Ep129 Million Dollar Micro Business  

 

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Show Transcription: 

Hey, friends. Alright, so my new book Million Dollar Micro Business is coming out July 1st. Very exciting, very exciting. And I've been doing a lot of interviews for it on other people's podcasts because obviously I want to give it its best chance to fly. And one of the most common questions that I've been getting is, what is a million dollar micro business. And so I thought I would cover that straight off. A million dollar micro business is a business that builds beyond seven figure years with only a few full time employees. And it's something that I think even five or 10 years ago, wasn't really possible. But now, technology has beautifully enabled us to create and package our gifts to share with the world, and really leverage off all of the software and the automation available. So it's very possible to create and I am so excited with this book to show you how. And as part of the book, what I've done is so that it could be backed up. It is mainly a guide book, but so that it could be backed up with the inspiration and examples of how different people make this happen. I have a success story at the end of each of the main sections with people that I have admired for a long time in this online course industry that we live in. 

So this week's podcast is I think it's I think it's the most elaborate that I have ever created in terms of an editing perspective. So what you're going to get today is a little bit of commentary for me. But what I have is little snippets from the interviews of each of the superstars that I interviewed for million dollar macro business. So we have Kayse Morris, who is a CEO-teacher who's one of my favourite people in course creation. We have Clint Salter, who has dance studio Owners Association, good mate of mine, also one of the most smartest business people I have ever come across and cares about his customers and serving the world more than anyone I've ever come across. So he's an absolute legend. Denise Duffield-Thomas, who I think is like one of Australia's top course creators with money boot camp. She's also a fabulous author. Then we have Tracy Harris, who runs Social Methods Society, and just makes a social media and getting known on social media and building your personal brand through it and connecting with your perfect audience, all of that sort of thing. So good. And then James Wedmore, who if you're in online courses, you know who James Wedmore is. So with Business by Design, you know, he teaches how to have a business by design.

So I'm going to share my favourite little snippet of each of the interviews with you today. So that you can get a little bit of an idea of what you're going to find in the pages of the book. And then if you haven't already, please pre order the book. Thank you to everybody who has so far if you have gone to milliondollarmicrobusiness.com and you can get the full, free digital workbook that goes with it. So we have a lot of resources on there to accompany the book that you can get for free. So you can go there. If you haven't pre-ordered it yet, pre orders like when you see authors come out and ask you to pre-order their book, it's a weird, it's a weird world, this publishing world, a lot of it. The pre orders are so important, because on day one, when the book like officially goes live on July 1, all of the pre orders get counted on that day. So it's pretty much the sales from that day is an accumulation of all those pre orders. So it gives booksellers an indication of whether the book is going to sink or swim. And so for me and for every author on the planet, it's kind of like you want to try and do as much as you can to encourage those pre-orders. So that the numbers are really good on that first day in that first week so that you can get better placements in bookstores and better media and then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. And the book does really well because you have such a short window and this is the heartbreaking thing about books is so much goes into it. And it's like a year or two years of preparation and work that goes into it. And you've literally got like that first week is going to tell you whether or not the book is going to be successful 99% of the time. So that is why you see all of the authors say please pre-order my book including me. So you can get it anywhere really. All around the world. It's on Amazon and Book Depository. If you're in Australia, Booktopia is a great place to get it here as well and I've got all the links for those at million dollar macro business.com Alright, you guys, let's get into it. You're going to hear from five different superstars today, and so it's gonna be a long episode, but a goodie.

Okay, so first up, we have Kayse Morris from CEO Teacher and I'm going to share with you the clip where she shares her beautiful story of when she realised that this whole online course game was going to go off.

 

Kayse

I think what I think we got to go back to when I started my job as a teacher, I was a teacher for eight years, I taught middle school English and language arts. So sixth grade for four of those years in eighth grade for four of those years. And I loved my job. It was amazing. But when I got out of college, and I started that career, I thought it was going to be easy, it was going to give me all of everything that life had to offer. But I was really struggling with coming out with content being a teacher, being a mom. Later, I found out I was struggling through postpartum depression for four years after both of my boys were born. And as I was struggling through all of that, I stumbled upon this website, because I didn't have the energy to write my own lesson plans. I found this website online called Teachers Pay Teachers. And it's an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell their resources to each other. And those teachers that I was buying resources from had no idea that they were helping me get through some of the darkest days of my life, because I didn't have to write those lesson plans. Everything was already laid out for me. And in that I found my joy in teaching again. And I started to relate to the kids. And that went on for about six months. And then in October of 2013, coupled with a trip that went to my doctor, and I said, Hey, I need help. Like, I'm really struggling. And I asked my daughter for help. And I also asked my husband if I could start selling my resources online. And he joked, he was like, yeah, you know, I think you'd be really good at it. And that was kind of how everything started. So I started as a teacher in the classroom, as many of my students selling my resources online in October of 2013. And then, from there, it grew. My first month I made $50. And my God, I wanted to pay our netflix bill, which at that time was $8.99 cent and…

Tina

Was that you’re goal to pay your Netflix bill?

