were capping their growth, they're 46 00:02:46,155 --> 00:02:49,910 limiting their potential. You know, all the mindset things 47 00:02:49,910 --> 00:02:53,510 and, like, you're not going for it. And I 48 00:02:53,510 --> 00:02:57,129 have spent a lot of time with my clients over the years reassuring 49 00:02:57,190 --> 00:03:00,894 them, talking about, like, hey. You don't have to accept 50 00:03:00,894 --> 00:03:04,735 that your income's gonna be capped just because you don't have a team. Like, 51 00:03:04,735 --> 00:03:08,174 how can we find a way to make this model work for you 52 00:03:08,174 --> 00:03:11,474 and optimize it? Because leadership is not for everyone. 53 00:03:12,110 --> 00:03:15,629 The risk and reward of having a team is not for everyone. And I think 54 00:03:15,629 --> 00:03:19,469 we've, you know, we've seen that over the last three, four years as we've 55 00:03:19,469 --> 00:03:23,230 watched a lot of people kind of walk back their teams. And not that 56 00:03:23,230 --> 00:03:26,109 that's a bad thing. We've seen also seen a lot of big businesses kind of 57 00:03:26,109 --> 00:03:29,865 what they call descale. They were not selling what they 58 00:03:29,865 --> 00:03:33,485 used to sell, which is fine. But the conversation 59 00:03:33,625 --> 00:03:36,905 has changed a lot in the last few years, and I want it to be 60 00:03:36,905 --> 00:03:40,345 like, hey. You know what? There still is a valid option here. You don't have 61 00:03:40,345 --> 00:03:44,180 to grow continuously. You don't have to keep chasing. You can build 62 00:03:44,180 --> 00:03:47,860 a a business that actually supports the kind of 63 00:03:47,860 --> 00:03:51,460 life you want and not in this, like, I'm gonna be sipping pina coladas on 64 00:03:51,460 --> 00:03:55,300 the beach kind of way. Like, you know, that's it's always like, I 65 00:03:55,300 --> 00:03:58,740 get it. It's like not freedom because I have a private jet. It's freedom 66 00:03:58,740 --> 00:04:01,935 because I can take my loved one to an appointment. 67 00:04:02,235 --> 00:04:05,935 Yeah. Like, really practical day to day things where you have the flexibility 68 00:04:06,394 --> 00:04:10,015 and, like, the freedom that's not about this, you know, 69 00:04:10,075 --> 00:04:12,735 artifice, this big fake image around you. 70 00:04:13,540 --> 00:04:17,060 Yeah. A %. And I think this is the thing. Right? It's it's the 71 00:04:17,060 --> 00:04:20,600 option to be able to decide to do this. And I feel like, 72 00:04:20,820 --> 00:04:24,419 especially when people are trying to sell you something, they say, this is the 73 00:04:24,419 --> 00:04:27,940 one true path that there is no other options. And so you kind of feel 74 00:04:27,940 --> 00:04:31,435 like that, because you, like, buy into the 75 00:04:31,435 --> 00:04:34,975 hype. Right? And so I love that we're talking about this alternative 76 00:04:35,435 --> 00:04:39,275 method of doing things because there is another option. And I know for me 77 00:04:39,275 --> 00:04:43,000 personally too, like, I loved having a team. It really support me in 78 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,840 that season of my life. I loved having my agency, and then I did 79 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:50,280 it. And then I sold it. And then and now it's just me and my 80 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:53,960 assistant, Jemmy. And this is my season of life now, and I 81 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,375 love this too. And I feel like they're like, you can do both. You can 82 00:04:57,375 --> 00:05:01,135 have both. You can you can, create a business that kinda fits 83 00:05:01,135 --> 00:05:04,655 with your life, and I love that that's kind of where you where you 84 00:05:04,655 --> 00:05:08,495 are. Can I ask, though, about your business specifically? Because you have 85 00:05:08,495 --> 00:05:11,990 a team too. So how how do you balance, like okay. So talk to me 86 00:05:11,990 --> 00:05:15,370 about, like, your team, and then how do you work with your team, but also, 87 00:05:15,750 --> 00:05:19,350 you know, preach the good word of staying solo? Well, I it's a really good 88 00:05:19,350 --> 00:05:22,950 question. And I mean, I it is something like one of my friends were 89 00:05:22,950 --> 00:05:26,555 initially pushing me to write the book because I'd been talking about staying solo on 90 00:05:26,555 --> 00:05:30,175 my podcast, and then eventually rebranded my podcast. And 91 00:05:30,475 --> 00:05:33,195 I was like, no. I can't do this. Like, I'm not solo. And they were 92 00:05:33,195 --> 00:05:35,535 like, Maggie, the majority of your clients are solo. 93 00:05:36,715 --> 00:05:40,520 And you have years of experience having been solo. Like, 94 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,280 yes, I've had it in an a micro agency for the last nine years, but 95 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:47,580 the eleven years before that, I was on my own. And 96 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,900 I'm also going through the process of, like, I run two businesses. So eventually, 97 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,475 like, will my agency retire? Yes. And 98 00:05:55,695 --> 00:05:59,135 will I be truly solo? No. Because I don't wanna fire my 99 00:05:59,135 --> 00:06:02,735 sister, but who works for me full time. But, you know, we 100 00:06:02,735 --> 00:06:06,495 still run like a really scrappy little solo business in a 101 00:06:06,495 --> 00:06:10,259 lot of ways. So, try not to add a lot of layers of complications. 102 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,680 So I always say I have the scrappy heart of a solo person in my 103 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:17,280 you know, that's the kind of way I run things. I've never been like, let's 104 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:20,900 have a big team. I don't like layers of complexity. 105 00:06:21,199 --> 00:06:24,825 I just I started on that path when I started growing my agency, 106 00:06:24,965 --> 00:06:28,565 and I was so much happier, like, by reducing the team and having 107 00:06:28,565 --> 00:06:31,785 things be really, really slim. So for me, 108 00:06:32,245 --> 00:06:35,190 while I am not solo, I am in my heart. 109 00:06:35,750 --> 00:06:39,350 Yeah. And I feel like that's the like, that's the energy that you bring 110 00:06:39,350 --> 00:06:43,190 into the work that you do is this, like, scrappiness to it. Right? 