The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk - 115: Amy Porterfield - Working With Tony Robbins, Harley Davidson, & Launching Your Own Business

Episode Date: April 13, 2016

Episode 115: Amy Porterfield - Working With Tony Robbins, Harley Davidson, & Launching Your Own Business Amy Porterfield is remarkably intelligent and an absolute joy to talk to.  I love her attitude and approach to her life and business.  Sometimes you have a conversation where it just clicks and this is one of those.  Between being a world class leader/coach/trainer, Amy is successful in multiple life categories.  I loved this conversation. Amy Porterfield is the co-author of “Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies” and a Social Media Strategist.  She creates educational programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them get more traffic, leads and sales with social media marketing. She’s been in the marketing arena for over 12 years and spent over 6 years working alongside Peak Performance Coach, Tony Robbins, where she managed his content marketing team and major online marketing campaigns. Episode 115: Amy Porterfield - Working With Tony Robbins, Harley Davidson, & Launching Your Own Business Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “A Learning Leader Has A Lack Of Ego… There’s So Much To Learn.” In This Episode, You Will Learn: Consistency and regularly “showing up” is the key to sustaining excellence over an extended period of time.  The way to build trust is to be consistent and always do what you say you’re going to do What it was like working with Tony Robbins for 6 years Side Hustle? Why should everyone start one... The importance of approaching your business in phases Specific tactics for Facebook marketing Building your email list – why you must do this Creating your first webinar – how it will help you Always have an opportunity for people to “opt in” The strategy for building a warm audience Creativity is a habit.  It’s a way of thinking As a learning leader, lose the go and look to grow and learn  “As A Leader You Said You Were Going to Do It… You Have To Do It.” Continue Learning: Go To: AmyPorterfield.com    See why over 130,000 people follow Amy on Twitter: @AmyPorterfield Read: Facebook Marketing - All In One For Dummies To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 001: How To Become A Master Connector W/ Jayson Gaignard From MasterMind Talks Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 082: Dan Pink – The Science of Motivation, Legendary Writer & Ted Talk Episode 086: Seth Godin – How To Become Indispensable & Build Your Tribe Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Amy Porterfield on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell   Bio From AmyPorterfield.com Amy Porterfield is the co-author of “Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies” and a Social Media Strategist.  She creates educational programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them get more traffic, leads and sales with social media marketing. She’s been in the marketing arena for over 12 years and spent over 6 years working alongside Peak Performance Coach, Tony Robbins, where she managed his content marketing team and major online marketing campaigns.   Amy also speaks at marketing events, businesses, and networking events about the power of social media. Presentation hot topics include: Facebook marketing "how to", social media marketing strategy, how to streamline your social media chaos, ways to engage in the online world, how to build real, valuable relationships online, and why Facebook just might be your secret weapon to change the game forever for your business.

Because they weren't really talking about their businesses. They were talking more about the freedom and the lifestyle and the time with their families and the fact that they get to create and be their own boss. And I thought, I love what I do here, but I started to get that entrepreneurial itch. I really wanted something on my own. And I didn't want to be on anybody else's schedule or have to take commands or, you know, direction from somebody else. So I just kind of started to feel it.

And then I sat at that table and I thought, I need to do that. I had no idea what I would create. And for those of you who are still in a nine to five, and you're not sure how you would create a business outside of that, I remember that day I thought I have no skills that would translate into building my own business, but I'm still going to try to figure it out. Are leaders born or are they made?

Our host, Ryan Hawk, believes that leaders can be made through determined, focused work on learning the art and science behind the makeup of other successful leaders. Now it's time to inhale knowledge and exhale success. You're listening to The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk. Hey, guys, remember episode number 97 with Alejandro Chene? He is the CEO of Maat and Bao. We both promise to continue our dialogue as we both progressed on our journeys.

And we certainly have, just as I have, with the great people at Mizan and Maine. And Alejandro and his company have decided to sponsor the Learning Leader Show. This episode is brought to you by Motten Bao. I told the story on that episode of why I absolutely love their ridiculously comfortable, handcrafted premium jeans. Also, no ugly back pocket embroidery or weird stitching, just simple, elegant, great-looking jeans. And Montenbao has a free try-on program. You get two sizes to try at home with every purchase.

