Stevie Says Social Podcast

Welcome to the LIFESTYLE BUSINESS SWEET SPOT.  Our new business brand, The Course Cartel, is hellbent on achieving it, in living in it, and in helping other like-minded, ambitious good humans live in it too. It's our ethos. Our unique approach to "doing" online business. Our mission. And now, the focus of our 2.0 Podcast, aptly ALSO named the "Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot". Today heralds the beginning of our new era as we introduce our NEW podcast to you, and just as importantly, our NEW business brand. The mission across both is the same; to cultivate a collective of people all aligned towards a common goal: The Lifestyle Business Sweet Spot -- An impactful digital course business earning $250k+/year profit, working 5-hours days, with a mostly clear calendar and a lean, remote team. We're NOT one of those businesses that sugarcoat the work to get there: From start to finish, it's a three to five year journey. We're also not for everyone, and that's okay. Maybe sc

Well, this is (really) it. After today, Stevie Says Social as a brand is officially no more. It's been five years, a million cheers... and if I'm honest, a few tears. Anyone that has started a little business from a seed of an idea in their mind and a knowing feeling that they were made for more will resonate with me when I say that it's a mighty effort. At the beginning, it's exciting and exhilarating. You grow. You learn. You change. In many ways, it's the biggest lesson in personal development that you will EVER undertake. It becomes a piece of you. A part of you. (And sometimes, it engulfs you.) Each year, on your business birthday, you look back and you reflect - On how far you've come, On where you're going, And on whether your path is still aligned with the one you set out and forged for yourself all those years ago. Sometimes, the answer is yes. And sometimes, like me, it's not. And so, on the eve of Stevie Says Social's fifth business birthday, it's t

"You need to build an audience of people to sell to!" Says every marketer, ever. "BUT HOW?!" I hear you cry. Building your audience - especially when you are just starting out - can feel overwhelming, frustratingly slow and plain difficult to do. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to build a larger audience, it's useful to remember that EVERYONE starts from scratch. You. Me. Gary Vee. Joe Rogan. EVERYONE. We all started with zero followers, zero email list, and zero customers and clients. The most important thing is that you START. In today's Throwback Thursday podcast episode, we are covering three ways to build your audience - whether you're starting from scratch, or you're ready to take your audience growth to the next level. ✔ Build an audience ✔ Borrow an audience ✔ Buy an audience Full show notes for this episode can be found at: https://thecoursecartel.com/99a ----------Want more?

Next up in our Throwback Thursday session, we revisit How I Swapped Clients For Courses!"I don't have time...," says everyone, always.  We're all busy. Ten busy.  Throw a business and kids into the mix and you can dial that baby up to eleven and beyond.  But there's one thing I know for damn sure: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result isn't going to change that for you.  Let's dive in to today's throwback episode!  Full show notes for this episode can be found at:https://thecoursecartel.com/103a ----------Want more?

Growing an online course business is SIMPLE, but not EASY. If you want to supercharge the growth of your online business, there are FOUR core levers available for you to pull on. The secret to BIG success? Taking FAST action, knowing which lever to pull based on the data you receive from the action you take, and continually optimising. In today's podcast episode, we are breaking down the FOUR levers you can pull to supercharge the growth of your online course business. ✔️  Lever #1 - Lead Generation  ✔️  Lever #2 - Conversion Rate  ✔️  Lever #3 - Price  ✔️  Level #4 - Increasing Revenue Per Sale Full show notes for this episode can be found at:https://thecoursecartel.com/168 ----------Want more?

Next up in our Throwback Thursday session, we revisit Why a $400k Sales Month Broke My Business, My Brain and My Bank Account!We’re gonna kick this one off with the big, fat elephant in the room. I mean, title. Namely, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MADE $400K IN A SINGLE LAUNCH?!” Well, dingbat, it means I made a $400k... ish... launch. In December 2020, I made $400k-ish (actually, it landed at $370k or so, and it certainly wasn’t “cash collected”, but it sounds sexy, right?) in the “foundation” launch of my flagship group coaching program, Launchpad. Was I pumped? YEAH. For about two seconds. …Until I realised that completely blasting my projected $100k goal out of the water by 4 X-ing meant that I would be spending the whole of my Christmas break and the two weeks in January before it opened MADLY working my tail off, hiring multiple staff members to help me manage the back end and preparing the program that I truly felt (and still feel) is my life’s work to the standard I expect (aka – very very very high). That l

