The business makeover that’s changed everything for me

Transcript

* Transcript created by AI – may contain errors or omissions from original podcast audio

 My whole job is to help business owners to fix their businesses and to make more money, more profit. But I have a bit of a confession to make… I kinda took the eye off the prize in my own business. And today I’m going to share with you what I’ve been working on behind the scenes to breathe new life back into my business, dust off the cobwebs and create the way for new pathways of profit.

If you’ve been in business for a while, This episode is for you!

 In today’s episode, I’ll be taking you behind the scenes on the journey that I’ve been on to essentially dust off the cobwebs in my business to streamline my systems and to really look at new sales channels and revisiting my messaging and marketing holistically across the business. I’ll be taking you through exactly what that looks like, but if you do want to take this work deeper and actually understand what the particular steps were and the framework that I’ve implemented, I’ve decided to run a free 60 minute training, I’m calling it the business makeover masterclass. As I was writing this episode, I realized there was just way too much to fit into a podcast episode. So I’m going to touch on all of the areas in today’s episode, but if you do want to go deeper, go and sign up for the business makeover masterclass. The link is in the show notes for today’s episode and the best bit, it’s free to join. I’ll be teaching it live. So do come along and you can ask any questions about the process that I went through.

So let me take a step back and share, I guess, where this journey started. Lately, my business has been feeling really overwhelming. There’s lots of really great stuff happening, but every time I was opening up my Asana board, it felt like it was heaving in all of those jobs that I’ve been putting off, not just for weeks, I’m talking months and even years. And it all came to a head recently when I was launching the latest round of my course, The Profit Academy Foundations. And I was trying to look for a testimonial. I transcribe all of the episodes of my podcast. If you didn’t know, by the way, you can go over to my website if you prefer to read, or if you want to share the podcast with someone who is hearing impaired, I make sure that all my episodes are transcribed.

So what I wanted to do was grab a quote, grab a testimonial for my launch. And so what I did, I Googled. The Clare Wood Podcast and the student’s name and the web page where I supposedly have all of my transcriptions, didn’t come up. So the episode came up on Apple podcasts and Spotify, but there was no link to the page that I have on my website. Every podcast episode for me has its own URL, its own page, which includes the transcription. And I thought that was a bit weird cause it’s quite specific to have the terms, The Clare Wood Podcast and someone’s name that it didn’t appear in Google at all. So then I thought, well, I’ll go and look for another one of my students, cause I know that they also had a raving testimonial about the course and the same thing happened. What happened in that moment was I went, oh, crap. My podcast episodes, my transcriptions are not discoverable by Google, which means that all of that beautiful SEO juice, the way that people find your business, can’t be found on Google. And it was a real what the heck moment. So that was the first thing that happened.

The next thing that happened was that someone booked in a discovery call with me to do private coaching. When I jumped in the zoom link, ready for our discovery call, she didn’t show up and thankfully on the form to book in a call with me, there is a phone number field. So she’d populated that I gave her a call and she said, Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t get a reminder, and it wasn’t really clear that this was a zoom call. You asked for my phone number. So I thought maybe you were going to phone me. And again, I had another, aha moment, I don’t have a reminder email set up for my discovery calls. It’s not super clear that it’s a zoom call.

Now, of course, neither of these events is, is catastrophic. My business will be fine, of course, but they were a big wake up call, which was this… clare Wood, the back end of your business, needs some love. Now, again, this wasn’t a huge surprise. Like I said, I know there’s a ton of things that my assistant has put in Asana. There’s tasks that I put in Asana, go and check that this link works, go and update that, record a new video here, check the links here. And as I said earlier, I’ve just been putting it off and putting it off.

So why haven’t I done it sooner? Well, obviously the first thing that springs to mind is time because we only have so many hours in a day and for me, prioritizing my clients and prioritizing the marketing of my business has always been one A big focus area of me. And of course, this is all related to money. You know, I’m in business to make a profit. And, when there’s opportunities to be making sales through my launches, through serving my clients, that’s where I’ve really been prioritizing my time. Also, when you go down the rabbit warren of tidying up the backend of your business, there’s a lot of costs and investments that are involved as part of that process. I’m on the journey right now, and you know, when you discover things that aren’t working, you might need to hire a consultant or pay your team to go and fix up these glitches. So again, this is the reason why I’ve pushed this process off for a while, but recently, uh, we’ve hired, my husband and I have hired a nanny again, and this has been a game changer for both of us time wise.

So when my youngest son was in childcare, we used to have a nanny and she would go and do the childcare pickup and the school pickup. And it was fantastic. But when both of my children started school for the last year, we’ve basically been limping through. We’ve sort of just been doing the juggle with, a bit of support from after school care, hubby doing one day, me doing one day, and it’s been fine for a year. But what happened? We got to the point where we really want to build our dream house. We want to put a swimming pool in. And we realized that neither of us was working a full work week. And so we’ve hired a nanny again. And this means that finally I have a bit more time on my plate. So I’ve said enough is enough, these things that keep popping their head up. It’s time for me to really go deep and get a lot of these cobwebs cleared away in my business so that I am ready for the next income level up.