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Hey, and welcome to the Learning Leader Show. I am Ryan Hawk. Absolutely thrilled with tonight's featured leader. It's with the great Amy Porterfield. Amy is a social media expert. She's the author of a great book called Facebook Marketing All In One. And she has also created a tribe of hundreds of thousands of loyal leaders who are regularly learning from everything she does over at amy porterfield.com. A few of the things we got into tonight.

The importance of consistency, accountability, and trust as a leader. And then her time working for Harley Davidson as well as the six years spent working with Tony Robbins. The things she gleaned from those experiences were incredible. I loved the story she told during this conversation. And then practical tips and strategies on how to create and grow your platform from absolutely nothing to hundreds of thousands of people just as she's done. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, it's Amy Porterfield. Amy, again, thank you so much for being here on the Learning Leader Show. I have a quick question for us as we get started.

and that's around sustaining excellence over an extended period of time. You have done a fantastic job of surrounding yourself with people who have done this, and you've certainly done it as well. I'm curious, what are some of the common characteristics that people and leaders who have sustained excellence over an extended period of time all seem to share? You know, the first word that comes to mind is consistency. I have really studied some of my mentors. and what makes them so excellent, and what makes them keep moving forward, growing their

audiences, getting so many people engaged. And what I've noticed out of all of them is that they are creating consistent content and they're showing up consistently. So they have that drive to always be out there doing what they promised over and over again. And I think that makes a huge difference in success. Who are the first people? I think of Tony Robbins, but I don't know if that's who you think of, maybe. because of your background, but who are the first people you think of when you think of

consistent sustained excellence? Three people I think of Michael Hyatt. He has always been putting out his blog on a regular basis and doing it a lot. Like he used to blog so much more than he does now, but I think that's interesting that in the very early years he was doing it more, and I think that was needed. Now he's pulled back a little bit, but he's still consistent with his podcast. He's still consistent with his blogs. Marie Forleo is another one.

She's a great mentor of mine from day one before I even left Tony Robbins. And she has always put out her newsletter every single week. Laura Roder is another one. She's in the social space and now owns the tool Edgar, social media scheduling tool. She never missed a week of putting out her email, which was a newsletter. And it might seem like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference in standing out from the competition. It's interesting you bring this up, Amy. And I didn't know you're going to say this, and I'm really glad you did because I've spoken with different entrepreneurs and leaders about this very feat with consistency.

For me, I think my listeners know that I release my podcast at 7 o'clock Eastern every Wednesday and every Sunday night. And I've done that now for going on a year. And I believe in that completely, I live it every day to make sure that I have two a week at the exact same time, the exact same day, so that everyone's going to have one cue. up for a Monday morning drive or late Sunday night if they want and then another one in the midweek in case they need one to hold them over to the next one. And so I'm a huge believer in consistency. However, I've spoken with some mentors of mine who have said if you're creating fantastic content and it's so good, it doesn't matter when you release it.

You can release it any time. Even if one week there's three and then you don't have one for two or three weeks. How do you answer when you hear others who say that they don't think consistency, matters as much as you or I do. You know, I think that it does matter, and I don't necessarily agree with that. But they're also saying that as long as you're putting out really good content, and that part is just as important as the consistency part. But where I think it's important and why I don't agree with some of the mentors that have

said that is because as a leader, you said you were going to do something. And usually we say, okay, I'm going to put out this content pretty regularly. And as a leader, I think you get the confidence in knowing, look, I said this, I'm going to do it, and I'm sticking with it. And that weekly habit of putting out your podcast or two times a week does something to you as a leader. And it makes you take action, which gives you momentum in so many other areas of your business. So if you said, okay, guys, I'm going to put out some impeccable, amazing content, look for it. I'm not exactly sure when it's coming out, but when it comes out, it's going to be really good.

that's a whole different conversation than every Sunday night and midweek and seven o'clock. Like that is a different kind of leader. And I think it does something to your audience where they trust you. There's affinity. There's a relationship. And it does something to you as the leader. You show up. And that counts for something.