It's one thing to create an online course; it's entirely another to build the "business" behind it.  Processes, team, finances, SOPs... all things I like to call "operational elegance".  Because, the truth is whilst the gurus will tell you that an online course will give you freedom and flexibility, the REAL truth is that TRUE freedom comes from the systems, routine and operations that you build BEHIND it.  In today's podcast episode, we cover what you need in place to build out the operational structure behind your business. Routine, system and structure will set you free.  Here are the key systems and operational focuses you need:  ✔️ Project Management and Planning  ✔️ SOPs and Back End Systems  ✔️ Financial Forecasting  ✔️ Team and Growth  Full show notes for this episode can be found at  https://thecoursecartel.com/167 ----------Want more?

First up in our walk down memory lane, we revisit for Throwback Thursday what FIVE things Successful Online Course Creators Have in Common!❌ Unpopular opinion: Not EVERYONE is cut out to be a course creator (despite what the online gurus might tell you).In my experience, there are a number of attributes that define a successful online course creator.In this episode, we break down FIVE top attributes successful course creators share.✔ Successful Online Course Creators do the work now, reap the rewards later✔ Successful Online Course Creators enjoy marketing✔ Successful Online Course Creators don’t have Shiny Object Syndrome✔ Successful Online Course Creators live by the motto “Always Be Optimising”✔ The actions of successful Online Course Creators are in alignment with their dreamsFull show notes for this episode can be found at:https://thecoursecartel.com/123a----------Want more?

Ever wondered what it's like once you've "made it"? Well, let me tell you...New levels, new devils, as they say

The secret to making $40k with our lazy course launch? Simply, this:A content plan focused on avoiding the "sea of same"

If there was ONE thing that I would class as "constant" in the Online Education industry, it would be change. Digital education is a billion dollar industry at the forefront of the "move online" movement that we have experienced in fast-forward over the past two years. With more people comes more opportunity... And also, more competition. The things that might have worked a few years ago, the "leeway" you may have had to do things "half-assed"... they're both gone. And for those of us in or considering entering the online education industry you have two choices - adapt and up-level, or leave. In today's podcast episode, I will be sharing five BIG changes that I have noticed in the Online Business (and education) industry over the past little while. I have a unique viewpoint, with both five years of experience in my OWN business and access to hundreds of "online business back ends" through my students inside of our Launchpad program. So, here it is, w

Polarity is a word that I have used a lot lately.It accurately depicts most of my days in business and in life.Life as an online business owner, in my current season of business, requires navigating the mental load of hundreds of humans on a daily basis. Clients, team, prospects... all of it.And with that comes polarity, which is the subject of today's podcast episode.Polarity is the term that I now use to define the fluctuating experiences that often all converge into one, on any given day.One client aces their launch.One is struggling to see sales.One is having an incredible experience and singing praises from the rooftop.Another has defaulted on payment and hasn't replied to several follow-ups.A team member or contractor is firing on all cylinders, kicking KPI goals and acting beautifully in accordance with the values of the company.Another is distant, focused on other things.You deliver a presentation and smash it.Then, you sit down to prepare a podcast and stare at a blinking cursor for an hour

Asking for — and having the objective ability to hear — frank feedback from your clientele on your business and their experience with it is one of the BEST ways to improve and become the VERY best in class.Is it always easy? No.But is it oh so worth it? Abso-freakin-lutely.Especially in small business — where we personally invest our blood, sweat and tears into our offers — there can be a tendency to take everything very personally.One of the most freeing realisations though is that actually, nothing in your business is about you.Your business is fundamentally about solving people's problems. If you are doing well, you will get positive feedback — which is great, but actually has nothing to do with you as a person.Equally, if you get constructive feedback (or even downright criticism), again, it has NOTHING to do with you as a person. It means that there is a gap in your offer or in your processes that needs to be filled.Treating it as such is critical especially if the feedback is delivered constructive

Babies, toddlers, business, oh my!I’ve always said that running a business is the biggest lesson in personal development that you could ever undertake… but throw a 2-year old, a 4-month old, 100 clients and a founder with BIG dreams and high expectations of yourself, and you’ve got yourself a right ‘ol recipe for... well, a good time, actually!Betcha didn’t expect me to say that, did you? Because the RHETORIC is that is kids and business is HARD... and sure, I wouldn’t call it a walk in the park.But also? I’ve CHOSEN this, and I literally wouldn’t have it any other way.In today’s podcast episode, I want to share with you my unique perspective on navigating this “early childhood” phase of business and life, and how I “manage it all”... or more accurately, how I DON’T (and how I’m completely okay with that).How it’s wildly beautiful and how ADJUSTING my expectations down has actually been the catalyst for a sense of happiness and calm in this season that I didn’t think was possible for this little high achiever

