Today we're talking about how to become the go-to business in your industry no matter if you’re a coach and you’re the expert, trying to look like the experts or you have a local brick and mortar business. No matter what you’re doing, we always want to be the go-to in our industry! We want people to think of what it is that we do. If you’re a Beach Body coach, you want people to think of Beach Body and they think of you. Even if you're just somebody who sells it, we want you to be that go to expert. When people think of dance in my area I want my name to come up first. So this is going to be a good behind the scenes of what we're doing because we’re taking a little pivot at She's Building Her Empire and I want to share all the behind the scenes stuff because a lot of the time, people don't share that!
People can be very afraid that if I say the person's name, then they'll hire them too and then they'll copy me, but…I just feel like there's so much out there for us and if you live in that mindset, you're not going to be able to experience what 2019 has to offer you. I’m an open book and I always tell people there’s not a question I won’t answer for you! Now, I’m going to share with you somebody that I recently hired, what we did and what this is looking like for the upcoming year.
This entire year I felt like I didn't know who I truly was (if that makes any sense!) and I'm sure it doesn't, but for 3+ years that I've been online I still felt that I wasn't fully positive what I should be talking about or who I should be talking to. I recently got this referral to work with Jen Kem and I made this decision to make a large investment and hire her to consult me one-on-one and I told her my goal was to walk away knowing what my expertise is.
If you're like what is she talking about!? But, if I were to pitch myself to be on someone else’s podcast, I want to know what are 3-5 things I would tell them I'm an expert in that I could talk about. That might sound absolutely crazy but I couldn't see it and I needed to hire somebody that wasn't me. Somebody that was from the outside that could look at me and say it's so obvious…this is what it is! So yes, I paid somebody to do that and it was money well spent because I really felt lost this past year and now going into 2019, I feel so confident and like things are going to explode for me even more and that feels really incredible!
Now, one thing that I knew that I didn't like, and this is going to sound like a compliment and it was at the time, but people would say things like you’re amazing at launching. You’re the queen of launching. I just kept questioning, how could I have this much experience from my brick and mortar, I have 2 dance studios in the Milwaukee area grossing over one million dollars per year and had been doing that several years in a row and I just don't know?! I've got this big team of 40 employees and I’m able to delegate and manage while not being at my business ever.
I just work on it. I feel like I'm teaching something that I've learned the last 3 years and it just didn't feel the most authentic. And I am really good at launching and I like to teach people that, but there's so much more that I want to teach! I knew that I needed a little bit of help there. That's why I want to share this process with you and the things we talked about over this 3-4 month process of working together, what I learned, where we're heading in the next year and then the next 2-3 years. I hope you can see how this can really help you because this process, I first started with this crazy survey that took me 20-30 minutes and it was for her to gauge where I was.
Then they interviewed my top client and my team members. This was done over the phone, all individually and they also took a survey that about a 150 people (probably some of you reading this, thank you!!) filled out. So after getting all of that information, Jen came back and pretty much proposed or pitched me what she thinks my super powers are, as she calls them! All of this was based off of the feedback that she received. On our first call I started to gain SO much clarity and a big understanding of what people enjoyed about me and my teaching style. I get to know the positives and I'm able to heavily lean into those things.
Now, one of the crazy things that every client said on the phone was that I have this ability to break down the online tech stuff in a way that is really understandable and not overwhelming. So they would say things like I'm not tech savvy but Stacy could really help me do that. Every single person she interviewed said that! Never would I have thought that or known that I did it differently. That was a huge thing for me to hear and little things like that are so important! If you're not interviewing or surveying your people, you need to you!
I mentioned on one of my Facebook lives that we might be changing our brand name and moving away from She's Building Her Empire. Let me tell you, I was shocked. I think a lot of people were shocked listening. I think I was shocked that people couldn't believe that I would change it. But, I think nothing is permanent. I've change my studio names a couple of times and I'm never attached to anything. I realize that I'm a work in progress and things won't stay the same. I think if you're so set on something you're doing, you have to be careful, be really careful because we can get stuck in like1999, right? There are a lot of big names that were really big 10 years ago, but they're not big anymore. Why is that? It's because they're set in their ways they don't bend and move and stay flexible when things come their way.
