Claim Your Awesome
Claim Your Awesome is on a mission to inspire and support women in connecting to their truth, awakening to their own power and unapologetically claim their big dreams so they can create a life that lights up their soul and manifest a life of abundance.
Weekly topics include healing your relationship with money, letting go of limiting beliefs, upgrading your money mindset, manifestation, living with more joy, finding balance, spirituality, entrepreneurship and wellness.
Claim Your Awesome
Building a Wildly Successful Online Business with Jackie Dragone
I am so excited to have Jackie Dragone on the podcast today. Jackie helps online coaches and services providers master messaging, strategy and sales so they can become wildly successful.
Dive deep with us as Jackie discusses the intricacies of building businesses grounded in meaningful connections. She shares the strategic moves that propelled her forward, highlighting the importance of being self-reliant, yet open to forming relationships without immediate expectations. Jackie is unapologetic about what it takes to create success and lead in business. And if you've ever doubted your place in the business landscape, Jackie's unwavering belief in owning your space from the get-go is an empowering message for us all!
You can find Jackie on Instagram @iamjackiedragone
Drop her a note and say hello!
Additionally, if you are listening to this prior to Wednesday February 28th, I invite you to jump inside my first free virtual workshop, Magnetic March. This workshop is designed to harmonize your online presence with your innermost aspirations. Join us and discover how to lead with a genuine narrative that not only reflects your true self but also draws others to your cause, ensuring that when you speak, your audience doesn't just listen — they connect.
If you are interested in joining send me a note on IG so I can send you the link. See you there!
Join the FREE Everyday Magic Community here
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If you are feeling called for 1:1 support to help you get unstuck, clear the limiting beliefs, reprogram the subconscious mind, GET INTO ACTION and manifest a biz and life you love, you can apply to work with me here.
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Hi everyone. Welcome back to the Claim, your Awesome podcast. I'm so excited to have Jackie Dragone here today. She is a business coach and she is a powerhouse at Messaging and Strategy. She has the Pink Business Club podcast. She's the founder of the Pink Business Club and she really helps businesses redefine their messaging so that they can attract the right clients. So welcome, I'm so happy to have you.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, great. Well, I love getting everyone's kind of origin story how did you know we have these businesses? But clearly we don't start that way and for people who are feeling inspired to maybe start their own business or maybe they're like teetering on building out a business, just share how you got started and really where you got to.
Speaker 2:You know yeah, yeah, okay. So, long story short. In the 2010 to 2012 range, I was living in New York City. I was wanted to be a professional dancer. I was auditioning nonstop and I was getting exhausted. I was like sick of it. I was sick of the rejection. It was just a lot. So I was like is this like a sustainable life, even if I land a show? Is that even enough money for me to live the way I want to live? And the answer was kind of no. So I was like you know what? What am I going to do? And so from there I decided to transition into fitness.
Speaker 2:When I got my fitness certification, I did Pilates, anatomy, biomechanics, like the whole thing. In that certification I met a woman who said I'm opening a Pilates studio and I'm looking for people to help me run it. So she hired me and another girl brought me on and I was, before I knew it, within like six months, like managing the business, creating the curriculum, hiring the instructors, training them, overseeing like a ton of business operations. So I literally started in business without even trying to start in business. I was just thrown into it. Real life experience in New York City, in the most powerful city in the world learning how to like build a fitness studio in the boutique fitness boom. That was 2012. If you like, lived in a major city, or in New York, or California or LA or anything like that. You know what I'm talking about and it was just like the most amazing hands-on experience to not only become a coach, become a leader, but also to understand business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I did not know that you started as a dancer. That is, that's so cool. I did not know that about you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, all right. So what? Okay, I have really two questions, because one, I find that so many women who make their way onto like the online business space whether it's as a coach or some other entrepreneurial path, like start in fitness, and I know this is a little bit of a segue, but do you have any insight on that? Like, do you feel like something about fitness or the confidence that it gives you or you know anything kind of impacted, how you are able to show up now.
Speaker 2:I've just been on stage my entire life since I was five years old, so there was never a fear of speaking in front of people. I was. I'm just naturally born a leader Like. If you look into any of my charts, like I'm in Aries, I'm born on the first of the month, first zodiac sign, first born. Born on the first of the month. I am a generator. I am a three-five, which is the profile numbers for like being a leader Like I. It just is in me. So it's like hard to say like I was just born this way. I want to say you know. So sometimes it's hard.
