The Clueless Business Owner

As I record this podcast Sept 25th 2023 and it is 91 days to Christmas. It's not news the consumer is paying more for rent, food, gasoline and just about everything else. The question I will put out there to any retail business owner listening is how are your sales? Are you concerned about the holidays coming up?The consumer is working with a tighter budget this year. They aren't going to spend like they normally do. One thing I want to drive home to a local small boutique store is you are in a COMPETITION for their shopping budget. This is not a time for complacency and business as "usual". Because this is not a usual year. 2:10 Be aware and vigilant of consumer spending predictions but do not be paralyzed by it.  Put forth your best effort and finsh the year as strong as possible.2:47 Weathering the storm and the impact of COVID on small retail businesses.4:10 You are in a COMPETITION for your piece of a shopping budget. Not just with your local retailers but online shopping as well. 4:57 The importance of distance proximity for brick and mortar stores. 5:30 Does everyone in your shopping demographic know about your store?6:46 The Sin of Assumption 8:13 It wasn't COVID that closed most businesses. It was because COVID exposed their weakness that they closed.  They couldn't survive it.9:57 Facebook ads are powerful when used correctly and strategically they can help you to reach your ideal customer in your demographic very effectively. 11:10 The majority of consumers STILL prefer the tangible shopping experience. 11:45  Doing balance sheet marketing  - which means my numbers are good right now, I am fine, I will just do things as I always have. Everything will be fine.12:49 When the roots are deep there is no need to fear the wind.13:30 The Shiny Bauble Effect14:46 The current average reach for an organic Facebook post is just 2.2%, but could be as low as 1.1% for some pages. 16:31 What is your Average Customer Value? 19:20 My 4 Facebook Ad Strategies 20:52 The Facebook Billboard Ad 23:32 The Facebook Touchy Feely Ad & The Survey Ad 28:10 The Cha Ching Ad 28:43 Retail stores should be focused on growing their lists. Email marketing is STILL alive and well in 2023! Purchase the course Facebook Ads for Retail Boutique Owners - Click here. 

Post COVID I have noticed there seems to be an influx of handyman businesses. Most seem to be doing this business model as a side hustle or just focusing on building referrals within their local communities. Which by the way BOTH of those things are fine, if its just a side hustle fine - if its just a local community thing fine.But what if it isn't fine? What IF you really want to create a profitable and viable business? Perhaps even something that is viable enough to involve your family in? Perhaps even create a legacy business you can one day leave to your children?What if you ARE ready to take that step? What IF you want to be more than just a guy driving around in a truck with a toolbox?In today's podcast I will discuss exactly what that would look like - at least from a marketing perspective. Section Markers: 3:52 High Search Equity -  If your potential new customer goes online to find your services, you have search equity. A handyman business model has very HIGH search equity. 4:06 Real Data  - I will share with you some real data behind the handyman model search based on area demographics. The market where you are (your demographic) determines the potential demand for your type of service. It is data like this that provides a roadmap to help you make the decision to start a business. 5:42 The Consequence of Using Bad Data - It's super important to use data and hard core facts before entering into any business venture. You wouldn't base an entire business model for example on data that was created during a fluke, or a crisis.  7:24 Comparing Apples to Apples - The handyman industry and other home service niches saw a huge surge during the Covid era and this caused big profit jumps. It's important not to compare your 2023 numbers to the COVID era because it's just not an apples to apples comparison. Instead look back to the years prior to Covid.8:10 Marketing to YOUR Demographic - If you're not marketing your business to your ENTIRE demographic you are missing out on tons of leads - leads that could keep your business strong and from suffering any cashflow issues. 8:48 Search Share - You already know you have a high search equity business. The real question is what is YOUR search-share?Every month handyman near me is searched a certain number of times based on your demographic area. The question is how many of those searches is your business getting? If you say 20% for example, that is how much search-share you have. 9:46 A Lesson in Mindset - What happens when you take 28 entrepreneurs - give them the exact same business model to run and access to all all the same tools and resources? Do you think they all will be successful? If you said yes - you would be very very wrong.11:25 The Dividing Factor of Success or Failure - The dividing factor is the mindset. The successful business owners had a growth mindset whereas the struggling in the group had a fixed mindset. 12:34 Growth VS Fixed Mindset - A definition and examples on the two mindsets so you can decide which one you indentify with the most.16:20 Marketing Strategy - Here are the 6 tools to creating a lead generating marketing strategy and an explanation of each. 29:14 What Marketing Tactics to Avoid - Avoid investing in secondary search aggregation websites. What a secondary search aggregation website is and how it can be harmful to your business. Also, what to do instead. 