111 00:06:43,190 --> 00:06:46,470 And I do feel like as especially as small business owners, we kinda have to 112 00:06:46,470 --> 00:06:49,995 have that energy. Like, we don't have the, like, endless amounts of 113 00:06:49,995 --> 00:06:53,675 funding that some of these, like, larger Yeah. You know, companies have. And 114 00:06:53,675 --> 00:06:57,515 so, like, to be able to sustain our businesses, we do 115 00:06:57,515 --> 00:07:01,275 have to, like, think strategically and be really smart about how we use all of 116 00:07:01,275 --> 00:07:05,010 our funds, including, you know, paying our team and how that how that works 117 00:07:05,010 --> 00:07:08,450 out. So they I love that you have that. So, so you wrote the book 118 00:07:08,610 --> 00:07:12,370 basically wrote the book on staying solo. So what are what are some of the 119 00:07:12,370 --> 00:07:15,810 things, the common myths that you break down in the book about, like, 120 00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:19,395 staying solo? Yeah. So I think one of the biggest 121 00:07:19,395 --> 00:07:22,935 things is a lot of people have this hang up. They're not a real business 122 00:07:23,074 --> 00:07:26,435 if they're this team of one or they're just, like, you and your assistant. 123 00:07:26,435 --> 00:07:30,160 Right? People get really stuck on this. And the reality 124 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,840 is is that the majority of businesses in The US and in the 125 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,440 Western world, all the statistics point to are one 126 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,980 person businesses. Yeah. You know? Like, 127 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:44,455 we need to stop having the conversation around 128 00:07:44,514 --> 00:07:47,895 entrepreneurship. We really focused on scale, 129 00:07:48,275 --> 00:07:51,955 on rapid growth, on startups, on, like the 130 00:07:51,955 --> 00:07:55,495 culture of entrepreneurship is very much this cultural celebration 131 00:07:56,514 --> 00:07:59,780 of being big when the reality of entrepreneurship 132 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,480 is solo. So there's this real digger. And the second 133 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,240 I point that out to people they go. And then the second thing 134 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,955 is, is that, especially for people have been operating in the 135 00:08:11,955 --> 00:08:15,655 kind of freelance online business world, they have a really 136 00:08:15,715 --> 00:08:18,135 inflated idea of what success looks like. 137 00:08:19,635 --> 00:08:23,395 In The US, the number I share in the book is the average 138 00:08:23,395 --> 00:08:26,280 one person business is making $43,000 a year. 139 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,039 But meanwhile, in online business world, hundred k is like a 140 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:35,720 joke. You're only making 6 figures. Right? Like 141 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,760 and then it was seven figures and eight figures and all the figures. And the 142 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,345 reality is is most people are creating these roles 143 00:08:42,345 --> 00:08:45,865 for themselves to have the freedom and flexibility and all the things that were 144 00:08:45,865 --> 00:08:49,705 promised. But, ultimately, the goal isn't to make more 145 00:08:49,705 --> 00:08:53,465 money. The goal is to get the time freedom and everything else. 146 00:08:53,465 --> 00:08:57,000 And there's a lot of data I bring into, the front part of the book 147 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,840 to set up all my argument. And there's an entire, study 148 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,520 of by state in The US of, hey. You know what? Why do people start 149 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,660 their businesses? Money was very low on the list. 150 00:09:08,865 --> 00:09:12,545 And I think we get we start off with one thing and then it morphs 151 00:09:12,545 --> 00:09:16,225 over time and we start to feel bad about ourselves. We start to really 152 00:09:16,225 --> 00:09:19,745 see, like, oh, I'm not earning enough. I'm not good enough. I should be 153 00:09:19,745 --> 00:09:23,130 hiring. I'm not legitimate. I'm a joke. And the 154 00:09:23,130 --> 00:09:26,890 reality is, is out in the non entrepreneurial online 155 00:09:26,890 --> 00:09:30,670 business world, this is the way business is. So why don't we just, 156 00:09:30,810 --> 00:09:34,170 like, drop all this crap, cut the bullshit out, and, like, 157 00:09:34,170 --> 00:09:37,805 actually focus on what our 158 00:09:37,805 --> 00:09:41,425 businesses need for us to find them to be simple and sustainable 159 00:09:41,645 --> 00:09:45,485 and to not take over our lives. Yeah. Wow. So is that number, 160 00:09:45,485 --> 00:09:49,085 the the 43 ks, is that, that's the profit or is 161 00:09:49,085 --> 00:09:52,850 that? That top line revenue. Top line. So I'm 162 00:09:52,850 --> 00:09:56,690 like, not even expenses. Wow. Okay. So, yeah, I feel like that is a 163 00:09:56,690 --> 00:10:00,070 huge reality check. And it's so funny too. You you talked about how, 164 00:10:00,930 --> 00:10:04,665 you know, when we first start our businesses, money isn't that 165 00:10:04,665 --> 00:10:07,785 high up on the list. And that is true for me too. You got me 166 00:10:07,785 --> 00:10:11,384 thinking about, like, I started my business because I just like it. Like, I like 167 00:10:11,384 --> 00:10:14,824 my thing, and I like doing it. And then somewhere along the way, it's like 168 00:10:14,824 --> 00:10:18,630 more and more and more. And, like, even now, a lot of the changes 169 00:10:18,630 --> 00:10:21,910 that I've made in my business is because I'm, like, shifting more into the things 170 00:10:21,910 --> 00:10:25,670 that I just I just like more. Yes. Even though now 171 00:10:25,670 --> 00:10:29,209 I make less than I have ever had in my business, actually. 172 00:10:29,350 --> 00:10:33,105 But I feel more fulfilled because I have more time to spend 173 00:10:33,105 --> 00:10:36,485 with my kids, which like right now is the most important thing to me. Right? 