Well, it also creates a way to hold yourself accountable to what you said you're going to do. And if I, that, that kind of drives me to always be reaching out and seeking fantastic guest because I know that that two times a week at the exact same time on the exact same day, new fantastic content is going to come out. And so I have to do it because that's what I said I would do. So I love that you said consistency because I wasn't sure where you're going to go. And I obviously, that's one piece of advice that I've received from a couple mentors that I have not listened to when they said, hey, just focus on the content. Don't worry about the timing. I've said, I'm going to, I think I'm going to focus on both. I want the content to be great with world class leaders,

but also make sure that I'm going to be there for the people listening who say, hey, man, I need something to listen to as I'm driving to work 45 minutes on Monday morning, and I count on your show. And I love getting those types of emails. And that makes me, it drives me to want to do it even more. And a little bit, a little secret to that, and that is that when I first started my podcast, I've been doing it for a few years now, I was not consistent with it being weekly. I just said, I'll get it out when I get it out.

And it was great content. but because I wasn't doing it weekly, I found a million excuses to work on other stuff that derailed me. And so I really do believe that if you don't put a stake in the ground and say when you're going to get that content out there, other things get in the way. And then you're not really managing your business in a way that's streamlined. So again, comes back to accountability, but it's really easy to make excuses that something else is more important than putting out that content.

Absolutely. So Amy, I want to dive into you. And your story, obviously have built up an incredible business that I'm a big fan of your work. I've been following you for quite some time. But you originally worked alongside the guy I mentioned earlier, Tony Robbins. So I'd love to learn a little bit about your career arc and the origin story about how you went from working for him and his company to now doing what you do today. Yeah, it was a pretty amazing experience.

I actually started my marketing career with Harley Davidson motorcycles of all things. I tend to joke that I'm not a biker chick by any means, but it was a pretty cool experience because, as you know, or most people know, the Harley-Davidson audience, they're like diehard fans. They tattoo the logo on their body. So it was a great place to start to learn about what it takes to build that type of community and that kind of tribe. But shortly after that, I went to work with Tony Robbins and I got to travel the world with him and work on the content that he would do on stage at his live events like,

Unleashed the power within, date with destiny, and then behind the scenes inside of his digital products, like the new Money Masters and a lot of the cool products that he put out during the six years that I was there. So it was a pretty amazing experience. I often say that the way I create content and how I built out my community, so much of that was from what I learned from Tony. And when I was there, he started to get into the online launching world. He started to want to launch his online products in a bigger way on the web. And so he brought in a bunch of internet marketers. So if you know the space at all, Frank Kern, Eben Pagan, Brendan Bouchard, Jeff Walker, some of the people that were at that table talking about how they launch their online training

programs online. So how they launch and what they do and what that looks like. And so he went around the table and he started to talk to all these guys. And I got to be like a fly on the wall. I was literally on an outside table taking notes, and I didn't even know who these guys were. But right when they started talking, I thought, what the heck are they talking about? This sounds amazing because they weren't really talking about their businesses. They were talking more about the freedom and the lifestyle and the time with their families

and the fact that they get to create and be their own boss. And I thought, I love what I do here, but I started to get that entrepreneurial itch. I really wanted something on my own. And I didn't want to be on anybody else's schedule or have to take commands or, you know, direction from somebody else. So I just kind of started to feel it. And then I sat at that table and I thought, I need to do that. I had no idea what I would create.

And for those of you who are still in a nine to five and you're not sure how you would create a business outside of that, I remember that day. I thought I have no skills that would translate into building my own business, but I'm still going to try to figure it out. So, of course, we all have skills that would translate into a business. business. At the time, though, I just felt like I didn't. So it took me a good year and a half after that to make the leap out and to build my own business. Which then you did. And I'd like to learn from you about that specific moment when you said

you've used the phrase burn the boats. And I actually want to talk to you about that and why you did that. But I'd like to first for you to describe why you decided to burn the boats and go and do it. At the time when I was in my nine to five job. I definitely just got tired of having to be on somebody else's schedule. And I traveled a lot. I had just gotten married. So my lifestyle was changing personally. And the work situation just wasn't working for me anymore. So there were those personal ties right there. But also, I felt that I had something to offer. Again, I didn't know what it was. But I really wanted to call the shots. So again, I did it because I knew that I never, I didn't want to always have to show up at the office.

I didn't want to always do the nine to five thing. So it was really a thing of freedom and maybe I could have a different life. So that's what started to spur it. And then did you start it on the side as a side hustle or how to go? Great question. Yeah. Okay. So what happened was I decided I was too scared to take the leap, like totally go out on my own.