What do you do when you start to feel that your brand no longer reflects the evolution and growth of your business?When you start to feel, dare I say it, self-conscious when you’re asked about your business at a party, sure that the name “Stevie Says Social” will diminish your authority or how seriously you’re taken at networking events?When friends and family still ask you to try and help them get into their Instagram account, because your name still has “social” in it despite NOT teaching social media at all — “Don’t you have a little social media business — I only have 50 followers too, and I’m hoping you can help?!” they say, innocently.And when that nagging feeling, deep down, suggests a growing disconnect between the time, effort and importance you place on your business, and the way it is viewed in the eyes of those hearing “Stevie Says Social” for the first time.You re-brand, that’s what — and this year, that’s exactly what I’m doing.Right now? My brand kind of feels like I’m still getting around in t

We’re not gonna lie — online business over the last year or two has required the navigation of some choppy waters, and it looks like the headwinds for ALL businesses (both online and offline, course-based and otherwise) are here to stay for a season or two.And, when things in the online business landscape are more challenging (think IOS changes, increasing ad costs and increased competition for attention online amid declining attention spans, interest rate rises, inflation and accompanying economic shifts), there are always two ways to go.One — wave the white flag, blame your results on market conditions, and give away your power to the “conditions that are”.And two — realise that there will ALWAYS be something, adapt and evolve and become a better, stronger and more resilient business owner in the process.Really, they are your options. And for the ones that choose B, there will be a real opportunity over the next couple of years to double down, build an incredibly strong business and lead whilst others retre

“I don’t have TIME to start a podcast..”“The tech is overwhelming, I don’t know where to start..”“But what if I run out of topic ideas?”If you’ve EVER considered starting a podcast, it’s likely that one of these “buts” have stopped you dead in your tracks. And, I get it.In a world where we’re all frantically trying trying to run a business, maintain a social life, juggle family, drink enough water, text everyone back, stay sane, survive and be happy (PHEW); adding another ‘thing’ to the list can feel like the actual definition of insanity.Plus, you need a mic, you need to learn how to edit, and sure you could probably Google it but every time you do? It feels like you’re drinking water from a fire house. Not to mention the imposter syndrome that creeps in every time it enters your mind — “Like, who am I to start a podcast?” says your mean girl/guy brain.Why ME?! What if I run out of ideas? Do I even KNOW enough to create a podcast each and every week?In today’s podcast episode, you’ll learn why you need to ki

Starting my podcast is hands down, without a doubt, the single most powerful and highest ROI marketing strategy I have ever adopted in my business. It is almost single handedly responsible for 40% of enrolments into our Launchpad program, and for the remaining 60% it is a significant warm up strategy for people who “found” us through other means. We know, because we ask.In today’s podcast episode, I am going to give you a behind the scenes breakdown of the exact impact that podcasting has had on our business, how you can expect it to impact your business if you were to start one, and what I would do differently if I was starting out today.If “starting a podcast” has been on your one day list since 2019 and you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to finally bite the bullet — or even if it hasn’t and you’re looking for a way to supercharge the warmth and growth of your audience and you’re wondering “how” — this podcast episode is for YOU.We are answering the following questions:✔️ Who Is Podcasting Best Suited T

Tough love-bomb

Posting on social media is the LAST thing you should do. And no, I’m not about to get all “you don’t own your social media accounts” or any other boring, generic advice like that.What I quite literally mean, is that when you are building out and implementing  your marketing strategy, the “posting on social media” bit should quite literally be the LAST thing you do when it comes to the order of when to action steps.If ALL you have currently done to market and grow your business has been to post on social media, without a clear path to your offers for those people who DO find you on social, this is the podcast episode for you.In today’s podcast episode, we are breaking down the “build it backwards” strategy for building out your marketing plan so that everything you do is designed to make sales for you!In essence, the secret is THIS: DON’T start posting on social media or implementing ANY sort of visibility strategy UNTIL you are crystal clear on your offer, and you have built out a back end funnel that leads p