174 00:10:36,625 --> 00:10:40,404 And so it's so interesting how that money number sometimes 175 00:10:40,545 --> 00:10:44,385 overshadows our goals. And I do think it is 176 00:10:44,385 --> 00:10:46,965 the marketing hype, right, of all of this. So 177 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,959 so as as, as we go into this idea of, like, staying solo, 178 00:10:51,959 --> 00:10:54,440 what are some of the things we need to keep in mind so that we 179 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:58,279 can have a sustainable business and maintain all those flexibility things that we 180 00:10:58,279 --> 00:11:02,055 want? Yeah. So the the very first thing is I talk about 181 00:11:02,055 --> 00:11:05,495 these six different pillars, and basically every pillar is a chapter or couple 182 00:11:05,495 --> 00:11:08,855 chapters in the book. And the very first one I talk about is 183 00:11:08,855 --> 00:11:12,075 salary. Because while it is not about the money, 184 00:11:13,140 --> 00:11:16,980 we all you know, all things being equal, we all have 185 00:11:16,980 --> 00:11:20,600 businesses because we do need to make some money to, you know, feed, 186 00:11:20,740 --> 00:11:24,500 clothe, you know, survive, live in this, you know, capitalist hellscape we're 187 00:11:24,500 --> 00:11:28,275 in. So one of the biggest things I see is people 188 00:11:28,275 --> 00:11:32,035 overinvesting in their business as solo business owners. We've all been there. 189 00:11:32,035 --> 00:11:35,635 We've all done it, buying all the things, chasing after the the 190 00:11:35,635 --> 00:11:38,375 dream TM, if you will. And 191 00:11:39,540 --> 00:11:43,380 we need to get very realistic about, like, how much money 192 00:11:43,380 --> 00:11:47,220 do I need from the business, and what activities do I need to be 193 00:11:47,220 --> 00:11:50,900 doing to ensure that I'm able to pay myself first. Because if you're not 194 00:11:50,900 --> 00:11:54,555 payable to pay yourself consistently from your business, what's gonna happen? 195 00:11:54,795 --> 00:11:58,315 You're gonna become burnt out. You're gonna become resentful. You're not 196 00:11:58,315 --> 00:12:01,835 gonna feel fulfilled by it. You need your, at a 197 00:12:01,835 --> 00:12:05,515 minimum, your basic needs to be being met. And I want people to be doing 198 00:12:05,515 --> 00:12:09,214 better than their basic needs. Stop paying scammy business coaches 199 00:12:09,274 --> 00:12:12,840 on the Internet, all your money, and then getting the 200 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,280 leftovers. I want you to reverse engineer that. And I have a 201 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,720 calculator that goes with the book to be like, hey. This is how much money 202 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,480 I need in my life. How much money do I actually need to be 203 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:27,225 making? What are my expenses? And start to keep an eye on those 204 00:12:27,225 --> 00:12:30,985 numbers really strategically. And I brought in some really smart 205 00:12:30,985 --> 00:12:34,745 people into that chapter to talk about, like, how do you pay yourself? What 206 00:12:34,745 --> 00:12:38,579 should you be doing? Like, getting into the mechanics of the money that 207 00:12:38,579 --> 00:12:41,959 I'm not an expert on, but these smart money people, CPAs, 208 00:12:42,019 --> 00:12:45,860 bookkeepers actually are. Yeah. I love that you you 209 00:12:45,860 --> 00:12:49,480 emphasize the money piece because I can't tell you how many times 210 00:12:49,779 --> 00:12:53,540 I've been on, like, consult calls with someone where they come in and they wanna 211 00:12:53,540 --> 00:12:57,115 hire my agency for services. And I'm asking them these questions 212 00:12:57,115 --> 00:13:00,715 like, okay, you know, how much revenue are you making per month 213 00:13:00,715 --> 00:13:03,995 or, how how much does it cost? Like, what's the cost of goods sold or 214 00:13:03,995 --> 00:13:06,875 things like that. And they don't know the answers. And it's like, we can't market. 215 00:13:06,875 --> 00:13:10,720 We can't even do anything until you know those answers. Otherwise, you're just paying 216 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,399 me to post on social media for you. And, like, that's that's I mean, for 217 00:13:14,399 --> 00:13:18,240 fun, sure. If you wanna do that, more power to you. But, like, we wanna 218 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,279 run the business here. And so I love that you start with the with the 219 00:13:21,279 --> 00:13:25,125 numbers of it all because it it's the reality that we all have to face. 220 00:13:25,125 --> 00:13:28,645 And I think it's one of those things too where if you get caught up 221 00:13:28,645 --> 00:13:32,105 in the hype, you end up spending so much time on the busy work. 222 00:13:32,725 --> 00:13:36,405 I'm gonna call out marketing here. Okay. This is a marketing podcast. We 223 00:13:36,405 --> 00:13:39,890 spend so much time on busy work. Sometimes it's 224 00:13:39,890 --> 00:13:43,250 marketing. And then we feel like nothing's working because we actually haven't looked at the 225 00:13:43,250 --> 00:13:47,090 numbers to see where that all lies. So, do you talk about marketing 226 00:13:47,090 --> 00:13:50,850 and how how do we how do we put marketing as the line item in 227 00:13:50,850 --> 00:13:54,365 all of this? You know, I really touch on marketing in the 228 00:13:54,365 --> 00:13:57,345 systems part of it because it is 229 00:13:58,045 --> 00:14:01,805 nobody wants especially as a solo business owner, no one wants 230 00:14:01,805 --> 00:14:05,560 to, like, systems. Do I really need system? And it's like, stop thinking of 231 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:09,160 systems as, like, these things that, like, are going to constrain us and the 232 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,440 things that actually let us get what we need to get done, get it done 233 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,880 in a really focused way, and making really strategic decisions to 234 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:19,720 say, you know what? My last five clients have come from 235 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,185 referrals. I've never ever got a lead on social 236 00:14:23,185 --> 00:14:27,025 media. So do I need to be doing social media? Or why 237 00:14:27,025 --> 00:14:30,145 am I this is what I see all the time. Building an email list, which 238 00:14:30,145 --> 00:14:32,965 is for people that are not buying retainer services. 239 00:14:34,260 --> 00:14:37,860 Like, get really clear on what that marketing is and then create a 240 00:14:37,860 --> 00:14:41,399 really simple system where you know what is the cadence. 