So let’s go deep into what I’ve actually been doing. So this is a full review of every part of my business. And this is with the support of my beautiful assistant, Sally, who is helping me to implement these changes. So what exactly does this look like?

Firstly, the website. I have been going through my website in detail. It’s kind of funny how life takes over and just sort of just stick band aids on problems as they pop their head up without actually taking a step back and holistically reviewing things. So I haven’t looked at my website in years. And when I came back and started having a look at it, there was so many issues with the copy. There were links that were broken. There was, I had this masterclass on my website that didn’t serve the audience that I serve now. It didn’t tell the message that I’m wanting to teach about how to get right across your business finances. So really doing a detailed review of the website. And again, inside my training, the business makeover masterclass, I’m really going to take you through that in a lot more detail. I’ll show you exactly what I was looking at and how you can do the same in your own website as well.

The next thing that I looked at was my marketing. So I’ve got this podcast. I regularly email my, newsletter list. If you aren’t on my newsletter list, make sure that you go and grab one of my freebies so that you do hear from me. I, I email my list every single week. I have been someone who has shown up consistently on Instagram for years and years. So it’s not like I haven’t had a robust marketing strategy in place. However, what my aha was is that I’ve been doing the same thing again and again, and hoping for a different outcome, which is exactly what I tell my clients not to do. So I’ve really lent in and added a ton of new actual marketing platforms, including updating my funnel. So I’ve revisited the entire marketing ecosystem. And mixing up the strategies that I’ve been using, and I have to say, I am having a ton of fun with this again, inside my training, I’ll take you through what new, actual platforms I’m going to be marketing on, how I’m doing it, how I’m making this process really easy, given that, you know, we do all have limitations on our time.

The next thing that I’ve done is I’ve gone and hired some expert help. So again, I’ve regarded myself, you know, this is what I do for a job. I help people make more money. I can look at other people’s businesses and say, Hey, you need to do this, or why don’t you implement this? Or here’s a ton of ideas for your social media content. And yet, it’s been a while since I’ve really, you know, I work with my coach of course, but it’s been a while since I’ve gone and got some expert advice in specific areas. So I’ve invested to go and work with some experts to really dive deep into a couple of specific areas of my business. One particular example is that I did a session with an Instagram expert. And again, this is a platform where primarily built my business over the last nearly eight years that I’ve been on Instagram. And I thought I’ve got a pretty good handle on it, but when someone with fresh eyes looked at it, Um, I had a lot of aha moments and I’ve made quite a few tweaks to the way that I am showing up on my Instagram as a result of that session. And that’s just one of the experts that I’ve invested in. There’s quite a few.

The next thing that I’ve done. I told you I’m coming at my business with a whole new level of energy because I wanted to step into a whole new level of growth. So the next thing that I’ve done is that I’ve bought a few new courses around some of these marketing systems that I want to use. So again, rather than winging it, I’m one of those people, I truly believe the fastest way to create outcomes is to invest. So I’ve gone and bought some courses across a couple of different platforms and I am having so much fun learning. You know, in business, we never really stagnate, let’s be honest, there’s always a lot going on, but I’m having so much fun just playing around and learning new things. And I realized how much I needed this, not just for the business, but also for me, it’s a real era of personal growth and stretching myself. And I’m really loving it.

And, the next thing that I’ve done was that I’ve reviewed my financials with completely fresh eyes. And if you’re a long time listener, you will think, what the heck, Clare, you are reviewing your financials all the time. This is very true. I do detailed financial reviews all the time, but sometimes again, we can just fall into our comfort zone. I have been revisiting things that to me, I was like, there’s no way that I can do this a different way, but let me share examples of how I’m revisiting my expense structure. I’ve been investigating some really cool AI solutions and automation, which means that a lot of really time heavy activities that have sat with my assistant, I believe can be automated. And I’ve just never really taken the time to go down that route, but it’s been so fun learning about what is available now as compared to even a couple of years ago and starting to implement some of these changes in my business. Again, if you’re curious to learn about what AI solutions I’m looking at and how it’s helping me in my business, I’ll be sharing more about this in the business makeover masterclass in just a couple of weeks. You can join by the link in the show notes for today’s episode.

The next thing that I am doing, and I kind of alluded to this earlier as well, is increased focus and time invested into my marketing, particularly across these new platforms. This episode is, being video recorded now, and it will also be going on my YouTube channel as well. It’s kind of crazy to think I’ve been running my podcast for years and not posting video of it, so it’s now gonna be available on YouTube. So I am going a lot wider with my marketing and I’m trying to really add a lot more into the content that I’m creating. Again, if you’re a long time listener of the podcast, you will know that my episodes are getting bigger and deeper and adding more value than they ever had. And this really excites me because it helps me to create more impact and add more value. And I truly believe that the more that you give, the more you receive.