Today's marketing lesson requires you to be able to use your phone so if you can listen to this episode on a computer it is helpful. It's a brief lesson - but a very important one! If a business owner has a brick-n-mortar when visited by a customer they get to have a personal impact on how that individual sees and experiences their business. You achieve this impact by communication.But, what if you aren't there to have that impact?What if they are experiencing your business alone, without your presence or impact on how they see it?This is what happens when someone visits your website.Section Markers: 2:04 Can You Remove Your Ego from Your Business? - Do you have the ability to completely remove your business owner hat and walk in your customer's shoes? Let go of what you THINK people want and see and instead really grasp their perspective? It sounds like an easy thing but it is certainly not. When was the last time you did that OR have you ever? Over the years I have learned one huge flaw with many business owners is sometimes they get hung up on details that have very little impact on the business at all - this is when your ego is getting a little too involved in your business. Remember, it's not about YOU.3:32 Website Mobile Friendliness  - What does your business look like on your phone? This is where the vast majority of people are going to experience your business online. Here is where you will map the journey from website visitor, to lead, to potential new customer. 9:33 Website User Friendliness - Here I will share with you the 6 check points to determining how user friendly your website is. I mention the free tool Google provides to check your website's speed, here is the link to that: https://developers.google.com/speedNOTE: Be sure to make a list of everything you need to work on and do NOT put it on the backburner! These are things that are directly connected to the revenue of your business. 

Remember the saying "Location is Everything" when it comes to a business? Everyone understands the importance of location when it comes to a brick-and-mortar business. How about those giant yellow books we use to have? Whenever you need a plumber or something you got out the book. Do you remember how many businesses started with A because they wanted to be listed first?  Well Mainstreet is now the first page of Google!People now go to the people Internet to find a plumber for example, but the problem is not enough businesses are trying to start with an A if you know what I mean? The amount of really small service-based businesses NOT using the Internet is shocking. Just like Mainstreet the Internet is great real estate, that every business owner needs to invest in. Today's podcast will explain the various pieces of real estate available and the impact on your business. Section Markers: 2:25 High Search Equity - Is your business sought on online? Well that means you have high search equity and you should especially be looking out for some good real estate. 3:05 Internet Search = Google  - The search engine Google has 91.9 % marketshare, so this is where your attention lays when it comes to Internet real estate. 4:25 Demographic Determines Value of Real Estate  - Depending on where you are in the world determines your search value and opportunity. Here I will give you some examples of various city demographics and how search equity works. 6:54 Missed Opportunity  - If your business model has high search equity and you are not in the Internet search you are MISSING revenue opps BIG TIME. 7:30 5 Ways to Be in the Search - Here are 5 different ways your business can be visible in top searches. 8:37 Practical Logic of Real Estate  - The Internet is in fact real estate for your business online but just for the sake of learning let's relate it to actual real estate.11:22 The 6 Different Types of Internet Real Estate  - Here we break down the 6 different opportunities and what determines their value. 