241 00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:45,380 You're not having to reinvent the wheel. So if you are doing specific 242 00:14:45,380 --> 00:14:49,214 marketing activities, you have a plan. And I just call it, like, the minimally 243 00:14:49,274 --> 00:14:52,875 viable marketing plan. Like, please just start with that. Yes. 244 00:14:52,875 --> 00:14:56,654 Please. Please. Please. I love that you use a referral example because 245 00:14:56,795 --> 00:14:59,995 there are so many times where people say that to me. Oh, it's referrals referrals. 246 00:14:59,995 --> 00:15:03,790 And they desperately want they want the magic pill of social media, but they're 247 00:15:03,790 --> 00:15:07,230 marketing to the wrong people. Like, if referrals are your people, go after referrals. And, 248 00:15:07,230 --> 00:15:10,030 yeah, you can find them on social media, but you if you gotta go into 249 00:15:10,030 --> 00:15:13,630 it with that mindset. I love this. I love this. Okay. So we're 250 00:15:13,630 --> 00:15:17,390 staying solo. We are, you know, being strategic with 251 00:15:17,390 --> 00:15:20,915 our time, But at what point do we start outsourcing? 252 00:15:21,055 --> 00:15:24,515 So do you talk in the book about getting support 253 00:15:24,815 --> 00:15:28,655 even while staying solo? What does that look like? Yeah. So one 254 00:15:28,655 --> 00:15:32,035 of the pillars is support, and I feel like this is a really 255 00:15:32,095 --> 00:15:35,820 common place where people go wrong. They feel like 256 00:15:35,820 --> 00:15:39,500 solo means alone. Yeah. Like, nobody is a 257 00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:43,120 business owner. Nobody should be doing this alone. And 258 00:15:43,180 --> 00:15:46,139 support can take a lot of different forms. And this is your like, how do 259 00:15:46,139 --> 00:15:49,435 you have a whole chapter on support? Well, I talk about entrepreneurial 260 00:15:49,575 --> 00:15:53,415 loneliness because it's a well documented and very studied 261 00:15:53,415 --> 00:15:57,255 thing at this point, and the isolation that goes on, the 262 00:15:57,255 --> 00:16:00,695 fact that we all have different needs, we need different supports. 263 00:16:00,695 --> 00:16:04,380 And we often think of support as I need to hire 264 00:16:04,380 --> 00:16:08,140 a business coach or I need to hire a VA. Support 265 00:16:08,140 --> 00:16:11,740 can come in a lot of different forms. It can come in in terms of 266 00:16:11,740 --> 00:16:15,260 upscaling or, it can come in personal 267 00:16:15,260 --> 00:16:18,880 support. I talk about personal support all the time with my clients. 268 00:16:19,175 --> 00:16:22,795 And that a lot of times is the most impactful type of support. Hey. 269 00:16:23,095 --> 00:16:26,475 Your back hurts because you're spending a lot of time in your design? 270 00:16:26,935 --> 00:16:30,535 Maybe you need a massage. Oh, you're struggling with x, y, and 271 00:16:30,535 --> 00:16:34,010 z? Maybe you need therapy. Maybe you need 272 00:16:34,149 --> 00:16:37,829 your groceries delivered or a produce box. Like, the support 273 00:16:37,829 --> 00:16:41,529 we get does not have to come down to pure support in the business. 274 00:16:41,990 --> 00:16:45,750 It could be having a having a very specific tool. So looking 275 00:16:45,750 --> 00:16:49,405 at support from a, I can't do this by myself, you know, 276 00:16:49,405 --> 00:16:53,165 no business owner is an island type thing, and being like, where do 277 00:16:53,165 --> 00:16:56,845 I actually need support? And sometimes that's gonna be like, hey, I need some business 278 00:16:56,845 --> 00:17:00,605 friends because I haven't left my house, and I need to talk to 279 00:17:00,605 --> 00:17:04,250 people who get it because talking to my partner or 280 00:17:04,250 --> 00:17:07,230 my cats is not a healthy way to do this. 281 00:17:08,170 --> 00:17:11,550 Yeah. Get the support. I like, my Walmart delivery 282 00:17:12,010 --> 00:17:15,690 guy, oh, man. That's my support right there. Can't do it. 283 00:17:15,690 --> 00:17:19,515 Can't do without him. Okay. So let's talk 284 00:17:19,515 --> 00:17:23,355 about this idea of okay. Yeah. We're solo. We have our 285 00:17:23,355 --> 00:17:27,035 support. But there's this concept that I I run into all the time where 286 00:17:27,035 --> 00:17:30,795 people wanna and if this is you, don't feel bad, but they wanna seem 287 00:17:30,795 --> 00:17:34,080 like they're bigger than they are. Right? Like, they like, they on the website, they're 288 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,920 like, oh, we here's how we help everybody. Or, like, 289 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,160 somebody asked me the other day if my assistant was AI. They were like, oh, 290 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,440 is Jemmy a real person? I'm like, what do you mean? Yes. She's real she's 291 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,235 a real person. People are creating yeah. Like, creating 292 00:17:49,455 --> 00:17:53,294 AI assistance to, like, make themselves seem like they're bigger 293 00:17:53,294 --> 00:17:56,914 than they are. Why? Why do why do people do this? Do you know? 294 00:17:58,495 --> 00:18:02,330 I feel like this ties back to kind of the beginning of, like, the the 295 00:18:02,330 --> 00:18:06,170 business legitimacy thing. And you were 296 00:18:06,170 --> 00:18:09,070 in that series I did, the staying solo story series. 297 00:18:10,330 --> 00:18:13,710 One of the interviews I did with one of my longtime 298 00:18:13,850 --> 00:18:17,395 clients, she tells a story. This is Emily Gertenbach, and she tells a 299 00:18:17,395 --> 00:18:21,235 story about going to a networking event. And someone keeps badgering her 300 00:18:21,235 --> 00:18:24,695 about when she's gonna hire and how bad it made her feel. 301 00:18:24,915 --> 00:18:28,529 And there is this idea, like, if 302 00:18:28,529 --> 00:18:32,210 you don't have a team, employees, a 303 00:18:32,210 --> 00:18:35,809 brick and mortar, all these things, are you even legit? Are you 304 00:18:35,809 --> 00:18:39,409 even real? You're just playing business in your office or at your 305 00:18:39,409 --> 00:18:43,110 kitchen table or whatever. And the reality is is that 306 00:18:45,745 --> 00:18:49,185 that it's about ego. It's about vanity. It's about so many 307 00:18:49,185 --> 00:18:52,325 things. And I I find it really interesting 308 00:18:52,545 --> 00:18:56,325 when, like, I will pop my team answers emails 309 00:18:56,625 --> 00:19:00,440 in our, you know, shared inbox, but so do I. I will pop in 310 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,279 and answer emails sometimes on the