The next thing that I’ve been doing differently is promoting my revenue streams. What do I mean by that? So obviously I’ve been promoting my services, I’m launching all the time, really, or I have been launching a lot, very regularly, promoting my retreat, my private coaching, my VIP days, my courses. And what haven’t done is been really putting a heavy marketing focus on some revenue streams that I’m really excited about and feel really expanded to grow these areas of my business, one is my book. Yes, I’ve had my book launch. It’s actually been one year since my book launched, which is crazy to think. I haven’t really been doing a ton of promotion around it, particularly recently I did at the start, but there’s a big, beautiful book out there that can help you. Well, I wouldn’t say big. It’s not a particularly long book, but my book I know has helped so many people. You might be listening and you might be one of the people that sent me a DM and said how much value you’ve got out of it or how much it’s helped you with your business. I think there’s so many more people that I have yet to share this book with. And so I really want to get out there and market it and tell more people about intentional profit. I’ve also set up a new funnel for my book. So getting a way that people can download a free chapter, and then of course I didn’t go on to say, Hey, if you love that free chapter, go and grab a copy of the book.

The next thing is that I’ve got an increased focus on promoting my speaking. So I have been in the last year doing paid speaking, not just at events, but also even online talking to people’s memberships, their audiences, teaching people about pricing, about money mindset, and of course about business finances. I haven’t really been promoting that at all. It’s just been people coming to me saying, Hey, would you come and do this speaking opportunity? And I’ve quietly been saying yes. And now I want to loudly and proudly promote that. And so I’m sure you heard the episode where I spoke about that here on the podcast, I’ve updated my speakers page, and I’m going to start proactively pitching for speaking opportunities.

And finally, I told you there’s been a lot, I cannot tell you, this has all been happening over a window of just a couple of weeks, but the energy, the excitement and momentum, this is why I wanted to go and teach this free masterclass because there’s so many things happening and I feel so excited and invigorated and the business just feels like it’s just this whole new level. And I know that a new level of income expansion is going to happen off the back too. But anyway, I digress. Finally, the last thing that I have done is got in place, finally, my end to end funnel so that people can find my programs, go and watch my masterclass and actually go and buy my program from me at any time without me live launching. My hero course, The Profit Academy Foundations, the business finance course that I teach has been evergreen, you have been able to go to my website and buy it. And a few people have, but I haven’t actually had a, a true funnel around it . , I have a masterclass that people can go and watch anytime that then leads them in to be able to go and buy that program. And I have finally, been on the journey to set that up and oh my gosh, it feels so exciting and expansive.

So lots going on. I want to teach you how to do the same. So please come along to my free training, the business makeover masterclass. The link is in the show notes for today’s episode. As I said, I’ll be teaching it live so if you do have any questions, I’ll share them in that live training,

But let me just share what the benefits have been of going on this journey of metamorphosis in my business. Well, firstly, I’m having a ton of fun. I’m sure you can hear as I’m explaining this, I’m learning so much. There’s newness in the business. Oh my gosh. It feels exciting. Secondly, I already feel like my stress levels are reducing because I’m finally getting through all of these little annoying tasks that have been sitting on my to do list and I feel like I’m able to start to take a step back that I’m getting through these bits and pieces, these bits and pieces, backlog. And it feels great. And last but not least, I am sure all of these changes will lead to more profit, both in relation to the cost reductions that I’m identifying through streamlining things through AI and getting more efficient with my processes. And also the new potential revenue opportunities that there are from a doing things better and be getting more eyeballs on the brand.

Let me tell you, I’ve not felt this passionate and inspired about my business in years, and I love my business, but it’s a whole new level. And if you’re feeling a bit stagnant in your business, if you’re wanting some new ideas about how to level up, how to look at everything within your business with fresh eyes, come along to the business makeover masterclass, and I’ll be going a lot deeper in there,

But thank you so much for tuning in to The Clare Wood Podcast. If you believe this episode will be of value to some business friends of yours or your audience, please share it on your social media or send a friend an email or a link and make sure you tag me if you do share it on social so that I can bob on over and say a big thank you.

And before I wrap up today’s episode, from the bottom of my heart, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for listening to my podcast. I know there are a lot of things you could be doing with your time right now. And I really appreciate you being here, investing in yourself and your business and for listening to my, my little podcast. I really appreciate it. If you haven’t done so already, please go and leave me a review on Apple podcasts. I always appreciate getting reviews. It does help more people to find the podcast as well.

With no further ado, I’m going to wrap up today’s episode. Thank you for being here. Have a beautiful week and I look forward to chatting to you again next week on The Clare Wood Podcast. 

* Transcript created by AI – may contain errors or omissions from original podcast audio