Category: Work

What if I told you that you’re wasting your time? I’m not talking about procrastination, either. I mean, the majority of your dedicated work time isn’t really accomplishing much of anything at all… I’m talking about the Pareto principle which tells us that 80% of your outcomes actually come from just 20% of your efforts. The flip side of that means that 80% of your work time is being spent to produce ONLY 20% of your results. So basically, you’re working too hard. Or, at least, working too hard on the wrong things… Does that make you a little mad?

When I first heard it, I was a little frustrated and even tried to prove it wrong, but then I realized the Pareto principle could be exploited to get exactly what I want… more freedom! 80/20 means we can work less (by ditching the ineffective tasks from the 80%) and produce more (by putting the emphasis on the 20% that actually results in cash money sales). The concept, and how to take advantage of it, is broken down in The 80/20 Principle by Robert Koch, our Free Mama Squad book club choice this month. Not so coincidentally, I was listening to this audiobook while putting in mayyyyyybe 20% effort while on vacation during my birthday last month and simultaneously bringing in about 80% of our revenue for May. You may have heard this concept before, and the author gives examples of 80/20 in everything from book stores sales to car accidents, the clothes you wear in your closet to who is responsible for divorce rates. But everything I heard my mind automatically related back to YOU, the Free Mamas. In fact, my team and I often operate off of a similar phrase when evaluating our goals and actions on a quarterly, monthly, weekly or even daily basis: “Input vs. Impact”. In other words: how much effort does it require and how big of an impact is it really going to make? Chances are, the things that you’re worried about in your business (and therefore spending entirely too much time on), aren’t actually the BIG things worthy of your focus. Things like your business name, brand colors, the perfect social media post, or launching a website… So. How do you find and exploit the 20%? I wanted to give you some tips on how I do it: 1. Take an honest look at all of your daily and weekly tasks and identify which give you the most return. What are the most needle-shifting things you’ve done? Where did your last client come from? Where did your highest-paying project come from? What activity generated the most leads? 2. DROP (Delegate, Remove, Outsource or Partner up on) the 80% of tasks that aren’t contributing to the majority of your results. 3. Adjust your time blocking to spend more time on the revenue-generating activities that are actually working for you, instead of just working to work. If you need help doing this, I want to remind you about my Daily 5 productivity tool that helps you focus on the 20%, so you can prioritize your most outcome-driven tasks first. You can download a PDF here, or a digital version is now available on The Free Mama App in the App Store or Google Play Store. The next time you’re worrying about redoing your website again or changing your business name, remember 80/20. Input vs. Impact. Work smarter not harder. If you found this helpful or needed this reminder today, hit reply and let me know!

What if I told you there was a way to make money, help connect people with the products and services they need to improve their lives, and you didn’t have to worry about fulfilling on those results? Let me introduce you to my favorite revenue stream inside of my business today. Affiliate Marketing is when you promote another company’s product or service and you receive a commission on the sales you bring in. Now I know what you may be thinking, but it’s not like network marketing at all. For starters, there’s zero recruitment on your end, plus you are not responsible for providing the actual product or service, either. In this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV, I’ll walk you through the dos and don’ts of successful affiliate marketing. Who knows, this could be the revenue stream that adds hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands to your business! Make sure you watch this video about affiliate marketing and subscribe to FreeMamaTV so you never miss an episode.

P.S. Have you been wanting to learn about the Cashflow Quadrant but don’t want it mansplained to you? Check out last week’s episode of FreeMamaTV where Lauren breaks it down for you.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

When you search “Cashflow Quadrant” on YouTube, your results will be full of men. In a world full of Finance Bros, I wanted to make a video breaking down the Cashflow Quadrant… for women. I wanted to make a video for YOU. This principle has helped me make a massive shift with my business-owner mindset, and I have a feeling you should know about it too. Make sure you join me for today’s episode of FreeMamaTV and send us an email at hello@thefreemama.com with any other topics you don’t want to be mansplained to you.

P.S. You may have been thinking of your niche the wrong way! Check out last week’s episode of FreeMamaTV to learn how to pick the right one.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