It's like asking your 4 year old to stay 4 forever! She's going to look a little different when she's 14 and trust me…she's going to act very different. Our businesses are just like that! These are our babies and I feel like my dance studios are high schoolers. They're in high school, they can take care of themselves a little bit, but my online business is still a little baby! It's constantly changing every year, it's always looking different and I think yours should too. So before we settle on one thing, and there's so much pressure, people are going I don't know what name to pick. What should I call my product? What should I call this program? People get really into it and it's holding them back because they're set on finding the perfect name, brand colors, all the things. Honestly, you guys, don't put so much pressure on that!! It can and probably will change. Nothing is permanent.
So before we settled on my my one thing or the thing I want to be known for, Jen came to me with a list of my competitors, people that were doing something similar in my industry and then we did a version of the SWOT analysis. We did them for myself, we did them for my competitors and we really try to find out how can we build my business that puts me in a spot where I really can't find anybody that's truly my competitor. It became way more clear to me that I have fallen in this online category where I was mostly teaching coaches and because of my background I don't necessarily need to be in such a saturated market.There's a lot more that I can cover. I realized not many people have that brick and mortar background that I have and this huge advantage of a large team. A lot of online business owners have small teams and they're really excited about that and I'm coming from a totally different aspect. Not that I'm not going to continue to teach coaches, but I realized I have a little bit of a new direction. It's not a huge direction, it's not a huge change, it's really just a minor tweak!
I think that's where the magic can happen. Sometimes you don't need to do a 180 degree turn. Sometimes just a little pivot can get you on the right track and that's what we did. Maybe last year wasn't the year you wanted, so you're trying to flip 180 degrees and maybe you just need a little pivot. So, funny enough, we went back and forth we did a couple private calls together and we ended up staying with the name She's Building Her Empire and you might have thought I was relieved and I honestly I was confused. I'm like wait…I thought we decided this wasn't the right name? Why are we keeping it? But we discovered that one of my unique super powers is that I truly have built an empire. A lot of people use that word, they say they're building their empire and they say those phrases.
There's people like Tyra Banks, she's a model, tv show host, she sells her own products. Tory Spelling, Every time I look at her she has a new company or a new store, the most random things. Oprah. She's somebody who interviews people on a talk show and all of sudden owns hers own network, she keeps adding things. I'm talking real, true empires where there are several streams of revenue. I truly believe that the more you can diversify what you're doing in your businesses, and I say that as more than one, because there will come a time when you have more than one. Looking at all the successful people that I look up too, looking at them now, a lot of them have more than one business. So, for me this year, I'm going to really share more on how to build an empire. Where do you start? When is it too soon? How do you know if you're ready? Just helping you diversify your revenue streams. We did a real estate podcast a couple of weeks ago and the response was amazing.
So many people told me they never thought of doing that but it sounds like a good fit for them. I'm never going to push people into one area or the other but I want to show what that looks like for me and other people who have built empires. That's important to me because when you're en empire builder, I feel very safe and secure and I feel the consistency coming in. A lot of my clients when they hire me, they say I just want consistency. I think it brings freedom, true, true freedom because even if one business isn't doing well or have a bad month, I know that I have several other revenue streams that help me. It's okay if you only have one right now! It starts with maximizing and mastering your first business before we even jump into other areas. I really want to help people that want that freedom, consistency and automation so they can get out of their business and not have to be there 24/7. You're going to hear me talk a lot more about building your dream team this year. If you're still a one-woman show, I would love to see you change that for 2019 and get some of your freedom back!