Kayse

Yes, yes. Because we were going to have to cut that out of the budget, right? If we couldn't $8.99 is two educators at the time, my husband to high school principal, but at that time he was a teacher as well. So I made $50. And I was on top of the world, like I put in it was I was finally getting paid for my performance. I felt like you know, the more effort I put in, the more money I made. 

Tina

That's exactly why I left teaching. 

Kayse

Yeah, because you. Yeah, you get it. So you can't you put in this, you put in double the effort as someone you know, next to you. And yet you still earn the same paycheck. 

Tina

Yes, yeah, yeah. 100%. 

Kayse

So, it was it was that was just kind of how it all began. And then it turned into what it is today. But um, from there, the first year I made like $6,000, and I thought that was amazing. And then I made my teaching salary. And then I tripled my teaching salary all while I was still in the classroom. And in 2017, December of 2018, I just 17 I decided to leave the classroom to pursue this passion full time. 

Tina

So that wasn't so long ago? 

Kayse

No, oh, no, no. And, um, and then in November of 2018, I launched my very first course that taught teachers how to do it, too, because the number one question I was asked in Walmart was, you quit teaching, you guys must be struggling, you know, that was always the number one. And I was like, No, we're thriving. You know, we're really you're you should do this. And well, how do I do it? And I was helping people at night, teachers that are in my hometown, so I decided to launch my own course. And the rest was history. I have a train coming by my office.

Tina

I remember you talking about that when we're on the panel in Kajabi going It's strange. So at one point said you did 6000 in the first year, like At what point did you go, Hold out, I think this may be like a real thing for me and not just covering the Netflix bill.

Kayse

Yeah, I think by year three, I was really in my stride. I had started perfecting systems and processes. There were people that have been doing it for six years before me. One of the, she was the very first millionaire, that was on Teachers pay Teachers. She was featured in all of these, you know, articles. And I printed them all out and like put them up on my board and was like, Oh my gosh, this is a possibility. But I was struggling to find my grounding, because these people had been doing it for six years. And I felt like I was always trying to catch up. So I had to find the ace in the hole, or what I like to call my Willy Wonka Golden ticket, and I had to figure out, what could I learn that gave me a little bit of an advantage. And it just happened to be search engine optimization. And that trick is what I teach all my students today.

Tina

Yeah, right. And so how did you could then say you tripled your salary before you decided to leave teaching? 

Kayse

Yes, I had actually made $100,000 that year, in addition to my teaching salary, just selling my resources online.

Tina

Wow. And so before that, you were like, you know, I don't think I can leave teaching yet or I don't want to leave teaching at all. Was there a certain kind of, did you have to go above and beyond before you went, you know, what, I'm not going to run out? I'm safe to leave? Or like, how did that happen?

Kayse

Yeah, and it tugs on our heart my heartstrings a lot. I loved those kids. And my children, you know, it was it was I actually quit one year and asked for my job back. Because uncertainty is, is hard, you know, to like, go out into the great unknown and to lead these kids and I felt like I was making a difference in their lives. So I don't know that I ever felt great about it. You know, I had all of my eggs in one basket. And that is a very scary thing. 

Tina

Yeah. So yeah, 

Kayse

That was when I left and this was my full time income. I knew that if I wanted to sleep at night, I had to diversify my income. And so that's when I looked into courses and things like that.

Tina

Yeah. Amazing. And so read the course. How did that go? Like, were you like Uber successful right out of the gate. 

Kayse

We felt so blessed. Oh, it's so fun to go back there. Because this time of year is just two years ago.

Tina

Oh, I don't know guys. Kayse, that's amazing. 

Kayse

Well, thank you. Yeah, I'm in November of 2018. I was seven months pregnant. And I launched my first course at that time, it was called Transform. 

Tina

And you’re 7 months pregnant?

Kayse

Yeah, girl. I was ready. When I am pregnant. I'm in like, go mode. And I'm pregnant again. So it's like the world better. 