I had great insurance. I got paid a lot of money at Tony Robbins, and they took really good care of me. So I was so afraid to start my own thing. So what I did is I started to put some feelers out there. I started to learn more about social media because I thought that was the area I might want to go. I asked to be moved to the marketing department when I was inside Tony Robbins. So this is kind of an interesting thing those in 9 to 5 can think about. I knew that there was some openings over in marketing.

And at the time, I was in content development. and I was there for a long time. I had built up respect in the business. So when I asked, hey, can I move over here and work on these projects? I really have a passion for this. And I want to get my hands dirty in these online launches. Can I do this? And they said yes.

So it never hurts to ask, especially when you've worked hard in the business. And then from there, I started learning these online launches in the marketing department. And I had asked, hey, can I work from home some days of the week? Because I knew in the early mornings and late. nights, I needed to work on figuring out what this business could look like. So yeah, I kind of started a side gig where when I got better at the online launches, I got really good at social media. I started consulting and coaching. So that was like phase one of my business on the side, coaching consulting as a way to make sure I knew what the heck I was doing and also start bringing in

some money. Once I had a few clients that could pay the bills, that's when I officially took the leap. And you mentioned burn the boats. And here's what I learned from Tony Robbins about that. He says when you're passionate about something and you want something really bad and you know you've got to succeed in this and that's kind of how I felt with my own business, you have to storm the islands and burn the boats. Now there's a difference between burning the boats and burning the bridges. Burning the bridges would mean cut off all ties relationships and you don't have any connection there. That's not what I did. I burned the boats in that I told myself there is no going back because it's funny. The minute I went out on my own, I got all these requests for,

hey, come work for us as a full-time gig, or, hey, you work for Tony? Well, I've got this great position for you. And I got all these offers that would have been amazing, but I still wouldn't have been my own boss. And also the Tony Robbins crew, because they're amazing, came back and said, well, what about working on this one project or what about that? But I knew if I said yes to any of those, I would get way too comfortable and I wouldn't continue to build my own thing. So I had to burn the boats and say never going back, never going back to a nine to five, never going back to working for those people where I'd get really comfortable. It was really difficult to say no, though. Really interesting story. It's more in depth than I've read and heard before. So how many people

actually work at Tony Robbins, like the company itself? Oh gosh. I don't know. It's been a long time since I've been there. When you were there, was it like, I mean, I'm trying to like even. A couple hundred. Okay, a couple hundred. Yeah. What? I'm, I'm, I want to. to relate this to people who are listening, specifically who are having thoughts like yours, Amy, and that's why it's important. So, because you probably were making a good living. How much were they paying you? So when I left, I was a little over $100,000. Okay. So you're making good money, supporting yourself. And you mentioned you just gotten married. So you started having more responsibilities. And so that's why it's probably difficult because most people, you just live to the lifestyle of what

you become acquired to, meaning you kind of, you save money. but you also make more and you start spending more, at least most people do. So how did you offset that or balance that or when you started your own thing, were you doing pretty well because you already had some coaching clients and consulting lined up so that when you went full go on your own, you were able to get close to making the same money quickly or did it take some time? So that first year, I was really lucky in that I pretty much broke even in terms of what I made in coaching and consulting and what I made at Robbins.

But it's interesting because I was doing a lot of coaching and consulting and I took a few big clients. So they kind of took a big chunk of my time, which again, I tease that instead of having one big boss literally, Tony's a big guy, I ended up in those first two years having a bunch of consulting clients that I still felt like I was answering to somebody because I didn't know how to set expectations and boundaries. And so they were calling at all hours, requesting this and that. Their expectations were crazy of what I could do for them.

So I got into a little bit of a pickle, those first two years of taking on way too many clients because I was fearful. What if I lose one? I won't be able to pay the bills. Like my head goes to a really dark place. So I took on too much, which is, I think, really normal in your first few years out of business or starting your own business. But what happened was in that second year, I thought this is not actually the business

model I ultimately want. I wanted to create online training programs. That's what I really wanted to do. So in that second year, I ended up firing all of the business. my consulting clients because I had created my first official online product. It was about Facebook marketing. And so where I messed up is I shouldn't have cut bait that quickly because I really started to go into debt that second year because I didn't want all those coaching and consulting clients. I could have managed it better. So I tell you that because we all make these mistakes.