These last few days I’ve been telling you about how moving from self-employed to business owner has been a huge game-changer for me and my family. 7 years ago, freelancing helped me take control of my time and work from home, allowing my family to move and schedule things around our priorities. After a few years, though, we were still living somewhat paycheck to paycheck, and after Audrey was born I realized that if I stopped freelancing, those invoices stopped, as well. I knew I had to take everything I’d learned as a 1:1 services provider and my passions and expertise and package it into the type of business that would earn and work, even when I wasn’t. I needed a machine. In 2017 I started building the freedom machine that’s allowed me to scale my business, pay off over $100k in debt, travel whenever I want, and create a community of the absolutely, most amazing humans I didn’t even dream was possible (that’s you!). I’m going to go into much more detail at our upcoming virtual event (apply for your free invite here), but here are 3 things I did to transition from being a freelancer and into a business owner: Move from 1:1 services to a 1:many business model There are so many different ways to do this (remember earlier this week I told you not to believe the gurus who tell you their way is the only way). You could write an ebook, design templates, launch a newsletter or a membership, record a video course or workshop, or a million other ideas. The key is to productize in the digital world. Not only will inventory not run out, but you build it one time then sell it over and over again! Adjust marketing efforts to reach more people more efficiently and effectively When you’re a freelancer, you often only need a handful of clients at any given time and the most effective marketing strategy is often talking to humans. When you invest time and energy into relationships with other business owners, you can grow your own network exponentially and often build a very healthy referral-based business. However, when you switch to a 1:many model, you’ll need more eyeballs on your offer to generate consistent sales. Learning new traffic and marketing strategies is important to feeding your freedom machine! Step out of the manual execution of marketing, sales, and operations Perhaps one of the hardest transitions into business ownership is looking at your expenses as investments. Whether you’re paying for a team or software, when you choose to automate or outsource you’re literally buying back your time, improving your efficiencies and astronomically impacting your earning potential. It’s scary if you’ve never done it before, or technology isn’t your jam, or you’re making these investments before you have a ton of proof. I understand, I’ve bet on myself many times, and sometimes I still feel nervous about it. With that said, I literally wouldn’t be where I am today as the founder of The Free Mama without making these mindset shifts!

You can do this. And you certainly don’t have to do it alone. This is your last chance to apply for an invite-only sneak peek to our Freedom Founder Society virtual event next Wednesday and Thursday, June 8-9. Each FFS virtual event has a theme, and this time it’s PROFIT AMPLIFIERS. Wouldn’t it be nice to grow your bank account without having to do more work? Of course! So, let me tell you a little bit about who is presenting. Mark Stern will be talking about how you can make your digital products explode with intentional experience design and incorporating physical products (there are also operational benefits to doing so)! How’s your relationship with money? Brie Sodano is going to blow your mind while discussing paradigm shifts for more profit. Stephanie Dove Blake is giving you the 411 on how to use an integrator to quit being the bottleneck of your own growth and get out of your business operations. And our very own Free Mama Sales Coach Michelle Terpstra is teaching you how to get premium clients to come directly to you with their wallets out through success story-telling. It’s all going down in 2 power-packed half days. Want to join us for this exclusive sneak peek? Apply before Monday, June 6 and we’ll follow up with you either way.

When you hear “scale your business,” what does that mean to you? Oftentimes when people say scale, they mean they want to grow their business, especially their income (revenue). In order to scale a business, you need the ability to add revenue at a significantly greater rate than cost (expenses) or resources (your time), which is very difficult to do as a 1:1 service provider. To have a business that can scale, you have to build a machine that works even when you aren’t.

Before you can scale, you have to grow first. If that’s you right now, that’s amazing! Here are 2 huge tips for helping you get one step closer to scalability: Niche – In order to capture anyone’s attention, you have to be so clear about what you do and who you do it for that your name becomes synonymous with the service you provide. Systemize – Move away from custom services and personalized proposals toward a premium offer so you can STREAMLINE your workflow and stop accommodating each client individually. Pro tip: In order to do these 2 things, you’ll likely need to part ways with some of your existing clients. It’s hard, I get it, but it’s necessary. Now, maybe you’ve done this already and you’re wondering what’s next. How do you get to that 6-7 figure business range without burning out or sacrificing your values? You need a machine. If you feel like you’ve grown to the point where you’re ready to build something scalable, I have something for you: an invitation to join us for a sneak peek into our newest program, the Freedom Founder Society. We’re having a virtual event June 8-9, 10am-2pm CT, and I want you to come for a special sneak peek. Before I tell you how to apply, let me introduce you to the program. FFS is a 3 phase approach to upgrading you from self-employed to freedom-based, machine-loving business owner: Strive, Scale, Shift. Strive -Everyone who enters FFS starts with a 1 month sprint. The purpose is to take what you already have and earn back your investment in the first 4 weeks. -Don’t worry, you won’t be doing this alone! You’ll meet with a Sales Strategist and a Mindset Coach to come up with a specific game plan so you know exactly what you need to do to get a massive cash injection. Before the program even started Leandra and Katrina, aka The Bot Sisters, earned back their initial investment in just a few days by taking action on the feedback they received from our coaches! Scale -This is the meaty part of FFS and where a handful of coaches walk with you as you build a scalable, freedom-based business utilizing strategies and tactics that not only work, but feel in alignment for you. All of the information is stored in a HUB to make accessing the resources you need to succeed super easy. -You’ll get access to multiple trainings per month on topics the group requests, as well as 2 action calls per month with an implementation coach. You also have a personal Mindset Coach to help you get out of your own way and knock down any limiting beliefs you may have as you (and your business) grow. Shift -It’s easy to get stuck in the day to day of being a business owner, and nothing motivates and disrupts quite like an event! There will be 2 in-person retreats in exciting and freedom-inspiring locations each year where we’ll challenge what’s working and what isn’t and infuse our businesses with new thoughts and strategies. -Freedom Founders also come together for quarterly virtual events with some of the best experts and coaches in the industry where they’ll discover in-depth tactics and strategies that are currently dominating the online space. And you are invited to join us at next week’s virtual event. If you qualify, you’ll get a FREE sneak peek to the program. Make sure you apply by Monday, June 6, so we have time to review submissions and get back to everyone personally. Oh, and stay tuned for my email tomorrow (the last one I’ll send about this event!) because I’ve got a few tips for how to start building out that freedom machine, plus all the details about what you’ll learn at next week’s virtual event. Hopefully, I will see you on June 8 and 9!