Welcome to the first episode of The Clueless Business Owner Podcast! A little over a year ago I created my first podcast. I gained quite a few listeners, had some great feedback but it just didn't feel like I was on the right path.Over 10 years ago I started my entrepreneurial journey..... if there's one thing I've done to a fault, I have followed my gut. It has never lead me wrong ....at least not yet anyway.I am however super glad I did start my podcast even when I was unsure of my direction because there is one thing I have always said, clarity is an action process. You figure it out while you're doing it, not while you are thinking it to death..or waiting until some perfect timeframe which by the way is a unicorn, it does not exist. You have to be moving in the process even if you are scared and uncertain. You have to take action and take chances. You have to be willing to make mistakes and get back up and start again.This is how you find your path. In this episode I share with you how I finally found the path I need to be on with my podcast. I thought this dream was too big for me, I thought I needed to scale it way down, but then I thought, heck, what do I have to lose? Important Points:1:23 Clarity is an Action Process - The perfect time to do something does NOT exist.3:05 Marketing is a Bridge to Customers - We live in a time whereas we have incredible an opportunity to easily reach a large number of people. 7:50 Marketing Education is Critical - Getting educated on modern marketing tactics can literally mean the difference between failure and success. It was this lack of knowledge that caused my first business to fail.8:50 There are No Golden Tickets or Passes  - Despite leaving corporate America as a 6-figure award-winning sales executive (many times over) I STILL failed in my first business venture. 9:59 Marketing Scams: Each year business owners lose thousands of dollars as a result of marketing scams. Have a marketing education can prevent this loss.11:34 It's Your Fault - Being scammed is a large of education and therefore a bad decision and something you should take full responsibility for.12:16 The Fear Mindset - Many business owners are held back out of fear of all of the information and the responsibility of learning it. 13:40 Really Small Businesses- Did you know 86.3% of small business owners make less than $100K in income per year? Did you also know there is a 70% failure rate among this really small businesses?15:54 Surviving Obstacles - If you create a strong marketing strategy in your business not just when you need customers but one that is constant and consistent, your busines will weather any storm.17:41 The Pandemic and Business Failures - Over 200,000 businesses closed during the first year of the pandemic. What was the reason? It's not what you think.

Today's podcast is a little different. I have a guest and we have recorded a phone conversation we had. I am especially proud of this podcast as Steve is one of my favorite clients.In today's podcast we talk about how important it is to market your business properly. Especially in challenging times like we are having today. Steve really drops some wonderful knowledge nuggets about how he runs his business and how is navigating challenges such as longer waits for products and labor shortages.Most importantly we talk about the importance of marketing to the growth in your business when times are good and especially when they are scary or challenging. 

The transparency of our lives due to things like Facebook and instagram can really make things blurry.We are constantly seeing people post pictures of their new haircut, their new relationship, their wonderful vacations, their successful business, etc. This abundance of information is a constant companion and it can cause us to feel inadequate, overwhelmed and paralyzed.You look at all these things and you start to minimize your own life. But here is the thing this person you are looking at and comparing yourself to .........you only see one piece of the puzzle. They may have a successful business but what if they are struggling in their marriage, or have a drug or alcohol abuse problem or maybe they have depression or anxiety issues. In this episode I share with you a very eye-opening, and COSTLY  experience I had with self comparison.  It was a very costly lesson I want to prevent for anyone if I can. 

Today's podcast is going to be all about Voice Search.If you didn't know this already I am a marketing consultant. I design lead-generating strategies for service-based businesses that makes them more profitable in the online space. I am telling or reminding you this because I know first hand marketing is overwhelming, there is a lot to learn, it's constantly changing, and there is a ton of bad information swarming.There are sharks constantly swimming around to sell you their products and services - when they smell the blood of an uneducated business owner they attack. I want to prevent that for you if I can. In today's podcast we will cover the various topics on Voice Search:What it REALLY isHow it REALLY worksWhy it matters to your businessHow ranking in search is a GAME-CHANGER to your bottom-lineHow to optimize your business for voice searchAll the scams and misinformation out there surrounding itThe takeaway from today's podcast on Voice Search: To learn exactly what voice search isWhat to do to make your business voice-searchable To make sure you're educated enough so that you do not fall prey to the many scams surrounding itIf you prefer to see the video version of this podcast I have a free masterclass located on my website.What is cool about the class is it's more visual and I also have worksheets you can download to help explain the process more. You can sign up for the free Voice Search Masterclass here:https://www.perfectmarketingequation.com/free-voice-search-masterclassYou will have some homework to get your business ready for voice search. I do have additional training available which takes you through the process step-by-step. A look-over-the -shoulder so to speak. This training has a bonus attached. I take you through the process of optimizing your Google My Business and how to get more reviews for your business. The training course is $39, you can find it here: https://www.perfectmarketingequation.com/voicesearch