Now, when I was working with Jen, we looked at, what am I going to be known for? What are the topics I'm going to be talking about? How do my products relate? You can't be talking about one thing and selling something else. So, what's to come with our products?! This year, the only 2 things you'll really hear me talking about is my Propel Coaching program and my Powerhouse Mastermind. Those are my 2 main focuses and for me my motto this year is just simplified scaling. I look at these 2 things knowing they can give me everything I need over the next 12 months. I don't want to add more and more and more. You'll see me with very few launches this year, which is not normal. It's going to be a different feel and I'm so excited to be able to show you and teach you how you can build a freedom business whether it's online or brick and mortar!
I want you to build a business that can run without you in case something ever were to happen. So with my programs, you might have seen me do more brick and mortar market research. I want to hear from people with local businesses, what are their struggles? What are their pain points? Anything I can find out to help them. So we're going to have a separate version of Propel that is strictly for Brick and Mortars. This is really, really exciting because it's a feeling that I've been holding myself back from teaching certain aspects and this is a place I can be my true self and share everything that I've known for the last 16 years. We juts kicked it off with a beta group, just for the brick and mortars so we can really build a program that can be amazing for them! If you are interested, email me or DM on Instagram, @stacytuschl, ASAP!!
One thing that we looked at with our product suite was that some of our programs felt like other people's programs…and that's not good. When people email asking, what's the difference between your program and these other 3? That is not a good feeling. One of the biggest things that we've been doing is creating a signature framework inside of Propel that is proprietary to what I've been doing and to my strategies. I've been working on this framework that's so unique and so different that I can't wait for my Propel ladies to experience it! I think sometimes we get so cookie cutter and this is where it's going to really start to separate. And I want you to look at your programs and question, is it the same thing they can get down the street? Is it the same thing they can buy from 20 other companies? How do we separate you from you and everyone else is doing?
I'm keeping Powerhouse because I absolutely love it. It's a passion project of mine and I love, love, love working with ladies who are so inspired, who are go-getters and make big things happen! The ladies from last year just blew my mind and I feel like moving into this year it's the same thing! I can feel the difference of where they are right now and where they're going to head over the next 12 months. This program will always have a small cap on it, which is 20 right now. We launch once per year and we just started the new program January 1st! There are still a few spots left if you're looking for a 2019 mastermind! This program is kept very intimate where I can help people fast-track.
It can be really hard on our own. We read a ton of books, listen to a ton of podcasts and it can leave you even more confused. Where do I start first, right? Powerhouse is the only way that you can privately work with me. It's a great plan for me because I'm also looking at my boundaries for next year and how much free time do I have and how much time do I have to give one-on-one? If you're wondering about my program Launched In 90 that we've been selling the last 2 years, I can tell you that nothing is confirmed yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if we retire the program sometime this year. If I do keep it, it's going to be a DIY program on my website with no promotions. I would create a new self-study course to replace Launched In 90 and completely different and my focus for 2020!
So, after looking at my re-structure and looking at my competitors, it's really hard to find somebody who looks just like me anymore and that's super exciting!! For me, this feels like the year that I'm going to explode in a blue-ocean. I'm really happy and pleased with the growth I've had in the last 3 years in my online business, but I've been up against some heavy hitters, so I'm excited to breakout into a totally different area! We created a brand new funnel after going through all of this and it's so fun to watch the Facebook ads be the cheapest they've ever been. Our conversions are going up, our sales team gets calls booked every day and things are shifting. If you're feeling stuck, look to see if you're in a red-ocean and an oversaturated market.
2019 is looking SUPER bright and we've barely started! I want you to know I did a lot of this prep work in quarter4 of 2018, That's why I tell people that the year isn't over yet and to stop giving up. Keep going. Moving into this year when it's 3 months in and you haven't done what you said you're going to do, stop acting like it's too late. Start today! You don't have to wait for a specific time, you commit to making a decision and do it right this second. I'm going to challenge you, to know that there's no time to waste. Keep going as long as you have time to work. Be all in!
At the end of 2018, I wrote down that 2019 is about owning my blue ocean niche. That's my goal! On December 31, 2019 I want to tell you that I feel like I had the most amazing year and I'm owning the person that I am! I can't wait to see what this year brings for me and for you. Tag me on Instagram, @stacytuschl with what you're going to own in 2019!