customer service side or different things. And people 311 00:19:04,279 --> 00:19:07,659 are, like, so surprised that it's actually me. 312 00:19:08,279 --> 00:19:11,879 Because we have all been conditioned in this online world to 313 00:19:11,879 --> 00:19:15,475 feel, like, these celebrity entrepreneurs running the businesses 314 00:19:15,475 --> 00:19:19,235 are untouchables, and we should be worshiping them. And the reality 315 00:19:19,235 --> 00:19:22,455 is is, like, people at this point in time, 316 00:19:23,315 --> 00:19:26,115 I'm gonna I'm gonna call it right now. They don't give a shit if you 317 00:19:26,115 --> 00:19:29,910 have a huge team. They care if you have skills and experience and you 318 00:19:29,910 --> 00:19:33,590 do what you say you're gonna do. Because, unfortunately, over the last ten 319 00:19:33,590 --> 00:19:37,190 years of the online business world, like, the bar is so low, it's in hell 320 00:19:37,190 --> 00:19:41,030 right now. Oh, lord. Am I 321 00:19:41,030 --> 00:19:44,745 wrong? You're not wrong. I do 322 00:19:44,745 --> 00:19:48,445 feel like, unfortunately, this is where we are in the service industry. 323 00:19:49,065 --> 00:19:52,745 And especially going into now. So now not only are 324 00:19:52,745 --> 00:19:56,505 we competing against the low expectations that other people have set in 325 00:19:56,505 --> 00:19:59,990 their business, but also AI. I feel like there's 326 00:19:59,990 --> 00:20:03,830 this assumption that it's such a magical thing that it's 327 00:20:03,830 --> 00:20:07,530 like people people think it's the end all be all. And then 328 00:20:07,910 --> 00:20:11,235 they come to us and they expect us to be able to do things, or 329 00:20:11,235 --> 00:20:13,795 they expect the eye to be able to do things that it can't. And it's 330 00:20:13,795 --> 00:20:17,635 like, okay. So we're battling against two expectations here with 331 00:20:17,635 --> 00:20:21,475 this, which is just it's so freaking wild. I think we're just heading into a 332 00:20:21,475 --> 00:20:25,315 wild time. But like you said, when you go into your inbox and you answer 333 00:20:25,315 --> 00:20:29,059 an email, I think that actually helps people connect with you 334 00:20:29,059 --> 00:20:32,820 more. And it it kind of like bridges this 335 00:20:32,820 --> 00:20:36,500 gap right now between, like, there's so much information online that 336 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:40,284 sometimes we just want a human being. It reminds me of, like, when you 337 00:20:40,284 --> 00:20:43,884 call the bank and you're like, give me the human. I don't want the automate 338 00:20:43,965 --> 00:20:46,684 I don't want the automated. Give me the human. I feel like that's where we 339 00:20:46,684 --> 00:20:50,284 are right now. I think example this morning, my husband's off 340 00:20:50,284 --> 00:20:53,990 work. We need to get a railing installed on our front step 341 00:20:53,990 --> 00:20:57,510 because there's not one and it's dangerous. And it's been six years and we figure 342 00:20:57,510 --> 00:21:01,270 someone's gonna fall off eventually. So he he call basically 343 00:21:01,270 --> 00:21:04,805 gets in touch with two places. One person says, great. I'm in the area. I'm 344 00:21:04,805 --> 00:21:08,485 gonna come give you a quote. The other one says, hey. Can you take 345 00:21:08,485 --> 00:21:12,005 pictures and send a sketch? Wait. They want you to sketch 346 00:21:12,005 --> 00:21:15,525 it? Yes. No. Yeah. That's why he's 347 00:21:15,525 --> 00:21:19,330 like, absolutely not. And I mean, the man is an artist. He can do 348 00:21:19,330 --> 00:21:23,090 it, but I'm he he was just like, no. So we think of that 349 00:21:23,090 --> 00:21:26,690 example in your business. Like, part of being a 350 00:21:26,690 --> 00:21:30,290 service business owner is actually providing service. And I feel like in the 351 00:21:30,290 --> 00:21:33,505 push to have boundaries and say no and, like, I support all those things. There's 352 00:21:33,505 --> 00:21:37,185 an entire chapter on boundaries in the book. But we need to remember, 353 00:21:37,185 --> 00:21:40,945 like, we actually need to be providing a service and doing what we 354 00:21:40,945 --> 00:21:44,625 say we're gonna do and not overpromising and not just trying to do the least 355 00:21:44,625 --> 00:21:48,450 amount of work for the most amount of money. Like, there needs to 356 00:21:48,450 --> 00:21:52,290 be some integrity in this. And, our mutual 357 00:21:52,290 --> 00:21:56,050 friend, Michelle Mazer, and I just recorded a episode of 358 00:21:56,050 --> 00:21:58,870 our podcast duped on AI and shitification. 359 00:21:59,570 --> 00:22:03,285 Because what I'm seeing is the coach to AI, you know, 360 00:22:03,285 --> 00:22:06,885 consultant pipeline is real. As the coaching industry is saying, we've got 361 00:22:06,885 --> 00:22:10,405 an AI industry replacing it. And I I use AI. I don't think it's 362 00:22:10,405 --> 00:22:14,085 bad. But when I see someone being like, pay 363 00:22:14,085 --> 00:22:17,840 for six weeks of coaching with my bot, Are you 364 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,840 what are you on? Look. Yes. 365 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,680 Oh, I saw it for real on the Internet. Oh, 366 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,300 man. I mean, I guess if we can think it, it's it's being done. 367 00:22:29,674 --> 00:22:33,355 Listen, I'm a huge fan of AI. I love using it. I talk to Chatty, 368 00:22:33,355 --> 00:22:37,195 ChattyPT every day. Sure. I love it. And it's like a 369 00:22:37,195 --> 00:22:40,655 calculator, man. It's not it's not replacing the human 370 00:22:40,715 --> 00:22:44,250 anyways. Okay. Let me shift gears a little bit 371 00:22:44,250 --> 00:22:47,770 because I wanna get a little bit nosy about your book marketing. I 372 00:22:47,770 --> 00:22:51,470 loved the podcast series that you did for your 373 00:22:51,529 --> 00:22:55,210 book marketing. But before we get into that, I want you to give us 374 00:22:55,210 --> 00:22:58,855 the the overall 10 foot view, hundred foot view of your book 375 00:22:58,855 --> 00:23:02,695 marketing headed into the launch of Staying Solo. Oh my 376 00:23:02,695 --> 00:23:06,455 gosh. I'm just gonna say to anyone who wants to write a book, it is 377 00:23:06,455 --> 00:23:10,295 a lot of work as an indie author because it is me. 378 00:23:10,295 --> 00:23:14,090 And, like, yes, I have a team, but here's the reality. I have a 379 00:23:14,090 --> 00:23:17,790 very small team, and we've got an agency to run. 380 00:23:17,850 --> 00:23:21,610 We've got BS free business to run, and, like, I didn't know what I was 381 00:23:21,610 --> 00:23:25,255 doing, so I couldn't give really good instructions. So, I mean, I have lots of 382 00:23:25,255 --> 00:23:29,095 friends who've had books, everything who've given me lots of guidance, but I had to 383 00:23:29,095 --> 00:23:32,375 get really scrappy. Like, that was a lot of I had to do a lot 384 00:23:32,375 --> 00:23:35,895 of swipe files. I created a whole secondary podcast for 385 00:23:35,895 --> 00:23:39,610 it. You know, multiple episodes of my podcast. I've 386 00:23:39,610 --> 00:23:43,130 been doing all the podcast interviews. Like, this 387 00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:46,429 is 10,000 foot. This is a massive marketing 388 00:23:46,490 --> 00:23:50,195 project over and above everything else we are already doing. 