Now, luckily, my online program did well and I was able to kind of recoup really quickly, but it was a little bit of a scary time. So, yeah, so you mentioned your mistake. Initially, you were basically doing the same thing, just you had different bosses. Yes. As opposed to then you, and I think of Pat Flynn, you wanted to have passive income. You're right. More so than you're basically still trading your time for money that first year or first two years.

Yes. And I recently recorded a podcast about this. It's not out yet. But I talked about approaching your brand new business when you leave a nine to five in phases. And I think phase one is great. in terms of consulting and coaching because you get your hands dirty and you learn what your avatar needs and wants from you. It's just that you need to be really careful how you do it. You can't take on too much and you definitely need a date in sight to say, okay, this is when

I'm going to change my business model into the business model I really want. So that consulting time was good. It just wasn't managed well. I didn't know what the heck I was doing, to be quite honest. So then you create the online course and it starts going well. So what happened next? So it started to go well and I thought, this is exactly what I love. And that's around the time that I got into webinars. I started to learn how to do webinars to sell my online training course. And at that point, I never looked back. I never took another consulting or coaching client. So this was into 2012. And I started to create more programs based on the feedback of what I knew my audience wanted and needed. So today I have a suite of online training programs. I rarely speak on stage for money. I don't take any consulting or coaching clients because it's not really my strength. And I just really focus on my students inside my online training courses. Wow.

How many do you have at any one time? So today I have three with a fourth one coming out in early May. So I have one on Facebook Marketing 101. And then I have one on list building. And then the one that's coming out in May is all about how to create online training courses. and then the final one is how to launch those courses with webinars. So I finally got smart about creating a product suite, but for the record, I've been doing this since 2010, and my product suite just came together this last year.

So these things take time. One really quick piece of advice for anyone listening that wants to start their own thing or they've been starting their own thing. You can't compare your business today to someone's business that they've been at it for a while. My business did not look like it looks today even two or three years. ago. We all grow into this stuff. We all kind of, you know, make our own success, but it's always been a little bit messy along the way. I was recently helping a friend as he writes an incredible blog. The one issue was that not many people are able to see it yet. They don't know. He hasn't

really built a platform of any. There was not even an email list had been created. If somebody like that talked to you, who they're creating fantastic content just from their own written word and their thoughts and they're able to use great metaphors, to tell stories and tie it back to facts, specifically on the topic of leadership. What are the first few things those people like that should do in order to grow their list, grow their platform, all the things that you think they need to do in order to, if at some point they'd like to have a Michael Hyatt type platform? I think one of the first things to really focus on something I did not do in the beginning is list building.

And specifically, find your ideal perfect customer. And you're already creating content, especially if you're eloquent with your words, like it sounds like this contact of yours was. If you feel really good about creating the content, now you have to find ways for people to dive deeper with you in terms of what I call content upgrades. And so one of the easiest things you can do is if you already have a blog, inside some of those blogs, create opportunities for people to go deeper. So here's an example. I created a blog post about the four myths of doing webinars and kind of the fears that people have about doing webinars.

And inside of the article, I have this one kind of, it's a bar, like an image. And it says, if you want to dive deeper and learn about the five rookie mistakes that most people make with webinars, click here to grab your cheat sheet. So they click there and they opt in. They give me their name and email for some more content. It's totally aligned. with the article they're reading so I know they're going to want it. And I put it right there in the middle of the article to kind of stop them in their tracks and say, look, I got some even better stuff right here opt in. So I'm always creating content upgrades with some of my best blog posts and best podcast episodes in order to help my audience learn more, but also for me to

grow my list. Wow, interesting. Are there other tips? I really like that one because I feel like I could even do some of that as well in the midst of, you know, from a podcast perspective, I believe last time I checked roughly 80% of the people who listened to it listened via iTunes or Stitcher. And so the remaining ones listen on my website, learningleader.com, which is actually maybe a little bit higher than I thought because I think mobile-wise, if you're mobile, you're probably on iTunes or Stitcher. So I thought 20% was higher than I expected.