Tina

Oh, Congratulations! Is it number five?

Kayse

It is. Yes. Last one, I promise. 

Tina

A girlfriend of mine has six and she's so happy, loves it. Yeah. If I was married to a different man that would let me keep pumping out babies, I would have. 

Kayse

I would have 15 and I'm like, No, Mama says this is the season finale. Okay? Mama’s done after this.

Tina

How pregnant are you? You got? 

Kayse

I am 16 weeks. 

Tina

Okay. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 

Kayse

And I'm like pregnant mama sweating over here. So I'm gonna take my sweater off. Yeah. 

Tina

Oh, this exciting. Congratulations. Are the kids excited? 

Kayse

They are. They really are. 

Tina

So how old is your oldest?

Kayse

Okay, so I have a stepson that’s 16. Yeah. And then I have an 11 year old, a 10 year old, and then an almost two year old. 

Tina

Ah, okay. So you say Oh, that would be nice to the two year old to have another one in their bracket

Kayse

We decided that he was either going to be an only child or he needed a friend. 

Tina

So yeah, yeah, I like it. Okay, we digressed, we digressed. So we're going back to your first online course launch.

Kayse

Yeah. So, um, in November of 2018, I launched my first course. I spent probably four months in the trenches of putting what I was currently doing on the back burner and learning a lot of new tactics and strategies. And I wanted confidence in myself that it was going to be successful. And I had 12,000 teachers on my email list from blogging for those, you know, at that point four years, and just collecting things for free resources. I had never pitched anything to these people. So I had to kind of say, do you want to be a part of this? You know, because I'm kind of changing the way that I've done things. And I remember you’re telling my husband, okay, I would love to make $2,000, my big goal is like 25. You know, that 25,000 would be a life-changing monumental or whatever. And, but I went all in

Tina

In a month? In a year?

Kayse

So I did. I always do an open and closed cart. And that was, you know, so in a week's time, that was my goal. And I open cart in November of 2018 for seven days. And in seven days, we made over six figures. So it was crazy.

Tina

Clint Salter is the CEO of Dance Studio Owners Association and like so many of us it was not a direct line to kind of get from the beginning and this beautiful, straight linear path to the brilliant business that he has. Now he, he did many different iterations, many different businesses from a super young age. And it's no surprise that Clint’s as successful as he is. He's been showing up for people and serving them and giving them a great value consistently, year after year, decade after decade. But here is a little snippet of how Clint first discovered Dance Studio Owners Association.

Clint

Salting gig. And as I was doing that, I attended a workshop through Matt Church from thought leaders, and he was talking a lot about intellectual property and packaging what you know, and I was like, Oh, well, I know stuff, like I run businesses. And I love kind of teaching and sharing my knowledge. You know, I come from a family of teachers. And I just started packaging up, kind of what I knew about, you know, the businesses that I had grown and sold, and started working with small business owners to get new customers from that was 2013-14. And one of those clients was a dance studio owner, and then another dance studio owner, and then another dance studio owner. And I just kept getting dance studio owners coming to me more than other types of businesses. So I started I was like, doing everyone, right. I was like, graphic design lawyer. I had a painting company, like, I helped anyone I could attract new customers get customers in the door.

Tina

Yeah. And how did you do that at the beginning, when you were very young? Yeah, I mean, seriously, with your age? Yeah.

Clint

I mean, it wasn't, you know, at that point, I was 27. And I've had, you know, I built and sold a couple of businesses, so I use that as like, my credibility piece. Yeah. And I was calling people, you know, it's like, on the phone, calling people I wasn't doing like the filling my email form, and I'm gonna send you 100 emails, I was literally outreaching creating lists of people like, you know, doing appointments with them to sell them into one on one coaching. That was

my business model, sell and deliver, sell and deliver. 

Tina

So when you started in that you had already done a couple of businesses? 

Clint

Yes, yeah, exactly. So I had the dance studio. I had the dance competition, and the online dance magazine. And then I started a blog, like a personal development blog with like, 20 riders on it, Make the World Move. And that didn't last very long. But I ended up selling that after about a year. And then yes, started the coaching and mentoring business.

Tina

How old were you when you started your first business? 

Clint

16 was the dance studio? Yes, it's 16 with my friend from dance, Kelly Lay, her and I decided to start a dance studio.

Tina

That's amazing. And so when you finish with Jersey Boys, and you said you were going to take six months off, and you were prepared for that, and you'd say for that, but then you got bored and you were still like mid 20s, have you always run business in the way to try and create that freedom because not many people would do that and then say, you know what, I'm going to take a break and have that lifestyle aspect in their mind?