389 00:23:50,195 --> 00:23:53,795 And I think the interesting thing is, like, yes, there's the 390 00:23:53,795 --> 00:23:57,475 time and the energy and commitment of writing the book. And then there's the 391 00:23:57,475 --> 00:24:01,315 hard expenses of writing the book, which right now I'm looking at 392 00:24:01,315 --> 00:24:05,000 about $12,000 of, like, you know, what's gone 393 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,840 into book marketing, copies, sponsorships, all the 394 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,600 things. I mean, that's I'm sure that cost will mount over time, which 395 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:16,360 with my business model, we were I'm already starting to see 396 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,865 that kind of be recouped. But if you have a business model where you're selling, 397 00:24:19,865 --> 00:24:23,005 like, $2 stickers, writing a book is not gonna be the way to go. 398 00:24:23,225 --> 00:24:27,065 Yeah. I mean, my year long masterminds, I sell a couple of those 399 00:24:27,065 --> 00:24:30,445 those expenses are recouped. And I didn't do it for 400 00:24:31,210 --> 00:24:35,050 necessary this, like, massive influx of business. I did it because 401 00:24:35,050 --> 00:24:38,350 I wanted to basically put everything 402 00:24:38,490 --> 00:24:42,170 together in one neat package, and it's a really good 403 00:24:42,170 --> 00:24:45,905 entry point for people into my world. Yeah. I love this. To 404 00:24:45,905 --> 00:24:49,425 me, it's like, it's like the best business card you can 405 00:24:49,425 --> 00:24:53,265 ever Exactly. Give out, right? Because if someone doesn't know who 406 00:24:53,265 --> 00:24:56,625 you are, I could buy the book and be like, Oh, here's everything you need 407 00:24:56,625 --> 00:24:59,670 to know. And then once you're done with that, come to me and I'll I'll 408 00:24:59,670 --> 00:25:02,790 give you the next step because Maggie has a lot of options, you know, and 409 00:25:02,790 --> 00:25:05,990 so I really like that you did that. I'm always impressed with people who could 410 00:25:05,990 --> 00:25:09,750 do this because, I do not have the patience. How long did it 411 00:25:09,750 --> 00:25:13,385 take you to write the book? A year. And I'm 412 00:25:13,385 --> 00:25:16,745 a write just for like, I am a writer. That is 413 00:25:16,745 --> 00:25:20,585 my that is my craft. That is my thing. I had 414 00:25:20,585 --> 00:25:24,365 a lot of existing material to pull together, but, oh, 415 00:25:24,424 --> 00:25:28,200 the I really went over the top with making the case and 416 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:32,040 the research. Like, anyone who reads the book will be like, this is 417 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,480 a very well researched and cited book. And if you don't like research, just skip 418 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:39,160 the first three chapters and get into the guts. I literally have it like a 419 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,785 how to use this book because that section is not for everyone. But if anyone 420 00:25:42,785 --> 00:25:45,685 wants to argue with me, I'd be like, see page 47. 421 00:25:47,585 --> 00:25:51,425 Let let me just pull up my notes here and show you how it's 422 00:25:51,425 --> 00:25:54,990 done. I love this. Oh my gosh. This book is on my read list. 423 00:25:55,130 --> 00:25:58,809 Once I get, like, some time away from these little kids, I'm gonna dive into 424 00:25:58,809 --> 00:26:02,410 it. I already have a plan. I love this. So back to the 425 00:26:02,410 --> 00:26:06,169 private podcast. I love private podcast because for me, especially 426 00:26:06,169 --> 00:26:09,450 in this season of my life, I need something audio that I can listen while 427 00:26:09,450 --> 00:26:13,174 we're out walking, doing j care drop off, all of this. How did 428 00:26:13,174 --> 00:26:16,955 that go and and embedded into the launch of the book? 429 00:26:17,335 --> 00:26:21,015 You know, that I really I really partway through was like, 430 00:26:21,015 --> 00:26:24,710 what have I done? Oh, no. I was like I was like, oh, 431 00:26:24,710 --> 00:26:28,390 wow. I just created a whole other project on top of the 432 00:26:28,390 --> 00:26:31,910 book, on top of everything else. Yeah. But I'm really glad we did it 433 00:26:31,910 --> 00:26:35,270 because number one, the Staying Solo podcast, I 434 00:26:35,270 --> 00:26:38,925 very, like, very, very, very rarely do interviews on 435 00:26:38,925 --> 00:26:42,765 that podcast. And there's so many people I wanted to talk to that 436 00:26:42,765 --> 00:26:46,605 were either featured in the book or kind of in my bigger world. And 437 00:26:46,605 --> 00:26:50,340 I was I really enjoyed having those conversations, and I've got 438 00:26:50,820 --> 00:26:54,659 so much positive feedback on it. And I'd have to look at the numbers, 439 00:26:54,659 --> 00:26:57,940 but, I mean, right out of the gate, there was, like, a hundred downloads right 440 00:26:57,940 --> 00:27:01,779 there. Boom. Like and when I say a hundred I should say a hundred sign 441 00:27:01,779 --> 00:27:05,315 ups, It's not a hundred downloads. So, you know, that's 442 00:27:05,315 --> 00:27:08,995 getting it in front of those people. And it's the nice thing 443 00:27:08,995 --> 00:27:12,835 about it is the conversations are completely evergreen. So, you know, 444 00:27:12,835 --> 00:27:16,595 over the summer, hey. I'm gonna be like, hey. You missed the Staying Solo 445 00:27:16,595 --> 00:27:19,840 podcast we're on hiatus? Go listen to the private podcast. 