Speaker 2:I think, like I'm really aware of this in coaching relationships I can't expect everyone to be like me, so like I just never had a problem being in front of people or like being a leader or creating structure. It is just of the fabric of who I am. So the whole transition was natural for me, I think for fitness in my scenario it was like I always was in the business and coaching fitness. So for me it was a very natural progression. It wasn't like all I had ever done was work for a fitness company and then I decided I was going to coach business Like I literally was always involved in being.
Speaker 2:I was a leader, I was leading a team, I was hiring a team, I was training the team and I was helping grow and market the business. So for me it was like a very natural progression. But the part I gravitated to the most is like really that, like development of something, what, be it a human, be it the vision that somebody has. That's why I like messaging so much, like the development, the creation of something that has the ability to be birthed into the world, and then like change lives forever. That to me is like the most exciting thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. So now you've been in this fitness industry and now you're transitioning to creating your own business to help other businesses grow and succeed. So tell us a little bit about how that transition happened and how that looks From fitness into business, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So in 2017, I had left New York, I came to Philadelphia and I started an in-person fitness brand called Frithem Lab. So now this is the first time starting my own business. 2020 happened, pandemic came. I had to move the whole thing online. So now I started a business in-person, a business online for myself, businesses for other people. So roll around to the end of 2021.
Speaker 2:And I was like you know what I am so good at business. I have successfully done this several times now and I can see in people like where they're holding back, what they're doing right, what they're doing wrong, and I can't help but tell them Like I was just like pulled to it. I'm like it can't help but like want to go in and create, co-create or not even co-create, just be like the fly on the wall is they're creating, co-creating with the universe as they're co-creating their mission, and just be like, hey, like can I nudge you this way? Because, like you could go bigger, literally, at client MIDMS, I was like no more of this. Like you're putting off your dream, like no, like go, you know. Yeah, I feel like I just went around the question, but I'll pause every second.
Speaker 1:No, I love that and I love that you naturally just know what you're good at and you own that. Because I find that so many women, no matter what they want to start whether they want to start a coaching business, whether they want to move into, like, an online fitness space, whatever it may be Right, they want to have an Etsy store they're not fully owning that. They have a gift, and so often I find it's easy for women especially to just say oh, that's just something I'm good at. Oh, I'm just good at decorating my house, it's no big deal. Like, everyone can do that. I'm just good. Like no, not everyone is freaking good at that. Like, own that and do something with it, right. So I love that. You see that and you really have a knack for pulling that out of people and showing them where they're kind of missing the mark a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, exactly Like my whole mission, like for 2024, moving forward is for everybody who wants to come into my world and work with me to realize, like you are a big, effing deal, like a really big deal. This is it, Like we are all going to be becoming wildly successful together and that's it, like there's no more holding back. Because the one thing I'm highly aware of is Our time is limited. As far as we know, at least in this life. Our time is limited. You don't know what's going to happen, so you can sit and fear, in doubt and worry, and should I and shouldn't I? And what's my mom going to say? What's my core going to say? Like, if all of that? Because You're just denying yourself. I can't watch people deny themselves anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and wouldn't you say? Or I'm curious if this is your experience. For me, what I find is the hardest thing for women is when they're doing that, when they are denying themselves the doing the very thing that they, you know. They're either not admitting it, they're not, you know, they say they don't know, but they know and they're just not saying yes to it. And that is what is hard. That is what literally feels, at least in my experience, like terrible in my body, Like I can feel like the uh in the yuck of that. You know, and yet we still do it.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yep, yep. I'm trying to like. The psychology of it is so interesting. I think that we sit in it because we don't think we deserve it. I'm sure you've come across this. It's like the self-worth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lots of self-worth, yeah, lots of, yeah, tons of things, and that could be right A whole other episode for sure. So I am so happy that I'm having you on right. As you know, we are like moving into 2024, because I think that, especially at this time of year, it's always like this is going to be the year that I'm going to show up differently for myself, that I'm going to do something, that I'm going to say yes, that I'm going to, you know, fill in all the blanks of all the listeners I would love for you to in your, you know best way, if someone's like I want to finally turn this passion of mine into a business, but I have no idea what that looks like.
Speaker 1:I have no idea where we're going to start, but I have been sitting on this for a year, five years. God knows how long I've been sitting on this for so long. What? Like, just walk us through a little bit of your advice how you work with clients. Like I think that people are just like overwhelmed by the information out there. They're like just break it down for me, Just make it super simple.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. I think there's two things to this. There's personality type. I always look at what makes someone successful versus what doesn't. If you want it I say this with love and also I'll give you strategy. Like if somebody really wants it, they're going to figure it out. You're going to figure it out. Like I don't know if you can look back and trace the dots behind you. Every place I've gotten is because I figured it out and that has put the power in my hands, versus being like who outside of me can tell me what to do. Like you're going to figure it out, you're going to take the next step. But what are taking those steps? Look like Like to answer the question more specifically with strategy.