But if it is, and that means people are, you know, obviously going to my website and listening there. but there's kind of a drop down and not a great way to capture my email. So if you saw that, what are some things you'd say in addition to embedding an optin right in the middle of a post? I think definitely if you have a podcast talking about a freebie. So I do this all the time on my podcast where I'll tell people, okay, so if you like this episode, I created an exercise or a cheat sheet or a blueprint to go along with it.

And I use lead digits. It's a lead pages feature. So lead digits to tell people if you want it, text the phrase whatever to the number, whatever. So I often have a texting opportunity because you're right. A lot of the people, especially if it's a podcast, they're listening on their mobile. And so texting would be the best way to go. So I make sure that whatever I do, I always have an opportunity for people to opt in to get something even better.

So that might mean that I do a lot of Facebook ads. So here's another way to grow your list. Facebook ads to me are an essential piece of anybody's online marketing strategy. And what I do is I run Facebook ads to my blog post. And then on the blog post, if they like it, there's that content upgrade. So one of the things that's really tough for a lot of people just starting out, especially, is to get traffic to their content that they're working so hard on. I've been at it for a while and I still think it's difficult to get enough eyeballs on my content

to make it worth all the effort I put into creating it. And so I'm constantly running Facebook ads to specific blog posts I wrote that I know are going to be really valuable, really juicy for that person that's reading it. And they're likely going to want to share it because it's so good. So I put some effort there as well. And then webinars. I do a lot of webinars not only because I sell my online programs on my webinars, but they are amazing list building strategies as well. A webinar is a fantastic list building strategy because people are opting in to listen to you for a complete hour and if you do a good job of delivering impeccable value even if they don't buy your product they're going to come back for more so you're growing your list and you're letting them see a different side of you hearing your voice and you get to teach them in real time john corkron is always emailing me telling me how i need to do webinars in addition to my podcast i have i listened to them i agree with them i have not done it yet for someone who is for amy for someone who's never do you know john i assume you do john knows everybody okay

Yes. For someone who's never done it but would like to. And I go and give speeches and things like that. So I think there's some content that could be sure, but I don't know. I don't have like the topic. What is webinar 101 for someone who's never done one but thinks they could potentially provide value and content but has never done it and just there's a little bit of fear there because I just don't know what I'm doing?

Yes, definitely. I totally understand there is a fear there. There's a lot of steps that if you want to do a webinar strategy, right. There's a lot of steps involved. But to get started with something like that, what you want to do is think about the end in mind. And you want to think about, well, what do I have that I could sell? So really quick, if you have an online training program, that's a perfect transition from a webinar, but maybe you don't have that yet. So could you sell a coaching package or a consulting package or a live event or whatever it might be or a live workshop online? So you want to think about the end in mind. And whatever it is you think would sell really well to

your ideal audience, you want to think about the content and you want to ask yourself, what do I need to help my audience understand, be aware of, or believe in order to want to do business with me? So an example of that is if I was going to do a webinar about creating online courses. In my webinar, I would likely walk people through what it takes the phases of putting together an online course. You need to do this and that. Here's an area where you might get stuck and this is what the technology looks like. And here's how you put together an outline. And I just let them see kind of what it takes to put together an online course. Because when they understand the steps or phases, then they start to think, wait, this is doable. I can do this.

And I also talk to them about how it can impact their business model and their revenue and their growth and their list and all that. So I show them the possibility. But I'm teaching because whenever I do a webinar, you want to think of this. No matter if somebody buys or or not from your webinar. You want them to walk away feeling educated, inspired, and driven to take action. So whatever you teach them, it can't be just a sliver so that they don't really feel they got value and then you sell to them. You want to spend 45 minutes of great impeccable value and then say, if you want this and you want more of it and you want to work with me, let me tell you about this opportunity. So that's what you want to make sure of. What does your

audience need to know, be aware of, or understand in order to want to do. do business with you. That's what you teach them. This has been, I love this talk, Amy, because the whole thing is practical tips that could literally be implemented immediately. And that's really what I'm about on this show. So I have to just take a brief minute to thank you for that. So glad. And I want to keep going on that for a few more of these questions. So let's stay on the theme of the learning leader show here since you're on it. And we're talking already. And it's easiest for me to talk about because It's what I do every day.