Clint

No, not at all. I was always I would always make money and then spend it. Like, in my early 20s. I was just in my early 20s. I was in builder mode. You know, we see it with so many entrepreneurs. Who just who just create, create, create, create, and invest and keep investing and keep building new things and different things. And there I had a real lack of focus with those first couple of businesses. You know, I remember we had a very profitable year with Dan Pfeiffer, you know, our dance competition. And I had you know, 60 kind of an extra 60 grand sitting there. And I was like, Oh, I think I'm going to create a boyband now. And so I did like this whole casting. I was going to be like the next time and cow and create a boyband. I created this boy band called Coda. And we flew people in from Melbourne to audition and we got tracks done in a recording studio and a photo shoot and a website built for this group and I was also running Den Five. This is like my site and I, you know, and it fell apart. You know, one of the boys. I mean, they've alternate extremely well. One of them's like an actor in Australia and in the US, like, they went on to do great things, but just not together as a group. You know, they lasted a couple of months, I think, and we got a contract to go on a cruise ship overseas and perform, but no one was available. And it just didn't, it just didn't work out. But that was me, I was like this, this person that constantly created new ideas and didn't really stick with growing a core, the core business.

Tina

and that hasn't been helped you, because a lot of people have the ideas, but don't then take the action to bring them to life, which you seem to not have a problem in going. Idea. Pull the trigger.

Clint

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, back then I just love creating, you know, I just identify with being a creator, I'm in a very different place now. But back then I just wanted to build things. And I wasn't as focused on the money piece of it. I loved having money. But, you know, I never made stacks of cash in my early 20s through my businesses, because I kept reinvesting it in building new random ideas. 

Tina

Yeah, yeah. Reinvesting and learning lessons. 

Clint

Yeah. And that's like, I didn't go to university, right. Like I wiped it for four weeks. And okay, that so I let you know, this, you know, my first website I created for Dense life cost $20,000. You know, it was a directory, I had to get four loans. One of them was a line of credit and three loans to build that website. 

Tina

And so you bought yourself a lot early. 

Clint

Oh, I mean, that that, like, that has 100% been a blessing. And a gift is the self belief that I have built along the way, you know, and that definitely came from being a very different kid who wasn't like any of the other kids in the playground. You know, like I had, I had to back myself, and just the incredible support from my nana, and my mom that to just be like, you could like, keep doing what brings you joy, keep doing what makes you happy. Don't worry about the bullying, don't worry about what other people say. Like, you're, you're incredible. And just keep doing the things that you love. 

Tina

How good are origin stories? I mean one of the things I love most about podcasting is that I get to talk to so many different business owners and hear how they got their start and how they became who they are now. And the one thing that I really love is everybody's different. Everyone has a different path. And everyone has different things that get them to where they wanted to be. And James Wedmore is no different. You know, it's easy to look at him now, he runs a $10 million a year company through Business by Design, and think that it all kind of came about really easily and straightforward. But there are so many different twists and turns to everybody's story. I mean, I was even having a conversation this morning with someone and saying, like, I feel like so many things, prior to now in previous years, have all been training for what I'm doing right now. Right now, I feel like I'm in the business that I was born to run, that this was the path that it was always leading me on, but we just don't know that at the time. And that is super evident in James's story and how he got his start. So let's get into his story.

James

You know, I call it the LeapFrog effect, where I think everything that you're going through now is just preparing you for the next thing. And so there's an origin story to every next thing. But the origin story of how did I stumble across this idea of selling-teaching information, coaching on the internet started when I was actually bartending and I was both bartending at a restaurant, the day shift during the week at a restaurant, and which is kind of depressing, and was on the weekends running a mobile bartending business where people were hiring me to come to their parties. Yeah. And I wasn't passionate at all about bartending. I don't even drink more than a glass of wine once a week. And, but I was so passionate about business that that's where the energy and focus was going. So within a year, I had this mobile bartending business with 15 staff members. And we were servicing parties, north of LA, all the way down to San Diego. So big chunk of like all of Southern California. And we were booked solid every week. And I was consuming book after book and programme after programme, just on how to understand running a business and marketing. And so we were doing very well. But I knew I wasn't passionate about bartending. And what I noticed was a pattern. Everyone I was learning from, was selling their system on marketing and business. And that was when in 2007, November of 2007 so you can see how long ago that was. I had the idea, I could do the same. And it kind of started as a game for me. I said, I bet I can make more money teaching people how to bartend than actually bartending. And that night, I came up with the domain name Bartend 4 Profit. And my idea for an online bartending school was born. 