Speaker 2:It's like okay, you have a product, you have an offer, you have a service. What hold does that fill and for who? Like step one is you can't sell any of it if people don't know about it. So go find the people that want this and start just talking to them. Get in front of them, post content for them, hold classes for them, get on calls with them, host events for them. Like that is step one. Build your audience is step one. Actually, step one never leaves your business. You can hear people say, oh, you're in a season of being visible. No, you're visible every season. Like, this part never ends, right, like you're always. That's the number one thing that needs to be going in your business. From there, I think, building deeper relationships with people without the expectation of them to pay you is part two, right. So, like, I use this example all the time I think I used it yesterday and like, alive that I did.
Speaker 2:But let's say you go to a yoga studio. You're new, you just moved to town, you're gonna, you want to do yoga. So you go to a studio. You step into studio number one and it's gorgeous, right, but no one's there to greet you. You have no information. You really don't know what's going on, you just know it's beautiful. Then you like, leave, you walk across the street, you go into studio number two. Somebody's there to greet you, they sign you up for your first class, free, so you don't have to go through the trouble of doing it. They give you a water bottle, cause they had extra from a challenge that they did, and they want to welcome you to the neighborhood.
Speaker 2:Like, where are you gonna go? It's the same thing online, right? So don't just expect. Oh, I have a business people are gonna buy for me. Go the extra step for them. Go the extra step for them. Get on a call with them, give them the free class, give them the free water bottle, like. Show them what you're made of. We don't deserve anything. We have to earn that trust and we have to earn that respect. So I think you have to look at it from that standpoint. Everybody who's making millions of dollars on the internet started somewhere similar, and they didn't sit there and say I deserve to be paid. No, they put the work in.
Speaker 1:And just even going back to when you were talking about, you're going to figure it out, and I think that, again, some people listening to this may be in the online space. Some people just are entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs, so it's a mix, but, in my experience, like too many of us are looking for someone else's permission, we're looking for someone else to tell us what to do, how to do it, and I think that's where it gets really noisy online, because everyone's trying to sell the strategy or this thing and it's like no, it only actually can ever come back to you and come back to you trusting yourself enough to say yes to where you feel like you're being called.
Speaker 1:And then when you do that, then you're resourceful. Then things start to align or they don't, and you just show up and you try it and you get some information and you get some insight and you get some data points right and you do something again.
Speaker 2:Right so.
Speaker 1:I love that and I think I know for myself in past businesses I definitely didn't do the work to trust myself enough and show up and that really like got in my own way. So I want to just like definitely kind of bring that up and I love that. You then secondly said about really connection and making people feel seen and welcome, and I don't care what type of business you're running or trying to build. I think now more than ever, people want connection, People want to feel seen.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yep, exactly, that's really what it is. And to circle back to your point with the like external validation, it's like you. Something I'm very stepping into for 2024 is like I belong in every room. There's no reason I don't, yeah, and I'm not going to wait for an invitation. I'll find a way, like I will introduce myself instead of waiting for an invitation.
Speaker 2:And I think, when you can get behind that, when you say, like, what advice would you give somebody starting, I would say, also, look at that from the beginning. This is why, like so many business owners, go to therapy or do spirituality or manifestation practices or whatever it is. It's like how you see yourself from day one is everything, and I spent way too much time seeing myself as I don't know if I'd be like questioning it, right, questioning that self-worth, questioning your abilities. But if you can own your ability and just know that you belong, you're going to put yourself out there more, just, naturally, and you're going to ask people that might tell you no, but that's okay, because you're asking, you're making yourself known. So I think that that is a really huge step in it too. No matter where you're at, it's like see yourself as belonging there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, because if you don't see yourself in that way, no external validation, no quote, unquote. Perfect strategy, no perfect coach, whatever it may be, is going to be able to do that for you if you can't do that for yourself.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah that's exactly it. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:I was listening to a podcast and they were talking about how USC is the top film school in the country. I'm not really in the film, so I hope that I'm not butchering that, but I'm pretty sure that sounds right. I'm pretty sure that's kind of what they were saying. And it's like USC they're not guaranteeing that you're going to be the next Martin Scorsese when you walk in the door, they're not like you have to go and believe that you have this spark in you and you want to be there because you want to be like in the magic of that film school and the people that are there and the creativity that comes because you're showing up for the person that you want to be in that space.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly, and when we go back to strategy too, it actually falls into the conversation of strategy.