I almost pooped my pants the first time a Stripe notification went off on my phone. Seriously. It was that life-changing. I was in the car with my family. Hundreds of miles away from my desk back in Texas (where we lived at the time). And I made my first online sale. I wasn’t even working, we were visiting family back home for Christmas, and $500 came through just like that.

Again. Life-changing. Now, I’m not going to sugar-coat this and tell you a lot of work didn’t go into creating that moment, because it did. And honestly, that sale was just the beginning – when I got home from that trip I had to get to work actually recording the course I’d just sold (because despite what many online gurus want you to believe, courses aren’t passive income). There were a lot of late nights for the next few months. But once it was done, it was DONE. I went on to sell over $3M (that’s MILLION) of that exact course. I got stripe notifications in my sleep. I earned money while on vacation. I made sales while hanging out at the park with my kids. How much would your life change if your income wasn’t so closely tied to your work as a freelancer? There’s only one way to do this: you have to separate YOU from the RESULTS you get for people. That’s the difference between being self-employed and being a business owner. That is the next-level freedom that comes with building something you can sell over, and over, and over again without burning out on fulfillment. That is how to increase your revenue (by a lot) without exhausting your resources (time, energy, etc.) And here’s the other secret most gurus don’t want you to know: THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO DO THIS.

Trends and tactics come and go.

Last year it was the Live Launch. Now its Challenges. When I started it was all about Webinars and Reels didn’t even exist yet.

They ALL work.

None are better, none are bad, none last forever.

It’s about figuring out what works best for you.

These are the concepts we teach inside of the Freedom Founder Society to make sure you’re scaling a business that you actually enjoy. (Plus, all of the different trends and tactics to get you there.)

This is a brand-new program for ambitious, freedom-motivated, self-starters who already have an established freelancing business and want to scale smartly.

Tomorrow, I’ll break down a little more about the program itself, but today I want to give you an exclusive opportunity to come hang out with me, our coaches, some impactful presenters, and our Freedom Founders…

For FREE!

On June 8-9 we’re having a 2-day virtual event and if you feel like this could be your next step, we want to give you the chance to attend.

Consider this a totally free, insanely high-value “sneak peek”.

Because the content is more advanced, we want to make sure it’s actually helping you, not overwhelming you.

You’re a good fit if you’ve:

• Got the basics of business down! You’re freelancing and know how to get 1:1 clients.
• Found your niche! You know your strengths and weaknesses, and you see the potential in your market to help more people.
• Already conceptualized a course! Maybe you’ve even tried to sell it alone and it didn’t work out.
• Maxed out on time! You’ve considered outsourcing but the idea of a team feels scary.
• Committed to success! Failure doesn’t scare you anymore. It’s part of the game, and nothing will stop you from moving forward.
• Collaborated! You love giving value to your peers.
• Decided to go all in! You’re ready to be the face of your business and lead a community.

If this is you, apply here to see if you’re qualified to join us June 8 and 9.

You’ll hear back from us either way.

And be sure to check out tomorrow’s email. I’m telling you more about the program, but also 3 steps to help you get ready if you’re not quite there yet.

Where are you on your Free Mama journey? Maybe you’re still an employee, on your way to becoming self-employed. (The Free Mama Movement is perfect for showing you how to do that.) Or maybe you’re currently self-employed. (This email is for you.) You’ve already got the clients. You’ve niched down. You’ve raised the rates. You’ve gotten really, really good at what you do. You’ve got the freelancing thing more or less figured out. But there’s still a problem… You’re ready to go bigger.