Tina

And we need a domain name. 

James

Yeah, great name, right. Yeah. And I had it with the number four and F-O-R, you know, all the different

Tina

That’s so 2000s. 

James

I know, I know. And, but you know, I was, I was on it. And I buried myself in my room, I moved back in with my parents and like, put all my marbles into this jar of I'm going to create an online bartending website, business and all that type of stuff. And it was April of 2008. So several months later, where I finally had the finished book, 220 pages, I had a CD-ROM with video training and all that stuff. And bada bing, bada boom, I had my first very first sale. And that was, you know, still one of the greatest moments of my life. Because a complete stranger from San Antonio, Texas paid me $200 plus 1995 shipping and handling to send this entire at home and online, I did a both yet you get a physical version and a digital version of my bartending thing. And I even knew back then I'm not going to stay with bartending, I'm not going to be the bartending guru. But one day this will turn into something bigger and better. And, and that was

Tina

Did you seem to get sad that like part of that success when you got started was because you started with what you knew at the time?

James

Well, yeah, I think I had to start with what I knew. And I also had to have or hold a vision of where I could go and, you know, the thing is, is like, here's the thing that people don't get, and I'm just very lucky that I got this. But if your heart isn't in it, it's not going to be successful. And so it's very easy for someone to see what I do today and see the money I make and you know, the lifestyle and you know, well, fame, you know, people are all about all I want a huge following. And they want all those things. But they don't understand that that is the byproduct of the work. And so they fixate and focus on the byproduct and not the work. And if what happened was, I fell in love with marketing. I fell in love with technology. I fell in love with copywriting. I fell in love with selling, and I fell in love with teaching. And if people are falling in love with more money and freedom and significance and influence, they're chasing the wrong thing. And I hear people all times like oh, I just don't like marketing or I don't like writing or I don't like the internet then what are you doing?

Tina

You know, I had someone email me the other day and said can you recommend anyone that can handle my kajabi launch? I want absolutely nothing to do with it.

James

Yeah. That's the thing. Like, it's like saying, I want to. I want to have a successful restaurant, but I hate food.

Tina

I hate food. Yeah. I don't want to know anything about food. 

James

Yeah. And it's like, do you want a successful restaurant? Or do you just want the ego? Or just the gains that comes with it. The reality is, is love. I mean, I've been doing this now. So however long that is 2007 is when I started this, right. And it's just continues to grow and continues to get better and better. And the secret behind all of it, is that I love what I do.

Tina

Denise Duffield-Thomas was an enigma to me for a really long time. She was someone that I have looked up to in the online course area, right from my very beginning. And even before that, when I read her books, and my favourite is Chillpreneur. If you haven't read it, check it out. But someone that I found so intriguing, because the way we do business is really, really different. And I'm always really intrigued by that, to see how it works so differently for different people with different personalities. And, I mean, I'm like super Tie Pay, which you guys know, you listened to the podcast, you know, it's everything's, like, meticulously organised and planned, and I'm intense and full on, whereas Denise is the obviously so chill, laid back and doesn't sweat the small stuff. And you know, just, I just admire it so much. And you're, it's been so good to be able to get to know her and see the inside of that. And, you know, what you see is what you get, which is just so incredibly refreshing and fabulous. So here is Denise's snippet in how she created a multimillion dollar a year business through online courses with her money boot camp. It's amazing. And so you'll get a lot out of this story.

Denise

So I pretty much like almost doubled that every year for the first couple of years. And then it's, I feel I hit that million dollar mark. It was like 1.2. That's five years ago. Yeah, so obviously haven't doubled every year since then. And some of that is a bit deliberate, too, because I remember my friend, Natalie MacNeil talked about this. And she was like, Hi, next year, I'm going to take a year where I, like, don't watch as much I'm going to build some systems behind the scenes and you know, like, make sure my, and I was like, you're allowed to do that? And I think because I've never been that motivated for numbers for numbers sake. Yeah, I've always just been like, has to be really sustainable for me. And I want to make sure that nothing, like nothing really stresses me out or the team out. And like doesn't put, and like we've been tempted to kind of go in slightly different directions. But I always just really put that to what is the core of what we do? And how can we make this really, really, really simple and easy. So it doesn't create extra stress for anybody? 

Tina

And has there been times that you've deliberately put the brakes on when you you've seen that, like an opportunity came up and you were like, you know what, if I go in this direction, we'll grow too fast, let's leave it off? Or have you always said yes to the growth? 