Speaker 2:Because when we talk about making sales online, I think something that's really important, that if I can tell you, no matter what stage of your business that you're at, if you can look at not just selling online, but what is like the energy behind your brand, what is the meaning behind your brand that is bigger than the thing that you sell, like what does it mean for somebody's life?
Speaker 2:If you can kind of position your brand, your offers, your sales, all of it in that way, then it kind of cuts out the noise. It's almost like bringing the human connection to sales, bringing the human desire to sales. It just I think it lands a lot better. Like if you think of all the people that you want to buy from, it's not just that like a lot of them are selling the same thing, but like they're embodying something and they're standing for something where you're like, wow, I want to know. I've seen a lot of people do that, but I want to know how she did it, because of the way that she carries herself or the way she speaks about it or her story. Like there's such a layer deeper to sales, and I think the sooner you can figure that out for your own brand, the better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I think it's such an important thing, especially in this like super busy online space. Regardless of what you're selling whether you're selling like women's dresses or you know something else it's like how can you? For me, it's like, how can you really embody what you sell? What do you stand for? Because that's all that matters at the end of the day. You can't embody this like false version of yourself because you're trying to be like someone else, like people.
Speaker 1:see through that and it doesn't matter and it doesn't feel good to you. You're just going to burn yourself out. You know, trying to be all the things and you're you know, in five years maybe you have a successful business and you're like, oh my god, I want to burn it to the ground because I'm completely miserable. That had been myself for the past five years.
Speaker 2:Right, I'm trying to be someone else. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:So what would you say? And I feel like messaging is such a big one, but you're so good at it and you again it's like in your just makeup and your identity of really helping people see and pull out like the messaging that sticks. I feel like messaging is huge because so many people want to be entrepreneurs and they want to have businesses and they want to share their passions and then they start their business and they're like, oh my gosh, now I have to be an accountant, I have to be a marketer.
Speaker 1:I have to do all these things, but I really just want to make something, I really just want to empower people, whatever it is. So how would you work with, or just even some tips for the very new business owner, even maybe someone who feels a little stuck, stuck around messaging, stuck, feeling like I don't know what to say, how to say it, what would be your advice to that?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I would say first thing is, look at your content and scan your content from like a bird's eye view. Imagine like your grandma reading your content. Would she know what you're talking about? And if not, it's not specific enough. So that's one thing. Like, imagine you're your mom, your parent, your grandma, somebody who doesn't really know what you do, but if they're reading your content, do they understand what it's saying? Right, Because a lot of content I see and I say this with love and it kind of looks like a Hallmark store where it's just like these phrases where I'm like it's not. I don't even know if you're talking about life or relationships, or business, or spirituality, or my kids, Like I don't know. Anyone could say that phrase Like I don't know what it means. Like here are three ways to nurture yourself. What does that mean? Nurture what? My finances, my relationship, you know? Like that's step one. So what's? Your grandma know what you're saying. If you said here are three ways to increase your energy as a busy mom with three kids, when you only have 20 minutes a day to do it, Instead of three ways to nurture yourself, your grandma would know what that means. She would be like, oh, I get that right. Yeah, so that's step one.
Speaker 2:Step two is scan your content, your messaging, your marketing, your social media for like buzzwords. Not everybody knows what it means to be like in flow. Not everybody even knows what it means to just say grow your business, Grow, what about my business? All right. So scan for these like industry buzzwords. Like if you're having a conversation, say you have a business coach and you guys are talking, there's some of the words that you're saying back and forth to each other don't belong in your content because they're like industry understood but they're not understood by the masses. Like being in flow or activating your inner power or I don't know I'm trying to think of like other ones you know. But like, scan it for buzzwords and then be like again, is this just like a popular word that people are tossing around? But what does it really mean? What am I really trying to say?
Speaker 2:And then I think the last tip would be are you saying what you really want to say or are you holding back in what you're saying? Are you really saying what you want to say? This comes into branding. So for me it's like I really want to say things that are a little bit fiery and spicy. But for a little while I held back on that because I was like oh, it just feels easier to be like here's seven ways you can go and grow your business to make a thousand dollars tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Like, not that that's not a good post, but their personality in your content, like, is that coming through and coming out without getting like too specific into it? I would just like are you saying what you really want to say, like about your brand, your industry, your point of view, your own results? Are you talking yourself up? Are you bragging about the things that you have done to show people like, not like. Oh my God, look at me, I'm amazing. But like, this is the way, like I have the way I can help you Making sure that that is at the forefront of your brand, because people want to buy from leaders, not like, not from content that you can Google.