446 00:27:20,460 --> 00:27:23,600 Because if there's one thing I am going to do with all this is repurpose 447 00:27:24,060 --> 00:27:27,580 it for all of eternity. For here and now and 448 00:27:27,580 --> 00:27:31,420 forever. Amen. I love this. So I wanna talk a little bit about your goals 449 00:27:31,420 --> 00:27:34,995 from this because I do find that one of the hardest parts in marketing in 450 00:27:34,995 --> 00:27:38,675 general is once you set out to do the thing, it's after 451 00:27:38,675 --> 00:27:42,435 you've done it measuring the success of especially such a large 452 00:27:42,435 --> 00:27:46,115 campaign like this took you a year to write it, so much, 453 00:27:46,435 --> 00:27:50,180 investment to go into publishing self publishing. You're 454 00:27:50,180 --> 00:27:53,860 still on this marketing tour of it all. What are your goals? 455 00:27:53,860 --> 00:27:57,060 Let's let's give it an end date by the end of twenty twenty five. What 456 00:27:57,060 --> 00:28:00,740 are what would make this a huge success for you? What would make this a 457 00:28:00,740 --> 00:28:04,285 huge success for me is, a, I want books in 458 00:28:04,285 --> 00:28:07,965 hands and eyeballs reading the books. Right? Like, they're you know, it's 459 00:28:07,965 --> 00:28:11,725 multi step. Get the book in front of people, get them to 460 00:28:11,725 --> 00:28:15,565 read the book, and then hopefully get them into my world. And we are 461 00:28:15,565 --> 00:28:19,309 already seeing, you know, beyond those initial email sign ups around, 462 00:28:19,929 --> 00:28:23,690 the podcast. We've had some really meaningful list growth. I'd have to 463 00:28:23,690 --> 00:28:27,210 actually go look at the numbers, but meaningful for us. We don't have a giant 464 00:28:27,210 --> 00:28:30,970 list, in terms of just people signing up for the resource kit that goes with 465 00:28:30,970 --> 00:28:34,745 the book. I've had been able to have a lot of podcast conversations. 466 00:28:34,885 --> 00:28:38,725 So, you know, we're we're broadening the net because one of 467 00:28:38,725 --> 00:28:42,405 the things that I think would actually really 468 00:28:42,405 --> 00:28:46,085 interest people is my addressable community is not 469 00:28:46,085 --> 00:28:49,810 huge. Like, as much as I seem to be everywhere, you know, 470 00:28:49,810 --> 00:28:53,490 my list is not massive. I don't have massive social media 471 00:28:53,490 --> 00:28:57,330 following. I'm just really loud. I'm actually not that loud, but I'm 472 00:28:57,330 --> 00:29:01,155 loud around my marketing. Right? So Yeah. And if 473 00:29:01,155 --> 00:29:04,615 you actually look at the numbers, like, that is how I'm consistently 474 00:29:04,755 --> 00:29:08,515 able to outperform what my numbers say I should 475 00:29:08,515 --> 00:29:12,035 be able to do in terms of conversions and just engagement with my 476 00:29:12,035 --> 00:29:15,790 community. So, for me, this is just a awareness and a 477 00:29:15,790 --> 00:29:19,630 visibility exercise at this point. And, like, would I like to sell a thousand books 478 00:29:19,630 --> 00:29:23,150 by the end of the year? Yes. Do I think I'm going to? I don't 479 00:29:23,150 --> 00:29:26,929 know. Book reporting is really slow. I don't know where I'm at right now. 480 00:29:27,755 --> 00:29:31,434 Yeah. I love that. Okay. I wanna go rewind a sec because you mentioned this 481 00:29:31,434 --> 00:29:34,794 resource kit. Is this something that's like at the end of the book, they get 482 00:29:34,794 --> 00:29:36,955 to the end of the book, and you're like, hey, if you want more sign 483 00:29:36,955 --> 00:29:40,794 up? I have it sprinkled throughout the book. Oh, nice. I 484 00:29:40,794 --> 00:29:44,590 love that. I think that's such a great way to encourage people 485 00:29:44,590 --> 00:29:48,270 to take that next step. Especially you mentioned things like 486 00:29:48,270 --> 00:29:52,110 calculators and like tangible things that you can implement with the 487 00:29:52,110 --> 00:29:54,990 book. Some of the books that stick with me, I always know that those are 488 00:29:54,990 --> 00:29:58,684 the things that go along with it. I love it. I love it. Okay. 489 00:29:58,825 --> 00:30:02,365 So we're nearing the end of our conversation today. 490 00:30:02,825 --> 00:30:05,965 Last question. Do you think that 491 00:30:06,585 --> 00:30:10,105 solo businesses mean that the business is more 492 00:30:10,105 --> 00:30:12,860 human? I'm gonna say yes. 493 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,480 Tell me more. Well, I think and I'm gonna come at this from a couple 494 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:21,000 different angles, is number one, you know, like, if you 495 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,695 compare it to an agency, one of 496 00:30:24,695 --> 00:30:28,535 the big things everyone goes through when they transition from solo 497 00:30:28,535 --> 00:30:32,215 to an agency is convincing people that their team is as 498 00:30:32,215 --> 00:30:35,920 good as they are, if not better. And when you're 499 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:39,680 a solopreneur, you never have to deal with that. So I feel 500 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,520 like one of the biggest fears our clients have is, like, what makes 501 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:47,280 you great is not gonna carry through. And whether 502 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,905 it's true in an agency or not, I do feel like you 503 00:30:50,905 --> 00:30:54,505 being the face of the business also humanizes it. It it's just an 504 00:30:54,505 --> 00:30:58,265 easier thing for brains to wrap around. Not saying agencies 505 00:30:58,265 --> 00:31:02,105 are not human. My team is very human, not AI. But 506 00:31:02,105 --> 00:31:05,305 at the end of the day, there's that. I think the other thing is a 507 00:31:05,305 --> 00:31:08,980 solo business owner. It's a lot easier to just build 508 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,340 things, do your marketing based on your point of view, 509 00:31:12,799 --> 00:31:16,100 your reputation. Like, you don't have as many 510 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:20,260 things to consider. And I'll give you an example. When I had a business partner, 511 00:31:20,975 --> 00:31:24,815 it was very challenging at times because not that we had differing 512 00:31:24,815 --> 00:31:28,575 viewpoints, but how I would express that versus how she would 513 00:31:28,575 --> 00:31:32,175 express it were very different. And I I'm 514 00:31:32,175 --> 00:31:35,820 glad I had that lesson because once we had wrapped up 515 00:31:35,820 --> 00:31:39,260 in pardon on very amicable terms, I always like to say that because 516 00:31:39,260 --> 00:31:42,560 business partnership breakups are always a thing on the Internet. 