Today's episode is a little different. First we talk a little bit about our current supply chain crisis which is impacting just about everyone's lives in one way or another.I want to talk about how one of my client's has taken the experience and the opportunity to be stronger in his business. As a business owner you will face challenges, it just goes with the territory.But today's business owner due to our fast-paced and always changing landscape has to recover, learn-quick, and then get right back to business.After a crisis so many business owners just slip back into their old ways and habits - but some - they will learn and be better from it.I talk a bit in this podcast about human conditioning and how we learn. The reason why this is so important is because as business owners we need to understand these things when we are in a crisis not for our benefit mind you, but the benefit of our customers, clients and patients. We have to stay attached to how things are impacting THEM. We will also discuss various business modes. At any point in time a business owner is going to find themselves in one of 3 places or modes as I call them. We have growth mode, management mode, and peril mode.Decide where you are in the spectrum and ask yourself do your actions line up with the current mode you are in?

In today's podcast, we're going to talk about something almost everyone suffers from: indecisiveness. As a business owner or an entrepreneur whatever you want to call yourself - the fear of not making the right decision or having resolve that we did make the right decision about something can be excruciating.If we don’t feel resolve or if we don’t feel like we’re moving in the right direction with our business or a special project whatever it is - we tend to be frozen or we procrastinate.I have hit a few stumbling blocks with my podcast since I created it almost 1 year ago.I just needed some clarity to figure out my direction so I got a wrong a few times but here is the thing about clarity it is an ACTION process not a thought process.Do the stuff, make some mistakes, don’t quit just because you hit some bumps. This is how you figure stuff out. This is why there are so many people in the world that probably would be doing something wonderful. But instead they're stuck they're stuck. Because they are thinking it to death. Then they just give up.Don’t do that. See it through if it feels like something you are supposed to do.I spent a ton of time thinking about it and I have came to a conclusion. I finally found my resolve or my resolution whatever you want to call it and I am definitely going forward with my podcast.

If there is one thing in the world I have ZERO tolerance for, it is dishonesty. That is true in my personal life and in business.If I find that someone I am doing business with has been dishonest with me it's a definite end to the relationship. If I cannot trust your word, I cannot do business with you.So what happens when literally at HELLO you are lied to? Would you STILL do business with that person or company?Today we are going to talk about a company that is infamous for dishonesty. It is not my intention to harm any business. It is merely my intention to educate, so that you the business owner... can make informative decisions about marketing your business with the least amount of risk.Today's episode will be about some first hand experiences with HomeAdvisor and a share of some research I conducted. 

What happens when you have 30 people running the same franchise business, with the same playbook, and give them access to the same resources?Some will have great success, some mediocre, some poor and a few will fail entirely.What's the dividing factor? Their mindset.When you have a proven path right in front of you and you do not have the same level of success usually the only thing holding you back - IS YOU.In this podcast I share some actual experiences with clients that have both fixed and growth mindsets. I also share some great tips on how you can take steps in your business to break out of a mindset that is limiting your ability to be as successful as you can be. 

This episode is going to be a little different. I haven't recorded a podcast in a while and it's because I hit a bump in the road. As many entrepreneurs do we sometimes we hit roadblocks or a lifechange causes us to rethink things. I experienced a crash of sorts and it caused me to refocus my business. This episode explains the change and what types of content you can expect from my podcast going forward. 

How Does Your Mindset Impact Your Business?The podcast I published today is one of my favorites. I talk about one of the best and most interesting marketing experiences I have ever had.What happens when a group of entrepreneurs have the same business model and access to all the same resources?Just like in any setting some will be at the top in terms of revenue, some in the middle and some will be lower revenue performers.Why?Well, because everyone's mindset is different. It's your mindset that determines how you perform.Being an entrepreneur is hard. Running a business is hard. There are some mindsets which are more equipped for the ride. Hand over a business that is busy or thriving with a rule book and practically anyone can succeed. But that's not reality is it?Eventually you will face adversity and THAT is when you start to see someone's real capability.