Speaker 1:I know that you again are so good at sharing your own journey and you've had such an incredible year building your own business and you know I know that you have so much awesome stuff in store this coming year and you're. I love how you were saying I'm really stepping into that, like I belong in these rooms and I'm owning that, and so I would love to hear from you what that feels like for you. What do you see for yourself this year and just really like own it and claim it If you feel?
Speaker 1:called to share it. When we are unapologetic about what we want and our super big, crazy goals, like people don't have to understand them, but people who are afraid to say yes to theirs. Like when they see other people doing it, they're like okay, it's safe. Like I can do that too. Right, yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, a couple of things are happening that I'm doing. What does it feel like? It feels expansive. It actually feels harder to stay in a small space than to stretch myself. Honestly, it feels like every. It feels like very intentional. Every action that I'm taking.
Speaker 2:I'm asking myself is this the action of a million dollar business owner, or is this the action of somebody that just wants to make a couple of bucks on mine? It's a totally different approach. What would I do as my million dollar business owner self right now? How would I present this offer? How would I hold capacity in this offer? How much access would I give in this offer? And the answer is not always less. Sometimes it's more Like you know, just like thinking about. You know it's really thinking about like the intentionality behind everything and how you want to lead people and how you want to show up.
Speaker 2:It feels like very vulnerable because I'm looking at myself in my daily life too. What am I saying to myself when I wake up? Who am I being to my husband? Who am I being to myself? How am I treating my family? How does my reflection of what my family thinks about me hold me back in my business? Like all of these bigger conversations I've been having with myself, because it is all a reflection of a brand and again, people want to buy from leaders and I know I'm a natural born leader. So for me to fully step into my leadership feels like, honestly, the only way for me to fulfill my life's purpose. Like when I'm on my deathbed one day to look back and say, oh, did I? Like I think I'm not afraid of the death, I'm afraid of what I think in that moment more than anything. Right? So it's like it feels like that. It feels like it's now or don't do it. Like why not? Why wait? That's kind of my message to anyone listening. Like I don't know what you're waiting for. I really don't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that, I love that book. The Biggest Regrets of the Dying and that's the number one regret is that I live my life based on someone else's expectations. Time is not promised and it goes so fast. So, really like, at the end of it all, what did you step into, what did you allow for yourself, what did you create and I don't even mean from like a we have to hustle and do more, because I'm like definitely not all about that how did you just live in a way that was truly like on purpose for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, exactly, that's it. That's exactly it and yeah. So something else you'll see coming out is a complete rebrand. The whole entire brand name is changing to becoming wildly successful and yeah, that is where I really truly am called to lead people. And the word becoming is really on my heart because it's never done. Yeah, it's really never done in my opinion. So I'm really excited to change over. Like the podcast, the brand, the membership, everything I do will be more around creating some sort of a movement for people and, like you said, to give people permission, like you can be, see yourself as becoming wildly successful. I denied myself that for so long. I'm not the person that shops there. I'm not the person that vacations there. I'm not the person that buys that kind of car, like no, you can become those things once you allow it, whatever your version of that is, and it doesn't have to be material or monetary. It's just like really opening your eyes to what you want and stepping into that.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, such a beautiful message and such a great message to kind of wrap up on. So where can people find you? If you want to just share, I'll make sure I include it in the show notes, but if people want to check everything out that you're doing yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So just find me on Instagram at I am Jackie Dagon, at I am Jackie Dagon. Send me a message, send me a DM. I would just love to know about you and your business and what you're up to and what becoming successful looks like to you. And yeah, that's it. That's the best spot.
Speaker 1:I love it. Thank you so much for being on. This has been such a great conversation.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh, I appreciate you having me. Thank you, yeah, thanks.
Speaker 1:As always. Thank you so much for tuning in this week. It is always so wonderful to show up in this space with all of you and, depending on when you're listening to this, if you happen to be listening to this prior to Wednesday, february 28th, and you're interested in jumping into a free workshop that I'm running all around being your most magnetic self, it's called magnetic March and we're talking about planning out your month. We're talking about what are you selling? How are you talking about it? Talking about attracting abundance through the energy of ease. We're talking about being able to write yourself a big fat permission slip to show up online in the way that your soul has been craving, in a way that really your soul is calling you to step into and, lastly but not least important, nurturing self-trust and activating your intuition.
Speaker 1:This is going to be a really beautiful workshop. It's live. It will be a replay if you can't join us live, but come drop me a note so I can get that link over to you, and I hope you have a beautiful day.