From scaling a design business to offering only group programs - without ANY mass marketing
I am so excited to share today’s story with you today because I think it is the perfect example of scaling your business in line with your personality, your values, and your unique skills. All month I’m featuring entrepreneurs who have successfully scaled their businesses deeply by finding ways to grow without relying on mass marketing or techniques that don’t align with who they want to be as a business owner.
Our guest on this episode is Shannon Mattern. Shannon teaches entrepreneurs and solopreneurs how to DIY their websites and market themselves online. Though she started out as a 1-to-1 website designer, she quickly realized that she needed to find a different business model if she wanted to leave her day job and be a full-time solopreneur.
We talk in-depth about Shannon’s journey today, including why she started her business in the first place and how she quickly learned how not to run a business. She walks us through the switch from a commodity-driven business offering 1-to-1 web design services to a new model where she mostly markets her free trainings.
Shannon and I also talk about why relationship building has been critical for her growth and how she knows which relationships to nurture and when. We dive into balancing several different audiences at once, too, and why offering so much free content has been such an effective way to get warm leads. There is so much great stuff packed into this episode - I think you’re going to love it.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
- Why Shannon decided to start a side hustle and what she quickly learned about undercharging and burnout.
- How she learned to position herself as an expert in helping entrepreneurs build sites that grow their businesses.
- How Shannon finds people to partner with for freebie-swaps and evergreen referrals.
- Why she decided to stop offering 1-to-1 design services and transition to a training-based business model instead.
- How she decided to go all-in on courses and validate her offer before taking the leap.
- What Shannon thinks about people who mostly come for her free content and how she balances serving several different audiences.
Links mentioned in this show
- Shannon Mattern | Free Courses | Pep Talks for Side Hustlers Podcast
- Kristin Rappaport
- Ready to create brand messaging that attracts ideal clients instantly? Check out the Brave Messaging Toolkit and learn to expertly articulate the true value of your brand.
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Hey there. I know what it's like to try and fail over and over again. I've been through all the mindset ups and downs, feeling like a failure and wondering why it's so hard to attract amazing clients consistently.
I finally realized, more recently that I'd like to admit, I was still hiding. I was afraid to put my work into the world in case no one wanted it. What I really wanted was for someone to say, "hey you, your stuff is great, come share it with my audience". Finally I realized that that would never happen, not until I started first.
Putting out my content and message into the world had to begin with me. I committed to showing up consistently and building my own meaningful relationships. The result? Much more clarity about how to gain visibility and grow my brand. And, of course, THIS PODCAST which I'm thrilled to host!
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