Denise

Like, for example, one, one decision we made about two years ago was to let go of our affiliate programme. Yeah, because that was something that it was bringing in lots of sales, but it was it was creating increasingly more stress. And so yeah, I got a massive amount of stress. And so that's something that I think it's for heaps of reasons. And so like, I've always followed Marie Forleo kind of business model with before and she's always had a tonne of affiliates. She stopped hers now too. Yeah, so two years ago, so Mark was doing the affiliate programme. And what I noticed is that a lot of people need a lot of hand holding. So it became another customer group for where they needed training like unpaid customer you know, unpaid kind of mentorship and unpaid you know, customer group kind of thing but people saying, Oh, I forgot to put my LinkedIn, like can you like you know, figure out what sales are mine.

Tina

My recent launch and I got heaps of that. I saw this person joined they were mine and they're not under my affiliate though. I'm like, oh my god. So that's good. 

Denise

We had people complaining about like having to Paypal fees on their affiliate stuff, even though I paid them when I you know received the income. Just people clueless about marketing to be honest and just demand like, Oh, I need this in a different size. Where do I do this? How do I do this? And so we realised that the amount of work that was going into that group, even though it was bringing in income, like, again, I'm always like, how can we get the same or better result with less than less work? And so we decided to put that money into ads instead. So at the peak of that programme, we were paying at $600,000 in that year, which meant that we were making $600,000. From that, from that, right, yeah. And so I just said, but it was taking a lot of time. And we're getting to the tipping point where I was like, we're going to have to hire someone just to do this, just for training, which is what Marie Forleo did, right? She had one full at least one full time person, creating stuff doing all the complaints, training people, holding their hand, coming out, or even just sending out all the emails, which you know was like, here's the copy. And people be like, Oh, I need more copy. I need it different. How do I write and I was just thought, let's ditch this. And so I know that if we continue to grow it, that would have been, you know, millions more dollars for us, but it just wasn't the way I like to grow my business. And so Mark was very reluctant to let it go. And I was just like, what would happen if we invested $600,000 in ads? And like, there's no way we invest that in as I think it's about maybe half that, that we invest in ads per year? 

Tina

You did launches without it? 

Denise

Yeah, we did. And we've done two launches without it. And we've had amazing launches. Not necessarily heaps hits more revenue, but hits more profit. 

Tina

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That's great. So you get a lot of money by getting higher revenue. 

Denise

I do but again, I've had to be way choosier about that, because lots of people ask me to be an affiliate, but they actually they do not know how to be a good affiliate manager. So we've been we've had, we've learnt some big mistakes around that, too. So we pretty much just do Jeff Walker and Marie Forleo, which we can't do Marie anymore. So if we were to...

Tina

She seemed to have changed a lot, though, in the last year about how she's running her business. I wonder if that her health since she's realised she doesn't want to work like an animal anymore? 

Denise

Yes, I also speak to the lifetime access model is very flawed. Yeah. Yes, yeah. Yes, it doesn't. 

Tina

You've got 60,000 students, and actually from 12 months to 12 weeks, because I was finding that three weeks before the end, we'd send an automated email out saying your access will be revoked and everyone jumped on and finished it off. And I was like, we're at center advising people to complete and how we get the result is getting them to complete. So doing them a disservice by just having it open ended. 

Denise

Yeah, absolutely. So I story on that, actually, a friend of mine gave her peeps a year's notice that the course was closing down on a lifetime access programme. And she has had more complaints about that, than anything she's ever done in her career. She's had someone threatened to sue her. Even though she gave them a year's notice with no additional people we're joining no additional income for her, customer service hosting all the staff. and people someone's threatening to sue are over.

Tina

Yet terrible. Sometimes you go Gosh, why bother over serving people. Yeah. Um, okay. So

on that, though, because what I find a lot of people coming up, it's really hard to avoid the comparison trap. You can look at the way someone's running theirs, someone else's running theirs, the positives for that. How did you like identify what lane you were going to stick to? And kind of ignore? Or did you fall into that comparison trap? or How did you navigate all of that as you were coming up through the ranks? 

Denise

So one thing that helped me was flipping it to be like, well, if they can do it, I can do it. Yeah. And so a friend of mine, Leonie Dawson, like she's always kind of the first couple of years, she was ahead of me income wise, but I use that as products. I'd be like, Oh my god, Mark Luke, she just made. I think it was like she made $30,000 in a month. And I might even been early that when I saw her do like 7000 or something.