If I was, if I hired you, and I know you don't really do this anymore, but let's say I did. I hired you and you said, okay, I'll take you on as a client here to consult. And I said, Amy, my main goal right now is a few things when it comes to my, the podcast is really the foundation of what I do. So my main goal is to grow the number of people that come to my website, to grow my email list and to grow the number of people who listen to my show because I believe eventually that, that will turn into something even bigger, whether it's more speaking gigs, whatever it may be, a book, things like that. How would we begin that coaching relationship and some of the first things you would say to me where right now, like I mentioned to you prior to recording, there's over 110, 20 episodes out now. It's listened to an 103 countries, hundreds of thousands of people. So it's going really well, but I wanted to, you know, everybody wants it to continue to get bigger and bigger because you want to have an impact on people.

What are some of the first things you would tell me to do? Well, the first thing I'd ask is if you have a signature freebie, some kind of giveaway that if I went to your website right now, let's say across the top in a feature box, do you have a way for people to opt in to something really valuable instantly? I do. Okay. I initially created a PDF. I'm actually working on something that's even better than what's currently there.

But there's an opt-in. I use opt-in monsters, the specific tool I use that kind of comes down and pops up and so that's how people opt in. Okay, good. Because I always tell people that you want that signature freebie, that one giveaway that if people come to your website, it's there waiting for them right away if they want to jump in and get more they can. The second thing I'd say is, are you using Facebook ads?

I have done this some. It's interesting. So I recently had the Simon Seneca episode where I did boost that one. And maybe I didn't do it right, but it actually got a huge engagement after that. And then Simon himself did it separately on his Facebook. And that's, and that kind of flooded my website. And it actually was a big list builder for me when Simon and I both kind of

tripled down on that episode because I thought it was a fantastic episode. And he was, he was great. And so I have experimented, but I probably need to learn more about that. Yeah, I think, I think that's fantastic that you got some great feedback. And obviously, if it worked well there, I think you can continue that. So what I would say to you is you want to create some kind of Facebook. ad strategy. And it might mean that you pick, let's say, five of your most popular podcast episodes

or for those that just blog, five of your most popular blogs. And I want you to, if you have blogs, I would build content upgrades into those. For the podcast, as you move forward, I would think, if you're going to do a podcast episode that you're thinking, this is going to be really good, in advance, I would think of a content upgrade that you can talk about. And so when you actually run an ad to, let's say, you're shown. notes where people can actually listen to the podcast episode, if you could have a content upgrade in there, that's even better. But here's why this is important. I would, when you run Facebook ads, you can put a pixel on your website and a pixel on that specific blog post or

show notes. Then when you do that, you're creating a really warm custom audience that you can target later. So creating this custom audience of people that are visiting your certain podcast episodes is really important because when you're ready to promote, let's say you do a webinar, you have this warm audience you can target. And one of the biggest challenges with Facebook ads is who do I target and who's going to get me the most conversions with the least amount of money? And so right away, I would say to you, if I were coaching you, let's start building some warm audiences that we can target in the future. So get that pixel on your website, driving as to specific show notes about podcast episodes and getting some content upgrades in there.

Because I think the whole focus here is finding your audience, getting in front of them, and getting them on your email list. Now, for you just hearing about a little bit about who you are and what you're about and you sound great on a podcast and you're used to speaking, I'd say webinars, webinars, webinars, definitely. And do you have an online course? No. Okay, so that would be something I'd probably think about in terms of, you know,

one of the coolest ways to have consistent revenue in your business. and have that flexibility, that passive revenue is through online courses. So starting to think about, you know, what could I create that I could put on autopilot through webinars? It's kind of an amazing business model once you get it going. I've seen a ton of that online, I think, and that's, but I just haven't gone that route yet. It's a big step, definitely.

It seems like it makes a lot of sense. I mean, I knew I've followed Lewis House for a while, too. I know he's really been a master at that too. I'm going to talk to him on this podcast. podcast and it's, it's interesting to see how that's dynamic because unfortunately, like other things, once it becomes more popular, then there's some not so professional people that get into it and can sometimes give it, give it a bad name for all the other good people who are actually doing it.