517 00:31:42,860 --> 00:31:46,700 And that actually was one of the reasons I was able to sharpen my voice 518 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:50,425 because I was like, oh, no one's here to hold me back? Great. I can 519 00:31:50,425 --> 00:31:54,265 say whatever I want. Yes. Yeah. You I 520 00:31:54,265 --> 00:31:57,865 do find that so having been on both sides of this 521 00:31:57,865 --> 00:32:01,679 now, I feel more nimble, which is both a pro and a con 522 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,200 like, I don't think either side of this is, like, go all one way or 523 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,820 the other. But, like, I can be very nimble with my marketing. 524 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:12,240 Like, I can wake up today and be like, I'm gonna do this now and 525 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,455 then just do it. Whereas before when I had a team, there was, like, a 526 00:32:15,455 --> 00:32:19,135 lot of things to think about before doing that. But, also, it's just 527 00:32:19,135 --> 00:32:22,735 me. So some days, lately, especially, where I've been sick this week 528 00:32:22,735 --> 00:32:24,975 y'all, I woke up. I was like, I don't feel like working today. And then 529 00:32:24,975 --> 00:32:28,040 I just don't work today. There's no one to report to. It's just me. So, 530 00:32:28,340 --> 00:32:31,540 I do find that that part like, having a team for me helped me stay 531 00:32:31,540 --> 00:32:35,300 more motivated versus, being nimble. So two sides, but 532 00:32:35,300 --> 00:32:38,740 I I love that you said that though about the humanity of it all. I 533 00:32:38,740 --> 00:32:42,455 find there's just gonna be a premium on humanity because of AI AI 534 00:32:42,455 --> 00:32:46,135 and robots and everything. So I love this. Thank you so 535 00:32:46,135 --> 00:32:49,815 much, Maggie. And can I just I wanna add something to that? In a 536 00:32:49,815 --> 00:32:53,575 world of AI, in a world of where, you 537 00:32:53,575 --> 00:32:57,130 know, we have all these people that are separate and we can't talk to 538 00:32:57,130 --> 00:33:00,890 them. You being able to show up and be human and real and, 539 00:33:00,890 --> 00:33:04,330 like, actually serve your clients, connect with your clients, have conversations with your 540 00:33:04,330 --> 00:33:08,030 clients, and being willing to do that is a huge differentiator. 541 00:33:08,250 --> 00:33:11,985 So I think for anyone who's feeling uncomfortable about AI right now is, like, 542 00:33:12,705 --> 00:33:16,385 as a solo business owner, you have a huge advantage. And I will just say 543 00:33:16,385 --> 00:33:20,145 as someone who works on the agency side with corporate clients, I am seeing 544 00:33:20,145 --> 00:33:23,365 my corporate clients hire more and more solo practitioners 545 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:27,760 than ever before because they don't wanna pay for the 546 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:31,600 layers and complexity and, frankly, the bullshit that goes on 547 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:35,300 with a lot of the agencies they've dealt with in the past. Yeah. Interesting. 548 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:39,285 Okay. Well, you heard it here first, folks. Staying 549 00:33:39,285 --> 00:33:43,045 Solo may be a way to go for you. I love this. Okay. So everyone 550 00:33:43,045 --> 00:33:46,805 who's listening is like, give me the book now. Please, Maggie, tell us more 551 00:33:46,805 --> 00:33:49,765 about it and where they can find it. Okay. So the book you can find 552 00:33:49,765 --> 00:33:53,240 at stayingsolobook.com. It is everywhere. It is Amazon, 553 00:33:53,380 --> 00:33:56,980 Indigo, Barnes and Nobles, bookshop dot org. So if you don't wanna shop on the 554 00:33:56,980 --> 00:34:00,500 bad place, you don't have to shop on the bad place. And it's in 555 00:34:00,580 --> 00:34:04,340 oh, Kobo. How did I say that? It's all literally all the places. 556 00:34:04,340 --> 00:34:07,965 I've been indie authoring all over the place being like, hi. Can you stop my 557 00:34:07,965 --> 00:34:11,665 book? Yeah. Like I said, the humiliate 558 00:34:11,885 --> 00:34:15,425 of all this. It's been very, sobering. 559 00:34:16,045 --> 00:34:19,739 Yeah. So that is the best place to find book is wherever books are sold. 560 00:34:19,739 --> 00:34:23,340 And if you wanna check out the Sting Solo Stories podcast, which includes 561 00:34:23,340 --> 00:34:27,020 Andrea's story, it's at stingsolostories.com. And 562 00:34:27,020 --> 00:34:30,460 I live on the Internet at b s free business and the Sting Solo 563 00:34:30,460 --> 00:34:33,895 podcast. Yay. I love it. All of those links will be in the show notes 564 00:34:33,895 --> 00:34:37,734 y'all on onlinedre.com/350nine. Get the book, listen to the 565 00:34:37,734 --> 00:34:41,255 podcast, enjoy all of it. Thank you so much, Maggie, for being on the show 566 00:34:41,255 --> 00:34:44,614 today. Thanks, Andrea. And thank you, dear listener, for tuning in to 567 00:34:44,614 --> 00:34:48,160 another episode of the Mindful Marketing podcast. If you want 568 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:51,920 more mindful marketing goodness in your life, make sure you check out the Mindful 569 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:55,620 Marketing Lab. Coming up next, we're doing our famous 570 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:59,355 What's the Scoop session where I go into all the nitty gritty of all the 571 00:34:59,355 --> 00:35:03,115 marketing news and trends happening on the Internet, really breaking it down so that 572 00:35:03,115 --> 00:35:06,635 you have what you need to know and not all the hypotheticals out there in 573 00:35:06,635 --> 00:35:10,255 the world. So come on in. That's gonna be on June 3. 574 00:35:10,530 --> 00:35:14,290 So in the Mindful Marketing Lab, join us there. Next week, I am having a 575 00:35:14,290 --> 00:35:17,890 conversation with Lindsey Busfield all about unlocking the 576 00:35:17,890 --> 00:35:21,570 Google algorithm, especially that cute little box at the 577 00:35:21,570 --> 00:35:25,285 top right now that says, hey, here's what AI says. If you wanna learn about 578 00:35:25,285 --> 00:35:28,825 that and more, stay tuned next week. I'll see you then. Bye for now.