Tina

I love the way you share that with each other. 

Denise

Well, she's always been very honest and open about that kind of stuff publicly. So I just be like, Oh, my God, this was before I really knew her well, and I'd be like, Mark, look at this girl she is such a hippie. And she's like,

Tina

I thought the same when I first saw her. I was like, she makes How much? Oh my gosh, it breaks the mould.

Denise

Yeah, it really does. And that, you know, I make 10 times more than that now, and, but I really think that a comparison is you can use it to inspire you or you can use it to cripple you and I've always used Get to inspire me.

Tina

Oh my gosh, I love people's origin stories so much. All right. Our last one is the gorgeous Tracy Harris from mums with hustle who runs Social Methods Society as well. Tracy is like one of the kindest, sweetest, most generous, lovely ladies I have come across in this online world. And she we had similar beginnings in the education industry, which is amazing how many people that are doing online programmes actually started in like traditional education as well. So you're going to hear how Tracy started from very humble beginnings into the wonderful seven figure business that she runs now helping so many ladies to expand their businesses. And they're thinking here she is Tracy Harris.

Tracy

Well, I got there by brainstorming with post it notes and sticking them out on my land room wall one night after we put our what, six month old to bed. And when I say we I mean, my husband and I were brainstorming what I could do, because like so many ambitious mothers out there, like, I found myself on maternity leave, and I didn't lose my brain entirely. I still had ideas. I still had a hunger to learn myself. And I think once you're a teacher, you're always a teacher, Tina.

Tina

You’re saying is true. Yeah, you know, when I finished it, because I never taught in a classroom. So I started my business in my second year of uni. And I was determined to finish because I really wanted the piece of paper. And at the time, I remember going gosh, that was a real waste paying all that money for uni and all of that time and studying and for never doing it. But then I go really I see my job as I'm a teacher. So it all works. But have you have you always wanted? Did you have the seed to run your own business? Or did that kind of come from that conversation of what should I do next being on maternity leave?

Tracy

Oh, great question. So for about five years prior to that, I had been commuting to work as a teacher listening to business podcasts and online. So it was already there. Yeah, it was there. And I think the first one or I don't know who was first but like say let's just say in the first four. I was listening to Brian Tracy. Oh, that'll do it. Just that I was listening to Tony Robbins. Yeah. I was listening to Pat Flynn. And I was listening to then John Lee Dumas, he was this new kid on the block. 

Tina

I don't even know who that one is. 

Tracy

Oh my gosh. So John Lee Dumas has Entrepreneur on Fire or something. EO Fire is what he calls his podcast. And at that time, so this is going back. This is about maybe nine years ago now. Yeah, crazy. He was like this guy that was obsessed with online business and marketing. And he didn't know anything about it. But he was like, I'm going to start a podcast where every day I interview someone who's killing it online. Every day, that's he just started like that. Well, that's what hooked me. I was like, Who is this guy that is learning from all of these people, but publicly and sharing the learning by putting together these amazing podcast episodes. So that really sparked my own idea of life. I kind of want to do that by sharing my own business journey. Because I was starting having my own business, I didn't know what I'd sell. I was very brand new. And I was like, I'm going to share this. And maybe there are other women that are growing at the same time, and they may enjoy the company. And in between my episodes, I'll interview other mums that have businesses as well, no matter how far along they are in their journey, whether they're ecommerce, creatives, or maybe I'll find some digital entrepreneurs, which is what I always thought I would want to be because I could see how I can transfer the skills from being a classroom teacher and and like I was in the leadership team, so I loved professional development for staff, that and I was like, Okay, I want to I want to kind of do that for the mums in business, but I knew I could only ever teach you back what I had ever done myself. Yeah. And so I was like, Well, I'm brand new. I'm just going to share my journey. And if anyone has any questions, I'll just teach them what I do. Yeah, and it

Tina

Which is a great way to go because I don't like seeing people teaching what they've never done before.

Tracy

Oh, that's a little bit cringey. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 

Tina

But it's, yeah, yeah, it's out there. 

Tracy

And, and I didn't know what my beautiful audience would want to learn from me. And then at about, like, six months into building my business, which I hadn't managed, 

Tina

What did you start? When you when you say you started, like into building the business? What was that?

Tracy

That was literally just only a community. I didn't have anything to sell, because I didn't know what my beautiful people wanted or needed. So I called it a business from day one. Because that was more about my mindset, I think. 

Tina

Yeah. And you have already been listening to Brian Tracy and then Tony Robbins. So totally held here. 