I can pinpoint exactly when this happened in my own freelancing journey, and I can often see the shift in my students, too. Sometimes it’s when you get frustrated having to tell new leads that you’re too busy to work with them, losing out on additional revenue. For me, I was maxed out on work time within my lifestyle boundaries but wanted to make more money for my family. You’ve probably heard the saying, “what got you here won’t get you there” and when it comes to scaling a virtual business, that is incredibly true. Because you can only earn so much as a freelancer. When you’re a 1:1 service provider, your earning potential is directly proportional to two things: your rate and your time. But, what if there is a way to remove both of those things from the equation? What if there is a way to take your experience and expertise and help even more people, not say no leads, work less, and make substantially more money? It’s more than possible! Seriously, this month my business made about $40k while I was on a mountain without wifi access, because I built it in a way to support my life, not run it. I’m not telling you this to brag. I’m telling you this, because I’ve made this transition from 1:1 to 1:many myself, and I know exactly what it requires to get there. I also know how to help you get there, if this is what you want, too. It’s time to think differently about your business. And you need something (and someone) to help you get there too. I have an event coming up that will give you even more practical, juicy goodness about scaling a freedom-based business. The event is not for everyone. You have to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. Check out tomorrow’s post to learn more.

Your Niche. Nitch? Neesh? Nietzche? However it’s pronounced, it doesn’t matter. You’ve probably come into this virtual business world and heard a million times that you need one. And it’s true, you do. But chances are, you’re going about it the wrong way. And it’s (negatively) affecting your business. Big time. Want to know why your niche isn’t working? Tune into this week’s episode to get the full story on what you’re doing wrong and how you can fix it.

P.S. You’re wasting time creating a vision board! Check out last week’s FreeMamaTV and learn the right way to create a vision board as a VA.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

This week almost broke me. Daphne came home sick Monday and missed her last two days of school. She was devastated not to be able to say goodbye to her friends and teacher before summer break began. And then Tuesday, I learned about the devastating mass shooting at a school in Texas and couldn’t help but feel relief that I didn’t have to send my kids back the next day. We shouldn’t have to live this way. If I’m honest, it’s surprising to me how controversial this issue is. I grew up with a father who hunts, and firearms safely stored inside our home. I’m not here to bash the 2nd Amendment, or intentional offend anyone… except maybe the power-hungry politicians and NRA  But there are opinions (many of them), and then there are facts. If you’ve ever listened to me, you KNOW I love data. So much so, that I can make a case for freelancing over blogging, network marketing, affiliate marketing, and pretty much any other work from home business. (If you want those stats, let me know.) Numbers don’t lie. They aren’t emotional, influenced by politicians or parents or the media. Here are some stats about gun violence that you may not know (which should outrage you, regardless of your stance on guns): Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded. Access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide. Access to a gun doubles the risk of death by homicide. Access to a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed. Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens. Read that last one again. So where do we go from here? Yesterday this week I did a Facebook Live talking about how tragedies like this can make me shut down. I go numb so that I don’t get so overly emotional and wallow in helplessness. But the truth is – none of us are helpless. We all have the ability to do something. Even if you only have one hour. Or one dollar. Or one conversation. It matters. Here are the things I’ve done this week. Hopefully these resources make taking action a little bit easier for you. Check out this resource for tips on how to talk to your children about violence, shared by fellow Free Mama and educator Katie Mack. Listen to this podcast with Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts. Easily contact your representatives and demand change through Everytown.org. And if you want to join Amy and I for the Summer SurTHRIVAL Plan Workshop on June 10 at noon CT, 15% of your registration is going to be donated to Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action works to close loopholes in gun law and create a culture of responsible gun ownership. Plus, I’m personally going to match all donations made through this event. I also hope that we don’t go “back to normal”. I’m tired of it. I’m exhausted of the sensational posts on social media for a week after a tragedy. Then it’s business as usual. Whether it’s racism. Violence. Homophobia. This isn’t normal. We must create a new normal. Let’s love each other and keep our babies safe, Mama.

Picture this: It’s girls’ night. You and your friends decide to make vision boards to help you manifest your future life. So there you are, sipping your wine or tea, cutting out pictures of huts in Fiji, sandy beaches, shiplap walls, that new designer handbag, and a luxury SUV. I am here to tell you, this is not helping you. Watch this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV to learn what you should actually be doing instead to get you to that dream life.

P.S. You’re showing up online the wrong way! Check out last week’s FreeMamaTV and learn the right way to show up!

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!