Right, definitely. And that's just something that I always just make sure I have impeccable content. That's what I teach in my courses course. Yeah, you got to, it definitely has to be amazing content. You said you use the word pixel and that's how you create your warm audience. That kind of lost me for a second. It's tricky, so I'm glad you brought it up. So there's something called a Facebook pixel, and you get it from Facebook, and they have

tutorials on it so you could figure it out online, but you add this pixel to your website head tag. I know now I'm getting way techie, and I am not a techie girl at all. But you add this, I have a programmer do it and takes them five minutes, but you add this pixel to your website, and that way, Facebook can track with your ads all the people that are visiting your website. And if they have a Facebook account, they put them into a bucket for you and say, here, here's an audience you can target. These are all the people that just visited your website over the last 30, 60, 90 days, whatever you want it to be. So this pixel is really important when

you're running Facebook ads so that you can not only see if your ads are converting well, which the pixel will tell you, but also you can start creating these custom audiences. And it definitely is a little tricky. And I'm glad you brought that up because let's talk real quick about that tricky technology stuff when you're building your business. There are things that are going to stop you in your tracks. Like, I don't know how to do this. This is too complicated. A lot of people don't create online training courses or do webinars because the technology freaks them out. I'm the first to say that I hate the technology part. I don't really like having to get in there and figure it out. But it's part of doing business and we've got to push ourselves past it. And these days,

there's so many great tutorials out there that if you dig a little, you can always find a way to do it. Just don't let that be the thing that stops you because there's so many. any rewards on the other side. Now, it makes so much sense. Amy, and like I said, I'd love that we're getting really practical here for people. I know it might not be for 100% of the people, but for the ones it is, it could be extremely helpful when it comes to ways to grow your business from, really from nothing as, you know, you created yours from nothing.

You had a regular job. You were doing extremely well. And I think those stories are incredibly inspiring to people. And before we go, I did want to bring up, though, that I know your dad had a big influence on you. And I'm the same way both my parents do. And I think a lot of people listening, I've gotten emails from people who talk about their parents and the effect and impact they've had on them. And he told you that you should, I'll let you tell it, I guess, but basically to work hard to become your own boss. And I'd love to learn more about that and your relationship with him and how that's gotten you to this point.

Yeah, thank you for asking. So my dad was a firefighter all my life. He's a retired firefighter from, and I'm California now. And when I was growing up, and I was really young, he used to always say, Amy, find a way to be your own boss. And I was little, like five or six of the time, playing with Barbies like, yeah, dad, whatever, I'm playing right now.

And he'd say it all the time. So when I got older, he continued to say it. And it's interesting because my dad worked for the city, so he wasn't his own boss. He had a side gig, like a side business. He was blue collar to the bone. So he was air conditioning and heating in his own little business on the side when he wasn't at the station. Anyway, he always said this and I never thought about it until I became an entrepreneur.

And I realized, wait a second, my dad had been saying this to me since I was a really little girl and I get it. I know now why it's so important, so valuable. And it's fun. I just talked to my dad the other day and he loves to hear like what I'm doing in my business and what it looks like. And he gets none of it. Like none of it makes sense to him. but he loves to hear that I get to call the shots and be creative and all that good stuff. So I really do attribute to much of what I do from that lesson that I really didn't understand

until I got here. I love it. It's inspiring and it's really cool to hear. I'm glad that you talk about that. One more question. When you hear the phrase learning leader, what is the first thing you think of? Lack of ego, the first thing I think of. So when you can just always know that you don't know at all, there's so much to still learn.

You need to be open-minded and you need to always be learning new ways to think and execute. I think a learning leader is the only way to be a leader and you've got to be open-minded and let that ego go. I absolutely love it. So good, Amy. Thank you again for being here. It's been phenomenal. And again, I love the practical guidance that you have given to, to be. both. Certainly for me, I've learned a ton as well as everyone listening. Where would you send

everybody to learn and find more about you online? Oh, Ryan, thank you so much for having me. I really do appreciate it. This has been a lot of fun. And I'm at amy porterfield.com. So you can find out a lot of good free content and details there. Sounds good. Again, thanks so much, Amy, and I absolutely want to continue this dialogue as we both progresses. It's been great. This episode of The Learning Leader Show is over, but we have plenty more to keep you locked in until next time. Head over to learningleadershow.com for more information and to request your favorite entrepreneur, CEO, world class athlete, or anyone else that inspires you. You can also talk to Ryan directly by reaching out to him on Twitter at Ryan Hawk 12. Thanks again and we'll see

you next time on the Learning Leader Show.