Tracy

I had to be the person in the now. Yeah.

Tina

So so you launched, you started the community? And then at what point did you go, I'm going to sell something?

Tracy

When my audience asked me to. So I was about six months in and I hosted a meetup. Yeah. I think it was for 50 ladies from my community. Oh, they sold like hotcakes. Yeah, second, so first, I thought maybe I'd go down the route of events. But then I was like, No, I don't want to play an in person events, like, not a lot of work there. And I was out of work out. I was like, No, it doesn't really suit me. I was 13 weeks pregnant with our second that event as well. So I was like, thinking about my life by design. Yeah, this doesn't really suit me going into events, but I'll host them occasionally. Because in person elements are important. I got there. And it was amazing. like to be able to meet your community face to face. If anyone hasn't ever done that before, please consider doing it. Even if it's just an annual thing. Even if it's at the pub. There's nothing like meeting in person. So

Tina

There is one of my favourite things. I launched my book last year. And I went on an 11 City book tour. Just to go and have parties in every city with all of the people that had supported me through the time. And it was so much fun. Just seeing all these people that I knew only from social media that were coming in and being like, Oh my gosh, that's you. I only know you from your profile picture. And it was lovely. 

Tracy

That is awesome. 

Tina

Yeah, it was a huge amount of effort. And it cost a fortune. But it was really fun and worth it. Yeah. I can't wait to do it again. I mean, I like exactly as you said, like, there'll be the live events peppered in there. Because I like to meet our community in person and for them to be able to connect with one another as well, which is so important. But I missed that element. We'll get it back. We'll get it back. We will. We will. Okay, so you went from this event? And then what did you do after that?

Tracy

Well, people were like, would you ever make an Instagram course and sell that to us? 

 

Tina

And we're already building your community through Instagram, then? 

Tracy

Yeah, yeah. On day one, I started building my community about I don't want to guess and get it wrong. But I mean, people can go on fact check. Yes, I have kept every single post. Yeah, for a very specific reason, to publicly show that we all start in evolution, knowing nothing. We all make mistakes, too. 

Tina

Now I want to scroll back through. 

Tracy

It's super cute. I love it. I love it. I'm so glad I haven't archived are those. Like I'm proud of starting before I was ready, and making all these hashtag mistakes. And you know, like, you can see that I put out attempts of calls to action, and no one writes back. And yeah, you can see all of that. And these are the things that annoy the women that come into my programmes now. And I just want them to know, I understand, we all, it's not you. This is how we'll start. And it's a journey. So yeah,

Tina

Tt's why I love to know your beginning stories, because you do, you look at you now and you go, you've got it all happen. You know, you've got 10s of 1000s of people on Instagram, you say one thing, everyone wants to be part of that party. And people can compare to that and go How am I ever going to get there? But you did you start at the beginning just like everybody else. 

Tracy

Yeah, and people can assume that it's easy or sometimes, often but sometimes somebody will make a comment and it's easy for you because your husband's part of the business and like, Oh, please don't minimise everything that I have done. Like I am blessed. I'm blessed that he's part of this business now but it took a lot to get there and I remember recording podcast episodes in between that times with the elders and a huge pregnant bump when we didn't have any dock of  air conditioning in this house? Because, you know, we couldn't afford it at the time. Yeah. And I had a washcloth like a wet cold washcloth on my belly and one on the back of my neck. Yeah, podcasting in this room that was 40 degrees, because I bring out a podcast every Monday. And that was my one break for the day, because that's when the baby was napping. But that's what I chose to do. And I'm like, it wasn't. It wasn't easy. Like I've done all of the stuff that people are trying to do now. You can do it. 

Tina

Yeah. So yeah, completely.

I hope you got so much out of that. I love people's origin stories, each one of those interviews for the book was about two hours long. So I wasn't gonna put them all in there, you will have to get a copy of the book to get the full story. So go to milliondollarmicrobusiness.com if you want the links for how to get the digital workbook that's free that goes with it. And also the links for where to purchase the book. Or you can just go to your nearest bookstore or Amazon or Booktopia, Book Depository and grab a copy of it. If you haven't got a ticket to come see me on tour and if you're in Australia or New Zealand, I will be on tour for Million Dollar Micro Business, all through July. So I cannot wait to see your gorgeous faces, and be out and about again. So grab a friend, tinatower.com/tour if you are able to make it out and help me celebrate the launch of this beautiful book. And I hope that it helps you so much to create the business or life of your dreams!