I feel certain you have heard the phrase, “It’s not personal, it’s just business”.No set of words have ever outraged me more. I remember the defining moment when I lost my corporate job during the recession, the gut-wrenching change to my life that made me leave the cubicle world to never return.I remember leaving my managers office feeling like I was punched right in the gut. A coworker greeted me in an effort to console me, "Tammy, don't be so upset, don't take it so personally, it's just a job."That is the biggest line of bull**** anyone can ever say in that moment. IT. IS. PERSONAL. The world is changing around us so quickly. It seems more and more I hear people talk about how hard it is to find good help. Work ethic is declining.  Perhaps that is so.But I seem to think there is more than one side to this problem. Perhaps there are employers who have forgotten what's really important? I have been heart-hurt in my business on more than one occasion. My husband tells me I take things too personally.I disagree whole-heartedly. If you ever want to make a real difference in the world, a difference to your client or your customer – take it personally. It should ALWAYS be personal.In today's podcast episode I talk about the largest organic tool/weapon you have as a human being - your words. I also share some pretty personal experiences that I feel are a great argument as to why things should ALWAYS be personal and not just business. 

There are plenty of folks out there selling entrepreneurism. They make it seem so wonderful as they talk about working only 10 hours a week, vacation homes and big paychecks.You know what they don't talk about? The dark stuff.The real stuff that happened before they got to take all those trips to the bank.Here's the thing, hardship doesn't sell. Yes, I have a great life. But YES there are times I do not want to get out of bed.Yes, there are days I struggle.The other consideration is life is messy sometimes. Things get hard to navigate.But what about when you still have a business to run?That is what this episode is about. How to navigate the tough times and I want to arm you with some of my hacks that I have found literally - LIFE CHANGING! 

My first business venture had failed and I was beginning number two. It was in month two of my new venture I discovered the a book about the law of attraction. I was desperate and could not afford to fail again. One more failure and back to corporate life I go. I decided to test the theory of the law of attraction. This process was life-changing for me on so many levels. I learned what I was capable of.  However, most importantly I learned how successful I could be when I was not in my own way. I still to this date use this exact process when I am trying to accomplish a large task in my business. 

I was failing miserably to get my new business effort off the ground. No one was responding to my emails or phone calls. Once I sat down and simply retraced my steps in my past career I found the missing link. It was structure. Goals. I had goals - really big goals and every action that I took every single day in my corporate job was aimed at reaching those goals. My next statement is going to sound so cliche but - I had to stop working so hard - I had to STOP stressing myself out so much. I had to work smart. I had to stop being so afraid and just get it together and move forward in a productive way. Or I was heading right back to the cube. 

I have had a few hard bumps in my journey as an entrepreneur, some more rocky than others and…... some just downright gut-wrenching hard. The beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur is such a blur. I was so consumed with fear some days all I did was pace... for hours.  I had a ton of pressure on me to make money. There were times I literally at times worked 18 hour days. I neglected my family- I neglected myself. I was incredibly lonely early in. I didn’t have any really close entrepreneurial friends.  I was afraid to tell my husband how scared I was. I didn’t want him to be afraid.

I gave it all my effort, armed with the knowledge and expertise I had at that time. I gave it a year, working sometimes 18-hour days – seven days a week. That is not an exaggeration. My kids were in their last years at home and I missed it. I was behind close doors. Everything has a price.  I was like a mad scientist, literally shutting myself off from my family and the world for hours and sometimes days. I tried to create a business that would give me financial freedom and a permanent get-out-of-corporate- america pass.It took me about six months to realize there were some holes in my plan. It just wasn’t happening, and I certainly couldn’t see how this business was going to support my family. We were barely out of the recession and it was hard to sell products that were a want versus a need. I was under the very naive impression that because I was a smart business woman, was willing to work my ass off and gave it 150 percent of myself that I could NOT fail. I was so incredibly wrong.